Snip. Sniiip. Sniiip.

Those were the only sounds that echoed throughout the room. They were precise and to the point.

She still had her eyes glued on her knees and could see them trembling. She could feel her hands doing the same. Her chest—no her whole body seemed to be pulsing rapidly. Her mind screamed for her to suppress it like how she always did. However, she knew deep inside it was futile as she could never act properly in front of the lady sitting before her.

"You already know why I summoned you here today," the voice from the other end of the room spoke out as they continued to snip away. There was an immediate flinch from her. Her voice was no where to be found; all she could managed was a feeble nod.

"We made a promise. You can visit those two as long as you did not let it affect your studies and role as a member of the Shiraishi household. Yet, you came to the performance late and dripping in rain water. Not to mention you collapsed when the attendants were in the middle of changing and drying you up right after. I would ask your caretaker and driver, but I rather hear everything from your mouth. Now answer."

It was like her voice was yanked out of the dark depths it was hiding upon the elder lady's order.

"O-on the way to the recital, I spotted my friend being caught in the rain and I decided to escort my friend home. I forgot to take an umbrella with me when I stepped out of the car to get my friend's attention."

She spoke slowly and cautiously. There was also fear lumped in her voice.

"I am sorry," she pressed her head and her fingertips lightly against the floor. She was sure the elderly lady could clearly see how her hands shook, but she hoped somehow it was toned down to a minimum.

"Your apology cannot undo what you have caused. I have already spoken to the organizers, and your teacher already."

Snip. Sniiip. Snip.

"You are to no longer be continuing piano lessons and you are to be studying abroad in Liberty by the end of this month."

She shot her head up and raised her voice, "What—Why?"

The lady grimly turned her gaze away from the flowers to meet her gaze. Normally, she would have froze and scolded herself without question, but this wasn't the case this time around. She just stared back, bewildered, her violet eyes demanding for an answer.

"You've gotten far too lax lately that even your aunts and uncles are making remarks to me. Studying abroad will give you some stable ground again," she started to arrange some of the flowers in place. "Think of it as punishment if you wish."

She could feel the blood rushing through her head and words she had piled up for so long begin to spill out uncontrollably.

"That's not fair—how could you? I've done everything you could possibly wish for. I've always made sure to uphold our family name in school, at those parties you force me to go, in front of any guests or relative. Why, just over one thing you-"

Smack!

Next thing she knew, she was clutching the stinging pain on her cheek in sheer shock. Despite how strict her grandmother was, she had never hit anyone. Then again, such occurrences were rare within her household in general. She slumped down as reality weighed down upon her as she heard her grandmother's next words.

"You will go to Liberty and my words are final," she emphasized every word and slid open the door. "You are also not to have any outside contact until you leave."

She remained there for a while and listened to her grandmother's footsteps head out of the room to flag over a maid.

"Take care of what's left in the room for me. Throw the flowers away; they're ruined."

Nadeshiko's eyes opened to see the bluish hues of her ceiling. The dimness of the autumn sunlight had entered through the curtains and into the room. She could even faintly hear the birds chirping outside. Then, the wet sensation streaming from her eyes and sticking onto her hair was felt. She blinked slowly a few times and remained still to squeeze the last tears and sense of profound melancholy that welled inside of her before getting up.

After pulling out a sheet of tissue from its box and dabbing her eyes, as well as hair, with it she stepped into the bathroom to get a better look at her state. Her hair was unusually knotty on the back—a product of letting her hair dry naturally. Her eyes were fine, so she probably wasn't crying for long. She leaked out a sigh.

This was going to be a long day again.

Once she came out of the shower, she headed for the closet and coordinated her clothes without giving too much thought about it. Her eyes then landed on the box sitting inside and quickly forced herself to look somewhere else. When she finished slipping into her work clothes she scrolled through her daily planner inside her phone. The only thing that stuck out was tea time with Aya and Yu.

She initially refused with the "excuse" of having too much work, but Aya, being persuasive as always made her cave. For one thing, both her friends were finally having some free time again; for another thing, it was also a rare opportunity as a good chunk of people who are working in the palace were taking a day off.

However, she really wasn't up for it, but she promised.

"So, here's the list of drugs we carry here. This pile are the over-the-counters and this would be the prescribed," the male pharmacist grinned at her as he stacked the thick wads of paper on the cart. "Shiraishi?"

"Hmm?"

She blinked several times before she sprung up and headed over to where the man was standing.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought," she said with an sheepish smile.

"No worries; we all have those moments. Though, judging from your rumoured work ethic this would be a rare occurrence." But he didn't press further.

"Thank you very much for the files," Nadeshiko said and skimmed through the first sheets on each lists. "Some of these aren't from the main supply company aren't they?"

"Nope, there are a few that are personally requested by the Sergeant Surgeon for... well, he's actually affiliated with the company that rivals your family's in Oriens. So, I think you can figure out from there."

Politics. That explained a lot. Her family's company may have rivalled Surgeon Matsuda's in Oriens, but there was a significant difference between the two. The Shiraishi Corporation had expanded internationally long ago. The rivalling company, was fairly new compared to the Shiraishi company, and had yet to succeed worldwide recognition.

But, politics. Just what she didn't need.

"I see," she nodded and deterred the topic, "By the way, judging from these records, your department must be storing digital copies of everything?"

"Yup. We're the only department doing that for now."

She began to wheel the cart towards the door with the pharmacist following along, "I think the other departments should follow your example. Paper records are necessary, but we need digital ones to back things up. Especially with the Apothecary holding surgeries everyday."

"Tell me about it. They like sticking to what's always been done before. It's not as if they wouldn't approve of change, but those thoughts just never exactly crossed their minds thoroughly enough to get anywhere," he shrugged before shooting a wink at her as they stopped in front of the door from a safe enough distance. "They just need someone to guide them down that road."

"And why was this not done before I came?" she raised an amused eyebrow.

"You think they'd bother to listen to us pharmacists? Heck, we provide them the meds, but our BAs are nothing compared to their MDs and PhDs," he spoke exasperatedly before leaning a little closer to her. "Say, would you care for coffee sometime?"

Nadeshiko knew the question was going to pop up sooner or later and after many years of receiving the same question, she learned that there was only way to go despite being in Oriens.* She crossed her arms and grinned at him. "I apologize, but I'm going to have to refuse that offer."

"Whoa, that's the first time I heard an outright rejection," he clutched his heart dramatically before speedily recovering and opening the door for her. "Well, it was worth a try. I'll see you whenever."

"Have a nice day," she gave a courteous nod and smile before exiting.

* Usually when someone is invited to go out somewhere in Japan; or in BMP's alternative case, Oriens; whether it is a date or just hanging out, most people refuse by saying, "Oh, that's a little..." instead of directly refusing.

She tried her best to keep up with the conversation with Aya and Yu, but they were too attentive to let things go by unnoticed.

"It's just work," she said. "I've been in the process of developing a proposal to reform a few things within our departments, so I've been pulling a few extra hours. I also have been trying to catch up on the latest journal articles and books, too."

It was an attempt not only to convince them, but herself as well.

Aya and Yu exchanged glances upon her claim for a moment.

"If you say so, Nana-chan," Aya started.

"But, just so you know, we're here if you want to talk about anything," Yu finished.

She returned them with a small nod and escorted them to the door, before starting to tidy up. There was some irritation that dug into her skin with them finishing each other's sentences, but she mentally chastised herself as soon as such thoughts floated about. A sigh involuntarily leaked out of her as she was placing the tea set on the cart. However, she wasn't looking at where she placed it. In fact, she miscalculated and lost her grip from the tray in midair. Since her office floor was tiled, it made remarkably loud noise as it shattered to pieces and scattered all over.

She instinctively flinched at the impact of the noise and bit her lip at the state of her only tea set, but she forced herself to stop lamenting too much. Just as she was carefully stepped across the room to fetch a broom and dustpan, there was a bunch of loud taps that could be heard against her door.

"Nana—I mean, Doctor Shiraishi, I just heard a loud crashing noise not too long ago. Is everything alright?" The muffled voice initially was full of panic, but managed to suppress most of it soon after.

"I just accidentally dropped my tea set and I'm currently sweeping up the pieces, that's all. Thank you for worrying, Master Yu, but I'm fine," she call out loud enough for him to hear on the other side.

There was a pause before he answered.

"... Are you really sure about that?"

"O—of course, I'm fine."

"Just remember that it isn't good to hold things in all the time. A certain someone made me realize that not too long ago. I'll send for someone to dispose of the pieces soon."

And those were his final words before he left her alone with her thoughts.

The final ornament was secured into her updo and she double-checked everything was perfect from head to toe with help from the large mirror in her room. Well, perfectly in place at least. Her eyes bored into the mirror's reflection of herself.

"It doesn't suit me..."

The vibrating sounds from her phone averted her attention and she snatched it from where it sat on the bed.

"Hello? Yes, I will be at the front gates in 10 minutes then."

"Prince Alan, what are you doing?"

Yu peered behind the oak tree trunk where the young boy was crouching. There was an enormous box of crayons nestling against the grass, a sketchbook resting upon his knees, and a bright orange crayon in his grip. Yu was able to get a better look of the contents he was drawing as he tilted his head upwards.

"Oh, Yu!" the young prince beamed and stood up to face him thrusting the drawing proudly towards the butler. "Look, I've been drawing something for Doctor Shiraishi as a thank you present for the cookies!"

Yu studied the drawing for a moment. There certainly was a lot of things going on in it. Roses, a book, something that looked like a necklace, a stuffed toy, plus a few other things were there. He can also see that Alan and Nadeshiko were in the centre of it all.

"The Glenn and the princes told me these are the things girls like," Alan continued on happily. "I also made sure to include what she likes like they said... origami!"

He pointed at a blue paper crane.

"...I see," he nodded slowly as his smile twitched a little. The thought of the Princes giving Alan advice was quite amusing. It also explained Glenn's sigh lately and the strange things he said about Alan as well as children growing up so fast. Yu made a mental note to clear up the misunderstanding later when he had the chance.

"It's a very lovely and thoughtful drawing, Prince Alan. I'm sure she'll be pleased."

"Thanks!" Just then the boy's face became horror struck and frantically flipped the sketchbook to a close. "Oh no! She's coming!"

Yu turned his neck around slightly and sure enough, she just descended a few steps from the stairs. He couldn't help but eye her appearance today as she was dressed in a white and peach kimono splashed with autumn motifs—with perfectly matching accessories to boot. The only thing that was missing, and was the crucial part, was a smile—a genuine smile. Alan, probably caught up with her special appearance and the fact he was hiding a "secret", didn't happen to notice.

"Good morning, Prince Alan, Master Yu," she nodded the moment she was close to where they were.

"You look beautiful today, Doctor Shiraishi!" Alan spoke with a big smile as he hid the surprise behind his back.

"Prince Alan's right, you do look lovely," Yu nodded and gave her an encouraging smile, hoping she'd give a nice one in return. However, she only gave him a vague one and there was a tint of sadness within her eyes.

"...Is that so? Thank you."

"Where are you going today?" he asked hurried afterwards to avoid an awkward atmosphere.

"I received an invitation for my grandmother's birthday party."

That explained a lot. Nadeshiko wasn't one to mention her personal affairs very often, even when they were kids, but because of that, he knew that she wasn't so fond of her extended family. There was also a strong likelihood that her extended family had similar sentiments. She didn't even bother to visit them even though she had came back after all these years. Come to think of it, why did they bother with her now?

Then, it slipped.

"You don't have to go, you know," and he clammed up as soon as her eyes began to widen. "I apologize, that was out of line of me."

"No, it's fine," she shook her head before continuing. "You're right, I don't have to, but there's something I need to do today. I hope you two have a nice day."

Before she could make an exit, he reached out for her wrist by instinct creating yet another surprise.

"Take care of yourself, alright?" he peered into her eyes sternly. She bit her lip and managed to nod before he let her go.

"Yu, is something wrong?" Alan tugged the sleeve of his shirt with glassy eyes as Nadeshiko was walking away.

Yu pulled a gentle smile as he answered, "Doctor Shiraishi is probably just a little tired from working. I'm sure your present will cheer her up later, though."

"Got it," the young prince spoke with resolve in his tone. "You were looking for me because it's almost time for my piano lesson, right? Let's go then, so I can finish this after."

Yu was astonished at this abrupt display of maturity. Then again, it was only a matter of time before it happened. The young prince had even grown a few centimetres lately. He was tempted to reward him with a pat, but instead bent to a professional bow.

"Then, this way, my Prince."

"Why are you acting so formal all of a sudden when it's just us two," Alan gave him an odd look.

Yu laughed. Not everything was changing so soon then.

"As you wish."

The choppy melody of Schubert's piano sonata No. 16 echoed throughout the music room as Alan and his instructor took their time to go through the piece for the first time. Yu sat from a safe distance from them as he observed. It had been long since he had heard this particular piece, yet he could recall it as if it was only yesterday when that certain someone played the same piece.

"You're getting a lot better, Nana-chan," a young girl, whose auburn locks were tied in a high ponytail by a emerald green ribbon clapped. Her eyes shimmered in pure awe and admiration as she rose up from her seat. Yu, who also stood up from his seat beside the girl's nodded in agreement.

"Well done, Nana-chan."

The girl in spotlight shifted her gaze to the many keys on the baby grand piano in an attempt to conceal her blush.

"T—thank you. It's all thanks to your parents allowing me to practice on this piano, Yu-chan, and both of you for being my audience," she spoke softly before she faced them. Her lips curved into a meek smile with the pink still eminent on her cheeks.

"Speaking of practice... don't you practice at home?" the younger girl tilted her head to one side and her expression shifted to one of curiousity. Before Yu could scold her for asking personal questions, Nadeshiko reached out to pat his hand and shook her head.

"It's okay, Yu-chan," and she turned to her girl. "It's not that I don't practice at home, I just don't feel as comfortable about it."

"Because it's a big house with a lot of people or something?"

"Something like that."

"Are you ready for your concert then?" Yu asked to divert the topic.

"Yeah, I am ready," she nodded and stared into both of her friends' eyes with confidence.

As the memory faded away, his thoughts floated towards his exchange with Nadeshiko earlier. Something was clearly wrong and it will definitely continue to be if he let it be. Before he could complete his thoughts, he heard Alan's music instructor speak up.

"Okay, I think that's good enough for today," the instructor nodded before she began to pack her things. "You did very well, Prince Alan. Keep up the good work."

"Thank you! See you later!" he smiled as he followed Yu to escort her out.

"Then, until next time," she bowed before she began to walk out the room and down the hallway. Yu and Alan headed in the opposite direction. It was not too long until they crossed paths with a certain someone.

"It is a pleasure to see you, Lord Kaneda," Yu spoke yet his face marked no traces of what he said. Lord Kaneda on the other hand, smiled in return, but his eyes weren't.

"It's a pleasure to see you as well, Yu," he nodded and turned to greet Alan before focusing his attention towards Yu once more. "Is the meeting room open yet?"

"No, it isn't since it's still a bit early. I can call for a maid to do so if you wish."

"Please do so then. By the way, you will be present during the meeting, right?"

"Yes," he replied carefully, "I'll be there to along with an apprentice butler to record the discussion."

"Well, see you there then," but he soon halted and turned around. "I heard you recently became under the weather. You should take care of yourself, we wouldn't want to lose a capable servant like you around."

"...Thank you for your concern, Lord Kaneda," Yu found himself forcing out a smile.

"Oh, you should be thanking me. You should be thanking that doctor friend of yours. I overheard that she actually took over your work when you were off. She even worked with the others to organize a schedule and divide their tasks to lighten up your work while you were bed ridden."

Yu didn't know how to respond to that. He should've have known. He should've have questioned why the butlers suddenly created such a comprehensive and precise plan. It had Nadeshiko written all over it.

"You never notice her do you?" he sneered before walking away leaving Yu clouded with unpleasant thoughts until the child beside him, who witnessed the exchanged spoke up.

"Geez, everyone seems to be weird today," Alan pouted as soon as his uncle was far away from earshot. "Being an adult sure sounds tough. You have to speak in codes all the time. Don't worry about what he said, Yu. You're great and also friends help each other out all the time, right?"

Yu finally let out a soft chuckle and this sudden reverse.

"Thanks, Prince Alan."

She once again was aware of how miniscule her existence was as she stared at the grand Oriesian styled house before her. Peculiarly enough, the palace was a lot more vast and yet she never have felt that way or so isolated.

Her five sense became sharper than usual as she was lead to the garden in the back were the party was making her aware of the slightest changes. It was as if she was a thrust into a place completely out of her element that she never even knew of. But no, she knew this place well and considering how it barely changed after all these years; she could easily find her way around even without her ex-guardian's help. There wasn't a sense of nostalgia in her. In fact, she was struggling so hard to reject her memories of this place. However, there was something she needed to do.

She could feel her breath come to a hitch and her heart thudded violently inside her as she started to make an entrance into the garden. It all quickly dissipated as soon as she became aware that the leading lady was nowhere in sight once she opened the door and glanced around.

There were however the grim faces of her relatives as they either were seated or standing around. Her youngest uncle who immediately caught glimpse of her hurried over to greet her with a big grin which she gave a polite in return. He then started to ask about her whereabouts.

"I am currently employed by the Oriens Royal Family as a physician."

"Oh, that's great, but it means you're a servant, right?"

Was it mentioned that his big grin was also cocky?

The corners of her lips stiffened a bit as she attempted to keep her smile in place. She rarely ran into trouble when it came to masking her emotions when it came to others—aside from her friends, of course. Her extended family however simply had a knack for getting under her skin. But before she could get out a reply, he quickly changed the topic.

"By the way, that's my girl over there. It's been a while since you two met, huh? You remembered that she plays the piano and violin don't you? She just came back from a concert in Altaria."

She glanced over to where he was motioning and saw a young woman not too far off from her age sitting quietly at large dining table who's face looked sour as a basket of green apples. Boy, she looked like she wanted to be anywhere but this place, which Nadeshiko couldn't blame her at all.

"Yes, I remember," she nodded. "I've seen her often in various media sources when I was in Liberty as well. She's often complimented for how she plays music with her heart and soul over there."

"She was raised properly so it's only natural. No offence to you, but the old lady isn't the best mentor around."

She really didn't know how to respond to that. Luckily, he once again, diverted the topic by saying he was off to fetch a few drinks.

"Always likes to hear himself talk and boast." A voice from behind her spoke. And just when she was celebrating her freedom, too. Nadeshiko turned around to see her three aunts sitting at a table and she greeted them accordingly.

"The more I look at you the more I see your father. Especially your eyes. Except he was a fool while you look like you actually know your place."

"Can you stop bringing him up? He's dead. Let him rest in peace," her youngest aunt glared at her elder sister with extreme contempt. "Why the heck does that woman always have to force us to come anyways?"

"You're acting like you have such better things to do when you married a guy like that," the third one rolled her eyes as she glanced over at her youngest sister's husband not too far in the distance getting himself drunk with her youngest brother. "And I thought you had enough of men after your last marriage."

Her youngest aunt appeared livid at that comment and slammed her palms against the table with a BANG. Not only did it cause the utensils and tableware to rattle, but it caught everyone's attention.

"I've had enough of this family," and proceeded to storm out. She slid open the door with full force, but froze right after as she saw what she revealed. There was the lady who was the reason they were all gathered here today.

The elderly lady gave a stoic stare back at her daughter who stood in front of her. There was much more to the gaze however. It was a commanding one that they all knew so well. Her youngest aunt clicked her tongue and stomped back to where she was previously seated without uttering another word. Her mother's eyes followed her as until she finally sat down and slowly turned to face everyone in the garden.

"Shall all be seated then?"

Whoever was not yet seated silently made their way to the long table and knelt down onto their designated seat-Nadeshiko being one of them. There wasn't exactly any labels for where they were suppose to sit, but everyone knew where they were suppose to be.

Since she was one of the older grandchildren, she happened to belong right next to her younger uncle's daughter who became even more upset for some reason. She soon knew why, and it wasn't because of her presence, but what her cousin's father was doing. While everyone was waiting for her grandmother to queue the start of the meal, he was still intoxicating himself away. He didn't bother to stop when her grandmother called his name.

It wasn't like it was something that changed. Her uncle had been an alcoholic back when she was a child, too. It was a wonder why his liver didn't gave out on him. Then again, maybe it did because she had no idea.

"Geeeez, wurr not kids anymore. You're always hovering over all our activities. Heck, you even know that thisss gurl over here showed her face again in Oriens. Thasss why our father and her father died early."

"Oh for the love of—can we for once stop bringing up the dead?" her youngest aunt stood up and marched over to where he brother was seating. She called over for a maid to help her escort him somewhere else to sober up. They then began to say the usual phrase soon after to commence the meal.

They had barely made a dent in their meals before something else came up. Nadeshiko glanced up at the table bewildered to why everyone was so still, but all eyes were fixed on her—to be more exact at what she was holding. She could feel her body begin to sweat, yet at the same time all the blood drained from her face, as she looked down to see her hands were shaking uncontrollably as she was holding a bowl and a pair of chopsticks.

Her reaction was to placed everything down and she clasped one hand over the other in an attempt to stop it, but no avail. In fact, they trembled even more since she could still feel all eyes on her. There was suddenly a shuffling sound and everyone's attention, including Nadeshiko's, followed to where it came from.

Her grandmother stood up and looked down upon her apathetically as she mouthed the words, "It seems that I have been mistaken; Liberty did not adjust you for the better as you're still far too lax."

She turned her back towards the dinner table before making an exit.

"If any of you wish to remain here, do so. As for me, I see no reason to be here any longer."

"Wow, that's new. She's never left the table until the party's over no matter what happens. You must have a knack for getting under her skin," one of the aunt's who spoke to her before commented. "Ah, but it's thanks to you now we can enjoy the party without that stuffy atmosphere."

Something inside of her snapped as for the first time ever she starred right into the depths of the woman's eyes and gave her a glare filled with disgust and hatred before scooting out of her seat.

"Excuse me."

Was the only thing she said before she too made an exit. She could hear some kind of insult being thrown at her but chose to dismiss it.

Nadeshiko chased after the elder lady as fast as her legs could carry her in the kimono she was in which appeared to be more of a speed walk than running. It didn't take too long for her to catch up as her grandmother's room was not too far from the garden. The elderly frequently spent her time there in the past. In fact, she rarely exited the perimeter of that room whenever she was at home.

She drew a deep breath and forced herself to focus. She came today for a purpose and if she didn't say it now then her visit would have been a waste of time. Once her hands finally stopped trembling she gave a few light taps with her knuckles against the sliding door.

"It's Nadeshiko," she spoke loud and clear. "May I have a word with you?"

"...You may say whatever you want without entering then."

"I..." her eyes darted back and forth as they gazed down at the wooden floor. "I believe I never made it clear to you when I moved out of the house you prepared for me in Liberty. So, I will say it to you now directly: I do not plan to ever set foot here again or see anyone in this family anymore. When I left that place, I planned to never look back. So, please... please..."

"Is that all you have to say? If so, then you may be leave now because I'm going to rest and I do not want to be disturbed any further than this. Goodbye."

"...Goodbye."

She was barely ten steps away from the room before she spotted her youngest aunt loitering in the corner who appeared to have been waiting for her to come around.

"So you're leaving for good?"

All she could manage was a nod.

"...Don't become like him," was her reply. Her expression unreadable.

Nadeshiko knitted her eyebrows at the statement. If it weren't for the neutral tone her aunt took, it would've sounded like a plea. She understood very well it was a reference to her father and his leave, but there was an underlying message that she failed to pick up.

Seeing her confusion her aunt let out a sigh, "Fine, do whatever you want. This family was hopeless to begin with."

It took her a while to notice the time change. The view she caught through the window of where she sat on the bed was now dark. Her eyes then fixed at the closet where the kimono and everything that went with it was shoved back inside.

Just then, she heard a knock yet she made did not budge and inch. The knocking continued twice more before a voice on the other end called out.

"It's Yu. I know you're still awake. Please, open the door."

With much reluctance, she complied and stuck her head out.

"We need to talk," he spoke in a tone that left no room for objection and then pushed a cart into view, "But first, you need to eat. I noticed that you didn't show up for dinner anywhere."

"Yu-chan... but what if someone-"

"If you haven't already noticed, it's past curfew time so most people have retired to their rooms. So, unless someone has night duty or was getting water they wouldn't catch us. I won't leave until you let me in and the longer I loiter out here, there are higher risks of getting caught."

Her mouth formed a thin line as she contemplated for a few seconds before stepping aside to give him and the cart an entrance.