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1.
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
.
Her co-workers forgot to do the documents for the next day's presentation, so Mebuki and Asahina had to stay late to do them. Her eyes flicked up towards the clock. It was nearly 11 PM now, and they were the only people left in the building.
"Let's work fast and get this done so we can go home!" Mebuki said, pumping her fist. Asahina nodded and smiled at her.
1 AM. Mebuki blinked, tired, and realized Asahina had draped his jacket over her shoulders.
"I fell asleep?" She slowly sat up. 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.
xXx
.
She woke up on the floor of the palace, Gautier and a group of hysterical maids screaming at her.
"The princess has fallen!" People were running. "The princess is gravely injured! Summon the physicians!"
"Is she okay? What happened?"
"The princess tumbled down the staircase. She has hit her head and now is unconscious!"
"There is blood on the marble! Where is the physician?"
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
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2.
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
.
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
.
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
.
"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
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2.
She was acting strange again. Jacob narrowed his eyes as Audrey paced in front of him, the fabric of her skirt dragging along the dirt path as she walked back and forth in front of her roses.
"Okay, this is good. We can get ahead of this. All you need to do is tell Father Count Hugues is colluding with Aragon, that way we can get rid of him."
Jacob raised an eyebrow. "You seem so certain we're up to something nefarious," Jacob said. He spread his hands. "If I were to tell you we are completely innocent, I suspect you would be disappointed."
"I already told you, I know what you're freaking up to, I read it in the novel."
"Well perhaps you should just tattle to our brother, then," Jacob said.
Why was he even entertaining this? Jacob rubbed his head. Ever since Audrey got her hands on that mysterious black tablet, she'd been acting even more erratic.
"I'm not gonna tell him," Audrey said.
"I beg your pardon?" Jacob said. Audrey spread her hands.
"I told you: I'm here to help you. But if you wanna go commit treason and get your stupid ass beheaded, be my guest. I'll just go and rule as fuckin' queen, then."
"Perhaps you won't say anything, because what you're telling me is equally as treasonous," Jacob said.
"Nope," Audrey said. Jacob raised his eyebrows.
"'Nope'?"
"Nope. It's not. I could just tell Father the shit you're up to and have him throw you in the gallows. Seriously, dude, no one likes you. You think if you were innocent, anyone would actually help you?"
Jacob glared. "So why are you helping me, then?"
"I told you, I like you."
"Haa." Jacob rubbed his head. "We're talking in circles. I don't understand you."
"I get where you're coming from. You got abandoned by your family; the Viscount disowned you. And then you were thrown in the freaking capital where your mom killed herself and your real dad and siblings hate you."
Jacob sighed exasperated. "If this is some pathetic ploy-"
"It's not a stupid fucking ploy, I'm telling you the truth. I'm not smart enough to manipulate you."
Jacob straightened. If anything, Audrey has always been smarter and more composed than him.
"You wanna be king?" Audrey said. She spread her hands. "Okay, fine. Just do what you're gonna do, but leave Bianca de Arno out of it."
"Leave her out of it? Why? She's the linchpin of my plans."
"Well she already lived that life where you succeeded, so she probably already knows you're down for treason-"
"'Down' for treason? I don't understand a word of what you've said," Jacob said. Audrey gestured, exasperated.
"I'd rather you not kill anyone," Audrey said. "It's bad for my conscience. But I get it: the whole King thing is because you wanna be loved or some shit. So just, you know. Stay the course. Go collude with Aragon or whatever. Just stick to the plan and don't get distracted."
She handed him a bushel of roses. "I gotta go host a tea party or something. Just...do whatever it is you're gonna do. Just leave me out of it."
She started to walk away. Jacob furrowed his brow.
"You really aren't going to tell anyone?" he said. Audrey turned around.
"I'm on your side, Jacob." Jacob stiffened. Audrey looked at him with a neutral expression. "I think it's really shitty what happened to you. If I were transmigrated back when we were kids, maybe you wouldn't have turned out like this. But I guess the damage is already done. Go work on becoming king, then."
She turned her back on him, walking down the garden path, before meeting up with her maidservants.
xXx
.
He met with the lesser nobles. A group of vipers who were scheming to put him on the throne as their puppet. Usually he was okay to manipulate them but today it seemed more tiring to do so.
Audrey was sitting in the salon, cross-stitching. "Ow, fuck!" she said, as a needle pricked her finger. She screwed her face up in concentration, and tried cross-stitching again. "Ow! Son of a bitch-"
"Problems, dear sister?" Jacob raised his eyebrows. Audrey looked up.
"Hey, you," she said, setting her cross-stitch down. Jacob walked toward her.
How odd. Normally his sister would have a sour look on her face, turning her nose at the mere sight of him. But now she was looking at him with almost a look of affection. She smiled at him.
"I suck at cross-stitch," Audrey said, showing him. Jacob smirked.
"You might as well stain those roses with the blood from your fingers."
"Did you have that meeting with those nobles?" Audrey asked, and Jacob felt an unfamiliar pang in his chest, because no one had actually asked him about his day before, no one cared enough about him.
"I did," Jacob said. He sat next to her. "It was aggravating and tiresome."
"Because those guys want to use you. I'm telling you, you should give up this king bullshit and spend your riches. Let Gautier go and handle it."
"I cannot believe my studious and upright little sister is suggesting I merely spend my birthright instead of doing anything constructive."
"I'm telling you, you fucking hit the lotto!" His expression on his face quickly told her he didn't have the slightest clue what a 'lotto' was, because she amended, "I mean, it's like you gambled and you hit the jackpot. You're the freaking Second Prince. You live in a fucking palace. We're in a peaceful kingdom. There's no wars right now. All you literally have to do is spend some money and screw around.
"What do you do on your days off?" Audrey asked. Jacob scoffed. "No seriously. When you're not scheming or sexually harassing married noblewomen, what do you like to do for fun?"
"'Fun'?" Jacob echoed. Audrey leaned forward excitedly. Jacob frowned at her. "I do not have 'fun.'"
Audrey smirked. "Really? Fucking those chicks from the royal court isn't fun?"
"It's just pleasure - and what on earth are you saying? 'Chicks'? As in baby chickens?"
"Oh, sorry. 'Chicks' as in women. It's just a colloquialism, not a pejorative."
Jacob rubbed his head.
"What do you do for fun?" he asked. Audrey waved at him.
"Obviously not cross-stitch." She tossed the circle frame back onto the desk. "If it was back in my world, I guess reading and scrolling the internet - er, that's that thing I showed you on my phone. By the way," Audrey said, leaning closer to him. "Since we're on speaking terms now, I'd like you to call me by my name. At least when we're alone. Is that okay?"
Jacob frowned. "You wish for me to call you 'Audrey'?"
"No. I'd like you to call me 'Mayumi.'"
Jacob stopped. Audrey was looking out the window into the courtyard, where a group of maids were hanging laundry. There was a small smile on her lips, her face holding a wistful expression. "It's hard, you know," she said, "waking up in some strange place in a completely different body. I don't know what happened to your sister, but I'd like to think she woke up in my place and is surrounded by a bunch of hotties."
"H-hotties?"
"Er, attractive men at my workplace."
"I see."
Jacob fell silent. Audrey's gaze shifted from the courtyard back to him. She smiled as she looked at him.
"Very well," Jacob said. "If you wish it, I shall call you 'Mayumi.'"
"Thank you," Audrey said. She brightened. "It makes me feel better knowing someone knows the real me."
"I still don't understand why you won't tell Father or Gautier," Jacob said. "We have access to the royal scholars. There might be some way to get you to return to your world. And yet you only told me."
"I know." Audrey smiled again at her hands. "I don't think they could do anything for me," she said. "Plus that Saint stuff is fraught. They could execute me for heresy."
That made sense. For a brief, shameful moment, Jacob thought perhaps there was something special about him. But no - they both had secrets. Mutual blackmail suited them.
"Plus, you know, I like you and I felt bad for you. And I really think it sucks how you died in the novel, having no one who cared about you."
Jacob lifted his eyes. Audrey was still sitting in front of him, smiling guilelessly at him. She was so different from the cold, aloof sister he'd grown up with.
"Anyway," she said, and her eyes closed into two adorable crescents, "it just makes me happy that you'll call me 'Mayumi.' So even though you're a pain in the ass, I don't mind it."
Jacob let out a startled laugh. "Thanks," he said. Mayumi smiled at him.
xXx
.
"This is such a pain in the ass!" Mayumi said. She was huffing in the dirt, a sheen of sweat on her forehead, while Jacob lugged bags of fertilizer behind her. "I fucking hate gardening."
"Well you'd better get used to it, otherwise people might start to suspect something." He hefted the bags of manure down, swiping his hand across his forehead.
They bonded over their mutual hatred of horse manure, Mayumi gagging as she and Jacob raked it over the flower beds. His sister used to tend to the garden herself, dutifully spreading fertilizer and weeding the plants, not even entrusting the royal gardener to do it. "She was a fucking weirdo," Mayumi said, and Jacob laughed, touching his head.
"Oh, Jacob, no!" Mayumi laughed, and she tugged Jacob close to wipe the smudge of manure he'd accidentally wiped onto his forehead. "Jesus fuck, you have shit on your head."
"My lady?" the servants peered around the corner. Mayumi's smile slipped a notch. Jacob cleared his throat as Mayumi stepped away from him.
"Yes, what is it?" she said. The maids came toward her.
"His Highness the Crown Prince wants a word with you."
"Just a moment," she said to Jacob, before hitching up her skirts and walking toward them.
There was a void in his time when he wasn't with her, and Jacob hovered around the palace, making the perfunctory rounds with his allies and his spymasters, collecting all the little secrets of the other nobles. It wasn't until a few hours later that Mayumi caught up with him again.
"I think he's getting jealous," Mayumi said. She flounced on the sofa next to him.
"Jealous?" Jacob said, and Mayumi plopped her head against his shoulder.
"Old four-eyes just can't get a grip." She held out her hand, looking at her dirty nails. "He thinks us mucking around the garden is suspicious."
"What did you tell him?" Jacob asked.
"I told him I was getting to know my dear other brother and that it was good to have friendly family relations." She turned her head to look at him. "I also told him not to ride any horses."
"Still afraid I'll find a way to assassinate him?"
"Yeah, as if. You're more likely to seduce his wife than assassinate him."
She was leaning against his shoulder. Somehow, her hand had found its way to his lap; she was absently stroking the skin of his knuckles with the tips of her fingers. "Hey, you know that stupid centennial ball?"
"Yes. What of it?"
"Do you have someone you're going with?"
Jacob shifted to look at her.
"I was wondering if you'd be my date?" Mayumi said. "I'm not comfortable enough faking being a noble with anyone for a long time, plus I don't know how to dance, and I can't figure out a good enough excuse to get a private tutor for etiquette lessons, since supposedly I already know it."
Jacob furrowed his brow. "If you wish it," Jacob said. "Or if you'd rather I tutored you instead-"
"Really?" she pushed up on her hands to look at him. Jacob held out his hands.
"If you would permit it."
"Really, really?!"
Jacob scowled at her. "You are acting like a child again."
"Thank god you're on my side! I don't even know how to dance." She sagged on his chest again. "But wait. Aren't you dating a few of the other ladies? I wouldn't be getting in the way?"
"Of course not," Jacob said. He smiled. "You are my beloved sister. Of course I would deign to help you."
xXx
.
The nobles were growing antsy. "Why are we not meeting?" they said. Jacob sniffed at them.
"I am much too busy."
"But Your Highness-"
He turned on his heel, striding away from them.
xXx
.
3.
"So, curtsy, hold my hands out, uh. Hold you...here?" Mayumi said. Jacob smirked and repositioned her hands, pressing one to his waist, holding her other one in the air.
"Follow my lead," he said. "Step, back, and together. You see? Step, back, together."
"These shoes are really shitty," Mayumi glanced at her feet.
"Focus, Mayumi. Lest you make an ass of yourself in front of the kingdom."
They spent most of their days together, Jacob taking it upon himself to follow Mayumi like an irritating shadow. "Your posture is wrong," he said. He tapped her back. "Your shoulders are hunched. You give off a dark aura. Don't scowl like that."
"Hai, hai, Dance Master Jacob-oniisama."
"What?" Jacob said. Mayumi looked up at him.
"It was Japanese for Lord Elder Brother Jacob," Mayumi said. She grinned. "I was being sarcastic."
xXx
.
He brought a fan to the sitting room; Mebuki watched, slightly weirded out at how the novel's major villain held the fan up like a proper noblewoman.
"This is how you communicate with a fan," Jacob said, showing her. Mebuki watched as he flicked the fan open with his wrist, the fan snapping open like scissors.
"This means, 'come over and speak to me," he said, and he swished the fan up at an angle, hiding his mouth. He moved the fan again, closing it shut, then tapped the tip on his lips. "This means, 'I'm single.'"
Mebuki raised her eyebrows at him. Jacob continued. "This means, 'I am married,'" and he opened the fan and fanned it slowly. "This means, 'I am engaged,'" and he fanned himself quickly.
"This is the shit the noble ladies signal to you."
"That is correct."
"Okay, so what's fan language for, 'I'm down to fuck in the coat room'?"
He lowered the fan, holding it in his left hand, keeping the fan open. "Come talk to me." He snapped it shut, then drew it across his cheek. "I love you." He tapped it to his lips again. "I wish to kiss you." He moved the fan to his right hand, flipping it open. "Come follow me."
"Holy shit," Mebuki said. Jacob handed the fan to her.
"Okay, now for some play acting. Let's say a nobleman is bothering you. What do you do?"
"Smack him on the head with the fan," Mebuki said.
xXx
.
"Okay. Let's pretend we're at a ball, and you want to talk to me. When I come over, we'll exchange pleasantries, but I want you to communicate that you're single and you want to kiss me."
"Uh, okay, but I'm pretty sure I'm never gonna need that," Mebuki said.
"It's just for pretend. Just try it," Jacob said.
"Okay." She lowered her fan in her left hand, keeping it open. Come talk to me.
"How do you do, Princess?" Jacob said. Mebuki smirked.
"This is stupid," Mebuki said.
"It's just pretend, just try it." He cleared his throat again. "How is the weather, Princess?"
"Uh, the weather is nice, Jacob." She closed her fan and drew it across her cheek. I love you.
Jacob's eyes widened a fraction. "A-and, how are your roses faring?"
"Uh. They're faring nicely." She tapped the fan against her lips. I want to kiss you.
"Um..."
She moved the fan to her right hand. Come follow me.
Jacob got a hold of himself. "Good," he said. "You just told me you loved me, you want to kiss me, and to follow you so you can embrace me."
"Boom!" Mebuki said. She made an exploding motion with her hand.
"Well, no, you were supposed to tell me you're single, not that you love me."
"Oh, shit. Which gesture means 'I'm single' again?"
"Closed fan to the lips," he said, taking the fan from her. He demonstrated. "This means 'I love you,'" and he drew it across his cheek.
"Ooh," Mebuki said. "Yeah, this shit is confusing."
"Indeed."
"What's the gesture for 'I wanna fuck you' again?"
"There isn't any gesture that's quite so vulgar, usually they signal 'I love you' and 'follow me' if they want to embrace me. Why?" Jacob asked. Mebuki grinned at him.
"I wanna see how many noble women use their fans to flirt with you," Mebuki said.
xXx
.
She watched Jacob talk to the ladies at the ball.
One countess made eyes with Jacob. Come talk to me. Jacob grinned. He walked over.
"And how are you, Countess?" he asked. The countess beamed at him. She fanned herself slowly. I'm married.
"I am doing quite well, Prince Jacob." She closed her fan and slowly dragged it across her cheek. I love you. "My husband is away at the moment-" she tapped it against her lips. I want to kiss you. "-and I was hoping you would keep me company this evening." She lowered her fan. Follow me.
Jacob smiled. "Unfortunately, Countess, I am indisposed at the moment. I am chaperoning my sister, you see."
"Oh. How unfortunate."
He bowed and left her, Mebuki staring at them.
Another noblewoman caught his eye. Come talk to me. Jacob walked over to her.
"Greetings to the Little Moon and Sun, Your Highness," the woman said. She tapped the fan to her lips. I'm single. She flicked it open, covering her mouth. "How are you, this evening?" Let's get some privacy.
"I'm well, my lady," Jacob said. The lady laughed demurely.
"You certainly do look well, Your Highness." She dragged the fan across her cheek. I love you. She tapped her lips. Kiss me. She lowered her hand. Follow me and embrace me.
"I have enjoyed playing with you, my lady, but unfortunately I have to stay by my sister," Jacob said.
"Oh," the lady said, disappointed. Jacob bowed politely.
"Yo, what the fuck are you doing?" Mebuki said, as Jacob came up to her.
"I may be a cad, but it is rude to embrace another woman when one is accompanied."
"Really?"
Another woman caught his eye. She fanned herself quickly, then tapped her lips. I'm engaged, but I want you to kiss me. Jacob ignored her.
"Oh man, I'm sorry," Mebuki said. "I didn't know I was cock-blocking you making you come to the ball with me."
"Wha- no, there's no need to be sorry."
"Just say the word, and I'll totally wingman for you," Mebuki said. Jacob bristled.
"I have no need for 'wingman-ing.' I do fine on my own, thank you."
The ball continued. Mebuki hung back in the corner, watching the noblewomen crowd around Jacob. She was pretty sure he was fucking at least half of them. Their eyes met. She grinned and lifted her fan.
She twirled it in a circle. That's a lot of bitches.
She moved it to her left hand. I think they wanna fuck you.
She snapped it shut and tapped her head. Ask them if they're down for a threesome.
Jacob sputtered. He laughed, clutching his head.
"Prince Jacob?" one of the noblewomen said. He swallowed his laughter as he looked across the room at Mebuki, who grinned at him.
She fanned herself slowly, moving the fan to her other hand. I think that chick is showing off her cleavage.
"A moment, ladies. I need to go see about my sister."
xXx
.
She showed him rare glimpses of her life in the other world, opening up her photos app on her phone. "Just for a few minutes," she said, showing him, and Jacob's eyes widened at the glittering towers and the skyscrapers reaching up like sentinels, 30 second videos of Mayumi videoing herself in a train station or an airport, the grainy video showing airplanes taxiing down the runway before rising in the sky.
"Ninety-four percent," Mayumi said, looking at her phone. "The battery's going down even when I'm not using it." She turned the phone off again, the slate stone darkening in her hand.
"Mayumi, may I ask? Have you been with many men?" Jacob asked. Mayumi shook her head.
"I had a college boyfriend," she said. She looked out into the distance. "He was kind of an asshole, but I loved him."
"What happened to him?"
"Broke up. Story of my existence."
Jacob fell quiet.
He didn't believe in love. It was enough to indulge in court romances, simple pleasures between two consenting people. Even if his paramour were married, it didn't matter to him.
What would it be like to be a necessary existence? He watched Mayumi as she knelt into the loamy earth, tugging out the weeds from her garden and swiping the sweat from her forehead. What would it feel like, being important to someone? What would it be like to be cared by them? There was a warm breeze which stirred the small strands of hair by Mayumi's nape. She smiled, looking up at him.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked, and once again, it was the first time anyone had noticed. No one ever asked about him. Jacob smiled but felt a warmth behind his eyes, and found he didn't have an answer.
xXx
.
4.
"I think my husband is coming, Second Prince," the noblewoman said. They were in various stages of undress; Jacob's shirt was untucked and the top buttons of his collar were unbuttoned, and the strap of the woman's chemise was falling over her shoulder.
Jacob grinned. His hair was disheveled; lipstick covered his mouth and chin. "You are much too skittish."
He kissed her, palming her breast. The noblewoman gasped, taking a breath.
"My lord, I don't think I can lie with you today; I'm not sure how long my husband will be away."
"A shame," Jacob said, pulling back. The noblewoman blushed, crossing her arms over her breasts.
At the ball, she stood with a crowd of other ladies, blushing and talking. She had a fan by her mouth as she chatted and laughed daintily.
Jacob's mouth stretched into a grin, his cape swishing as he approached them.
The lady's eyes slid upwards, then slightly widened. Their eyes met; the woman blanched, then turned her back on him.
Very well then. Jacob wasn't offended. He scanned the rest of the ballroom, looking as the throng of other women were watching him. He knew what they saw: tousled, golden hair, and deep blue eyes like the ocean glittering under the sun, he knew that he was handsome. Already another noblewoman was making eyes at him. She lowered her fan to cover her mouth, tilting her head, beckoning him.
He fucked her in the guest room while the others danced, the lady squealing delighted as he dove wolfishly between her legs. "So charming, Second Prince," she said, beholding him. Jacob grinned.
In his coat pocket, he kept a velvet box with a reusable sheep-membrane condom. The lady giggled, spreading her legs, as he tied the ribbon around it.
xXx
.
"Can you not have these dalliances, Jacob?" his father looked at him, disgusted.
Jacob smirked. He tossed his head back, the locks of his hair catching the sunlight streaming behind him. "I believe I am allowed a few youthful indiscretions," Jacob said.
"The noblemen are talking, Jacob! You insult their honor by openly flirting with their women!"
"I cannot help it if they do not give them sufficient attention," Jacob sniffed.
An ego boost. A confirmation of his attractiveness. He was cunning and smart and handsome; what woman wouldn't want to lay with him?
"A moment, dear Second Prince," his paramour said. She blew Jacob a kiss, before sauntering toward her husband.
Jacob's grin slipped. He watched as the woman laughed, her arm threading around her husband's. They shared an easy laugh; both their backs were to them.
"What is it now, Gautier?" his father was saying, and Jacob turned. He saw the identical scene play out behind him: his father and his so-called siblings, standing in a half-circle. The three of them sharing a laugh, sharing an easy confidence. Their backs were also toward him.
No matter. Jacob's eyes slid upwards towards the other potential conquests. He didn't believe in love or marriage; only the fleeting enjoyment of mutually pleasurable court romances.
His mother, after all, never received love, even after marriage.
xXx
.
He was fucking two women in the bed. This was a first for him. At first he was enthusiastic, taking turns kissing and groping them. The women's mouths gasped in delight as he thrust into one while fingering the other, the sheep-membrane condom slipping with their shared fluids.
He came quicker than anticipated, the heightened arousal and the novelty of two women working against him.
They were kissing each other on his bed. Jacob held back, taking off the condom and slowly getting dressed. The woman moaned, their bodies writhing on the bed. After a few moments, Jacob quietly opened the door and left, neither of the women noticing that he had left them.
xXx
.
"Two women?" Hugues raised an eyebrow while Jacob smirked. "And how was it after you left?"
"Oh, they were quite apologetic." Jacob plucked a thread from his vest. "Of course, I hadn't the heart to stop them."
"Here, here," Hugues said, and he raised a glass.
xXx
.
He was sauntering down the hall when a small fast shape slammed into him.
"And which noble's daughter are you?" Jacob said, as Bianca de Arno blanched at him.
Bianca de Arno. The little wife of Zachary de Arno, the bane of his existence. Jacob's mouth stretched as he watched the two of them.
"You walk too fast!" Bianca said to Zachary, and even though it was an admonishment, there was a fondness to her tone that was almost loving. Their arms threaded together; as they walked, they made a single silhouette, Bianca leaning against Zachary's arm.
"How interesting," Jacob said to his advisor. "How often is it that couples publicly grouse at each other?"
"It seemed rather affectionate," the advisor said. Jacob turned.
"Affectionate?"
"When two people love each other, they can speak plainly to each other and tease each other. It is proof of a close relationship."
Jacob's brow furrowed.
xXx
.
He was fucking another noblewoman. The woman's mouth was hanging open in a happy grin. "Oh, Prince Jacob!" she cried, as he pounded into her, the sheep-membrane condom sliding in and out of her. "I love it when you fuck me, Second Prince!"
All these women only give him compliments. Jacob let out a ragged breath, leaning forward.
"Tell me what you know about me," he breathed, and the woman's eyes fluttered open.
"What I know about you?" she said, as Jacob's thrusts slowed. She furrowed her pretty face in concentration. "You are very handsome."
"Indeed, so you can see. What else do you know about me?"
The woman beamed. "You are the handsome Second Prince."
"And what, pray, do you know about Gautier?"
"Um..." the woman frowned at him. Jacob scowled, irritated. He pressed his thumb on her clit like a button.
"Oh!" the noblewoman gasped, and he picked up the pace again.
He got dressed. The woman was chattering idly about this and that, but Jacob couldn't bring himself to listen.
"Oh! Darling, you're home," the woman said, opening the door to see her husband.
Jacob glanced back. The husband saw both his wife standing at the doorway and Jacob lacing his boots, sitting on the bed. The husband nodded at them.
"Did you have a good rest, my dear?"
"Of course, my darling. The Second Prince was here."
They linked arms. The woman's head tilted back in a laugh. For some reason, Jacob felt humiliated.
xXx
.
"That's because you're a trashy villain," Mayumi said.
"What?" Jacob said. It was still in the early days after he and Mayumi first met. They were sitting in the library, Jacob going over rudimentary etiquette lessons, while Mayumi was growing bored and frustrated. Somehow the topic changed to his love life and all the chicks he was banging.
"Why do you call them 'chicks'?" Jacob said. Mayumi chewed on her pen.
"I dunno, it's a colloqualism."
"And why 'banging'? That's not the sound one makes when one's having sex."
"Uh, I don't think it's so much the sound as it is the movement." Mayumi counted with her fingers. "Pounding. Banging. Screwing. Smashing. You know. It's probably from the image of thrusting."
"Clearly in your world, you were a tawdry woman," Jacob said.
"Seriously? This coming from the guy who'll screw anything that's breathing?"
"I'm a man," Jacob said.
"So?" Mayumi said.
"So it is inherent for a man to seek multiple avenues of pleasure."
"But are you happy doing that?" Mayumi said. Jacob scoffed. "No, seriously. Every time you go hook up with some random noble you always come back feeling depressed."
"Depressed?" Jacob looked up. "What are you insinuating?"
"I dunno. Maybe you're using sex to boost your self-esteem a little bit." Mayumi leaned back, studying him. "You're a good guy. I mean, you're cocky and super arrogant. But you're smart and you're hard-working and you always try your best. I think if you wanted to, you could probably find someone who'd love you."
"I don't believe in love," Jacob said. He looked at the book sitting in front of them, the creases of the paper. "Relationships are based on what people can do for them."
"Quid pro quo," Mayumi said. Jacob nodded. "That's kind of sad, isn't it?"
"You are ignorant," Jacob said. He closed the book. "I think that's it for today's lessons."
"Hey," Mayumi said, as Jacob stood. She touched him by the arm. Jacob turned.
"You're a good guy," Mayumi said. "You shouldn't sell yourself short. Some woman would be lucky to have you."
Jacob bristled. He snatched his arm away from her hand.
xXx
.
There was another woman he was seeing. He'd lain with her a couple times, and what they had between them was something like affection.
"Let me hold you," he said, after they'd finished. It was dark outside and he could fall asleep like this. He curled up around her, spooning her.
Her body was stiff. They lay together for a few moments before the woman glanced back at him.
"I need to go back to my husband," she said.
"How cruel," Jacob said. "No sooner do you get your satisfaction, do you wish to leave my bed."
"Second Prince. You know it isn't like that." She leaned forward and kissed him. "I bid you goodnight, my Prince."
"Goodnight to you as well." He lay in the bed, undressed, watching with hooded eyes as the woman dressed in front of him.
She left. He was alone in his chambers with nothing but cold moonlight to console him.
He found himself standing in front of Mayumi's door.
"Yeah?" the door cracked open as Mayumi peered outward, not at all surprised to see Jacob standing in front of her chambers.
"Would it be all right if I join you tonight?" he said. He steeled himself for her rejection.
Mayumi beamed at him. "Yeah, sure, come in," she said, and she opened the door wider for him.
They started sleeping next to each other most nights. Mayumi didn't question it, and Jacob didn't try to justify it. He didn't tell her that some nights he felt lonely and bereft, that it was like the floor had dropped out from underneath him. In the darkness, he reached a hesitant hand toward Mayumi's body, and was rewarded when she scooted warmly against him.
"I mean, you're my brother in this world. It's not as if we're gonna be having sex."
Jacob looked out into the darkness. She was a warm and comforting weight against his chest.
An aching loneliness overtook him. As if she could sense how he was feeling, Mayumi rolled over and gathered him close, wrapping her leg across his hip as she cuddled platonically against him.
xXx
.
There was a secret message from the kingdom of Aragon, and Mebuki watched as Jacob furtively took it.
He crushed the paper in his hand, before burning it. Mebuki watched as the scroll blackened and curled in the fire, the orange flames reflecting in Jacob's eyes as he watched it.
"Hey," Mebuki said. She stepped next to him, touching his shoulder. "If you have to kill Gautier's family, you should make it quick. Do it while they're sleeping so there's no suffering," she said.
Jacob studied her silently. "You are assuming I wish to commit treason."
"You're having Aragon attack the kingdom. What did you say to convince them?"
"I told them if I were on the throne, we could reset the terms between our kingdoms so that they are more favorable to them." Jacob considered.
"Let's have the Count of Iron and Blood go talk to them," Jacob said. Mebuki tilted her head. "I no longer wish to have them invade. The risks outweigh the benefits."
"You become king in your first life," Mebuki said, but Jacob stepped forward, gently touching her on the waist.
"I'm not sure I want that," Jacob said. And he stepped close, closing the gap between them.
xXx
.
5.
This is what happened the first time Jacob went to Mebuki's room.
"Would it be alright if I join you tonight?" Jacob asked. It was past midnight and dark in the palace.
"Yeah, sure," Mebuki said, widening the door for him. "Come in."
Jacob smiled, but he had a pained expression. Quietly he stepped in.
Mebuki watched. He shrugged off his coat and took off his shoes, climbing into the bed.
"Eh? You just want to go to sleep, then?"
"Did you think we would be doing something different?"
"I thought you wanted to talk," Mebuki started, but he curled up on his side, turning his back. "Well whatever, I guess."
She climbed in next to him.
Their bodies didn't touch, but Mebuki could tell something was bothering him.
"Did you have a nightmare again?" Mebuki asked.
"No. Why do you ask?"
Because you're a grown man wanting to sleep next to someone without actually fucking them, Mebuki thought, but she turned on her side to face him. "You just seem more quiet," Mebuki said.
"Because it's late," Jacob said. They both let her question stay unspoken.
Her eyes slid sideways. He was hugging a pillow to his chest, curling pathetically around it. Mebuki sighed, then scooted against him.
He flinched as soon as she pressed against his back, spooning him. "Be quiet," Mebuki said. She shifted her leg over his hip. "You're taking up space, I have to do this."
Jacob's voice was soft. "You're not afraid I'll try anything after this?"
"I mean, you're my brother in this world. It's not as if we're gonna be having sex."
He turned onto his other side to face her. His hand brushed against her hip.
She scooted against him, resting on his chest and hugging him with her top arm and leg; Jacob hefted her weight onto his chest, pulling up the covers. They breathed together in silence.
"The daughter of Viscount Danford left me alone in my bed," Jacob said. Mebuki snorted.
"You need to stop fucking all these unavailable-ass women."
"But isn't that the beauty of it? Having no emotional attachments?"
"You're seriously asking me this?" Mebuki asked, craning to look at him.
Jacob smirked. "I suppose this is a bit ridiculous."
"Oh, you think?"
"Coming in here like a child climbing into his mother's bed."
"I imagine your mom didn't even let you do that," Mebuki said, before she could stop herself. Her eyes widened.
"Sorry," she said, but the look Jacob gave her was sad.
"Was that also in the novel?" His voice was quiet. Mebuki cringed.
"Geez, I'm sorry. No it wasn't, I was just talking." She shook her head, hugging him. "Sorry," she said.
"Don't be. You were right about it."
They fell silent again.
"I daresay this is the first time anyone's touched me like this," Jacob said. "Just lying together, still like this."
"You should date someone single," Mebuki said. "Someone who'll care about you and not treat you like some sort of object."
"And what if I am rejected?"
Mebuki stopped. The sclera to Jacob's eyes were shining with wetness.
"Go to sleep," Mebuki said. She cuddled him. "You'll feel better if you sleep."
"You didn't answer my question."
"You're the Second Prince, you're not gonna be rejected."
"If I were a different man...would you find me attractive?"
"I find you attractive right now; but we're friggin' related."
He fell quiet again.
The bed was empty when Mebuki woke. Other than the slightly more rumpled sheets and the indentation in the second pillow, there wasn't any evidence that Jacob was ever there. Mebuki frowned, hugging herself.
She found him in the drawing room, laughing among the shadier nobles. Their eyes met. He paused a moment, then continued talking to the nobles.
xXx
.
They started sharing a bed together most nights, Mebuki mostly taking it for granted.
"You don't even have to knock, just come in," Mebuki said, probably around the third or fourth time he visited. The servants were used to Jacob skulking about the palace; when he roamed around the Princess's wing, no one really questioned it.
Wordlessly he pinched the candle he was holding and climbed into bed, Mebuki automatically cuddling against him.
"You're not afraid you'll start having feelings for me?" Jacob asked, as Mebuki snuggled into his armpit, brazen and utterly shameless.
"Not really," Mebuki said. She felt his hand resting on her head.
"And why is that?" His voice was soft in the darkness. Mebuki considered.
"You're technically my brother. I'm not gonna fuck my brother."
"So is it you feel sorry for me, then?"
"No. I like it when we cuddle," Mebuki said.
She had a tendency to get swept up in things - if her life were a hentai manga and she were stuck with a creepy stalker, doubtless she'd end up in some sketchy half-naked positions. But Mebuki was easygoing, she didn't think too hard about the things that made her happy, and all in all, she liked Jacob well enough, he was firmly in the Pathetic Oniisan Siscon camp in her head, there really wasn't any danger of getting her heart broken.
She started touching him more during their etiquette lessons. The sense memory of her body cuddling him made her unaware of him as a separate person: she'd smack him on the arm when she was excited or let her hand drift on his thigh, or tap his leg for emphasis. She'd list sideways into his shoulder while they walked together; their bodies naturally gravitated toward each other.
She wasn't even aware of it, how her hand was fondly rubbing Jacob's leg, until she saw Gautier staring at them, vaguely disgusted.
xXx
.
"If I ordered the servants to burn down this stupid garden, do you think people would find that suspicious?"
Jacob paused. Instead of training with his sword or colluding with sketchy nobles, he was once again helping Mebuki manage her stupid rose garden. Jacob grinned at her.
"Perhaps you can tell them you're too busy taking succession lessons," he said. Mebuki made a face at him.
The roses weren't blooming. While before, Audulie's rose garden was an explosion of roses, all reds and pinks and yellows that hung heavy on the branches, Mebuki's roses were all just brown leaves and thorns and absolutely zero roses. "This looks like a prison hedge," Mebuki muttered. She used to have a green thumb in the modern world, but that was when she could purchase fertilizer called "Flower Bloom," and just sprinkle it around the soil.
"My darling Audrey. Are you tending to your roses?" Their father walked up her garden. Mebuki and Jacob straightened, looking like two wet cats standing in front of a few scraggly bushes. "Ah," her father said, smiling. "How ominous."
Jacob's shoulders shook as he tried not to laugh. Mebuki smiled sweetly at them.
"Yes, Father. I thought perhaps it best to cultivate the leaves instead."
Jacob was shaking. Mebuki smiled demurely as she elbowed him.
"Roses are delicate, unlike the thorns that protect it," Mebuki said, doing her best impression of a noblewoman. "It is just like our sigil, Father, the delicate rose of Sevran being encircled by a cage of deadly thorns."
"Well spoken as always," the king said. Mebuki preened, pleased.
"Shut the fuck up," she said to Jacob, after the king left them. Jacob laughed and shook his head.
xXx
.
"I enjoy watching you pretend to be a noblewoman; it is almost as if you are mocking them," Jacob said.
"I mean, I practically am," Mebuki said.
They were walking together in a nearby village; one of Jacob's duties was to inspect the outer territories. There wasn't much; after the locals cowered and bowed their heads as the feared Second Prince deigned to bless them with his presence, there wasn't much to do except walk around. "You're unfamiliar with the goings-on in our kingdom," Jacob had said, when he came to fetch Mebuki earlier. "Come with me and I will show you around."
"Uwah! They have skewers!" Mebuki said. Jacob made a face as Mebuki trotted up to the woman making them.
"Why would you want that?" Jacob said, frowning, as Mebuki graciously handed the woman a coin and took a bag of skewers for both of them.
"It smells good! By the way, you need to teach me how to count money," Mebuki said. "I have no idea how many copper-whatevers are in a silver coin, or how many silvers make up a gold."
Jacob frowned as Mebuki held up a skewer. "She was touching the meat with her dirty hands," Jacob said.
"You guys shit in pots, stop being so stuck up."
There was an amiable silence. They walked down the dusty street, watching the merchants peddle their wares, the townspeople walking around them. Everything was colorful and lively and nothing at all like the viper's nest of the palace, and for the first time since she'd transmigrated here, Mebuki felt herself relax.
"You seem more at home with the commoners than people of our station," Jacob said. Mebuki shrugged.
"It kind of reminds me of where I'm from." Mebuki looked out at the bustling street, at the squat, square buildings peppering the village. "If I ever find a way to go back, I'd like to take you to the city. I think you'd like it: there's lots of things to do and tasty things to eat, and I'm sure you'd probably shit yourself looking at all the modern technology."
Her hand found his, gripping it. Jacob glanced down as Mayumi seemed unaware of it. He smiled as his grip around her hand tightened.
"Do you guys have ice cream?" Mebuki asked.
"Ice cream?" Jacob echoed. Mebuki's eyes widened.
"No way. You guys don't have ice cream? For real?"
Jacob sighed. "Once again, I don't understand what you're saying."
"Holy shit! I think I can use my modern knowledge to fuckin' invent something! Fucking finally!"
They went back to the palace. Jacob watched, dull-eyed, as Mebuki furiously tried shaking a jar of salt and cream and blinked when nothing was happening.
"This is disgusting," Jacob said, as they stared at the bowl of salty-sweet cream soup, Mebuki hunching, defeated.
Jacob sighed. He took the saucer of bitter cream and drank it.
"Wha- you're drinking it?"
"Well you went to the trouble of making it." Jacob scowled. "Do you not realize how expensive cream is?"
He looked annoyed, but the tips of his ears were red. Mebuki grinned and hugged him.
xXx
.
She was starting to catch feelings for him. Shit, Mebuki thought, and she covered her face in her hand. This is goddamn dangerous. There's no way Prince Jacob thinks of me like this.
"What's wrong?" Jacob asked. They were walking in the forest, just after Jacob had gone to inspect his men, Mebuki tagging along for some inexplicable reason. Maybe Jacob wanted to show off, showing her his bigass army and how he commanded more soldiers than Zachary de Arno and the Crown Prince. Mebuki scowled, keeping her eyes fixed on the dappled sunlight and the dirt path winding through the forest.
"You just don't know the power of your own face," Mebuki said.
"How do you mean?" Jacob said. Mebuki gestured.
"This whole thing going on! It's hard for a woman! It's fucking dangerous."
Jacob smirked. "I have it on good authority I have quite a nice face."
"Yeah I know. It's a goddamn problem."
"Why is it a problem?" Jacob said. Mebuki scowled and kicked a rock.
"It's nothing. I'm just in a mood. Ignore me."
Jacob smiled. He stepped beside her, taking her hand.
It's totally normal for siblings to walk together and hold hands, Mebuki thought. She felt his thumb brush against her knuckles. Yeah, she thought, and cringed internally. In fucking Game of Thrones.
Jacob was just dumb. No one else was nice to him. Just let him hold your hand, Mebuki Mayumi. You're smart enough to not get caught up in all that.
That night, he spooned her, and his lips pressed against the top of her head.
He thinks of you like a pet. Mebuki imagined herself like an overly large cat, like a big stuffed animal that Jacob liked to kiss and cuddle. C'mon, Mebuki Mayumi! Focus.
Out loud, she said, "Goodnight, Jacob." He made a happy little sound, squeezing her.
"Goodnight, Mayumi."
He fell asleep while she stared blushing at the darkness.
Okay, fine! So what if she was catching feelings? Crushes are fun! It's like, the next level of hot guy worship! It's totally okay, just so long as she doesn't torture herself for it.
There is absolutely no way, zero percent chance, he feels that way about me. Mebuki took solace in that fact. It's not like I'm hurting anyone. Let's just go ahead and fangirl a bit. And she flopped around and buried her face into his armpit.
"Ahh~~" Mebuki nuzzled his chest, beaming. "This is the best."
Jacob chuckled and brushed his lips against her forehead.
xXx
.
That night, Mebuki dreamed about the novel.
The knife Bianca was holding shook in her hand as Jacob blocked her, grabbing her by the wrist and yanking her close. "Don't you think it's pathetic to embrace and keep trying to win over a woman who hates you so much she'd wield a knife against you?" she said. Jacob smirked at her.
"Indeed." He viciously grabbed her by the hair. "That's what I hear as the love child of an abandoned woman, you see."
Bianca struggled. Jacob pulled her close, grinning against her ear.
"It stuck to me even after I regained my royal status, that I'm a pathetic and pitiful man. In order for such a man to survive, he must use everything he can. Seeing how much I implored you for your love, I assumed it might truly be love."
"Fine. Do what you want." Bianca wrenched away from him. "I have not even the trace of intention of letting myself rely on you, so embrace my corpse for all you care!" and she grabbed his dagger from his sheath and sliced off her hair.
A flash of hurt. The slight widening of the eyes as Bianca cut herself free, her long brown locks fluttering in his hand. It was like a slap in the face, her look of utter contempt for him. It knifed him deeper than any weapon.
"W-why in the world would you go through all those lengths just to reject me?!" Jacob cried. Bianca crouched low, glaring at him. An arrow flew though the air, landing at Jacob's feet.
"You would dare attack a royal?!" he said to Gaspar, who came up behind Bianca. Gaspar pulled out his sword.
Jacob took a breath. The situation was spiraling. He ran his hand through his hair, which was disheveled. "I shall give you time, since you may change your mind on your way back," he said, as Bianca glared at him. Jacob's eyes flicked upwards, shining with wetness. "Bianca. There is no one who can rule Arno."
She turned away from him, clutching Zachary's helmet. The look he gave her was hurting and vulnerable.
He brought his forces into Arno. Jacob rode his horse at the front, his army of men marching behind him. The castle of Arno stood like a lonely sentinel against the grayish backdrop, and Jacob's hands tightened on the reins as his soldiers surrounded them.
He would do what it takes to make her love him. He was a man who used everything at his disposal.
Mebuki opened her eyes, staring into the darkness. She had dreamed of the events of the novel again, and her heart ached for Jacob. He was asleep now, tucked against her body, and Mebuki turned with difficulty to face him. His face was smooth and almost boyish, without the smirking arrogance of his waking moments, and as he slept he looked almost innocent.
It would be okay to kiss him, right? Mebuki's heart wavered. If she were in a hentai manga, it would be the same thought process the male lead would have before whipping his dick out and masturbating in front of her, thinking, it'd be okay if she was sleeping, right? It's not as if she would notice.
It's okay if he is sleeping, right? It's his own damn fault for sleeping in the same bed as me, it's not as if I'm taking advantage. Mebuki lay on her side, watching him sleep, feeling a little bit like a predator creep for wanting to kiss him so badly.
But then she thought about his face when Bianca hacked off a chunk of her own hair to escape from him, his eyes wide with hurt and shock as he clutched her tresses. There was a wetness to his eyes that Mebuki didn't expect, as if he were on the verge of crying, this poor, pathetic man whom everyone abandoned.
Her maternal instincts flared up. She wanted to kiss him.
A small kiss to his temple, as if an experiment. Jacob nuzzled his head unconsciously against her lips, and Mebuki pressed another kiss to his forehead. See? This is totally okay. It's not as if I'm molesting him. Her lips found a smooth patch of skin by his eyelid. Another soft kiss. Their foreheads touched. She tilted her head upwards and brushed a kiss to the side of his mouth.
He pressed a kiss to her brow, and Mebuki pulled back slightly, somewhat startled. But Jacob's eyes were still closed, even as his lips curved into a small smile.
Oh. Her heart squeezed in her chest. He's so cute. I love him, and she mentally smacked herself for being stupid.
I'm just gonna fangirl the hell out of him! Yeah, that was the ticket. She slid her arms around his torso, curling against him. Even if none of those stupid bitches appreciated him (and by "stupid bitches," Mebuki was thinking about the stupid royals who turned their backs on him, not necessarily the women Jacob had slept with), Mebuki did. Mebuki would always be on the same side as him.
She aggressively cuddled him. She had no idea that Jacob was awake, that he felt loved and safe and liked it when she kissed him. His body relaxed against hers as he nuzzled against her head. The feelings of loneliness and abandonment he'd carried pretty much evaporated, and even though their feelings for each other weren't exactly clear yet, they already were used to being emotionally intimate.
xXx
.
Mebuki Mayumi, aged 26, former corporate drone and lover of handsome men, finally gave herself permission to be completely fucking shameless.
"Jacob~~" She sparkled as she waved at him. "Give me a hug, Jacob!"
Jacob beamed and hugged her. He spun her around as she laughed.
"Ohoho~~. How marvelous~~" she said. Behind her, the knights balked. A cloud of gloom settled over them as Jacob and Mebuki sparkled, oblivious.
"What on earth," Gautier said, walking into the throne room. Hearts and stars seemed to fly off of them.
xXx
.
6.
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
.
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.
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.
"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."
"Your love is only for yourself. I don't need that kind of love."
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 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.
She motioned to the executioner. "Goodbye, Jacob."
The crowd jeered. The axe came swinging down.