Arranged
Haru couldn't help feeling a little dead as the car rolled down the road. She couldn't see where they were going thanks to the covered windows, but it had been a few hours since leaving the airport. If it were literally any other situation, she'd probably be dozing or thinking up a mind game to play with the other passenger.
But since she was behaving herself, the other passenger was more than happy to read his book and forget about her existence.
Which was fair. After they reached their destination, she would more or less cease to exist in the real world. She inhaled and exhaled slowly through her nose to keep him from scolding her about sighing again.
'It's far too late to turn back now. All I can do at this point is pray that I wasn't lied to about the 'clients' also undergoing that weird personality test before being presented with their options. I feel like I'm going to be sick, but I haven't eaten recently enough for it to matter.'
To be fair, she hadn't had much of an appetite since being informed that she had been chosen.
It was an hour later that the road turned rougher under the car, and another two hours after that before the car finally slowed down. Haru perked up when she could hear the driver on the other side of the heavily shaded plexiglass talking to someone over an intercom but couldn't make out any discerning words before a gate could be heard noisily creeping open.
The car drove for a little longer, then slowed as it took a curve.
"Show time," her companion said with satisfaction while pocketing his book. "Remember, best foot forward."
Haru hummed the affirmative, even though she wanted to throw up more than ever. But she took in a steadying breath instead and forced herself to sit up a little straighter even though it made her back crack in protest.
Her door was opened by the driver, and she was offered a hand. Although it was the last thing she wanted to do, Haru gently gripped that hand while exiting the car.
It was late at night, but enough of the outside lights were on for her to get a good look at her new home.
It was actually not far off from her childhood dreams, including being surrounded by a forest. It wasn't big enough to qualify as a castle, but it was made of stone and clearly very old, though in good repair with minimal modern touches.
"Glad you made it in one piece," a new voice greeted her with a laugh, forcing her to pay attention to a tall man with tan skin and flowing black hair that had been standing not that far away from her. "I'm Toto, your future brother-in-law," he greeted as her handler and the driver dug her luggage from the back of the car.
"Mh, nice to meet you," she recited out of politeness, though it seemed strange for him to be the one to greet her instead of her future husband or whoever was the head of the family. "I'm Haru."
"Oh don't worry, I know you are," he nearly cackled before turning to the driver and handler. "Let me have it."
The handler took out a tablet from his jacket and played on it a little before handing it to Toto with a stylus. "Sign here and here," he ordered in a bored tone.
'It's like I'm a piece of furniture, or an exotic pet,' Haru could help thinking as Toto confirmed that the delivery had been successful.
"Have a nice day, now!" he cheerfully told them as they already slipped back into the car for the return trip. "Come on, Haru; we've got a really nice room fixed up for you," he encouraged while grabbing both of her luggage himself as the car pulled away.
"What am I walking into?" desperately escaped her lips instead of the bland agreement she had been planning to give.
He looked at her, only now letting his smile turn a shade melancholic. "I went through this last year," he told her gently. "Just trust me, this is a good family; you'll be happy here."
"That doesn't answer my question," Haru stated, since she couldn't imagine why a 'good family' would need the services of such an expensive business to find mates.
He gave her another sad smile. "Don't worry, everything will make sense soon enough. But I'll tell you this; if I had known last year how happy I'd be right now, I'd have made the trip without the company's help."
That helped a little. Though it could also mean he's been brainwashed, Haru couldn't resist musing as she followed him into the manor that was heavily bordered on all sides other than the road by tall trees.
The inside was every bit as classic looking as the outside, but the lightbulbs appeared to be motion sensitive since only the hallways Toto led her through lit up at their approach.
"Here's what I can tell you right now. The von Gikkingens usually have the wedding the night after one of us arrives so that we have a chance to rest and collect ourselves, but they don't insist on the, um," he cut himself off while giving her an embarrassed look. "What you're probably afraid of. You don't even have to share bedrooms until you're comfortable with that step."
Haru let out an explosive sigh of relief. "I was definitely worried about that part."
He briefly let go of one of her cases to pat her on the shoulder. "Don't be. The von Gikkingens are one of the founders of the company because they wanted to make absolutely sure that any matches made through it would turn into love matches with enough time and effort."
"Wait, they helped make the company?" Haru asked with surprise. 'I wonder if that means they get first pick of 'the new recruits'.'
That would help explain why it had been less than a day between her file getting submitted and her being chosen.
Toto nodded with a grin. "I can't tell you why yet, but I promise there's a good reason. I better not say anything else for now," he swiftly held himself in before opening a door and setting the luggage just inside. "Feel free to use anything you need, food will be sent up to you, and you won't have to do anything except be ready at six pm tomorrow night."
"Right," Haru agreed a bit nervously, remembering the handful of things she had been allowed to decide after being chosen. She stepped through the door and was almost immediately distracted by the kind of room she'd seen in Jane Austen movies.
It glowed dimly as she entered, probably at the late hour, but it was enough to see that she had a canopied bed, a sitting area, a walk-in bathroom, and a large bookcase right next to a vanity that had to have been a few centuries old.
"Oh, one last thing?" Toto called out right before closing the door.
Haru turned to him with a raise eyebrow, still feeling a bit dazed by how pretty the room was.
"I don't think there's a gentle way to put this, but the wedding ceremony will… seem cultish," he informed her a bit uncomfortably. "Everyone other than you will be covered including Baron, and the ring exchange usually happens after the happy couple are more comfortable with each other. Believe me when I say it will look scary, but everything will make sense soon enough, and Baron is just itching to be a doting husband to you. He's been walking on clouds ever since getting the confirmation that you were coming." He offered her another nervous smile. "He's a good friend of mine, and I promise you'll like him if you give him a chance."
Haru didn't know how to respond to such mixed news. She swallowed hard and nodded a bit, which he understood was all the response he was going to get.
"Sweet dreams!" he bade her before shutting the door.
It was only when she was alone that it fully hit her how exhausted she was. On top of not having much of an appetite, she'd been traveling for almost an entire twenty-four hours before reaching her new home. She didn't even bother to unpack before dragging herself to the bed, removing her long boots after hanging her long blue coat on a chair as she limped by, and slipping between the covers before passing out.
ooOoo
Although the hot meal sitting in a covered dish was appreciated when she eventually woke up the afternoon of the next day, she couldn't help but feel uneasy that someone had been in her room while she was unconscious. She tried not to worry about it as she ate, or when she enjoyed a long bubble bath to try to calm her nerves.
'It's not like whoever came in could have done much without answering to my fiancé,' she noted while absent-mindedly forming some of the bubbles into a castle shape. 'And if it was my fiancé, what could I do about it now?'
Toto could make all the promises he wanted to; it wouldn't change how nervous Haru felt about… all of this. She closed her eyes and tried to think of where she'd be right now if she had found another way to pay for everything, or if the agency hadn't swooped on her like a vulture when she was the most vulnerable.
She scowled, having no trouble imagining a bunch of agents like the one that had approached her to be perched outside hospitals or courtrooms, waiting for the right prey to limp into sight.
Haru took in a deep breath and tried to breathe out all the negativity. 'Just stay calm, Haru. You can always have an 'accident' if you don't like the guy. That was the plan from the beginning.'
Though it'd make sense by now if clients made sure to keep a close eye on whoever came until the depression faded.
Once she felt she had spent enough time in the tub, Haru toweled herself off before tying on a surprisingly nice silk robe. She checked the time on a grandfather clock not far from her bed, and didn't see the point of getting into anything other than maybe her wedding dress.
But while she was brushing her shoulder-length hair, there was a knock on her door. "Coming," Haru called, though it was still a good while before 'show time'. 'Who'd want to see me now?' she couldn't help wondering while crossing the room.
She opened the door a crack to see a lovely middle-aged woman with dark hair and a very pronounced pregnancy.
"Hello, Haru," the lady greeted her warmly. "I'm Pelia, your future cousin-in-law. I'm here in case your dress needs last minute adjustments, or you would like some moral support."
Haru looked down a little shamefully. "That would be nice," she admitted while opening the door wider for her guest to come in. "Congratulations, by the way."
Pelia couldn't resist blushing and smiling like an idiot while rubbing her large belly around the strange purple robe she was wearing, which was definitely not a bathrobe. "It's our third," she replied proudly before pressing a kiss to Haru's forehead. "It's a good thing your profile mentioned you like children, because Louise is expecting as well."
"Louise?" Haru couldn't resist asking as Pelia did her best not to waddle to the wardrobe.
"Baron's sister, Toto's wife," Pelia quickly explained while opening the doors and pulling out a hanger with a long plastic bag on it. "Shall we, then?"
Haru nodded since there didn't seem to be a point in dragging her heels over at least trying her dress on.
That was one nice thing about the arrangement. Right after getting the notification that Haru had been chosen, she'd been immediately informed that her wedding dress had no budget even if she needed to pick it quickly so that it would be ready in time.
"O-oh, this is nice," Pelia approved after Haru slipped the bathrobe off her shoulders and slipped her arms through the tiny sheer sleeves that rested like clouds on her skin.
"I don't like a lot of flashy stuff," the bride explained a little self-consciously as the other woman began tightening the corset lacing in the back. 'My ballet flats definitely don't count as flashy, even with the ribbons.'
"That's probably one of the things that matched you with Baron. Well, let's take a look at you," Pelia decided while walking around the girl and avoiding the modest train. She smiled happily at the sight. "Perhaps a little around the top, but other than that, it seems to fit." She pulled a pincushion from a pocket and began carefully pinning until the dress's top fit against Haru like a dream. "Perfect. Did you have any plans for your hair?"
Haru shrugged a little before grabbing the fallen bathrobe to switch out of the dress without pricking herself. "I'm going to try recreating the hairstyle my mother had at her wedding. It's… one way to have her here," she explained, feeling a bit traitorous that there were no more tears to cry.
Pelia was careful about loosening the corset backing while helping her back out of the dress. "I understand that," she whispered regretfully. "I remember envying traditional arranged marriages where each side could at least meet each other first."
Haru nodded while tying the robe over herself again. "Not that my best friend would approve of anyone that lived so far away from her," she couldn't help adding glumly, since her mother had been gone since last year thanks to a traffic accident.
Pelia winced before turning to the couch with the wedding dress. "No, I don't imagine she would," she agreed blandly before settling herself comfortably enough to pull a small sewing kit from another one of the robe's pockets. "Anyone else that might miss you?"
"Me personally, not really. Baron lucked out," Haru sighed while lifting one of her luggage onto the closest chair and unzipping it. "No blood family, one good friend and her almost fiancé, plus really horrible luck with traditional dating on top of being shy. Would have been nice to finish college first, but oh well."
There hadn't been that kind of time.
"You still could, you know," Pelia informed her while happily stitching at the dress. "As long as you don't mind online courses, that is. The family heavily supports education, and Baron in particular is very interested in making you happy."
Haru smiled a bit weakly while sifting through her clothes until producing her favorite picture of her parents' wedding day, and a delicate hair comb with white cherry blossoms and fake diamonds since her mother had also been a poor college student when she got married. She couldn't resist heaving a big sigh while carrying both to the vanity before sitting down.
The problem was that her mother was facing the camera in the photo, so most of what Haru was doing was merely guesswork as she kept brushing, twisting, rebraiding and pinning her hair. But nothing seemed to be right.
"Mind if I try?" Pelia called to her.
Haru frowned since she didn't want to be trouble on her. "I thought you were busy."
The older woman laughed warmly. "I've been done for the last five minutes. Besides, I love playing with hair."
Haru needed to help her up from the couch thanks to the baby, but it took a disgustingly little amount of time between Pelia studying her parents' wedding portrait and manipulating the bride's hair into exactly what her mother's hair looked like, at least from the front.
"I have an heirloom the family would appreciate you wearing," Pelia told her gently as she finished tucking the blossom comb into place before poking around another pocket. "It covers the 'borrowed and blue' if you care for the old rhyme."
Haru shrugged indifferently but couldn't help staring once Pelia wrapped chains of pearls around her neck, held in place by three sapphires encircled by tiny diamonds at regular intervals. "Dang," she breathed in appreciation at the mirror's reflection as the older woman clasped it shut and adjusted the pearls slightly.
"Believe me, I know," Pelia couldn't resist crooning while patting the young woman's shoulders. "I still think this was chosen to be the family wedding necklace to keep descendants from fighting over who gets it."
"I have no arguments," Haru agreed before checking the clock and flinching.
Pelia didn't bother asking. "That's the other reason I wanted to do your hair, dear. We wouldn't want to be late."
ooOoo
It was a good thing Haru was warned ahead of time that the wedding would seem 'cult-ish'. Pelia had lifted the hood over her head and shook down the generous sleeves to cover her hands before leading Haru down another hallway with motion-sensitive light. But what was strange about the hood was that it seemed to have a firm framework when pulled over the head to create an almost sci-fi look.
"I hope you appreciate how hard we try to make the wedding less scary. All you have to do after the door opens is walk down the opening the family will leave for you and follow directions after joining Baron," Pelia whispered even though there was no one else around.
Haru nodded, though her stomach was twisting itself into complicated knots. 'Here we go. Whatever happens from here, stay calm, stay dignified. Remember why you signed up for this.'
That helped restore her courage.
Haru did her best to keep her back straight and her pace calm. She saw Pelia specifically approach a large double door first and give it three loud knocks.
The doors slowly and ponderously opened as Pelia stepped to the side so that the first thing anyone saw was the bride.
Haru's slightly childish nature was tickling the back of her conscience, since everyone within was completely covered the way Pelia was, but the colors of the robes differed greatly. As she stepped closer and tried to keep calm about having a rough fifteen strangers staring at her, the bride tried to distract herself with how this would look if it was a movie.
There wasn't really a theme to the colors; some were pastel, others were bright, two preferred black, but the one standing ready to do the ceremony almost defiantly had a tie-dyed robe. Haru actually had to fight back a few giggles at the huge man that looked like a hippie flag, but at least the sight helped her to calm down a little.
The one standing in front of the officiant was also in a robe, but it was plain white. Despite his eyes being covered, Haru could almost feel his eyes on her, even above the others in the room. As she approached, he held out one hand for her, although there was a good foot of extra sleeve dangling from his fingers like a child playing dress up.
'You can do this, Haru,' she coached herself as she took his hand and gripped it maybe a little bit tight thanks to her nerves.
His thumb strained to rub against her palm against the weight and fold of the sleeve, giving two short squeezes as if to acknowledge her nerves, or maybe even his own.
"Just say the word and I'll do my Impressive Clergyman impression," the large officiant did his best to whisper, making Haru uncontrollably light up.
"Do it," she couldn't resist egging him on.
Despite not being able to see his face, Haru could almost feel him grin viciously before straightening up and coughing a little.
"Mawaige," he began.
There were two audible groans from behind her, and at least one smacked forehead that was dulled by cloth.
Haru didn't care even as she felt a tremor in her groom's hand from a suppressed laugh. The man's voice was gruff enough that it was easily different from the original actor, but hearing the familiar words made her feel a lot better. Naturally, he had to adjust the last part since exchanging the rings would come later and there wasn't anyone trying to interrupt or speed up the ceremony.
"Do you, Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, take Haru Yoshioka to be your wife?" the officiant asked, reverting to a normal voice for this part.
"I do," Baron acknowledged happily.
"Do you, Haru Yoshioka, take Baron Humbert von Gikkingen to be your husband?" the large man asked her next.
"I do," she agreed, privately surprised that thanks to the antics, she had been smiling through the whole thing. 'At least my new husband has a nice voice.'
"Then by the power vested in me, man and wife," he reverted back to the impression almost impishly.
Almost in response to the 'you may kiss the bride' that never came, Baron lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it through the obscuring hood with the same reverence.
Haru couldn't help finding comfort in the fact that she wasn't even expected to kiss him yet. 'So he's got a beard. I sure hope he takes good care of it.'
For some reason, a part of her mind was trying to ring warning bells about the shape of his face, but Haru couldn't for the life of her put her finger on why.
"Now the boring part," the large man added, pulling a clipboard from behind his back and offering it to Haru.
It only took one glance to see it was marriage papers that had been filled except for her own name. Haru unclipped the pen from its holder and signed her maiden name, probably for the last time before clipping the pen back in place.
Although the officiant's face was still covered, it was easy to detect a wicked grin in his voice as he folded the clipboard under one arm. "I'll get this in the mail, and the two of you can run along."
Despite the promises, Haru couldn't help flinching a bit at the phrase 'the two of you', even as her new husband wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"This way," he murmured softly, leading her through a different door than the one she had come in through and shutting it behind them.
Haru wanted to answer, but somehow had lost her voice from anxiety as the door lead straight to a narrow hallway that had an old-fashioned but elaborate elevator at the end of it.
"We typically spend the wedding night talking and getting to know each other," Baron explained in a normal tone, escorting her in first and closing the door behind them before pulling a lever.
Haru wasn't sure where to grip safely since the metal vines that made up the elevator were exposed and the last thing she wanted to do was lose a finger. Her husband was convenient, so she took a good grip on his upper sleeve, which made him respond by wrapping both of his arms around her.
"Don't worry, it's perfectly safe," he assured her while sneaking a long hug. "Only a few seconds more. Would you like to know how Hiromi's surgery went?"
"Yes!" Haru answered almost before he finished asking. "Did it work? Tell me she's better now!"
"Oh, it worked all right," Baron laughed a shade ruefully as the elevator slowed to a stop, and the door automatically opened. "She must be feeling better if she had the energy to scream at me like that."
Haru blinked through her intense wave of relief that she hadn't come maybe halfway across the globe for nothing. "Wait, what? I thought I couldn't contact anyone from my old life. Not that I'm complaining," she swiftly corrected herself as Baron led her out of the elevator and down a different small hallway with only one door at the end.
His tone had the feeling of a mischievous smile. "Normally, yes, but I thought that if you loved her enough to sign onto the agency to get her that organ and all the expenses that came with it, then the bare minimum the pair of you deserve is a proper goodbye, even if that needs to stay our little secret. She's very put out with you, you know," he tried to tell her gently, even though it wasn't a surprise.
"At least she's alive in order to 'be put out' with me," Haru grumbled stubbornly, making her husband laugh warmly and give her a slightly tighter one-armed hug before opening the door with his free hand.
This was also a classy room, though unlike the bedroom she had been given, the only lighting was from delicate fairy lights and plenty of comfortable seating.
No bed, though. That made her feel more comfortable, even as she eyed the modest stack of jigsaw puzzles and games on one table with a nearby fridge and fancy chest that might contain snacks.
"I really can't tell you how delighted I was when I read you enjoy puzzles!" Baron came close to gushing as he closed the door behind them as Haru silently surveyed the room. "I'm afraid a great number of the family is a little too energetic for them, or to leave me be without losing any pieces. It can get disheartening to need to order a whole new one just to sift for the missing bits."
"I fill the missing bits in with air dry clay and draw in the remaining details," Haru offered, since before Hiromi got sick, she had the same problem but not the disposable income to get a second puzzle. "Sometimes I paint it in if it looks better."
"… I never thought of that," Baron mused thoughtfully, holding one hand to his chin, but since both the large generous hood and ridiculously long sleeves were still covering him, the effect was more ludicrous than anything else. "If enough pieces were missing, it would even look intentional."
"Now you know why I get away with it," Haru couldn't resist laughing softly, steeling herself for what was to come. "Baron? I've gotten the idea that you're happy I'm here and really want to make this work between us. But unless you're planning on styling this marriage off Eros and Psyche, you're going to have to unmask yourself at some point."
That deflated his mood a bit. "… That's one of the reasons this suite is so secluded." He tried to say more but was having difficulty finding the right words. "Please forgive me. I've had horror stories told to me from the cradle about how… some outsiders have reacted when they first see us. … Whatever you do, please don't scream?"
Well, that admission wasn't doing Haru's anxiety any favors. "Do you want me to do it?" she asked while holding her hands out toward the generous hood, but he swiftly retreated to the other side of the nearest chair.
"No, no; let me do it." He did some heavy breathing exercises before pulling on the sleeves until a pair of gloved hands was exposed. "But please don't scream. I really don't know what I'll do if you find me that horrifying."
"Baron, I'm going to start screaming if you don't rip the band aid off, right now," Haru informed him point blank while crossing her arms at him with a stern glare. 'I can't take much more, just let me have it!'
He inhaled one more time, and pulled the hood down, wincing as the framework fell flat against his back.
Haru's mouth fell open in complete surprise. She even blinked a few times to make sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. Her somewhat angrily crossed arms loosened before falling slack as she stared at Baron like she'd never even seen a man before in her life.
"Is this real?" she blurted.
"I assure you it is," her feline husband confirmed, nervously not moving a muscle as he watched her, trying to ready himself for her next move, whatever it may be.
Haru shook off her shock and stiffened her resolve before nearly marching closer to him. "I'm going to touch your face," she informed him in a way that made it clear that he better not make things difficult for her. "Because if I find out that this is a mask, you and I are going to have a problem, am I clear?"
He blinked in astonishment as she slowly raised her hands to show that she was planning on being gentle with him. "Y-You're all right with this?" he stuttered before her touch made him fall silent.
Haru carefully wove her fingers through the cream fur of his cheeks, both to feel its texture and to check that the feline structure of his skull was genuine. The hard framework of the hood had completely masked the true shape of his face as well as his ears, which she couldn't resist checking next as his large green eyes closed in bliss. Her fingers traced along the cartilage before taking the bits of orange velvety ear between them and rubbing in a way that would elicit a reaction from her husband that he wouldn't be able to hold back.
"Oh gosh, you even purr!" Haru couldn't resist giggling with delight when he just about melted from her ministrations, only keeping himself from turning into a puddle by possessively wrapping her in his arms again and nearly squeezing her breathless.
"Thank you… thank you," he wept over and over as he was rendered unable to do anything more than holding his new wife and cry tears of gratitude into her hair.
Although Haru was a bit surprised at the level of affection, she wrapped her arms around his neck while he was leaning over her and squeezed him to show that she was definitely all right with this. "They were right. This explains so much," Haru couldn't resist nearly laughing with relief, which made her husband hold her just a shade tighter. 'Not to mention this explains a lot of the strange questions on that personality quiz.'
Without warning, her tabby husband swept her off her feet long enough to transport the both of them to the couch, though he didn't let her off his lap after he sat down. "Please?" he begged as tears kept falling, and he still held her tight. "Let me hold you for now?"
Haru smiled and made the minute adjustments she needed before laying her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his chest. "That suits me just fine."