Chapter 23

Usagi trembled all over as they arrived at Taiki's apartment. The nervousness within her kept escalating because she knew exactly what awaited her now, and it seemed like hardly anyone could change that – the wedding night. She was about to lose her virginity to Taiki.

Taiki opened the apartment door, smiling down at her. Usagi peeked past him carefully and realized why he suddenly smiled. Apparently, someone had been busy with the apartment. The usually sparsely decorated space was flooded with helium balloons, scattered flower petals lay on the floor, and a long row of electric candles illuminated the path to the back rooms.

In the next second, Usagi found herself in Taiki's arms. "What are you doing? Put me down," she laughed, momentarily forgetting the tension. "Well, if we're doing this, we might as well do it right. We don't want to tempt fate, so I have to carry the bride over the threshold," he said, grinning, as he entered the living room with her.

Then Usagi began to squirm. "Let me down; I'm way too heavy... besides, this monstrosity of a dress is incredibly unwieldy. You can hardly see anything in it."

Taiki gently set her back on her feet. He wanted to ease her tension, but realized it wasn't that easy. Still, he was aware of his duty because he knew both his father and father-in-law very well. He knew they wouldn't easily accept his word. Too much was at stake with this contract. He would have to sleep with her, even if it felt somewhat repulsive. If she decided to stop, he wouldn't force her into anything, that he had firmly decided.

Usagi looked at the wedding decorations in the apartment, avoiding Taiki's gaze. "Would you like something to drink?" he asked as he made his way to the fridge. Usagi thought for a moment, even though it was pointless, she tried to buy some time. "Yes, please."

A little later, Taiki handed her a glass of champagne. "So, we've already gotten through the worst, Mrs. Kou," he said calmly, toasting with her.

Usagi's throat suddenly felt dry, and a strange discomfort overwhelmed her. The worst? Hardly, she thought, that was still to come in her eyes. She took a big sip, hoping that this slightly panicked feeling would fade away.

Meanwhile, Taiki had taken off his jacket, hung it over the back of a chair, and loosened his tie. He observed her attentively. "Don't you want to make yourself a bit more comfortable too?"

A blush flashed across Usagi's face. "I... um... Well... that... that's not so easy in such a dress," she began hesitantly.

However, Taiki didn't seem to understand what she was getting at. A questioning expression adorned his face.

"I can hardly move with the tight lacing. I can't even reach my feet to take off my shoes because the multiple layers of tulle are constantly in the way... and this hoop skirt is extremely uncomfortable when sitting," she explained to him.

Smirking, Taiki approached, took her hand gently, and led her carefully along the illuminated path of candles. "I'm afraid I'll have to help you then."

Usagi's heart pounded wildly as the bedroom door opened before her. Here too, everything was romantically decorated in pure white ambiance. White rose petals, candles, and a white-covered bed. Now, they stood facing each other, locking eyes. Usagi knew the moment had come. Further delay was no longer possible. Slowly, she turned around.

"You have to loosen the lacing from bottom to top. Then we can open the hoop skirt and finally strip the dress down. At least, that was Tellu's explanation," she whispered, and she already felt Taiki's fingers placing themselves on her hips.

"I know," he breathed into her ear from behind, his warm breath brushing over her neck.

Usagi closed her eyes, summoning images of Seiya in her imagination. She pictured him being the one helping her out of the dress, and with each loosened lace, she felt a growing excitement.

Taiki took his time, no hurry in his movements. He wanted to give her time to adjust to the situation. After loosening the lacing, he gently moved down along her corset.

"I'm now unbuttoning your hoop skirt," he informed her of his intention, waiting for her nod of approval. As soon as he did, the skirt fell to the floor. Taiki was still standing behind her, his hands now on her shoulders, feeling the goosebumps that ran over her body. "May I?" he politely asked, gently pushing the straps aside. Usagi took a deep breath and nodded.

Usagi had wrapped her arms around her chest, holding the dress against her a bit longer. She composed herself and eventually let the dress slide down her body. In that moment, she felt naked, even though she still wore her corset.

Taiki's fingers gently traced along her arms as he lowered his head to her ear. "Are you okay?"

Usagi still had her eyes closed. "Yes, it's... it's okay..."

Taiki guided her to the bed, and she finally opened her eyes. "I know this is all new for you. I will, however, make an effort to ensure it's comfortable for you, okay?"

She couldn't look him in the eyes, her gaze directed downward, and she forced herself to nod again. A shiver ran through her as she felt his hand on her thigh, and she glanced sideways. Taiki had by now discarded his shirt as well, smiling patiently at her. His upper body was well-trained and defined, similar to Seiya's, against whom she had leaned just three days ago.

"I... I don't know what to do," Usagi tried to articulate her uncertainty. Taiki placed his hand on her cheek and brushed a strand of hair back. His hand was noticeably softer than Seiya's rough hands, something Usagi immediately noticed.

"You just need to relax, leave the rest to me. Okay?"

Seiya remained at the bar, unable to bear the thought that Usagi was now with Taiki. He continued his attempt to numb the reality with alcohol for the rest of the day. She looked breathtaking in that white dress, and when Taiki kissed her, he felt the urge to punch him. Luckily, Haruka had kept a watchful eye on him the entire time, including now. She surely took the beer from his hand and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Alright, my friend, I think you've had enough for today."

Seiya, however, seemed unfazed. He reached over the counter, grabbed a glass, and poured himself another drink from the nearest bottle. "Leave me be. I'm old enough to decide for myself."

Yaten now approached his brother, skillfully taking the glass from his hand and downing its contents in one gulp. He grimaced briefly and glanced at the bottle. "Uhh... be glad you were spared that... But I agree with Ruka, you've had more than enough. Besides, the party is long over. Let's go home."

Home, to the tower where Taiki was now with Usagi. No, that was not an option for Seiya. He shook his head and tried once again to get more alcohol, but this time, Haruka placed her hand on his. "We're going to my place, no arguments. Either you come willingly, or I assist you. I don't care; the decision is yours."

Seiya's gaze met the determination in Haruka's eyes. His eyes briefly shifted to Yaten, but even he offered no way out. He conceded and tried to stand up, but as soon as he rose, he lost his balance and fell flat on the floor. Haruka and Yaten rushed to his side, pulled him up from the floor, and, with combined efforts, dragged the heavily intoxicated Seiya to the car. Both agreed that they had never seen Seiya this drunk. Yaten accompanied Haruka to her home, and together, they took the severely inebriated Seiya to their guest room.

The silver-haired man slumped onto Haruka's couch, shaking his head at his brother's state. "Oh, man. I never thought it would hit him so hard. Do you think this whole situation could cause even bigger problems?"

Haruka sat down beside him, running her fingers through her hair. "Absolutely no idea. But at least he said earlier that he wants to forget about her. That's a good start, if you ask me... but whether he follows through with it... Ugh... Serena could be his downfall, judging by what I see."

"I was afraid of that... We definitely need to keep a close eye on this." The two continued to discuss the situation until the early hours of the morning.

Next morning, Taiki woke up early. He didn't want to disturb Usagi; she had been through enough lately. He decided she should have the time to settle in peacefully.

After they had done it last night, she hastily put on her nightgown, pulling the blanket up to her nose, and that's how she still lay. Taiki had taken his time and tried to make it as comfortable as possible for her, given the circumstances. She had allowed all his touches, but he could see that she felt very uncomfortable afterward. He felt sorry for her in a way. He, too, had been forced into this marriage, but last night, she had sacrificed even her virginity. The question of why she put up with all this became more prominent in his mind.

He quietly slipped out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him. She was his wife now; he was responsible for her, and he would bear that responsibility. He placed the coffee cup under the machine and checked his phone.

Five missed calls from Amy and a message. His heart weighed heavily as he read her name. Amy. The woman he loved more than anything, and yet it had always been a love in secret. They had met a few years ago when she had started working as a doctor for his father, and it had actually taken some time for them to find each other. From the beginning, he had played with open cards, telling her repeatedly that this would only be a temporary love. But his feelings seemed to see it differently now.

He took a sip of coffee, and at the same moment, he spat it back into the cup as he read her message. His eyes lingered on the words, and his insides seemed to cramp.

Your father has summoned me. Kenji is also here. We will be at your tower shortly.

He glanced at the time. Amy's message had come in 20 minutes ago. Before he could finish that thought, there was a knock on the door. Clad only in a T-shirt and boxers, he opened the door, well aware of who stood behind it.

Kenji and Kakashi grinned broadly at him. Directly behind them was Amy, a slight blush on her cheeks, looking shyly at the ground. Kakashi pat his son approvingly on the shoulder and smoothly pushed past him into the apartment, closely followed by Kenji. Amy followed at a distance and stood right at the door.

"Father, Kenji. To what do I owe the honor of your visit at this time?" he gritted his teeth, trying to be polite, although he already suspected that they had something unpleasant in mind.

"Nothing special, we just thought we'd check on you," Kenji said, his eyes fixing on the small bruise on Taiki's neck. His mouth twitched slightly upward.

"And why do you have a doctor with you?" Taiki seemed a bit more tense and avoided Amy's gaze.

"Well, we also need to know if the marriage was properly consummated. So we thought it would be good to check off this little detail right away," Kakashi said, gesturing to Amy.

Taiki's features almost slipped away. "No. You will certainly not force my wife to anything, and certainly not to such an examination today," he burst out loudly, and the two patriarchs were astonished that someone dared to contradict them.

Taiki opened the door, and finally, he looked at Amy. The hurt in her eyes spoke volumes, and he cursed himself for throwing Usagi in her face as his wife just now. "I would like you to leave. This is something that these two gentlemen and I will settle alone. A medical examination will not take place today."

Amy swallowed and nodded gratefully, but the tears in her eyes were hard to contain. Just seconds later, Usagi blinked from the hallway into the living room. She stood frozen, watching the three men.

Kakashi had regained his composure by now. "Who do you think you are to contradict us? We have the right to know if this marriage is legally valid."

Now Taiki's patience was at an end, even though this happened extremely rarely. He positioned himself between Usagi and the fathers, as they had drawn the fathers' attention.

"I am her husband, and I will not allow anything to happen to her or anything against her will. The two of you have already imposed more than enough. Now it's enough!" Out of himself, he ran past Usagi into the bedroom, only to rush back seconds later. He threw the white sheet from last night, now with a small brownish stain, at the men's feet. "I think this should be proof enough, and now I ask you to leave as well. We would like to have this day for ourselves."

Usagi still stood there, arms wrapped around herself, looking frightened at the whole spectacle.

Kenji's face turned noticeably red, while Kakashi seemed much calmer. He grabbed the sheet, and his icy gaze turned to his son. "We will talk about this tomorrow," he said coolly and turned toward the door.

Kenji's angry eyes met his daughter's. She saw how he was raging inside, and for the first time, she was grateful to have Taiki by her side. Kenji snorted once more in displeasure. "By the way, Serena's things will be delivered this afternoon," he grumbled and followed Kakashi.

After the door slammed shut with a loud bang, Usagi ran to Taiki and enveloped him in her arms. Tears streamed down her face, and she sniffled a soft "Thank you." Taiki gently stroked the back of her head, trying to offer her some comfort, at least as much as he could.