Birthday Bash 2023
Prompt 3
Revenge
Or, the prequel to Masquerade
Haru whimpered in pain as her chaperone gingerly touched her stomach.
"Is it really that bad, dear?" the older woman asked in sympathy.
"I-I'm sorry," Haru tried not to cry. "I can only stand it if I'm lying down like this."
The chaperone's own daughter growled angrily. "Drat it, Haru! Couldn't you have had your little stomach bug on the way here?! The way back?! The festival only lasts three nights!"
"Now dear, perhaps she will be better by morning," her mother consoled, but Haru weakly gripped the woman's wrist with a sad smile.
"Please, don't deny Hiromi and the others this night. Tell the innkeeper to have a maid check on me now and again while all of you enjoy the party. I'm sure I'll feel better by morning."
"Yes, that's a perfect solution!" Hiromi exclaimed while clapping her hands together excitedly. "Please, Mother; you promised that we could come here once I came of age. Haru doesn't mind, see?"
"It's for the best," Haru managed between gritted teeth, grunting just a bit.
The chaperone looked at her worriedly. "Your father will have my head if anything happens to you under my watch, Haru."
"I know and I'm sorry," she apologized with every fiber of her soul. "But I'll be fine. Just go enjoy the party, your future son-in-law might be out there."
Hiromi swooned at the idea and began pulling on her mother's arm. "Come on, I'll tell the maid myself to keep an eye on her if it means we can go! I'll try to remember to bring you back something," she said over her shoulder as she nearly forced her mother out of the room the three were sharing.
"Thank you, Hiromi," Haru said, now feeling guilty. But there was no other way.
At least since her father was losing his standing, he wouldn't be able to do as much to them as he would have last year, or the year before.
Although it drove her nearly mad, Haru forced herself to wait until after the maid brought her some tea to settle her stomach and let the servant girl know that she was probably going to sleep the rest of the night to be rid of her condition.
A condition that 'miraculously' healed itself after she heard the young girl stepping down the stairs after closing the door to their room.
With her heart pounding in her chest, the young woman threw off the blanket covering her expensive dress, bought before her father's money troubles began in hopes of reeling in a rich suitor.
She knew full well that was the only reason her father demanded she go to the festival, but at least she had been smart enough to keep her own plans private.
With her heart pounding in her chest, Haru quickly opened the trunk she had taken with her, reaching around her common dresses and a book to lift up on a satchel her clothes were disguising. She belted it on before throwing a cape over her shoulders and using her spare clothes to create the illusion that she was still sleeping on the bed to buy herself a little more time. Making sure her meager supply of money and jewels were in their hidden pockets of the satchel, she unlatched the window and slowly opened it to avoid alerting anyone within or outside the inn that she was escaping her life of 'privilege'.
She pulled the hood over her head after fixing the mask on, wishing that she had time to change into plainer clothes while knowing that her livery would help her blend in with all the mayhem that the festival was known for.
This was going to be tricky, she noted while taking in the tiled roof as well as the trees just beyond it. Since all seemed quiet, she slipped out the window, closed it behind her and began her careful steps to avoid creating any noise whatsoever. 'Thank you, Father, for making sure I know how to be silent,' she couldn't resist thinking with a wicked smirk.
"Lovely night, isn't it?" a nearby voice suddenly asked her through a hastily opened window, making the girl gasp and jump around in fright.
Naturally, that made her lose her footing and she began to fall off the tiled roof.
Haru had no idea how the stranger managed it, but he leaped like a cat to catch her by the waist before she fell off the edge, her hood flopping off and exposing her head to the moonlight. While he was holding her close to steady her, she could see that he was bracing himself with one hand by a rope attached to something inside his own room. Perhaps a bed or curtain rope?
"Now, now; if you're going to fall for me, exercise some restraint," he teased with a laugh.
"Ha ha," Haru retorted dryly while taking in his appearance and just noticing that she had latched her arms around his neck in her fear.
He was about what she imagined the vampire from that popular book looked like. Tall, broad shouldered, wavy black hair even longer than her own since a punishment from her father last year had left her current hair length at her shoulders. He was dressed in black as well, and had a black mask identical to her own. His skin was so pale that he nearly glowed under the full moonlight.
Haru took in a deep breath since this was the first time she'd spoken to a man without a chaperone present. "Thank you for making sure I didn't injure myself, sir, but if it's not too much trouble, I only have so much time," she explained while fixing her footing and trying to silence her pounding heart since he didn't let her fall.
He eyed the satchel with what was probably a raised eyebrow behind the mask. "Wouldn't it be easier to take the stairs?"
"I'm trying to have as few witnesses as possible," Haru explained while attempting to pry his hand off her waist now that she was steady again.
That seemed to encourage his curiosity, because he let go of the rope and her, sat on the tiles and patted the spot next to him. "Why don't you explain yourself? Perhaps I'll be able to help with whatever your reason is?"
"I assure you that you'll just make things more complicated," Haru groaned, wondering if he was the type to raise the alarm if she jumped for the tree and prayed she could grab a branch before falling to the courtyard.
"Perhaps, perhaps not." He patted the spot again. "If nothing else, it might help to have someone to express yourself to."
That much was true. Haru hadn't had someone to truly confide in since her father sacked her last governess. She sighed and made herself comfortable on the roof since he wasn't likely to try anything out where anyone could see them.
"My name is Haru Yoshioka, daughter of Earl Hasho Yoshioka," she started, unable to stop herself from giving a polite curtsy even though she was sitting. "To get right to the point, the earl is a self-absorbed parasite that only sees people as what he can extract from them. I'd be shocked if there was a single person under his command that has any genuine loyalty to him, including me since he never forgave me for being born a girl." Haru shuddered while trying to draw a curtain over the part of her mind that had all his insults and cutting remarks etched in stone, since she made it a point to never stick around him long enough to gain bruises. "Not that I think he'd have any fondness for me if I were a son, but the point is that he's a heartless leech. He's been having money troubles lately, so he ordered me to come here and catch myself a rich husband so that he can start sucking whatever he can out of the poor soul I bring home."
The strange man nodded once with a small frown and one hand to his chin as the other was crossed against his chest.
"I'm sure you can understand why I'm less than enthusiastic about saving a man from ruin after he never showed me any warmth. I have a good education and a generic face; all I have to do is get on a ship to another country, change my name, and find work as a governess somewhere. I don't need much to be happy, and the earl deserves to find out that no one's going to be his safety net after being cruel and selfish his entire life," Haru couldn't resist finishing with a small shiver of delight at the thought of him not being able to take his anger out on anyone but himself.
It was only too bad that in order for the plan to succeed, she'd have to miss out on seeing the look on his face when he realized he was all alone.
Her dark companion hummed in thought. "So your end goal is to be happy while allowing your 'father' to enjoy the fruits of his own labor?"
"Exactly," Haru sighed happily that she didn't have to explain her feelings any further.
"Hmm. Yours is a good plan, don't get me wrong. But would you be willing to listen to a better one?" he asked with a sly smile.
Haru felt one of her own eyebrows rise behind her mask. "What could be better than having everything stripped from him?"
"Oh, I think you'll like this," he nearly purred. "Imagine this; you do find a husband, bring him home, and introduce him to your father."
Haru opened her mouth to protest, but he started talking quickly.
"The man in question is well known as the wealthiest in the kingdom, which would absolutely delight the earl and give him hope that he isn't a broken man after all."
Haru couldn't resist a small laugh. "I'm pretty sure the Baron von Gikkingen knows gold diggers when he sees them. Do you work for him, or know him at all to even suggest the possibility?"
He chuckled a bit before removing his mask, revealing eyes like sapphires and a face sculptors would kill to replicate.
Since she was still a young woman, Haru couldn't resist blushing at such a face, though the color deepened as she understood just who it was she'd been talking to. "O-oh," she stammered, feeling like a fool.
"Don't feel bad. It's not like you came to my ball in order to know what I looked like. Which reminds me, why didn't you show up?" the Baron asked, briefly veering off topic. "I was looking forward to meeting you and your father, and I know you received an invitation."
Haru blushed even harder that he'd noticed her absence. She looked down at her lap and mumbled her answer. "Father had to kill someone in the morning for being upset that the earl fleeced him in a business deal, so he didn't want to go anywhere the night before. I sent a letter to Lady Hashima to see if she'd chaperone me at least, but she'd already left by the time my letter arrived at her mansion. I'm told your ball was a once in a lifetime experience. Did you really arrive by hot air balloon?" she asked, since that alone was still being talked about.
"It was glorious," he sighed happily, apparently satisfied that her absence was not her idea in the slightest. "But back to my suggestion, we both know the earl would be delighted to sink his teeth into me, do you not agree?"
"Please say there's more," Haru groaned. She may know next to nothing about this man, but she did not want to be the reason he might be hurt later.
"Oh, there is," he purred with a wicked grin. "Now let's say I even give him a hefty bride price, pay for a wedding that would rival coronations, he thinks he's won."
It was the word 'thinks' that made her nod for him to continue.
"Since I am a grown man that does not need to ask my father-in-law for permission to do anything with my wife, he's the last to know that I'm taking my lovely bride on a grand tour of several kingdoms for a honeymoon. We will be several months abroad; in which time I can guarantee that his money troubles are getting worse."
Haru suddenly remembered that they were on top of a public inn. "Is this something we should discuss out where anyone can hear us?" she whispered worriedly.
He responded by helping her to her feet and assisting her into his own room in short order. "I deliberately bought out all the rooms in the inn other than yours, as well as the next one over just to ensure privacy. Or did you not notice for how many people were in town for the festival, rooms were so hard to find before this one?" he smirked while latching the window behind them.
Haru blinked, since she'd been able to blame part of her stomach troubles on having to stay in the carriage while the driver tried to reason with five different innkeepers before this last one informed them that they were taking the last available room. It was pointless to ask if they were actually bought up by the Baron or bribed into saying nothing was available when they saw the Hashima carriage, he could afford it either way. "… You planned this meeting!"
"With pleasure," he assured her while helping her to sit at a small table by the window before taking the opposite one. "It would have felt more natural if I publicly decided to attach myself only to you at my ball, or if we had bumped into each other at the festival. But I suppose your way is an improvement. I wasn't too fond of courting you under misleading pretenses anyway."
Haru breathed in and out steadily while mentally counting to ten. Realizing that she was still wearing her mask, she peeled it off and set it on the table. "How about you tell me the rest of your plan before I raise a fuss?"
"I'd be delighted," he beamed. "By the time we get back to this kingdom, the Earl would have lost literally everything of value. I can guarantee that he will have literally nothing except the clothes on his back when we return, and he thinks he will be able to demand that I either restore his former lifestyle or use persuasion to convince us to let him move in for an early but lavish retirement. Now we're at the good bit," he smirked wickedly, leaning forward over the table.
Haru unconsciously did the same to make sure she didn't miss a word.
"Depending on how things have progressed between us by then, he will be under the impression that you are carrying my child, even if I have to pay for a special wardrobe with a built-in pillow to make sure he believes what I want him to."
Haru blushed at the mention of having a child with him when he was still a stranger, but nodded for him to continue.
"Just when he thinks he's got this one shred of hope that I will restore everything to him, I will tell him that I received no such comforts when his false accusations landed me in the Chateau D'If."
Haru gasped, leaning back with both hands on her mouth.
The Baron waited a few minutes for her to fully process his claim. His eyes turned sad. "You didn't have to tell me that he is needlessly cruel to you. When he was using me, I heard plenty about how disappointed he was in his own daughter for no discernable reason, which is why my plan included making sure you both escape him and have a happier life than he believes you deserve. Even back then, I was hoping some good man would come and rescue you from him as soon as you came of age."
Haru didn't know why she didn't see this coming. She was shocked that her father had gone as far as the Chateau D'If, but knew the man too well to argue any defense on his behalf.
Instead, she buried her face in her hands while balancing her elbows on the table. "Why is he like this?" she tried not to cry.
"No disrespect to you, Haru, but I'm long past caring why. All I care about is ensuring that karma is paid in full on all fronts. The same as you," he added a bit gently, reaching over to take one of her hands in his own. "He may have been callous when speaking of you when you were a child, but it was enough to assure me that you are nothing like the man."
"Except being stubborn," Haru couldn't resist adding glumly.
"But you clearly have better ways of handling that trait than he ever did, if all you want is a quiet life with no status," he pointed out.
"I just want to be happy," Haru nearly couldn't get the words out as tears began to fall. "As long as… as long as he…"
The Baron stood up from his chair and took the girl into his arms and held her tight. It was against her better judgement, but she couldn't resist the impulse to hold onto him as well, burying her face in his fine silk shirt as sobs racked her body from holding in her pain for far too long.
"That's what's beautiful about my plan, Haru," he assured her after the worst of her tears had run dry. He dried her face with his own handkerchief, which Haru couldn't help noticing was a finer weave of silk than she'd ever seen up close. "After losing literally everything, he will see the two people he likely hates most standing side by side; together, prosperous, happy, and with a child on the way before he is thrown out to the streets with only a handful of my people keeping an eye on his movements to make sure he gains no power over anyone ever again. Surely you see how this would hurt him far worse than if you merely disappeared and he told himself that you were begging on the streets to still feel justified?"
The picture he painted in her mind was infinitely more satisfying. Especially since with his plan, she would get to see the chagrin on that hypocrite's face when he realizes that she had received everything he'd always said she never deserved.
"Fine, yours is a much better plan," she agreed with a breathy laugh, which made him hold her a little tighter.
"Then you agree to marry me?" he asked hopefully. "We can arrange to bump into each other tomorrow night so that Lady Hashima and her daughter don't suspect a thing."
Haru blew her nose once on his handkerchief before looking up at him. "I'd like some answers first. Won't he recognize you if he knew enough to falsely send you to that horrible place?"
He grinned at her. "I hope you're not too attached to this look. It cost me a great deal to alter myself enough not to be recognized, and I'll likely stop wearing the disguise while on our honeymoon so that I can do a dramatic reveal when the earl comes to beg for help."
She gave him a warm smile, since she was still in his arms. "As long as you keep holding me like this, I promise I won't mind." Her smile faded a bit. "Do you have a plan if we end up not liking each other and only put on a show for that monster?"
"I have a lawyer drawing up a document for your peace of mind, even if it needs to stay our little secret," he informed her, not looking too happy that she'd brought the subject up. "You will have enough to set up home wherever you desire to go, with no need for a second marriage if you'd rather not. Like I said, part of the revenge on him is that you end up happy and comfortable."
"Hopefully we won't need it," Haru couldn't resist fretting a bit, even if she was delighted that he was already more doting and considerate than her father had ever been. "How did you get so rich if you had to escape the Chateau D'If?"
He tsked teasingly at her. "I'm afraid you'll have to marry me before I answer that one. But I will say that I didn't kill or rob anyone, which I feel are the minimum you deserve to know."
"Good enough," she agreed, since that had been worrying her a little. "This last one's important, you won't be able to talk me into anything without it."
He nodded eagerly.
"I'd like your real name. I noticed that you've been religiously going by your title ever since you made your debut, but as your future wife, I have to insist."
His smile flinched a bit. "… I suppose that's fair enough," he sighed regretfully. "You understand that for reasons of not setting off the trap at the very least, I'll still need and prefer for you to call me Baron?"
Haru nodded, which encouraged him to press one hand to the back of her head and press it close so that he could whisper his secret into her ear.
"I'm Humbert," he admitted a little sheepishly.
Haru blinked as he released her. "Baron, it is," she stated while trying not to smile.
"Thank you," he said with relief. "But for the record, the last thing I'd call your face is 'generic'." A warm smile more than told her how much he found her features pleasing.
That just made her blush all over again.
xxXxx
A/N; you only get one guess as to what movie/book inspired this.