A/N: Due to updating my records, I noticed that I'd gone a pretty long time without updating. Almost a month to the day, in fact. Hope you enjoy my apology.
Destiny Calls Part Two
Haru couldn't help smiling at the trees that passed by her on a different carriage six months after finding out the truth about her heritage. Instead of the homespun dress she'd spent most of her life in, she was now in a traveling gown befitting a young woman of rank, and her hair had been stylishly pinned instead of the simple ponytail she'd been long used to. Even her worn boots had been exchanged for ones of satin; clearly never expected to come anywhere near dirt.
Her bearing, however, was unchanged since her mother had taught her as a child to hold herself with a certain dignity.
"How do you like the Gikkingen forest, my lady?" Toto asked her with a mischievous grin.
"It reminds me of home," she answered wistfully. "The ground is flatter, but I think I could get used to seeing this on a frequent basis."
"Now, remember, my lady," Sagami repeated sternly. "No talk of any life outside the Iwa Estate."
"Of course not," Haru promised, winking with the eye that only Toto could see, making his grin turn even more mischievous.
"And don't you tell them, either, you rogue!" she scolded before shaking her head angrily. "I swear, the pair of you are children trapped in grown bodies!"
"Will that work in my favor?" Haru couldn't help asking while giving her friend a worried glance.
"As long as you follow decorum at the proper times, Humbert will find it refreshing," Toto promised gleefully. "I can't wait to see how quickly you'll have him wrapped around your finger!"
Sagami glowered at him. "I still find it in poor taste of you to speak of the baron's son so informally. I'll be interested to see if you're allowed to do it in front of your lord."
"Oh, I'd shock you with the things I get away with in front of the Baron and Baroness," Toto assured her with a wicked smile.
Haru couldn't help but laugh at his mischievous nature. 'I don't know why she's taking his entirety as a personal insult. Why would they send any ordinary servant to fetch a bride for their son?'
Toto had been vague on the exact work he did for the von Gikkingens, but hadn't been shy about informing her that he'd grown up with her fiancé. Haru was still nervous about meeting Humbert, but thanks to all the stories Toto had told her, she at least felt more secure about her decision to make the engagement a personal choice instead of a forced obligation.
'A good, solid man with an excellent sense of humor. Intelligent, kind, and a worthy heir to the baronetcy.' It was a bit more ambitious than what she'd imagined, but she'd know the truth before the day was out.
It was all Haru could do to keep still when she saw the first glimpses of the von Gikkingen estate start peeking through the trees, revealing a grand manor that was easily three times the size of her entire village.
There must have been watchers, because the soldiers were lined up in a respectful formation outside the front of the building, and a well-dressed middle-aged couple was waiting for them along with a smartly dressed girl about ten years old.
'My new little sister!' Haru had to restrain herself from squealing with delight. 'Easy, calm down. First impressions are everything, I don't want to ruin a thing.'
Toto was smirking evilly at her, as if he could guess why she was struggling so hard to keep her face calm. "Just follow my lead," he urged her as the carriage came to a stop, and a footman was jumping off the backseat.
He ran up to hurriedly open the door and unfold the little set of steps. Toto exited first, beaming happily as he looked at the Baron and his family.
With a start, Haru realized that there was more than a passing resemblance to that dignified man and her friend. She slapped herself on the forehead before she was thinking.
"Haru!" Sagami hissed in a low whisper, but the younger woman didn't have time to explain her epiphany.
"Toto!" the little girl squealed happily, running forward and jumping into her brother's arms. "Don't you dare leave that long again! Did you bring our new sister?!"
Sagami's mouth fell agape as her entire face turned red with shame.
"I certainly did," Toto promised, spinning her once in the air before setting her on the cobblestones with exquisite care. "But you need to let me help her out of the carriage, my silly goose."
"Hurry!" she urged, nearly bouncing up and down with excitement.
Toto looked into the carriage with a wry smile before offering Haru his hand. "I hope you can understand this little deception."
'I'm getting Toto for a brother-in-law.' Despite the shock, Haru's face was fixed into a wide, genuine grin as she gripped his hand before stepping out of the carriage carefully to avoid tripping again. "That was a pretty smart way to make sure your family wasn't getting cheated, actually." Then she turned her attention to the beautiful little girl with hair as golden as a peach and eyes as dark as her brother's. "Hello, Abigail," she greeted while trying not to cry, holding her arms out for a hug.
Abigail squealed again before jumping into Haru's arms with the same enthusiasm as before. "I'm so happy, I finally got a sister!"
Haru held her tight, never wanting to let go. "You took the words right out of my mouth," she managed, wishing that a few tears weren't escaping her control.
This felt right. This was where she belonged.
Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes right into brilliant sapphires that were also tearing happily.
"Welcome to the family, Haru," Baroness von Gikkingen bid her, wrapping her own arms around the girls while her daughter hung onto the newest addition around the neck. "Words can't describe how grateful we are to you."
By then, Toto had assisted a very shame-faced Sagami out of the carriage as well.
The woman stopped with shock. "How could you already know her name?"
The Baron chuckled warmly. "Do you really think so little of my son, that you never thought he'd send a letter ahead explaining everything?"
She flinched in horror before giving Toto an accusatory look, but he raised his hands with another mischievous smirk.
"You only made us promise not to tell. If you wanted to avoid a letter, you should have said 'inform'."
"We've been giggling at you for months over not thinking about a letter," Haru added with a slightly evil smirk. Then she turned to her future parents-in-law. "Has Humbert's depression faded at all?" she asked worriedly as she kept Abigail in her arms, trying not to look behind them since he'd have been standing with his family if he were out here.
The Baroness pressed a loving kiss to her forehead. "Toto's letter and sketch of you did wonders for him, but he would still prefer a private first meeting."
"That's reaso-what sketch?" Haru asked, giving Toto a suspicious glare.
He shrugged without an ounce of shame. "So I took advantage of how little you move or pay attention to anything else when you get into a new book. It was accurate, if that's what you're worried about."
Haru glared at him. "You do this sort of thing to everyone, don't you?"
"Yes," came from more than one mouth without hesitation, including the little girl in her arms.
Haru couldn't help but be amused that the majority of the mouths were attached to the soldiers, some of which were trying desperately hard not to laugh.
She took in a deep breath to keep herself from yelling. "Toto, maybe you should go find your 'special friend'. I'm sure he's missed matching wits with you."
He grinned wickedly before giving her an extravagant bow. "I don't know about wits, but certainly insults. Just be yourself, and Humbert will adore you," he promised before kissing his mother on the cheek and exchanging a firm shoulder grip with his father before running off.
"You know, we should probably start looking around for a nice girl for him," the Baroness mused before shaking her head. "But time for that later. Please come, Haru. I'm very anxious to introduce you to Humbert. Thank you for training and escorting my new daughter-in-law," she added to Sagami, who was desperately trying to keep in control of her wild emotions. "Theresa, my head housekeeper, will be happy to show you to your rooms to rest."
Sagami was nothing if not adept at recognizing a polite dismissal. She nodded once before nervously following the maid.
"Oh, I forgot, my dear. Did you also need to rest from the journey?" the Baroness fretted while turning her gaze back to the newest addition to the family.
"I'll rest after speaking with Humbert," Haru stated, forcing herself to set Abigail on the ground and offer a hand. "I can't imagine how I could rest beforehand."
The little girl beamed up at her while happily gripping that hand as they all walked up the impressive stone steps. "Humbert doesn't really look that bad, but he's still grumpy about not recognizing himself in the mirror."
"That's understandable," Haru agreed quickly since she could hear the little sounds from the Baron and Baroness that they were about to say something to possibly cover for the slip-up. "I know I'd be upset if I didn't know the face in the mirror."
"But he is still an excellent man," the Baron made sure to point out as they entered the foyer, though his smile was just a shade desperate. "Toto's description of you, and the pains you were taking to be ready for the responsibility after it was a complete surprise was a needed source of strength to him. He was very upset when he thought his Iwa bride was going to scream at him at first glance after doing everything in his power to honor the engagement growing up."
Haru offered him a sad smile. "You're the ones who are going to be stuck with me if I'm to his liking. You had more right to know details about me than any of the Iwa family. If Toto passed on my message without any embellishment, you're fully aware that I mean to be worth the trouble of bringing home."
Abigail couldn't resist the urge to hug her around the waist. "I like anybody that can make Humbert feel better," she announced without shame.
"Hear, hear," the mother seconded, still looking at Haru with worshipful eyes. "I'm sure Toto fully briefed you on his appearance even if the Iwas didn't. Please, just hold to your word, and all will be well."
Haru reached over with her free hand to grip hers, certain that it was allowed. "If I can help him, I'll do what I have to whether he likes it or not."
The Baron couldn't resist a wide grin at her simple but firm tone. "That's what we wanted to hear," he nearly purred himself before gently setting his hands on her shoulders in order to lead her down a specific hallway like a nervous foal.
Haru obeyed, though she was still nervous. Six months of preparation, lessons, seasickness, literally renouncing everything that wasn't her name, and today was the day she'd find out if it was all worth it. The family clearly didn't care about her humble beginnings, but what did Humbert think? She meant what she said, but would she know what to do?
The Baron stopped at a certain set of double doors before rapping twice with his knuckles. "Humbert? Haru's arrived."
"Please send only her in," a voice similar to the father's answered.
The nobleman gave her a desperate smile before pressing one last kiss to her forehead for luck. "Make us proud," he begged in an almost inaudible whisper before opening one of the doors long enough to scoot her into the darkness within.
It was too dark. Haru could only imagine the thickness of the curtains to get the room this dark if there were windows.
"Greetings, Haru," the voice hailed her from a good twenty feet to her left.
"Greetings, Humbert. Is now a bad time to admit I appreciate at least a little bit of light?" she couldn't resist asking with a nervous laugh.
"My apologies." There was the sound of approaching footsteps before she felt a broad hand guide hers to an arm that felt like solid muscle under a few too many thick sleeves. "Toto's letter mentioned that you have trouble finding your tongue when confronted with what you believe to be your future, so I thought the lack of a visual might aid in a real discussion."
Haru blinked, though she couldn't tell the difference of where her eyelids were as he carefully led her a certain distance before easing her into a comfortable chair. "Right, cats have excellent night vision," she reminded herself out loud while feeling a bit silly. "Was there anything Toto left out of that letter? I told him to only include the important bits about me."
"Then I'm relieved that he had a vastly different interpretation of what's important about you. After months of perusal, I determined that he forgot the length of your toenails," Humbert replied with a nervous chuckle of his own, his steps and a protesting cushion confirming that he was taking his own seat. "I really do appreciate that you are willing to be understanding concerning my… condition. I promise it's the last thing I wanted to be your first impression of me."
Haru couldn't help smiling a bit in the direction of his voice, though she was still wishing to see a single flicker of light somewhere. "Is it all right if I ask how it happened? Toto wouldn't say."
Humbert gave a long sigh. "That's the part that depresses me. I've stepped on toes before, you really can't be from a powerful family without upsetting certain individuals."
"You can't really exist without someone somewhere taking it the wrong way," Haru agreed sadly.
"Precisely. I didn't recognize the one that cursed me, and when the rogue was eventually tracked down, there was no connection between us. He was simply upset that…" After a nervous moment, Humbert gave an uncomfortable cough. "I don't enjoy speaking of it, may I assume that Toto informed you in detail of how I am normally perceived and treated whenever I used to step outside of my home?"
Haru nodded. "You'd think they'd learn decorum after the first twenty rejections. Did you really swing from a chandelier to escape once?" she couldn't resist while grinning like a little child as she vividly pictured the impressive structure from a sketch in one of Sagami's books.
"I was desperate!" he protested before lowering his voice so that it couldn't possibly be heard through the thick doors. "I loved that one, please don't tell."
Haru tapped one finger against her lips while still grinning like an idiot. "So did he like one of your admirers?"
"Not even that. I was able to glean after he did it that he was very sore about certain people getting blessed with his idea of 'luck' in more areas than one, and decided the best course of action was to take out his frustration on me, even though he clearly only knew me from reputation. Pettiness at its finest," he growled before cutting himself off.
The silence after that felt embarrassed at the inhuman sound.
"I take it there's no cure?" Haru asked with sympathy.
"None that he would divulge, even with torture. He'd done certain things to himself to make it impossible to persuade him, so I'm at a loss. I am sorry, I really don't know what this means for the future," he confessed helplessly.
Haru smiled at him. "I'll tell you what it means. We figure it out and make it work, one day at a time. That is, if you'll have me," she added a bit hastily. "You don't have to if you don't want to."
"… Shouldn't I be the one saying that?" Humbert asked in bafflement. "I'm here to convince you, not the other way around. I think it's time I had a pressing question answered; why did you agree to marry me if you bullied your grandfather's servant into explaining what he knew about my curse before voicing your acceptance?"
Haru smiled. "Now I'm glad I didn't let Toto pull that out of me as well. It was your father that convinced me."
"… Please clarify," he begged curiously.
Haru leaned back in her chair while thinking about that distant day. "I apologize in advance if I say anything that upsets you. My grandfather's servant wasn't half as clever as he was kidding himself if he couldn't come up with decent excuses ahead of time as to why my 'grandfather' decided that he wanted me home after I led a good life without him and could have easily been married with at least one baby by the time anyone came looking for Mother and any resulting children. Twenty years without contact with 'family' I didn't know I had, and I wasn't supposed to get suspicious about their intentions?"
"Only a fool wouldn't be suspicious," Humbert agreed darkly.
"That meant they wanted something from me, and since they had a certain standing, an unwanted engagement wasn't exactly a big surprise. I knew from the beginning they were scapegoating me," Haru admitted wryly.
"I do apologize for that."
Haru smiled at his sincere tone. "If they hadn't told me anything at all about you, I would have been driven mad about what was so terrible about you that the granddaughter he cared about wouldn't have you. Were you cruel? Were you wicked? Was I going to mysteriously disappear if we had an argument? Or could it have been as simple as not wanting to say goodbye to his favored granddaughter? If I didn't bully the truth out of that man, the uncertainty would have made me fight every single step of the way here, even if I needed to do something intentionally drastic while out on the open water."
"Please skip to how my father convinced you," Humbert pled a bit sickly.
Haru tapped her thumb against the armrest. "Grandfather's servant was very dismissive and disgusted when talking about your condition, but nothing in his tone could hide what your father was doing about it. His way of making sure that there would be no unpleasant surprises for the Iwa family concerning you told me loud and clear that you were loved beyond words, and the only thing he wouldn't do for you is trick someone into being with you by omitting certain details until it was too late to turn back. Your father is a very loving, honest, and dedicated family man."
"That he is," Humbert agreed with his heart in his tone. "So you banked on the possibility that I took after him?"
"Correct," Haru congratulated him, though she wasn't sure if any of this was helping her case. "Humbert, I was already leaving my village because I wanted a life and family of my own. Our interests aligned, I knew I was in for an unpleasant time if I tried to fight or run, and there was a possibility that… we might like each other," she mumbled under her breath as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I was putting in the work to catch up with what noblewomen are supposed to know to show you that I'm not afraid of making things work. Besides, I'm sure that I skipped out on a lot of abuse by giving 'Grandfather' the option of just shipping me off to you as quickly as possible. If I had to come here regardless, I'd like to think that making it a personal choice will have a higher chance-"
It wasn't that Haru was at a loss for words. She'd been wracking her brain since before Toto and Sagami joined her for the return trip about how to convey her feelings without letting them sound like insults, but it was evident that her fiancé had heard enough.
He pounced out of his seat and didn't bother helping her to her feet before tackling her with a tight embrace.
Haru was surprised at the reaction, but couldn't lie to her needs about just how long it had been since a man had dared to wrap her in his arms so intimately. She had to wiggle her arms around his firm grip and wrapped around his chest the best she could since he was at an odd angle.
That seemed to break him even worse than before, and he actually started crying while holding her even tighter.
It was a good thing no one had tried to lie to her about his curse. Even if she could fool herself into thinking the hair brushing against her cheek was from a neatly trimmed beard, there was something about the jawline that made her mind set off subtle alarm bells even though she knew the cause.
"Humbert. Toto told me everything but your toenails about the curse. I promise I won't scream or do anything that will hurt your feelings. Besides, you've apparently had plenty of time getting used to how I look."
"I assure you I needed no time 'getting used' to your appearance."
Haru couldn't help blushing, since she had always tried to give people around her better things to talk about than her appearance.
"But I suppose I've delayed it long enough," Humbert sighed, still sounding like he would not have minded keeping her blindfolded instead. He forced himself to release her long enough to get to his feet and assist her to her own.
Haru had expected him to lead her the same as before, but his arms once again decided that she needed to be held tight. She couldn't help blushing anew even though she enjoyed the affection. 'He's taller than me. Probably about Toto's height.'
They had a bit of difficulty walking without Haru tangling their legs, but Humbert fixed that by sweeping her into his arms with a squeak of surprise.
"You may as well get used to me carrying you," he informed with an adoring tone, clearly forcing himself to set her down once they were at his destination in the room. Then he hesitated.
Haru smiled up where she thought his face was and offered her hand in case he didn't need both hands for a light.
He wasted no time gripping it, but still took in a deep breath for courage before light suddenly flooded the room from an opened curtain.
Haru immediately shut her eyes against the fierce light while wincing, but was able to blink her eyes into usefulness before looking up at her future. Her mouth fell open, but not with horror.
"Oh dear, you're adorable," tumbled out of her lips before her mind could rein them in.
He blinked his large green eyes at her with surprise. "I beg your pardon?"
"I am resisting the urge to find out if your ears are as soft as they look," Haru babbled before using her free hand to cover her mouth. 'What am I doing?! This isn't what he needs to hear!'
He gave her a deeply baffled look before bending over slightly and guiding her hand up to one of his flicking ears. "I'll trust you to be gentle."
Grateful that her outburst hadn't offended him, Haru happily used both hands to reach up and rub his ears, tracing the triangular pieces of velvet with fascination.
His brilliant green eyes closed as he relaxed, keeping his own hands on her shoulders as she explored his feline features. "Even Abigail had a harder time than this."
"Well, she did get used to a different look first," Haru answered on reflex, delighting in how soft his fur was. 'Do not say that I've always wanted a cat. Don't!' But she wasn't able to resist giggling when his purr came out.
The purr was too much for her.
Her hands gently braced his cheeks, and he opened his eyes to dreamily gaze at her.
"I am perfectly content to wake up to this every morning," she stated as clearly as she could manage.
There was just enough time for shock to register on his face before he seemed to erupt into light. Haru yelped and swiftly brought her hands to her face to save her eyes, but her fiancé on reflex held her tightly against him, as if he alone could protect her from the walls coming down.
"What is going on in there?!" the Baron demanded as a door was heard opening. There was more than one gasp as the light faded as suddenly as it flared.
Haru blinked several times while lowering her hands, but she could immediately tell that there was a difference in the feeling of his embrace, even though he hadn't had the time or opportunity to remove a few shirts without her noticing.
"Humbert!" his mother cried out happily, running into the drawing room and throwing herself on the two of them. "I don't know how you did it, Haru, but you did it!"
"Huh?" Haru asked, letting her true heritage show before looking up at her fiancé. Her mouth fell open again as her face flushed red.
In the six months that had led up to this meeting, Toto had regaled her with what she had assumed were exaggerated adventures concerning Humbert's increasingly inventive escape routes to evade unwanted admirers. He'd also made more than one veiled remark concerning the man's normal appearance in order to explain their outlandish behavior, though never justifying it.
Haru now knew that her sarcastic friend hadn't stretched a single detail about his brother. If Humbert had strolled into her old village and politely told anyone that he was a king on holiday, he would have been believed without question.
Humbert was still holding her like he never planned on releasing her, but at his mother's words, he raised one hand to his bare cheek in wonder. "He did tell me how to break the curse!" he exclaimed in shock. "His exact words were 'let's see if that foreign fiancé will be accepting of waking up to that every morning!"
Haru's mouth opened and closed in a surprisingly good imitation of a fish gasping for air, almost unconscious of Toto slapping one hand against her shoulder with glee.
"I told you! Didn't I tell all of you she's perfect for him?!" he demanded at the top of his lungs, smiling like he'd never be able to stop.
"Hurray, Humbert's back to normal!" Abigail cheered before aggressively hugging Haru around the waist. "Thank you for breaking his curse!"
The baron was using his long arms to reach around his wife to also wrap his firstborn and his fiancée into a fierce embrace as tears of happiness escaped his control. "That was faster than I anticipated, but you've definitely made us proud, Haru! I'm so pleased that you're joining our family!"
Haru was still opening and closing her mouth without any sound. All this was too much. She couldn't even worry that Toto was eavesdropping with his parents instead of renewing pleasantries with his 'biggest friend', because everything was becoming blended together.
"No, Haru, stay with us," Humbert ordered worriedly before checking her forehead for a fever. "I know this is already a big adjustment to your expectations for being my wife, but surely this is easier for you than my curse was?"
"You make Machida look like a troll!" she blurted before covering her mouth in mortification. 'What is wrong with me?! I could barely give greetings to Machida until he proved himself a pig!'
Humbert blinked before giving her a wicked grin and a gentle kiss on the forehead, which made her blush even harder. "Is that so? You know, I have a good mind to send your hometown a wedding portrait of us since they're so fond of rubbing happiness in others' faces."
"Splendid idea, my boy!" the Baron agreed, still trying to fit his wife, three children, and his soon-to-be daughter-in-law into his arms. "But I won't agree to it unless we invite her father to come live with us. What say you, Haru?"
Her breath caught in her throat. As much as her father loved that village, she'd thought more than once that getting away from all the places he used to go with her mother would help him remember how to live instead of merely exist. "You would do that for me?"
"In a heartbeat, my dear," Baroness von Gikkingen assured without thinking twice, barely able to beam at the girl through her tears. "It's only a pity we can't invite your mother as well."