Author's Note: original published on AO3. All explicit content has been removed/edited in compliance with FFN's content guidelines, and I'm combining several drabbles together to make up single chapters. Please visit AO3 for the original explicit version at archiveofourown dot org slash works/46534048
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This, Mebuki thought, as she looked up at the ceiling, a spray of sunshine falling over them as Jacob's arm lay slung heavily across her torso, was pretty fucking unexpected. First, because in the original novel, Jacob is her freaking half-brother, and second, because who the hell gets hit by a truck on the way to work while reading said novel?
It came out on the author's Twitter: Jacob wasn't even royalty, the King wasn't his father. "What the hell, really?!" Mebuki said, scrolling through her phone, when she looked up and saw the two headlights hurtling toward her.
Now she was lying in bed with said actually-not-related, totally-cool-to-bang, not-half-brother, transmigrated as Princess Audrey while Jacob slept peacefully on top of her. It's because of your stupid face, Mebuki thought, and she shifted, irritated. Jacob made a happy little sound, spooning her closer. It's because of your handsome stupid face. And then she wondered quietly what the hell kind of trashy guys was she attracted to.
xXx
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It was the first day of the jousting tournament; knights were milling around, saddling their horses and talking to their squires, while the crowd murmured excitedly.
Mebuki glanced over. Jacob was staring at Bianca again, the girl and her maid sitting in the viewing box. His hair stirred in the breeze as he watched them, and Mebuki felt herself growing more and more irritated at her supposed half-brother's crush on a married woman.
"Hey, dumbass," Mebuki said. She snapped her fingers in Jacob's face. Jacob blinked, startled.
"Sister?"
"She's married," Mebuki said. She shoved a glove against Jacob's chest, banging against his armor. "Give the rose to me, not her."
Jacob scoffed. "And why should I do that?"
"Because she's married. Or are you too stupid to realize that?"
Jacob made a smirking sound. "I beg your pardon, dear sister. But the rose will go to the lady who receives my favor."
"That minstrel dude you guys hired is gonna hit on her; you're gonna get jealous and you're gonna kill him in front of her."
"What?"
Trumpets. Jacob looked up, startled at the sound, as the combatants in the arena took position.
"Let's talk later," Mebuki said. She pulled a shawl over her arms. "Meet me tomorrow in my rose garden."
"You're inviting me to your rose garden?"
"From the territory of Arno, the Count of Blood and Iron, Zachary de Arno!"
The crowd roared. Jacob and Mebuki turned back to the arena, where Count Arno was sitting on his horse. He lifted his arm in greeting. His wife, sitting in the viewing box, squealed.
"You're gonna die if you mess with her. Meet me in my rose garden tomorrow, I'll tell you all about it later."
xXx
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He met her in the rose garden, Mebuki sending away the maids so they could speak privately together.
"A saint?" Jacob followed Mebuki idly as they walked through the garden, Mebuki pacing agitated while Jacob strolled behind her. "You're telling me you regressed?"
"No. I'm telling you I'm from the future. This is from a book I read."
"Haa." Jacob rubbed his head. "And what, pray tell, my foolish sister, is exactly in this so-called book you read?"
"That you're colluding with an enemy kingdom, that you want to overthrow our father. That you're planning to kill our older brother by pushing him off a horse. And that you're stupidly in love with Bianca de Arno."
"What," Jacob started, but Mebuki pulled out her phone.
"A magical tablet," Jacob said. Mebuki huffed.
"Yeah, well, pretty soon it's gonna be a brick since there's no way to charge it."
"These illustrations - they are supposed to be us?"
He scrolled - funny how medieval men can figure even that much out - as Mebuki watched. She watched as Jacob's face grew more and more pale as he read it.
"You are not my sister," Jacob said. Mebuki snorted.
"Yeah, no shit. And guess what, you and Princess Audrey aren't even related." She took the phone and scrolled, showing him. "That whole thing about your mom sleeping with the king didn't happen."
She handed Jacob the phone again. His hand shook as he took it.
"I'm not...I'm not a prince?"
"No, you're not."
"Then everything I've been through...all this hardship..."
"What hardship?" Mebuki said. Jacob hung his head.
"Trying to earn my father's favor. Being shunned and ostracized by my older brother and sister. If anything this makes my path much clearer."
"Hah?" Mebuki said. This dude was irritating. "Are you seriously still thinking about colluding with Aragon again?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Jacob said. He rose. "Thank you for the roses, 'sister.'"
"You're gonna die," Mebuki said.
"What?" Jacob turned.
Mebuki screwed her face up. Her hands clenched into fists.
"You're gonna engineer a war with Aragon and then you're gonna invade Arno while the Count is missing. But it's a stupid plan, you get caught and you get beheaded. They're gonna push you on your knees on a platform in Arno while the sun is shining, and that Bianca chick you're so fixated over is gonna give the order to behead you."
Jacob took a step back. Mebuki continued. "You're colluding with Aragon," Mebuki said. "You're also messing around with Count Hugues trying to get him to kick out Bianca from Arno. You're pissed because you wanted to be allies with Count Arno first. Everything keeps being taken away from you."
"I thought you said you weren't a saint," Jacob said. Mebuki shook her head.
"I told you, I'm from the future."
Jacob stared at her. He took a breath.
"What else do you know?"
Mebuki spread her hands. "You fall in love with Bianca because she was abandoned by her family, just like you were. You see her as kindred spirits. The funny thing is, Count Arno was abandoned by his family too, you two would have a lot in common if you just took a step back and stopped being an entitled asshat trying to provoke him."
"What's an 'asshat'?"
"The same thing as 'dumbass.' A stupid idiot."
"Hmm."
Jacob held his chin, frowning.
"Why are you helping me?" Jacob said. Mebuki spread her hands.
"I like you as a character."
Jacob let out a bitter laugh. He ran his hand through his hair.
"'Character,' huh."
"You're a possessive, yandere male lead who was secretly lonely with a tragic backstory."
"You realize reducing me to some pitiful fool begging for his mother's love is quite insulting?"
"Isn't it true?" Mebuki said. Jacob stopped. His eyes were wide as the wind rose; his golden hair fluttered in the breeze.
"Preposterous," Jacob muttered. He plucked a rose and crushed it in his fist. "Utterly preposterous."
"Just don't do anything stupid. Don't kill Gautier. I'm telling you, if you somehow become king, your wife's gonna cheat on you, and you're gonna use that as an excuse to invade Aragon to expand our kingdom."
"You sure have all the answers to everything." He didn't look at her. "So you're telling me even my so-called wife leaves me?"
"I mean, it's hinted that maybe you orchestrated it as an excuse to invade the neighboring kingdom-"
"Haa." Jacob rubbed his head, not looking at her.
"I mean, it was arranged, I don't think you loved her." Mebuki itched uncomfortably. "But I guess I can see how that'd be hurtful, you know. Just another person leaving you."
Jacob was glaring at the rose bushes. His eyes were red. She saw his jaw clenching and unclenching.
"Poor, pitiful fool, who serves as the villain to further the protagonist's character." Jacob's eyes were hot. He stared at the roses. "Perhaps I should show them just how much a villain I can be."
"Are you stupid? I just told you, none of that shit's gonna work, you're gonna get caught and be beheaded-"
"Thank you for the roses," Jacob said. He turned, leaving. Mebuki grabbed him by the hand.
"Wait-"
Jacob turned.
The wind rose. Rose petals fluttered in the breeze as Jacob stared at her.
"You're rich," Mebuki said. "You're freaking born in the lap of luxury. And if you kill Gautier, you're gonna die too, and I'm gonna end up ruling as the stupid Queen."
"You don't want to rule?"
"Hell no!"
"What?" Jacob laughed. Mebuki dropped his hand. "So I see this is the real reason. Instead of appealing to my tragic backstory, you're really just trying to get me to stop this so you won't have any real responsibility."
"You go down this path, Gautier dies, father dies, you get beheaded, and I rule as queen. And that's too much fucking stress. We're rich! We're born in the lap of luxury! Just go bang some chicks and spend some money and do something to make yourself happy! Even if you end up king, you're just gonna be lonely."
Jacob studied her. Golden strands of sunlight rippled through his hair, the thin golden line falling on his shoulders. He was way more handsome than any of the schlubs Mebuki worked with in the sales department. Of course he is, Mebuki thought. All the male leads are handsome. And then she realized she was gawking at him.
Jacob smirked. "I shall have to discuss things with Hugues if I'm to move forward. Unfortunately, I have quite a few supporters."
xXx
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Hugues was imprisoned for treason, Jacob providing evidence of their collusion with the kingdom of Aragon.
The victory banquet. Mebuki looked out into the sea of nobles milling about the ballroom. Colorful fabrics, swishy, bell-shaped dresses, everything looked like a movie set. A waiter handed her a fluted glass of champagne, and as Mebuki took it, her eyes tracked over to Jacob.
He was talking to Zachary and Bianca again. Mebuki's eyes narrowed.
"I apologize for whatever it is my brother said," Mebuki said, coming up behind Jacob and tapping him on the arm. Zachary and Bianca turned toward her.
Whoa. Mebuki gawked. Just as she imagined them, they were even more perfect close up. The Count and Countess smiled.
"He didn't say anything. We were having a pleasant conversation," Zachary said. Mebuki threw a suspicious glance at Jacob, who gave her a smug, knowing look.
"Thank you for helping me with that handmaid," Bianca said. Mebuki waved her hand.
"Yeah, of course."
They bowed and started to take their leave, when Mebuki touched Bianca on the arm.
"Your Highness?"
"Tell him not to take any contraceptives," Mebuki said, in a low voice. Bianca's eyes widened. Her face flushed.
"W-what?"
"He loves you. He's just scared you'll die in childbirth like his mother did."
"Y-Your Highness...?"
"Count Arno, tell your wife you love her," Mebuki said. Zachary's eyebrows went up. A deep red blush dusted his cheeks.
"O-oh! Um..."
"Let's go," Mebuki said to Jacob. She took Jacob by the arm.
xXx
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Ahhh! This is the life! Mebuki sat back in a warm tub while her maids washed her with perfumed linens, fragrant bubbles and pink rose petals floating around her. Nothing that happened in the book happened in real life: the kingdom was peaceful, her father stepped back from his duties so Gautier could start to rule, and somehow Count Arno was instrumental in opening up trade negotiations with the kingdom of Aragon, turning a once enemy into a stalwart ally.
But the best was, Mebuki didn't have to lift a finger. Now she could bask in the lap of luxury and enjoy her wealth and riches.
"Marriage?!" Mebuki stared. Her father made an apologetic smile.
"Why can't you marry off Jacob?" Mebuki said. Jacob coughed. Her father spread his hands.
"We would, but the Kingdom of Grendel doesn't have any daughters."
"Now, now," Gautier said, benignly. His glasses fell on his nose. "This would be a boon to our kingdom."
"Yes but we already agreed, I am allowed my independence, I don't need to be shuttled off to some political marriage!"
She was fucked. Thoroughly, utterly fucked. Mebuki sagged in her chambers, disconsolate. She should have let things play out the way they would in the novel, at the very least, she'd be ruler of the kingdom.
It was all because I was fucking lazy! Mebuki furiously ran her hands back and forth in her hair. No! It's because I felt sorry for stupid Jacob! The stupid prick owes me!
"Sister?" A knock on the door; Jacob poked his head in. Mebuki glared.
"What?"
"I wanted to congratulate you on your impending marriage."
"Shut the fuck up, Jacob," Mebuki said. Jacob chuckled. He sat next to her.
Mebuki moaned and buried her face in his lap. He rested his hand on her head.
"This is your fault," Mebuki said crossly. "You owe me."
"I owe you quite a bit." He carded his fingers through her hair.
They had gotten close in the year following their first talk in the rose garden, Jacob intrigued by Mebuki's modern knowledge, Mebuki entertained that despite Jacob's reputation, all those sinister panels in the manwha were mostly Resting Bitch Face, earnest entreaties at friendship being skewed as something more sinister.
"Maybe I can run away," Mebuki said. She sat up. "What if I joined the abbey?"
Jacob frowned. "It's not exactly luxurious, living in an abbey."
"Yeah well I don't want to be fucking some old man in some weird kingdom."
"You'd probably just need to fuck him once; you could probably ignore him." Ever since he learned the word 'fuck,' Jacob used the word with the zealousness of a schoolkid. Mebuki lay down on Jacob's lap again. She felt his hand rest on her head. "The truth is, I'm jealous."
Mebuki furrowed her brow. She couldn't see his expression from how she was lying. His fingers stroked her hair. "Jealous? Why are you jealous?"
"Because another man will have you, and I will be alone again."
"What?" Mebuki sat up. Jacob took her hand.
"You are the only ally I have in this wretched place," Jacob said.
"I thought you were getting close to Count Marceau and Count Arno?"
Jacob said nothing, and Mebuki knew: they were acquainted with him and held no animosity toward him, but polite exchanges and political alliances weren't the same as friendship. Jacob lay on the bed next to her.
"Will you tell me more about Japan?"
"Yeah." Mebuki snuggled, resting on his chest. This was another thing they'd started doing, Mebuki seeing Jacob kind of like a cat, something aloof and arrogant but also occasionally liking his fur to be stroked and sit on his owner's lap. "Your girlfriends don't mind this?"
"They are of no consequence." He shifted her close. His voice rumbled in his chest. "Just a means to pass the time, nothing more."
She told him about Japan. He listened the way a child would, rapt at her descriptions of horseless carriages and skyscrapers that towered the sky, how people conquered the air and flew in dragon-like planes, at magical tablets like the one she first showed him. The room darkened and she pulled a blanket over the both of them, breathing quietly together in the darkness.
"Perhaps," Jacob started, and Mebuki shifted to look at them. "Perhaps I can tell them that I am really not a prince."
"There'd be no way to prove it. It's not like you can do a paternity test. Plus you look just like him."
Jacob was quiet. He looked up into the darkness.
"And so," Jacob said. "I shall be abandoned once again."
"Hah?" Mebuki sat up. "What the hell are you saying, abandoned?"
"Perhaps I should kill Gautier and take the throne in his stead." He turned his head on the pillow, looking at her.
Mebuki sagged. "Don't be stupid," she said, and she cuddled him again. "Even though I'll be in some bullshit marriage, I fully expect you to still visit."
"Tell me why you are fond of me again?"
"What?" Mebuki said. A shadow fell over Jacob's eyes. Mebuki sighed, exasperated. "Because you're a pathetic meow meow of a man who gets lonely all the time and doesn't have any friends."
Jacob scoffed. "No one else dares talk to me like that."
"And you're a little bit of a masochist."
"Hmm."
"And you're super entitled and arrogant and hella possessive."
"'Hella'?"
"'Very.'"
"Oh."
They fell quiet again.
She could fall asleep like this. Mebuki drowsed, resting against him. Aw fuck, I'm horny now. Fuck. She felt the heat bloom between her legs and resisted the urge to crawl on top of him.
If this were modern times, she would hump him. She would flop her body over his and grind against him. She would kiss his jaw and slide her hand up against his chest and rub herself against his erection.
But this wasn't modern times, and technically everyone thought they were related. Mebuki screwed up her face tight and tried to ignore the sensation.
"I'd totally fuck you if you were down for it," she said, cuddling him.
Jacob froze. She felt his muscles tense. Her eyes widened.
"Shit, did I say that out loud? Fuck."
"You-" Jacob stared at her. Mebuki scowled.
"Don't make a big deal out of it. You're always sneaking in here like you're my boyfriend, it gets a girl riled up."
"You wish to lie with me?"
"I mean, I totally would, if I were a barmaid and had contraceptives."
Jacob let out a ragged breath. "You feel that way even now?"
"Hugging you makes me horny. Don't get it twisted."
"'Horny.' You mean as in a rhinoceros horn, the shape of a man's erection."
He rolled to face her. "This," he said, and he pressed against her, "also makes me 'horny.'"
"What?" Mebuki started laughing.
"What?" Jacob had a hurt look on his face. He scowled, embarrassed. "Why are you laughing?"
"You just looked so serious, and then you said you were horny for me."
"I-! That was your word! Your colloquialism!"
"Oh my god," Mebuki giggled. Jacob rolled on top of her. He sighed into her ear.
"Feel what it is you do to me."
Mebuki's eyes flew open at the feel of it, the firm ridge of his groin pressed up against hers.
Mebuki jerked, a sudden pop of pleasure, as he sighed again and ground down his erection.
"Um." Mebuki licked her lips. "Uh...I'm supposed to be married."
"I know."
"And, like...they think I'm your sister."
"Yes, I know."
Another ragged breath, his hardness pressing into her clit. She pushed her pelvis upwards, rubbing against him. He sighed into her mouth.
They kissed. He breathed heavily through his nose as he kept rocking on top of her, their bodies grinding together, straining from the pleasured friction.
"Just once," he said, and he kissed her neck. "Just let me have you just this once."
They kissed again, the sheets shifting from their movements. Mebuki sighed into Jacob's mouth.
"I'm gonna kill you if you get me pregnant."
"I'll make you my wife and take responsibility for the child."
"What?" Mebuki said. Jacob stopped. His eyes, which were half-lidded, opened fully. His face was flushed.
"Have my child," he said, and he sucked on the muscle of her neck, grinding on top of her. "Don't marry that bastard. I'll tell them I'm not your brother."
"Fuck," Mebuki gritted. Jacob's hand slipped under her nightdress, fondling her breast. He moved to push down his pants, his erection sticking outward. "Oh shit, is that your penis?" Mebuki laughed. Jacob scowled as he tugged off her pants.
"This is your punishment for mocking my feelings," he said, and he yanked her down on the bed, shoving hard into her.
xXx
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Mebuki's slept with lots of men, but no one was better than an arrogant, asshole prince.
"I think it's the incest," Mebuki said, as Jacob lay peacefully on her breast, a small smile on his lips as she stroked her fingers through his hair, his body curled up around her. "I mean, it was just a throwaway line from the author's twitter. Who knows if it's actually canon."
She rested her hand on Jacob's head. She considered. "I mean, this is some Game of Thrones, incest twins type bullshit."
"What's 'Game of Thrones'?"
"Oh, it's a series of books they turned into a TV show."
Jacob nuzzled against her neck, his arm squeezing around her naked torso.
"The fuck are we gonna do, Jacob?"
"I don't know. For now I'd like to rest."
"I'm totally gonna kick your ass if you get me pregnant."
Jacob chuckled. "You speak in the present tense," he murmured. He kissed her neck. "I'm assuming that means we'll be doing more of this?"
Mebuki whacked him on the arm. "Shut the fuck up. You're such an asshole prince."
"Hmm."
"This really is gonna be a problem, though." She rested her arms around his back, holding him. "Gautier already arranged my marriage."
"Why do you think court romances are all the rage these days?" He cuddled her. "It is a good experience for a noblewoman to exchange emotions with men other than her husband. Just as it is good for men to exchange emotions with women who are not their wives."
"Haa."
"Do not think about it," he said. He brushed a kiss to her sternum, nestling against hers. "No matter who you marry, you will still be mine."
"Thanks. I guess." Mebuki was too tired to keep thinking about it. "I'm still gonna give Gautier a piece of my mind."
"I look forward to it," Jacob murmured. He fell asleep curled against her.
xXx
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They dragged Jacob to a platform built on a vacant lot in the middle of Arno Castle, the territory locals crowding around the platform on all sides. With his armor removed and tied up with ropes, he looked like a prisoner of war, but he carried himself with the spirit of the royal family, he would not yield to this place. But when two soldiers forced him to kneel, there was no way he could resist. His tousled golden hair fell over his face. The blue eyes that had not yet given up shone like pebbles in the sparkling lake. Despite his hardship during the war, he had a beauty that could not be hidden, but to the people of the Arno Territory, he was just a traitorous and ignorant prince. All the people of Arno who had gathered there pointed their fingers at Jacob, swearing at him.
In the midst of the angry crowd, Jacob was nothing more than a spectacle. The crowd jeered; someone threw a stone at him. The stone hit Jacob's head; bright red blood ran down his blonde hair.
It was easy once someone started. Everyone threw one, two, what they had in their hands at Jacob. Jacob knelt silently. No one knew what he was thinking as Bianca approached him on the platform.
"Aren't you a traitor who sold your country to the scoundrel who killed your brother?"
"Why are you so hard on me? I could give you more honor, luxury, and power than Count Arno can. Even love," he said. Bianca grimaced in disgust. "Please believe me," Jacob said. A trickle of blood fell down his temple. "I love you."
The crowd jeered. Jacob repeated the words of love like a broken automatic doll. His blue eyes looking at Bianca shone like the surface of a lake glistening in the sunlight. Even knowing that he was an invader of the territory, it was a sweet gaze that made her heart flutter for a moment.
"Your love is only for yourself. I don't need that kind of love."
She motioned to the executioner. "Goodbye, Jacob."
The executioners grabbed Jacob by the arms.
They shoved Jacob's face against the beheading block, exposing his neck, but Jacob kept his eyes locked on Bianca's. The executioners moved and the sharp blade of the ax flashing in the sunlight looked exceptionally sharp, but Jacob stared straight out and did not take his eyes off Bianca. To the others, it looked as if he were trying to capture even a little bit of Bianca's appearance. But Bianca in his eyes was only cold.
The world was so unfair to him. More than the crown that Jacob could not hold in his hand, it was more regrettable to leave Bianca by Zachary's side. It has already gone beyond the obsession with the unobtainable. On the brink of death, Jacob realized that he loved Bianca more than anything else, more than he had imagined.
But realizing it didn't change anything. His love never reached Bianca, and in the end, Bianca will never look back on him. Thinking about it that way, only a strange sense of loss remained in Jacob's chest, like the ebb and flow of the tide.
Jacob's lips rose curiously. Jacob pursed his lips and whispered to Bianca. However, overshadowed by the shouts of Arno people, no one heard his last words. Only Bianca, who had been watching him until the end, read Jacob's lips.
"I love you. And I'm sorry."
The crowd jeered. The axe came swinging down.
xXx
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Jacob's eyes opened. Streaks of bright morning sunlight fell over him as he looked up from the bed. Slowly he sat up, leaning forward to cradle his head. His temple was throbbing; he could still feel the heavy thwack of the rock hitting him.
He dressed quickly and walked down the hall, intending to see Mebuki again. He meant what he told her - he loved her, he wanted her. He was agitated and she was the only one who could soothe him.
"I wish to go to the Abbey!" Mebuki was saying, and as Jacob crossed into the throne room he was greeted by a throng of nobles, watching aghast as Mebuki held up that strange tablet she called a 'phone,' flashing it toward them. "I have something that was gifted from the gods! I can't marry! I need to go to the Abbey!"
"What on earth," his father started, as Gautier rushed toward her.
Mebuki waved her hand, backing away from them. "Stay back," she said. She turned on her phone screen. "I hold in my hand the power of the sun!"
"What?"
She turned on the flashlight app. The crowd gasped and ducked for cover as Mebuki waved it around like a weapon.
"You're not gonna force me to get married!" she said.
"We won't! Sister you must calm down-!"
"Damn it, Gautier, break up the fucking engagement!"
"Sister, please," Jacob said. His father and Gautier turned to look at him. Jacob held out his hands. "Sister, you told me that is a priceless artifact imbued with magic. Even now its power is draining: you shouldn't waste it." She'd told him about something called 'battery life,' something precious and finite with no way in this universe to charge it. Mebuki lowered her hand.
"Let me see this," Gautier said, and he grabbed the phone from Mebuki's hand.
He pressed the button. The home screen lit up, making the nobles gasp.
"A magic stone. Father, look at this."
The King nodded. "I know."
Mebuki glanced at Jacob. "I'd like to speak with my brother in the rose garden," Mebuki said.
Gautier took a breath, then pushed up his glasses.
"Fine. For now we'll hold off on your engagement. We'll have the court scholars look at this."
"Thank you," Mebuki said. She did a little half curtsy, then pulled Jacob forward by the hand.
xXx
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"Jesus fuck, I didn't think I'd have to whip out my phone to stop the engagement, but the fuckin' envoy from Grendel came and I didn't have a goddamn choice."
Jacob followed Mebuki as she stalked through the garden, her dress billowing with the movement. Even now, she acted as if nothing happened between them.
"Mayumi."
"Huh?" Mebuki turned. He only ever called her that when something bothered him. Jacob stood in front of her, at a loss. Her eyes widened.
"You look like shit," she said. She took his hand. "What happened?"
"I had that dream again."
"The one where you're stoned and beheaded?"
Jacob nodded. Mebuki hugged him.
"Fuck," she said, hugging his chest. She pushed him back to look at him. "I can't get over your handsome face. Jesus even when you're upset you look more handsome."
"Better than those men in that 'advertising department'?"
"Hell yeah." She wrapped her arms around him. "At least this time around, you won't have to go through all that."
"I wonder about that." Jacob rested his cheek on her head. "I can't help but feel I'm spending this life adrift, wasting all my cunning and talents."
"For what it's worth, you were successful in your first life - I mean, your wife cheated on you, but you took over the kingdom of Aragon because of it."
They parted, and Mebuki wandered over to another rose bush again. Jacob watched, his eyes hooded. Once again she didn't seem to realize how much she meant to him.
"Mayumi," he started, and Mebuki glanced back. "Have you given any thought to what I said?"
"Said about what?"
"About being mine," Jacob said. Mebuki frowned at him.
"Everyone thinks we're related."
"I know."
"They think I'm your sister, that's some fucked up incest shit."
"You could argue it'd be keeping the purity of our bloodline."
"Father and Brother will be shitting bricks."
Jacob took her hand. His dry thumbs pressed into her palm.
"Do you not care for me, Mayumi?" he asked. He leaned close. "Am I not your favorite?"
His eyes were sparkling. His tousled hair fell in loose curls around his head.
"Oh fuck," Mebuki said, and she covered her head.
xXx
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This is how Mebuki transmigrated into the manhwa.
"I fell asleep?" She slowly sat up as the jacket Asahina draped over her shoulders fell off. They had spent the last few hours working overtime in the office, the office dark and empty except for Asahina-san and Mebuki. If this were a hentai manga, some ecchi sort of thing with hot guys and non-con, Mebuki would almost certainly wake up to a creepy Asahina-san furtively masturbating. But real life wasn't a hentai manga, and so when Mebuki woke up she saw Asahina smiling apologetically, saying he'd finished their documents earlier but was waiting for her to wake up.
"Oh shit, sorry," Mebuki said. She glanced at the clock.
They left the office. The night was cold and Mebuki shivered, wrapping her thin sweater around her arms. The trains weren't running and there weren't any taxis out; it would be a far walk home.
"D-do you want me to walk you home?" Asahina said. Mebuki waved her hand.
"I'm fine, it's a nice night. I'll see you tomorrow, Asahina-san."
Asahina wiggled. "S-see you tomorrow, Mebuki-san."
She turned and waved, watching him cross the street toward his apartment.
It was a long walk. Mebuki felt a slight chill, looking around nervously. Quietly she pulled her phone from her purse and turned it on, that way it'd be in her hand already if she needed to call someone.
Scrolling. Scrolling. Her favorite manhwa updated - she could read both English and Korean, her language skills being one of her selling points getting her transferred to the sales department - and after she read the update she idly scrolled to the author's twitter.
"Oh shit, they're not related?" she said, as she looked up at the two large headlights hurtling toward her.
She woke up on the floor of the palace, Gautier and a group of hysterical maids screaming at her.
What the fuck? Her head hurt. Everyone was shouting in a language that wasn't Japanese, but she could somehow still understand. In her hand, her phone blinked, the date and time still showing the exact moment she had been run over.
xXx
.
"So this is a 'phone'?" Jacob said. It was a few days after she'd talked to him in the rose garden, telling him for the first time that she was from the future, she got hit by a truck and somehow woke up here. She handed him the phone and Jacob took it reverently, opening the screen and marveling at the bright wash of colors shining from it.
"In my world, there's a way to recharge it, but here once it runs out of batteries, I won't be able to use it."
"Batteries?" Jacob lifted his head. Mebuki sucked her breath.
"Uh. Think of it like magic." She took the phone from him. "Once it runs out I won't be able to use this."
She looked at the little battery icon in the corner. 99%. She put it on airplane mode and battery saver mode, intending to turn it off later, silently thankful she had cleared out the bloatware and battery sucking apps a few days before.
"This is you?" Jacob asked, as Mebuki showed him a picture. "You don't look all that different."
"Are you serious? You guys are like, vaguely European. I'm Asian." And then it occurred to her that everyone in this universe looked vaguely European-slash-Asian, like a mix of Asian features with western coloring. She snatched the phone from him.
Click. Jacob looked up as the shutter clicked, and Mebuki showed him the picture on her phone.
"That…is that me?"
"It's called a photograph. In my world I'd be able to print this."
She looked at the picture. Jacob was caught with his head lifted, blue eyes slightly wide with surprise. Yeah, Mebuki thought. If she somehow made it back home, at least she had this picture.
xXx
.
"The priests are calling it a divine revelation," Gautier said.
Mebuki sat with her arms crossed in the throne room while her father and a small coterie of advisors listened nervously. They could put her forth as a Saint, but there would be a chance she could be found a heretic and burned at the stake. "We obviously can't do anything that will endanger the First Princess."
Yeah no shit. Outwardly she kept her composure.
"Father, Brother. All I ask is that you allow me to stay in the palace. I'm not fit for marriage."
"Oh my darling," the king said, as Gautier gave a worried frown and clasped her hand. "I swear it. This is a blessing. Please forgive us our indiscretions."
Her eyes slid sideways towards Jacob, who said nothing.
"Thank you, Father. Brother," Mebuki said.