Pure Hands Part Four
The Baron von Gikkingen slid off his horse and handed the reins to his captain. "I want you to take my mount into the woods a bit, make sure that none of you can be seen from the road. It's best that no one finds out that I paid a call here."
Tatsuo nodded before urging his own horse into the woods behind the sturdy cottage while leading his master's mount.
The tawny lord adjusted his hood to keep his easily recognized golden hair out of sight before marching to the front door like it was to his own funeral.
The door opened before he could draw close enough to knock, revealing a man around his own age, but slender with a low ponytail of dark hair that fell over one shoulder like feathers.
"Well, no need to ask who you are," the magician exclaimed, relaxing at the sight of him. Without another word, he stepped aside so that the nobleman could enter quickly.
Baron gratefully ducked just enough to enter. He stopped short at the sight of a woman sitting at the table, the remains of breakfast in front of her and a little girl that gaped up at him. "Madame," he said while inclining his head.
The magician's wife shook off her surprise to glare at him. "Darling, would you mind if I bundled up Tanya's and my breakfast?" she stated while not breaking eye contact with the lord. "I really don't trust my tongue if I delay gathering herbs."
"Yes, dear, that would be best," Toto agreed without hesitation, which made the woman waste no time in standing up and using handspun bits of cloth to gather up the loose bread and vegetables.
"Mommy, who is he?" the little girl asked.
"Just another one of your father's clients, sweetheart. He'll be gone by the time we're back," the wife informed her child, still glaring at the man like she didn't think he deserved to be a lord at all.
That attitude baffled him. He'd done all he could to be the best baron his people could hope for, and he didn't recall ever seeing this woman before. "I have a man with our horses directly behind the house," he warned her, which earned him barely more than a nod before she scooped her daughter into her arms and marched right past him.
Toto watched his wife leave with a worried expression. A minute after the door slammed behind her, he gave the lord a sad look. "My wife doesn't approve of how you're handling your marriage," he explained.
At that, Baron felt a strange mixture of realization and guilt. "… That's… why I'm here," he forced himself to say. "I… want to fix things."
Toto raised an eyebrow while gesturing for the man to sit at the bench his wife just left while he sat on the opposite side of the table. "Call me strange, but I don't think I'm the one you should be talking to about that."
"I know," Baron groaned, sinking onto the bench tiredly. "But it's been so long, and I still can't get Louise out of my head. Do you have a spell that can make me forget about her? Or one that can make me fall in love with my wife?"
Toto wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I don't do love spells. Ever. I've heard too many stories about what goes wrong, and I assure you, you're better off walking up to your wife and just apologizing for abandoning her. She can't be all bad if she-"
"Don't you start, too!" Baron ordered angrily. "I've heard plenty, I assure you! Haru is a good girl that barely asks for anything, I know that. I swear I already know!"
Toto crossed his arms and leaned on the table. "Then why visit me?" he asked point blank.
Baron looked at him a bit helplessly, heaving a great sigh after a long minute. "When the king told me he was going to marry me off to her… he said that she was a good girl that could make me forget about Louise. I don't want to forget about her. But… I'm just tired. I know we can't be together even after my uncle dies, thanks to being informed of his many precautions if I try to return to my homeland. But I can't do this anymore. As much as I love Louise, and wish her child was mine, they aren't and never will be."
Admitting that out loud felt like being shot in the heart, but he forced himself to carry on. "The servants told me yesterday, Haru almost brought a baby home."
"Setsuko's," Toto responded automatically. "She said she couldn't imagine explaining to her other children that she traded one of them for gold. She feels ashamed for almost doing it."
Baron nodded, since he'd guessed that was why the deal fell through. "Something strange happened when I was informed of the incident. I was… disappointed Haru didn't manage it."
Toto blinked, but gestured for the lord to continue.
Baron looked down at the smooth table, absently seeing where the daughter had childishly drawn a flower with vegetable juice. "The more I thought about having a child, the more I wanted at least one. I have everything I need to get and provide care for one, but I can't imagine Haru will take it well if I pay her a late-night visit or summon her to my chambers."
"Especially after ignoring her for almost a year," Toto added with distaste. "Tara would have heaved the cauldron at my head if I tried to ignore her for an hour, never mind the rest of it."
Baron nodded miserably. "I know Haru will be a good mother, but I'm not expecting her to be calm about me waltzing back because I decided it's high time to start taking our marriage seriously. I want to show her I'm serious, but how can I do it when I'm still thinking about Louise?"
Toto hummed. "I have advice as a happily married man, but you won't like it."
Baron winced in preparation.
"Tell her what you told me. You want to do better, but don't know how. Then try listening to what she has to say. It won't be pleasant at this point, but you owe her that much if you're serious about wanting children without her hating you."
"No, I promise I want to avoid that," Baron said hastily before the magician could get the wrong idea. "I do want a good marriage."
"I'm not the one you need to con-" Toto started, but stopped as an engraved bowl full of water by his elbow started glowing. He blinked at it before turning a wicked grin to his lord. "Your wife's coming!" he hissed.
Baron nearly tripped over the bench as he jumped with a cry. "Is she coming here?! Are you sure?!"
"This is an intruder spell, she's definitely coming here. Well?" Toto asked sternly.
The tawny lord looked around desperately before leaping for the small bed tucked into a corner and pulling the curtain over. The color changed once the curtain was fully closed; perhaps an enchantment to fool outsiders about it being a curtain?
"This, my lord. This is exactly the kind of behavior that will never get you children," Toto informed him coldly before giving the place a once over while standing up from the bench.
Baron was just able to watch him approach the front door and open it through the curtain.
"Greetings, my lady. What a pleasant surprise!"
"Please wait here for me," a soft voice likely told a guard, making Baron suddenly realize that he'd never heard his wife's voice before.
They hadn't met before the wedding, and the particular ceremony that had been used had only required their silent consent since Lune explained that Haru was too shy to kiss a stranger in front of the entire court. He'd been fine with that, and while he had been too wrapped up in his own grief at the time, Haru hadn't said a word to him, at least with her lips before he felt obligated to tell her where his loyalties lie. He felt another stab of guilt at remembering the way she'd looked at him that distant day when they were surrounded by merrymakers.
She was nervous, excited, hopeful, and happy. All expected of a new bride with high hopes for a happy marriage. He could only imagine the things King Lune had told her to be so willing to marry him while being too shy to say a word.
"I'll try not to take up much of your time. I'd like to buy a spell," Haru explained in a low tone, perhaps to keep the guard outside from hearing her after the magician closed the door behind her and they took some steps away from it. But then she leaned down and grabbed something that had been on the floor, holding something that flopped over her hand.
"I'm afraid I don't make love spells, my lady," Toto informed her up front.
Haru scoffed in disgust while her head was still turned to what was in her hand. "If my husband was worth a love spell, I wouldn't need it, even if I could get that close without him running off like a scared rabbit."
Baron felt a different sort of stab in his heart. He was grateful that she wasn't interested in forcing him to feel for her, but the way she said it could have been-
"R-really?" Toto asked like he couldn't think of another reason why the young baroness would visit him. "Very well, then. What spell did you have in mind, my lady?" Toto asked, one hand extending to the same bench Baron had been sitting on. "And sorry about the doll, my wife's been meaning to fix it."
"I'm sure she's a busy woman," Haru acknowledged without sounding too worried. She sat down and pulled something out of her pack, which soon proved to be a tiny sewing bag when she started the hand motions that meant threading a needle. "I want a spell that will permanently put me to sleep, or at least until after my first anniversary."
Baron had to bite his tongue to keep from exclaiming how horrible of an idea that was.
Toto audibly choked. "I'm afraid I can't do that, my lady."
"Can't or won't?" she asked in a chillingly calm tone as she began stitching on the doll. "Since you recognized me on sight, I don't think I need to go into details about why I want to stop waking up. I've seen the king hold court often enough to know that he won't entertain anyone petitioning for a divorce if they've been married less than a year and no violence is present, so there's no point in asking for my freedom beforehand."
'Not now!' Baron thought in a panic. 'Not when I'm trying to work up the courage to talk to her!'
Toto gathered himself together while taking the opposite bench. "I think I want details, actually. I know your marriage is hardly ideal, but a sleeping curse is a bit extreme for your problem."
Haru sighed tiredly as her hand kept working in swift motions. "If you don't change your mind when I'm done, I'll know that your reputation is as inflated as the Baron's."
The tawny lord was wounded by that.
"I don't know what you know about Earl Yoshioka, but I can tell you for myself that he is a wicked, conniving snake that would rather die than admit that any viewpoints than his own are worth anything. The only reason my brother and I exist after Mother refused his advances is because he got her drunk first. He bellows like a sea beast when he's angry and is free with his hands if he thinks you're being rude, even if you aren't. Between that and not really talking to men until after I came to live at the Piaal baronetcy, talking to men is extremely hard for me. Since my brother turned out just like him, I avoid the brat at all costs, so even he was no assistance. You can imagine that didn't help when I got married."
Baron felt a stab of guilt. Maybe he should have asked more questions about why his new wife was so content to be silent.
Haru held the doll down on the table while using a small knife to trim off the leftover thread. "Mother hated him with every fiber of her being, especially since he wouldn't let her take care of the castle's needs. That's typically the job of the lord's wife, but he decided for her that a mere woman couldn't handle the workload and be a babymaker at the same time. Mother made sure I was trained on how to handle the castle's affairs-"
Baron saw red. 'I've been losing sleep and sanity over a lie?!'
"-just in case I was married off to someone better. As far back as I can remember, all I wanted was a happy home and family. When it finally sunk in my best chance for that was when I got married, I did everything I could think of to be ready for the responsibility. My math skills made Mother swoon, I was able to convince the servants to allow me to try changing diapers and feeding their babies for experience, and I have personally sewn an almost scary amount of baby clothes and toys for the first few years of their life before coming of age, just so that I wouldn't have to worry about it while getting used to a new castle. I'm sorry if I sound obsessed, but that's how ready I was to start a better family than the one I was preparing to leave. All Yuki and I could think about was escaping our fathers' control and being happy whether they liked it or not. I was terrified at King Lune's bride selection that he might choose me when I want a quiet simple life, but luckily the man has excellent taste in women. Not so much in matchmaking, however."
Haru heaved a heavy sigh, leaning her elbows on the table now that the doll was mended. "Romance would have been wonderful, but I promise I never forgot that as a noblewoman, I wouldn't have a say in who I ended up with. If all I could manage was a friend, I'd be delighted, because that's still better than anything my father could offer me. I was so ready to make any husband I ended up with happy, but what did I get?"
"A lovesick idiot," Toto wasted no time offering, but Baron was feeling too guilty to take offense.
"I'd have said lovesick coward," Haru noted sadly. "He only stayed alone with me just long enough to know there was never going to be happiness with him, and was gone before I had a chance to ask if we could be friends instead."
Baron was frozen in horror. 'That's all?!'
"What, that quick?" Toto asked in surprise. "As in, he told you about Princess Louise and bolted?"
"Correct. That was the most miserable night of my life," Haru had to struggle not to cry. "He admitted that the king knew, which he really should have told me about before an annulment would be needed, but perhaps this was the king's way of saying that he was through sharing Yuki with me." She threw her hands up before letting them flop onto the table in despair. "Since it was so clear that the king wants this marriage, I know I can't escape at least before the one year anniversary, but I was hoping that if I respected the Baron's personal space long enough, he'd eventually notice and appreciate that I was willing to settle for a friendship. Everyone in that castle wants me to make the first move since he won't but refuse to listen when I try to say that will just make him more aggressively avoid me."
… It was true.
Everything the king had told him about his young wife was on the mark.
"Since you live out here, I won't bother you with the fact that Alon and the surrounding kingdoms have been poking fun at my situation. Even my father keeps sending me letters telling me to do what he did when Mother didn't want children, but I refuse. If I can't manage a better dynamic than the one I escaped from, then I'd rather have no children at all."
The magician needed a solid minute to absorb everything, which Baron greatly appreciated for the same reason. "… So why did you try to adopt Setsuko's child? If the parents aren't united, that's a hard dynamic as well," Toto pointed out.
The baroness shrugged while sniffing dismissively. "It would be, if I had any intention of sharing the child with that coward."
Baron blinked, even though he felt like he was getting stabbed each time she repeated the word 'coward'. 'Wait, she wasn't going to-'
"How exactly were you planning on raising a child by yourself?" Toto asked with shock.
"It would have been fine," Haru grumbled. "I don't know if it's guilt or something else, but whoever's in charge of the castle's finances instead of me gives me a ridiculous monthly budget that I barely feel like scratching. I could easily have afforded the amount I wanted to send to Setsuko every month and have plenty for anything I needed with the baby."
"What about feeding it?"
"Goat milk," she wasted no time answering. "Women in my family don't produce a lot, and goat milk has proven to be the best substitute if we can't find a wet nurse."
"What about a good father figure?" the magician asked more pointedly.
"Wouldn't it be just as fair to ask Setsuko that question? If she can raise all those children by herself, I would have been fine with only one. Besides, if the Baron has no patience for a wife he never wanted, why do you think he'd waste any time for a child that doesn't have his blood? I was open to possibly becoming a stepmother, so I'm not bothered by raising a child from another woman. I've never once had a reason to believe that Baron wants anything to hold him back when his oh-so-perfect lady love is widowed."
Baron could only kick himself mentally since there wasn't the space to do it literally. 'Of course she'd think that's my plan.'
"H-he'd have a lot to answer for if he just up and abandoned Alon," Toto tried to say with a straight face.
"It's not like it'd be the first time he ran from a kingdom he had obligations to," Haru pointed out. "The king was transparent with me that he desperately wanted the Baron to settle down and raise a family so that he'd never leave Alon, and I'm sure Baron has enough political acumen to understand why he was married off to a local girl. He's done literally nothing about it, and it's less depressing to tell myself he's got a plan instead of accepting that he's wasting both of our time by sulking and signing up for suicide missions so that he won't have to have anything to do with me. You do understand that, don't you?" Haru asked directly. "He only ever volunteers for dangerous assignments, he accepts anything lesser when it's assigned to him. He's chosen a gruesome death over so much as being in the same room as me five times in our first year of marriage. Would you be anything less than disappointed about being reminded of that fact every time you wake up?"
Baron flinched back, feeling worse than ever.
He'd been avoiding facing the fact, but with all his excuses aside, Haru stated the situation as it is.
Despite his childhood hopes and efforts to the contrary, he'd grown up to be a disappointment, after all.
Toto thought long and hard before answering. "… A sleeping curse would be less of a problem than the alternative, but not by much. Your head was uncovered so anyone could have seen you come here, and the guard you brought will likely be honor bound to tell the Baron that your ailment started after visiting me. If not for my wife and child, I'd give it more consideration, but…"
Haru miserably waved one hand. "I would have been shocked if you'd said yes, and I was intentional about making sure I was seen visiting you. I've still got a few alternative plans to try, but I was getting sick of Hiromi nagging me to pester you for a love spell, and I didn't want to completely waste your time getting her off my back about a visit."
"That's why I was so surprised to hear that you didn't want a love spell. I had to tell Hiromi a ridiculous price even you would never reach to make her leave me alone without hexing her," Toto chuckled, making Baron's blood run cold.
It was one thing to decide for himself to go under a love spell. It was certainly another to have the decision made for him.
"… What did you say about Hiromi?" Haru asked in a low dangerous tone that made both of the men's hair stand on end.
"Hiromi's been trying to talk me into giving her a love spell on your behalf for months. I don't know if she actually planned on giving it to you or needed a cover story for herself. That's why I was upfront with you about where I stand on love spells; I thought you were frustrated with having her told no."
"How many months?" Haru asked in that same, chilling tone.
"I don't remember, I think it was around Winter's Solstice because there's normally a feast around then, and there was a lot of talk about why the Baron did individual gifts of food to each home instead."
"How much did you tell her for the spell?"
"Three thousand gold. I wanted to make sure you or she couldn't rally up enough even if she convinced everyone in the district to contribute."
"When did she stop harassing you, if she did?" Haru pressed, leaning over the table like a wild animal getting ready to pounce.
"I'd say about two months ago, give or take."
Haru stood up and handled something at her waist before throwing a coin bag on the table. "Thank you for the information and letting me talk. I was going to discuss other alternatives that would require your assistance, but it appears I need to clean house immediately. Give your wife and child my regards."
She ran for the door and was out before Toto was able to say anything.
"My lady, what's wrong?!" the soldier outside could be just heard as a horse neighed.
"I just found out about a plot, and I need to cut it off at the source," Haru informed him like an approaching storm before the two could be heard riding off at a good gallop.
Toto stared in numb amazement before marching over to the curtain and forcefully pulling it aside. "You need help falling in love with a woman like that?!" he demanded.
Baron eased out of the little bed corner, both deeply ashamed and strangely committed. "Thank you for your time, but it appears I don't need a spell after all." Since it only seemed right, he also pulled off the small bag of gold he was planning to give the magician and tossed it next to his wife's. "Your advice appears to be the exact course I should take."
Toto nodded once in grim approval. "Good. Now with all respect, my lord; get out of my house and fix your own."
Baron wasn't even mad. After how badly he'd botched things so far, he was lucky to be allowed to walk out instead of being kicked out. He still wasted no time running around the little cottage.
Captain Tatsuo was standing with both of the horses' reins and a worried expression. "Was that the lady I heard?"
"It was, and we'd best be on our way," Baron confirmed while swinging into the saddle.
"I'm surprised it wasn't a bit noisier in there," the captain tried to joke, but Baron was in no mood for jokes.
All he'd ever heard of Haru was of her patience and kindness. While her indignation was a good sign that she could be firm, he needed to see for himself that she could handle this kind of situation, or at least how much would be left for him to do when she was done scolding her maid.
He could see his castle, but he was still a good distance from the drawbridge when he heard the faint echo of a violent slap.
His wife, however, was anything but faint.
"Do you know why I'm angry, Hiromi?! Please, do entertain all of us with a guess!"
Captain Tatsuo looked at his lord nervously. "Should we speed along?"
Baron hummed in thought. "Let's slow down. I don't want to alert her that I'm watching," he disagreed, pulling in his panting mount a bit. He would have said more, but his wife was at it again.
"Wrong! It's because you have been trying to slip the Baron a love potion, even after months of me explaining why that's a horrible idea! No, it's your turn to be silent, Hiromi! Are you the one married to the Baron?! Does his marriage have any impact on you at all?! Did you really think that I wouldn't notice if he suddenly became as obsessed with me as he is with his princess?! Did you imagine I'd be delighted if he was paying me attention because someone stripped him of his free will?!"
Baron was able to catch the eye of the watchman that normally announced his approach, and was able to signal him that he didn't want to be announced. He and Tatsuo stopped before entering and dismounted to make as little noise as possible as they crossed the drawbridge.
For reasons of her own, Haru hadn't decided to be discreet. Hiromi had fallen to her knees in the middle of the courtyard while her lady reprimanded her at the top of her lungs. The maid had both hands to cover one cheek while tears streamed down her face, and she was looking at the young Baroness as if she were the angel of death. There was a good portion of the castle's residents watching, but Baron managed to gesture with a finger to his lips to make sure no one outed him just yet.
"Fukuo! Tomboe!" Haru barked, making the two soldiers nervously march up and salute her, though they were trying not to look at the lord over her shoulder. "I want the pair of you to find Chika, the maid sharing Hiromi's room. Inform her that Hiromi is no longer employed in this castle, so please have her gather up Hiromi's belongings and return with them so there's no mix up. I want Hiromi out of here within the hour."
"What?!" Hiromi gasped, making the lady return her attention to her and not notice that both of the soldiers were looking at Baron worriedly.
The tawny lord nodded his silent approval, making the two soldiers salute and immediately run to find the other maid.
"Haru, you can't-" Hiromi tried to protest, but that little was enough to set off the young baroness again.
"That's Lady Gikkingen to you! Addressing me informally was just one of the privileges that you lost when you decided to enter politics without understanding the rules of the game! Did you really think that dousing my husband with a love spell would fix everything between us?! Even if I was selfish enough to go along with his new infatuation, did you really think the king wouldn't notice and get worried enough to investigate? He's worshipped the man for years! And what about the Baron?! If I did literally anything other than immediately restrain him and drag him to the nearest magician by the ankles for a cure if needed, do you think he'd be happy with me when he got his senses back?"
"You could ha-" Hiromi tried to protest her case.
"No!" Haru roared right in the former maid's face. "No one was going to thank you, you idiot! No one was going to be congratulating you and singing your praises for fixing the rift in my marriage, because that plan would have just made things worse! You could have gotten killed, you could have gotten me killed if Toto didn't have the morals to fend off your pathetic excuse of a plan! Do you even comprehend that so much as plotting to put any mind or body influencing things into a nobleman's food or drink is enough grounds for me to have you executed if I wished?"
Hiromi gaped in horror.
"And that's without considering the fact that he was born a prince!" Haru added with what her husband could only assume was the darkest glare since she was still facing away from him. "Even if the king was lying when he said that my husband was once the favorite nephew, I've heard enough about King Phoebus of Yrael to know that being drawn and quartered in public for going after any member of the royal family would be a mercy in his eyes! He wouldn't have stopped at you if you did this in his kingdom if my marriage had started just a little differently; your entire family would have been made an example without him batting an eye and regardless of what my husband felt appropriate!"
With that, his young but terrifying wife leaned down to close the distance between their faces. She didn't scream again, but she made sure to keep her voice clear and easy to understand by all. "So why am I announcing to all how easily you could have paid for this with your life and your family's? It's to make sure that if anyone tries to force their way into my marriage again, they won't be able to claim they didn't know about the kind of punishments waiting for them. My husband may have final say over whether or not blood is spilled, but all you're suffering is a slap, some public shaming, and having to explain to your parents why you're out of a job and banned from ever setting foot in the castle again. Frankly, you were disappointing to me before Toto told me what you were trying to do, but you've managed to touch the one thing I will not tolerate 'because it's my duty'. Congratulations," she added sarcastically while standing to her full height again.
"Jiro!" she barked just like before, making a middle-aged soldier nervously march forward and salute her. "May I assume that you're loyal to the baron?"
"Of course, my lady," he promised without any hesitation, though he did give his lord a small side eye as if pleading for him to just say he was present.
"Excellent. I'm sick of looking at my former maid, so I'm charging you with keeping an eye on her until her things are returned to her, then escort her from the castle. I never want to see this manipulative snake inside my walls again."
Hiromi let out a heartbroken sob.
"It shall be done, my lady," the soldier promised her with a salute, though his second side eye didn't escape her notice.
She turned around almost indifferently, but nearly froze at seeing her husband for the first time in nearly a year. Her eyes certainly turned colder than he could have ever expected of the sweet voice he'd overheard in the magician's cottage. "Would my lord like to correct my behavior?" she asked formally, as if greeting a passing nobleman.
He had to swallow hard before answering. "I see nothing that needs correction." If anything, he was a bit jealous that as a woman, it was all right for her to give the nosy maid a well-deserved slap.
"Then I will not trouble you further," she answered stiffly, giving him a short curtsy. "If you'll excuse me, I need to write to my cousin for a new maid, since 'the best the baronetcy had to offer' left too much to be desired." She turned on her heel and started marching into the castle like she was in uniform as well.
Servants jumped to get out of her way since none of them expected their nearly silent lady to cause such a spectacle, but Baron couldn't wait. Without thinking, he marched after her, mostly trusting his slightly longer legs to make sure that he'd catch up with her after leaving everyone else behind. He could only hope that closing the door behind him would be a strong enough hint not to follow them.
Haru glanced once behind her when his footsteps echoed against her own, making her scowl at him over her shoulder. "No," she stated firmly before increasing her speed.
"We do need to talk," he reminded her before almost immediately fighting the urge to curse under his breath while also walking faster to make sure she couldn't escape him. "That is to say, while I said my piece last time we met, I didn't think to let you say yours."
She stopped short and turned on her heel to fix him with a glare. It was sudden enough that he nearly ran into her, though a dance step was enough to prevent an accident and cut off the usual route to her chambers.
"You needed ten months to think of that?" his wife stated more than asked with barely concealed contempt. "Just two more and I can appeal for an annulment since we find each other unsatisfactory and there's no abuse to speed things along. Don't invalidate what I just did for you by forcing yourself to talk to me. I'd have done that for anyone."
It somehow hurt just a little more to hear her say that. "I don't want an annulment," he stated quickly since she was already half turned to walk away from him again, though to where was anyone's guess.
She stopped mid-turn to give him a baffled look filled with disgust.
He'd never thought a fair lady would look at him like that.
"Your actions for nearly a year tell a different story. I want a future, you want to wallow in the past," Haru accused him coolly. "I'm willing to put in the work, but you'd rather put your efforts literally anywhere else but with me."
"I am sorry," he said a bit helplessly, since it was hard to fight those accusations.
That only seemed to irritate her more. "Be more specific. Are you sorry you gave your heart to the princess of Olpan?"
Baron flinched as he tried to think of how to put it without hurting her even more.
Haru sniffed disdainfully. "I didn't think so. Are you sorry about making sure I knew you'd never love me, or that you didn't think to send me a letter within the first week of marriage saying something like 'I can't handle being married at the moment, please give me a specific amount of time to work through my turmoil before we talk logistics' if you couldn't handle saying so to my face?"
He gaped at her in horror before slapping himself on the forehead. "Why didn't I think of that?!" he lamented.
"Don't look at me. I've been asking that since last year," his wife answered him coldly. "I would have respected you if you'd given me that little scrap to explain yourself and look forward to a future talk, but you didn't. You left me with nothing to do for nearly a year without any hints that things will ever change. To top things off, I'm sure your precious spies have informed you about why yesterday was so awful that it makes looking at you even more unbearable than usual. So please don't waltz back into my life and pretend you have the right to say, 'I don't want an annulment' when you've given me and everyone else no reason to think the opposite."
Despite his upbringing and gift for diplomacy, Baron was terrified that he was completely at a loss for words.
Haru was still glaring at him. "You've managed just fine without me so far. Why don't you keep up with everything that's more important to you than I am, and let me be happy with someone that will think I'm good enough?"
Baron's mind was blank other than the corner that was cursing himself for being too candid with his bride the one time he spoke to her. "Isn't there anything I can do to convince you that I really am sorry?" he asked desperately.
"Sign the annulment papers," she responded without wasting any thought on such a question.
"Other than that," he amended while feeling worse than ever.
"There's nothing else. I hate it here. Baron, just let me go," she begged tiredly. "You don't want me, need me, or have any use for me. I don't have any friends here, and I haven't so much as been able to get a dog or cat for company thanks to Hiromi's allergies."
Baron's head snapped up in surprise. "Say that again," he urged in a deadly whisper.
ooOoo
Within the hour, the lord was outside a hut with a group of soldiers. There was no need to announce their arrival, since the sound of hoofbeats was more effective than knocking on their flimsy door.
A middle-aged couple nervously walked out where the lord could see them before offering nervous bows.
"Please get Hiromi," Baron bid them in a cold tone.
The husband wasted no time running back inside the house. "Get out here right now, young lady! You did something else!"
Hiromi mumbled something unintelligible before slinking out the doorway and giving a nervous bow herself.
"I told my wife how many times I saw you playing with dogs or cats when you're not waiting on her," Baron informed her point blank, making her recoil in horror. "I've also spoken with the servants that had the most chance to be close to her. It appears that you spoke to each and every one about only trying to force her into being more forward with me. What were you hoping to achieve by isolating her, Hiromi?"
"I was trying to help you two start talking!" she protested, but Baron raised one hand.
"For someone who's very occupation means that you have little choice but obedience, I'm disappointed that you were so intentionally blind to human nature. My marriage was never your business, Hiromi. I would not have reacted the way you wished if Haru had been as assertive as you were trying to force her. I also never appreciated your self-induced daily reports that were little more than trying to force the same on me. Would you like to know how hard it was for me to convince Haru to let me reprimand you instead of allowing her to come here and rip your head off with her bare hands? In front of your parents?"
Hiromi trembled at the thought.
"It's going to take a while to undo the damage that isn't just mine, but yours. Frankly, your behavior's been so deplorable that I'm becoming convinced that the real reason you were presented as 'the best the baronetcy had to offer' was because you relentlessly nagged until you were given the position."
Hiromi winced but couldn't think of an excuse quickly enough for his current mood.
"The only reason Haru is willing to let me start fixing things is because I'm sending you and your family to the northernmost end of the kingdom so that she never has to see you again, even in passing."
The mother gasped. "So far away?!"
"I'm afraid so, madame," Baron informed her gently as Hiromi began to sob anew. "I suggest you and your family start packing what you want to take with you, since you'll be leaving before the sun sets."
Then he glared at the maid who had failed him so deeply. "If you think for one moment I'm not going to tell your new count what happened for your family to deserve this, you're very mistaken. I doubt any boy there will be terribly taken with a girl that thinks love potions are an option."
Baron made a mental note to tell his wife just how loud Hiromi wailed at that last part.