Chapter 1 - The Curtains Arise

The light radiating from the hanging moon above was starting to fade, as if it could not make up its mind, creating new shadows and dark patches around. Eyes glimmered from tree hollows, while owls hummed in and out of the eerie atmosphere. The wind howled between distorted trunks, carrying the sickly stink of wood rot. Trees towering above all the other life forms stood utterly still, like statues in a living museum where no leaf dared to fall.

Amidst the intersecting trees, two lone figures settled themselves upon the cool mossy ground. One girl was currently resting on a jagged rock. Anyone could tell she was born of nobility at one glance. She was breath-taking with a well-crafted body, a sight still obviously discernible by the feminine curves which the cloak -she was now wrapped in- failed to conceal.

While on the opposite side of the crackling fire, a twin-tailed girl chanced a glance at the noble. She had already finished skewering as well as smoking the two fishes she caught from the river earlier, but was now at a loss of handing one to the silently intimidating girl. Something about the other girl made Nico nervous, a feeling she despised.

She tried to focus her eyes upon the noble's emotionless face, but to no avail. Against her will they traveled down a taut stomach and a voluptuous chest, through the slightly torn and dirtied cape the other girl was enveloped in. No sooner did Nico realize what was she looking at did she hastily avert her gaze back to the noble's still-blank face. She felt her cheeks heating up unwillingly, while a sprig of jealousy began to clench onto her heart.

'Oh God, how am I going to do this?' She groaned to herself. After living a life of nobility for almost sixteen years as the warlord's sole daughter, the prideful princess must have been accustomed to luxuriousness. As a matter of fact, Nico was positively convinced that was the case.

She had seen it before. The food served on the palace's grand dining table were the most high-quality vegetables and meat the whole kingdom could offer, complemented with sets of shimmering stainless-steel utensils within the dimly-lighted room. Even the dishware was lined with gold linings! She doubted the princess would ever lower herself to eating the plain, unappealing – even a little burnt – fish. Nico continued to ponder over the possibility for a few more seconds, before officially giving up. She had more essential things to worry about, rather than fussing over whether a spoiled princess would bother to eat the 'lowly commoner' food or not.

'Ah, who cares about that now? With the castle under attack, we can't just go back! And why does Nico even care if the princess would eat or not? If this goes on, there's no knowing if we can even secure any more food or not Nico!' The distressed girl knotted her brows in irritation at the last sentence, with her permanent frown sinking deeper into her scrunched-up face. Clearly dismayed at how she ended up in such a pathetic situation.

Everything was normal until this afternoon, with Nico spending her early morning washing clothes, dusting rooms and preparing the royal family's afternoon tea. She was carrying out her chores according to the usual routine, so why was it that things had advanced so quickly – to the point of her not being able to grasp the true situation herself?

But in the end, reality was reality. She chose to believe her own eyes when she saw troops of armed soldiers trudging into the Nishikino castle, hitting, destroying and killing whoever dared to come across their way.

Recalling that time, all Nico could consider herself as having was pure luck, as she managed to squeeze her small body way beneath the stone stove when agonized screams made their way to her sensitive ears, accompanied with the rather disturbing sounds of blood splattering onto the paved grounds.

While she continued to squat under the stove, with her trembling knees crouched together, all Nico could do was try to calm down and monitor her shaky breathing. It was also horrifying enough when she heard Seiko – who was one of her better-acquainted friends – letting out the most dreadful scream of all.

The distinguishing cheerfulness in her usual bright, high-pitched voice was instantly recognizable to the other teenager girl, as she had been the one who welcomed Nico with open arms, selflessly helping and offering advice to her since the day she started serving in the palace two years ago.

It was an unbearable, painfully helpless feeling. Nico was forced to hear her own friend screaming and begging, in a voice much shriller in contrast of her usual gentle tone, while being treated, raped in the most inhuman way possible. Words could not describe how scared…no, terrified she was feeling.

Though ironically, in the midst of her friend's screaming pleas, Nico instead was grateful of possessing such a petite frame. This small body which she had always despised ever since reaching at the age of womanhood, saved her from suffering a cruel fate such as her friend's.

'Seiko…' A dark look spread across Nico's face, her bruised hands unconsciously tightening their hold on the skewers she held. The name alone struck her hard in the core and sent conflicting chills down her spine. As much as she refused to accept the truth, Nico had indeed, selfishly abandoned her true friend when the latter needed help the most.

It was an unavoidable fact. It was reality. She let her friend fall into the hands of those brutal, sadistic and not to mention bastard soldiers who thought they could do anything they pleased; possibly by the orders of their master…An intolerable sense of nausea plunged into Nico's stomach at the cold realization. She had not given it the slightest of thought just until this moment. Seiko's harsh, penetrating screams then started to replay themselves in Nico's ears repeatedly like a broken record. The shrieks also seemed to take on invisible forms; continuously stabbing deep into her stricken heart as each scream resurfaced.

She cast her eyes down to the loamy ground while her breaths quickened, trying to force those suffocating screams and cruel laughter out of her blurred mind but to no avail. What a mess of contradicting emotions.

The uneven breathing of Nico's caught the attention of the other girl for a brief moment. Her scrutinizing lavender eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion, as memories of this previous afternoon came flowing back to her. How…could this girl…

Her grunts no longer echoed off the castle walls, but she still couldn't fight back the painful moans and gasping for air that escaped her lips. She grabbed the wrist of the hand that pinned down her body, while her other hand sought the blade of the sword that was a mere few centimeters from boring into her right shoulder. It was a pure instinct to remove the throbbing pain, but it met the hand of her attacker, who hadn't let go of the sword and surely labored no intention to change the fact.

She opened her eyes narrowly, looking up at the man who was sitting astride her. His colorless gray eyes were calm and unwavering; a complete opposite of her anguished face which was now distorted with pain.

Her 'fiancé' bent down, leaning close to her face, his cheek lightly brushing against hers. The girl frowned deeply at the act of affection and snapped her face aside, clearly disgusted. Even the smell of alcohol coming from the man sickened her to no end.

"Why do you detest me so much, Maki?" He whispered tenderly, once again positioning himself more securely on top of the young princess. She clenched her teeth in pain as her 'future husband' began to pierce the tip of the sword into her shoulder, ever so slowly.

"I am your fiancé, the future lord of this kingdom. Though your father, the current warlord turned down my humble proposal of becoming your other half, I will not let that lead me astray. I simply love you too much to just give up after a mere rejection…"

"D…Don't tell such lies!" A bead of sweat rolled down Maki's temple. She strived to ignore the electrifying jolt in her right shoulder, and struggled to get the words out. "You do not love me, no one does! All of you…are just after what I, my father have…!"

Wealth, power, beauty and the most notable of all…authority. No matter how much a man gains, nothing would be able to justify his greed. This never-ending repeated loop of stealing land and kingdoms, claiming it all to themselves, would do naught but have a calamity of distress befall millions of people. Suffering and misfortune was inevitable. No matter what the consequences were, Maki refused to be a part of it.

"Please don't say those hurtful words." The man's voice turned slightly colder; he inclined his head a little to meet Maki in the eyes and smiled. While he still remained soft-spoken, blood started oozing out of her wound as he sank the sword deeper into the princess' delicate shoulder.

"I…nghh…y-you…that's…" Maki gave up talking. She was panting and desperately trying not to focus on the burning pain originated from her shoulder. The clock continued ticking heartlessly in the background, making her sense how timeless this moment felt. Was this a dream? Or was it not? Another unhesitant stab reminded her that it was indeed real.

"Is something the matter? You seemed like you were spacing out there." The curve of his lips was slowly dropping. With a hundred and eighty degrees change, the man looked disappointed, unamused even.

'W-What…?'

"In order to gain the warlord's permission, I did every trick in the book to satisfy him. I offered him the finest jewelry my kingdom could give, and presented him with my family's treasured ornaments, which were descended from my long-lost ancestors…WHY WAS IT NOT ENOUGH?!"

Maki yelped in pain as the sword was thrust downwards, her body tensing and cringing at the aftermath. She held back her pained moans and felt a large amount of blood trickling down from her arm onto the marble floor, forming a small red thickened puddle.

Chuckling at his handiwork, the man's eyes flashed dangerously as if set aflame with rage, while a twisted smile formed on his grinning lips. "However, there's no need to worry about your stubborn parents, Maki. Since I have…disposed of them. You saw it yourself, didn't you?" A sweet smile graced his lips as he inclined his head at her.

A loud scream forced out all the air in Maki's lungs as the sword was suddenly pulled out of her right shoulder. Above the princess, he had pinned her down and was smiling again. "Y…You m-murderer…" That was all Maki could manage to whisper. She did not even have the time to grieve for her decreased parents. But the princess was sure of one fact.

This man was not going to kill her off so quickly. He would be sure to torment and humiliate Maki until she broke, then eventually taking advantage of her pitiable, wretched state. Doing whatever he wanted or pleased to her. The young princess was positively sure about it.

After all, his wicked deeds did not go ignored by the surrounding kingdoms that spread the rumors and warnings. It was also one of the reasons why her father had refused his proposal. But to think that he actually came barging into the palace and wrecking everything up, not to mention murdering both the warlord and his wife…As rumored, this man was certainly the worst.

Smiling softly, he laid the bloodied sword on the ground. The man placed his right hand -stained in blood- on Maki's cheek, while his other slowly made its way down to her thighs, sneakily going under the yukata she donned. Maki bit on her lips and forced back a startled gasp upon feeling the sensation of the man dragging his nails down her inner thigh. Cold, unpleasant chills ran down the princess' spine while panic started to rise within her.

"This yukata is getting in the way, isn't it?"

"W-Wait…! No…!"

What Maki desired the most at the moment, was to push the man away and escape this suffocating cage. However, she seemed frozen in place; her whole body was sweating, shaking and tingling uncontrollably. The throbbing wound he'd inflicted on her wasn't helping in the slightest either. It only doubled the weight that prevented Maki from escaping, aside from the man's pressuring burden as he pinned himself on top of her.

His straying hand reached for the collar of her clothing and teasingly gave it a slight tug. The man's heavy breaths blew on Maki's cheek hotly, making her twitch. It was a sure sign that he was getting both excited, and lustful.

"No…I…T-This can't be happening…!" The princess' voice was shaking, and she felt her body stiffening up in preparation for whatever was in store for her.

"You are getting excited yourself, aren't you? It's fine, I understand." The man smiled again, friendly, open and…compassionately. "Relax and enjoy. Since this is your first time, I'll be extra gentle…" He whispered into her right ear, blowing hot breaths into it before giving her earlobe a quick lick. Maki shuddered disgustedly at the spine-chilling sensation and closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to witness how things were to advance from now.

No…I can't just can't…Someone…Anyone…Help me…!

Slam! Thud!

And all of a sudden, the man above her heaved a soft grunt. His pupils widened in shock, his body started to wobble unbalanced on top of Maki. Surprised, the princess snapped her teary eyes open, just in time to see her would-be-rapist falling onto the ground beside her. With the man's gray irises rolled to the back of his head, he was clearly knocked out, with his drool sticking sickeningly at the corner of his mouth.

Maki's heart skipped a beat at the scene. She trembled, the pain in her shoulder had finally settled to a constant throbbing, as opposed to the earlier numb tingling. The princess was now freed of the sadistic man's clutches temporarily, but exactly who on earth had saved her?

Maki darted her eyes to the side, and saw an overturned wooden chair lying on the floor. The tip of one of its legs was also almost snapped, forming a sharp wooden splinter that dangled dangerously within the tense atmosphere. Did her rescuer use this to knock the man unconscious? It seemed to be a possibility.

The young princess then looked up, seeing the face of her rescuer. The person was far younger than she'd anticipated, but that didn't matter now. The two of them were silent as the clock ticked restlessly behind them, indicating how little time they possessed before the man would wake up.

Tired, but determined crimson red eyes gazed directly into her lilac ones as the girl reached a hand –possibly smaller than Maki's– towards her. The words that flew out of her mouth then did not hold the slightest hint of hesitation.

"Come on, we have to escape from this castle now!"

It would be a lie if Maki claimed that she wasn't stunned at the sudden twist of events. Up until a few minutes ago, the princess had felt as if her entire world was on the verge of collapsing all around her, and she would be ensnared in the evil clutches of her would-be-fiancé. The strong wind picked up its pace as she ended her recollections. She shivered a bit and hugged the cloak around her tighter.

One would say it was an unpleasant feeling, with the icy cold wind prickling your bare skin. However, she instead felt relief upon feeling the chilly wind course through her face, body and hair locks. The sensation itself served as a reminder to the young princess' escape and survival. She was finally freed.

And the person, who released Maki from her 16 years of imprisoned life in the castle, was just sitting opposite her. The girl who she guessed was younger than her seemed normal enough. She also wore a plain white hamaka with the long sleeves dangling at her sides. Servants who worked and lived within the castle's limits were required to wear the white robe with a bottom resembling a kimono. From outward appearances the girl looked normal, as expected of a commoner, and Maki was thankful for that. However, something about the girl still bothered her…

It was then the princess allowed her eyes to settle back on the girl's face. She felt her cheeks heat up as she noticed the girl looking straight at her. Her previous bleak and grave facial expression had faded, replaced by a slightly irritated and confused frown.

Nico's frown inched deeper as lilac eyes darted away. Did the princess just look at her? Another brief glance of the girl's flushed face was what confirmed her suspicion. The girl reluctantly averted her crimson gaze down to her white hamaka and started to wonder if something was amiss.

"…You. Why did you save me?"

The princess's smooth, commanding voice held no emotion within them. The flush on her cheeks had disappeared, fading as fast as it'd appeared. Another strong gust of wind swiped through between the two, while sparks of the crackling fire danced across Maki's unblinking, lavender eyes.

Nico resisted a small shiver, from a source other than the chilly weather that they were enveloped in. How on earth was she supposed to answer? The unexpected question Maki had demanded to know left Nico in a speechless void. Her once clear mind had become faint and muddled, with every incident happened thus far taking quite a big toll on her brain.

Still, she managed to brace herself under the princess' sharp, penetrating gaze. The question itself was simple, obvious even. And it was as clear as day to Nico that she only had one sole answer to it.

"How could I just look away when yo- …Nishikino-s-sama is in trouble?" The words rolled awkwardly off Nico's tongue, as she silently cursed herself for almost expressing her disrespect and ignorance to the princess.

It was a traditional custom for commoners not born of nobility or high-ranking to respect and abide the royal family, portraying them as esteemed people by adding the words '-sama' or '-dono' behind names. Nico in return, however, could not care less about that. She worked as a lowly servant in the castle and catching the briefest glimpse of a royal family member strolling by was considered when pigs fly.

But fate works in a way nobody expects. Not once in her whole lifetime, did Nico ever think that she'd be out here in the wilderness, having a campfire with the rumored princess who was the topic of every servant's conversations in the castle.

Nishikino Maki was not someone able to be seen by everyone's eyes. According to the rumors she heard before, the very little number of servants who ever laid eyes on the princess herself was rendered speechless by her beauty. Maki-hime's flowing hair locks were the color of fiery passion, signifying her fervor for the peculiar western musical instrument, a so-called piano.

It was said to be brought from the western parts of the world to Japan with the utmost amount of gold coins the warlord himself would give. Rumors also had it when the princess played the grand instrument with her skillful fingers, the pair of amethyst eyes which usually showed no emotion would soften up, thus melting and captivating whoever witnessed her performance even once.

However, the princess was now far from how the servants portrayed her in their feverish descriptions. Aside from her stone-carved face that held no emotion, the light green cloak draped around her was badly torn in a few places here and there. A small section of cloth was also stained dark with her overflowing blood that oozed out from the wound.

Though luckily, the bleeding had stopped moments ago, a fact that was supported by the princess' deathly pale face regaining their previous healthy color. If it was possible, Nico would also like to apply some medicine on the gash in hopes of it healing quicker, but she possessed nothing of that sort in her assets.

There was always another option of going around the forest to find some medical herbs, but seeing as it was night time right now, she regretfully decided that it was a risky and dumb action. She'd be long eaten by the ferocious beasts dwelling in the depths of this forest before even finding a sprout.

Maki stayed silent after hearing Nico's answer, her sharp gaze flickering towards the girl every now and then, as if wondering such words were true or not. She couldn't understand the meaning behind her rescuer's brave actions. This girl just seemed so…frail and weak. Maki herself was even surprised at how someone like her would dare to barge into her room, not to mention knocking the son of another warlord out cold. No matter how you look at it, no normal person would have the courage to go between two nobles, let alone hurting one.

If the princess had to say, it was whether the girl possessed real courage or she was just simply too dimwitted to think about the consequences.

"…Anyhow, Nishikino…sama. Is your shoulder any better?" Nico asked, awkwardly shifting her sitting posture under the tense atmosphere. She was also shivering a bit, wearing nothing but the thin piece of white hakama that seemed to barely fit her size. The clothing itself was also torn while a small bloody scar slashed across her right cheek, appearing quite noticeable amidst the pale skin. It was probably initiated from going through the waves of sizzling arrows that were aimed at them when they made their escape.

The princess frowned slightly at the sight before her. A feeling of sympathy then started to rise within Maki, as she reluctantly felt her heart throb with an unfamiliar twinge of aching pain. 'Well...She is the person who saved me from that horrible man. Not to mention helping me to escape and bandaging my injuries. This is possibly as much as I can do...'

It was a strange feeling, and yet she could state no reasons to deny them. The princess felt as if she had been put under a magical spell, although her mind was as clear as the starry night sky above them. The feeling was itself indescribable.

"Come here."

Thankfully, Maki's tone had not been as stupidly shy and vulnerable as she feared it would be. The beating of her heart started to double while the princess tried to veil her embarrassment by forcefully keeping on a straight face.

Nico, who had been grinning sheepishly and awkwardly until now, looked up at her in utter surprise. "Huh?"

The current blank expression on her face only prompted Maki to flush even hotter. Quietly, she inhaled a soft breath before huffing, impatiently enunciating as if she was talking to a small child.

"I said, come here. It's pathetic to see you shivering and shifting around like that." She quickly added the last sentence, and her expectations were met as the other girl's scowl widened, more in annoyance rather than suspicion.

Nico rolled her eyes, but said nothing in response to the princess' offensive words. She was simply too exhausted to come up with a decent retort. And as if it was mocking Nico for her fragile health, another strong flurry of biting wind blew through them. The eerie bushes and towering trees rustled, releasing the wayward, yellowish leaves to soar wherever they pleased.

"I'm fine this way – a, achoo!"

The princess watched her with a slender brow raised. How could anyone be so ignorant of their own body conditions and health? Maki's father was a man who valued health over wealth. As how he would always tell his daughter, health is wealth. Not to mention getting sick for this period of time would be deadly for them.

"Keep the stubborn composure up and you'll regret it soon." She stated nonchalantly. Her casual tone then took on a more solemn timbre as the princess gestured to the cloak wrapped around her injured, worn-out body. "We are now in a situation much more dangerous as you think."

"The man who you knocked out earlier this afternoon had infiltrated the castle. His target was me, and this kingdom." Maki paused and looked down, her shining eyes flashing a hint of emotion that Nico could not describe in words. It was only a brief moment before the princess lifted her head up again, her face determined, though grave.

"That man would be claiming this land for his own. In order to achieve that goal of his, he'd have to capture and silence me, who knows the naked truth. That being said, there's a high possibility of soldiers being sent out to capture me. It's unfortunate, but you have already been caught up in this as well."

A heavy silence hung above the two girls. Slowly, Nico raised a blank, terrified stare up to Maki-hime's face. The oppressive silence continued as they stared at each other. Suddenly, the black-haired girl began to laugh.

"Oh, Nishikino-s-sama! I didn't know you were such a kidder! You actually had poor Nico frightened for a second there!"

She continued to laugh and ramble on, the sounds becoming gradually forced as she saw the princess looking at her solemnly. Maki's face remained grave and tensed as if she was a surgeon who had failed an important operation, while her passive expression literally spelled out the words 'This is reality. Accept it.'

"...That's…" Nico's ashen face paled even further, if it was possible. She gulped hard, feeling a cold sweat breaking out on her forehead. Her mother and three siblings then flashed across her eyes, their poor, but full of happiness and love daily life reflecting. She could even hear her family's laughter ringing vividly in her ears.

However, it didn't last long. The smiling faces they had on quickly dissolved into horrified, distorted expressions as the cheery laughter turned to shrill shrieks. Blood splashing around, the disturbing red liquid staining her line of sight. And the small house which she lived in for almost 15 years, before going out to make a living was burned down by the hostile soldiers…

"Will…" She swallowed, the insides of her throat dry and hurting. "Will they…come after my family too?"

Maki-hime did not immediately respond. Instead, she lowered her gaze down to the burning fire and pondered carefully over the question asked.

The castle kept records of servants working there for identification and recognition, including their age and hometowns of sort, however, when she considered the slaughter and blood-bath which happened in the castle grounds when soldiers infiltrated, there was no possible way they could identify the dead bodies one by one.

'…No, the soldiers who chased after us this afternoon saw and recognized my face. They must have seen the other girl's too.' The princess instantly felt a dreadful headache coming over to her as she cursed at the realization. The two of them would not have been able to make it out alive, if it wasn't for that person…

"How far is your home town located from here?" Maki asked gingerly. She could clearly tell how the girl cherished and loved her family, judging from her previous reactions. Nico even thought of her family's safety over her own in the first place, which the princess found, somehow ironic. Wasn't she herself in the most hazardous situation?

Nico blinked twice in acknowledgement of what she just asked and stayed silent, for unknown reasons which the princess herself could also not explain. It was seconds after when a soft, awkward whisper touched the open air.

"My hometown's a small village in the west from here. It should at least take …one to two weeks or so to arrive."

"I see. It's actually quite far away." Maki averted her gaze to the side before speaking out. "Then you do not need to worry about your family for the time being. Rather, what I think you should stress over right now is our current condition." And as if emphasizing her words, her right shoulder throbbed, making the princess wince slightly while she placed a hand on it.

Nico raised a brow before standing up. Quietly and swiftly, the older girl made her way to the princess' front and kneeled down, intentionally ignoring her alarmed stutter of 'W-What?'

"Let me see your shoulder." The words came out as a command, soaked with a tint of authority which the red-headed princess could not deny.

"E-Eh? No, I'm fine…" Maki's voice trailed off at the end, only to raise a few more octaves as she realized something amiss. "W-Wait, why are you telling me what to do? And could you not just stand?! This…this position is…"

Even if she was usually calm and nonchalant about almost everything, there're still some things which a sixteen year old teenager girl could not stand or bear. Especially for Maki, who had been restricted in all of her life up until now. Aside from the few trusted servants and generals her parents both confided in, she barely interacted with much outsiders.

Numbness spread throughout her reddened cheeks at the sight of Nico's petite frame crouching before her. And against her wills the other girl's small hand traveled up to touch her injured shoulder that was covered presently. Although the caress was soft and careful itself, Maki couldn't help but flinch. But definitely not from pain.

"Does it hurt?" The person before her asked. Blushing profusely, Maki shook her head in reply and felt her body temperature heating up a few degrees, at how…soft and gentle Nico's tone was. It reminded the princess of her mother. Her heart dropped at the thought.

Nico looked up upon the lack of reply, but soon paused when she saw Maki's reddened cheeks. This stubborn and somehow prideful composure…struck a chord inside of her core. The princess' current look was very much alike to one of her younger twin sisters', Kokoa.

She was the energetic type and tended to hurt herself frequently whenever she played. Nico would always tend her wounds back at their home, the flustered, pouty facial expression Kokoa had was one memory she could never forget. Seeing the cute pout made her more protective of her siblings each time, even going as far as nagging them for every little single thing.

And somehow, this vulnerable princess resembled her two siblings greatly.

"…"

A sudden rush of tender sensations then coursed through her, every fiber of her being overflowing with warmth and unspeakable gentleness. Just now…Did she just have the sudden urge to pat the princess' head and protect her, as how she'd constantly feel around her three siblings? Perplexed, Nico furrowed her brows and shook her head. There was hardly any time for any of these emotional things right now.

So, in an attempt to shake off the fuzzy feeling inside her chest, she spoke up once again.

"This has been bothering me for a while now, but who was that girl that saved us? She seems to know you; I heard her calling your name back then." Though her words were directed at Maki, the girl's eyes instead were focused on her injured shoulder. The bleeding seemed to have fully stopped, but the wound was still in need of medicine… "And I'm sure the our lord will get a search party to look for you when the fuss is over, so what should we do now?"

An uncomfortable pause. There was an oppressive, strangely tensed silence hanging above the girls as the rustling and hooting of creatures around them increased. Nico noted the atmosphere's eccentric change and glanced up, finding the princess' face paling as she chewed on her lower lip.

No sounds were present between the two of them afterwards, except for the occasional rustling of trees and bushes, complemented with the eerie hoots and cries of night creatures dwelling in the forest. Nico frowned. Did she just say something wrong?

After what seemed an eternity, Maki eventually looked up, causing her heart to skip a beat.

The princess' face had paled into a whitish chalk color; her lips quivering like a candle in the wind. The flush that adorned her cheeks were alluring and gave off a vulnerable, weak feeling to the girl. Her whole body trembled, most notably her two hands as they were shaking the most. Nishikino Maki looked about to cry, but was clearly suppressing the emotional feelings that threatened to overcome her.

"…The one who saved us this afternoon… is my friend Rin." She took a short inhalation before continuing on, her soft voice trembling all the same. "She's also my…protector of sort. And, it's impossible to rely on my p-parents for help." Maki's voice choked slightly at the end of her sentence. "The man who you knocked out…h-he k-killed them…my mother...right in front of me…"

"Eh?" A blank expression immediately spread across Nico's face, her mind barely registering the information given. The lord and his wife were murdered? This was just…impossible. However, another glance at the trembling girl was what confirmed her doubts.

For a moment, she didn't know what to say. And that there was nothing she could say, judging from personal experience. All she could do was to keep quiet and gaze silently at Maki, whose eyes were hidden behind her auburn locks.

"I am very sorry to say this, but ma'am, your husband had lost his life in the previous battle they were fighting."

The fire, for a brief time, seemed to be chilling despite the heat it was radiating. The well-bulked soldier's lips moved as he was telling the dreaded truth, his tonic voice draining itself in ten-year old Nico's ears. Caught in a state of complete disbelief, her wobbling legs almost buckled under her own weight as she watched her mother drop the basket of fruits she was carrying to kneel on the floor, her eyes wide and lifeless while tears started to prickle at the corners.

"…Onee-sama? What's wrong?"

Stunned, Nico quickly snapped her head back and saw Kokoro's sleepy, though worried face through the small door opening. The little girl was rubbing her half-lidded eyes as she asked this, possibly disturbed from her sleep by the slight commotion outside.

"Nothing, Kokoro, nothing's wrong." Hastily, Nico turned around and smiled, finding her lips twitching as she forcefully kept up her fake grin. In a swift motion, she pushed Kokoro gently into the room they shared and closed the door firmly. The last thing she wanted was to let her two siblings witness the scene she saw just now.

"…Onee-sama…?" Kokoro whispered confusingly. Her adorable face was already scrunched up in concern, an expression which the young girl rarely made. Gulping, Nico's heart pulsed in guilt and panic, prompting her to avert her eyes to a peacefully sleeping Kokoa, who had her arms thrown out on the futon ungracefully.

She could not resist the small, genuine smile washing over her at the sight, despite her heavy headache and racing pulse, the thunderous beating ringing continuously in her ears. Slowly, Nico walked past Kokoro and stopped in front of her other sleeping sibling. She carefully untangled the sheets wrapping around her small frame and pulled the covers up.

After making sure Kokoa was fully covered, Nico turned around to soothe wrinkled futon where Kokoro sleeps, located just beside her twin sister. While she ran her hand across the smooth fabric of the blanket, the older girl felt herself calming down, whether it was merely her imagination or not.

"Onee-sama…"

"Everything's fine. Now, be a good girl and go to sleep, Kokoro."

The little girl opened her mouth to protest, but soon paused as she noticed the smile Nico was giving her. The smile itself was not natural, seemingly forced…strained even. And mixed within the usual sweet voice contained hints of weariness, slight plea and unshakeable authority.

"…Yes."

And as Nico gave Kokoro's head one last pat before facing the other way silently, all the young child could do was to stand there, wondering why did her usually cheerful, beloved sister had tears streaming down her cheeks.

Nico instantly felt a pang of sympathy and relation smack her at the recollection, her heart oddly throbbing as she stood up slowly, mind in a daze. The black-haired girl felt she'd been trapped in a vortex of swirling emotions, wanting nothing more than to comfort and reassure the young princess before her.

The insides of her throat hurt as she swallowed, wondering if such actions were tolerable. However, it was also unbearable to see the princess in a despairing state, who lost her parents, home and possibly a friend in one day. Nico knew the feelings of losing a loved one and would surely not experience it ever again.

Without much of a thought or consideration, she reached out for the trembling princess' shoulders, wrapping her arms around them gingerly. The movement had been as gentle as a feather-stroke in prevention of straining her shoulder. In her hold, Nico could clearly feel the person herself stiffening, her body going rigid as if this was the first time she'd ever came in physical contract with another human being.

"It's okay to cry, you know."

She couldn't see the princess's current expression, but her entire body had began to still at the simplistic words.

"...What?"

"You know what I mean." Nico replied gingerly. Strands of ticklish red hair brushed through her two arms while a floral-scented fragrance enveloped the two girls. They remained in the position for much longer than how the older girl anticipated at first, as a part of her thought she would be pushed away the second she landed a fingertip on the princess.

"I...No..." Maki began to lash out, her choking voice raising an octave higher and higher each time she screamed. "No! I don't get your meaning! I don't - I don't...!" While the princess' rant continued on, she had pushed Nico off of her roughly and started to cry. Maki buried her face into her hands and sobbed furiously, as recollections of what had happened this dreaded afternoon came rushing back into her mind.

"M-Mother...? What happened, you are covered in blood..."

"Run, Maki! Your father... h-he's been killed by that good for nothing man...! AAH!"

"...! Mother...!"

Thud! Slam!

The older woman's limp body fell onto the floor dramatically, like a puppet without its strings. Blood splattered all over the hallway, a crimson so dark that it soon spread to cover far too much of her mother's side. The wound was indistinguishable. Maki couldn't tell it was a cut or a deep gash.

Baffled at the sudden turn of events, she could barely make a sound when she finally wheezed a raspy gasp at the sight of a man grinning sinisterly before her. He held a bloodied sword, while patches of dried blood coated his cheek, hands and clothes.

"I don't get your meaning at all! I...I don't...!" Fiery red locks swayed back and forth, her arms lashing out wildly, which Nico caught them by her wrists. She was caught off-guard by the princess' sudden outburst, but half expected it. For a girl as young as sixteen years old, it'd be normal and understandable for her to break down after witnessing her parents' death. Even if Maki acted unruffled about it at first, she was surely trying her hardest not to remind herself and recall their final moments.

"It's you who doesn't understand anything! You don't you don't-" Nico watched as fresh sets of crystal-clear water streamed down Maki's face. She tried to shun them away from staining her pride, but her tears increased just as fast as she'd wiped them away.

Nico let go of the young girl's wrists and embraced her once again. This time she made no effort to struggle or squirm out of her hold, instead gripping the back of her clothing tightly while the princess sobbed gently on her shoulder.

'She's still a kid at heart, after all.' The black-haired girl smiled weakly, her expression turning into a soft one as she felt her right shoulder turning into a soaking mess. 'Well, it can't but helped. Nico is older after all.' Nico thought absentmindedly. She placed the tip of her chin on the princess' head, smiling faintly. Embracing Maki like this reminded Nico of how she used to hug her three adorable siblings, and at the exact moment, she felt as if Maki was her little sister.

Not the princess of this kingdom, the daughter of the mighty warlord, but Nishikino Maki. It was as easy as that.

A part of her then reminded Nico things weren't so simple as she thought, but she chose to ignore it.

Under the orbiting, distant moon. Within the watchful, silent sentinel of groves. Two lone people were locked in a comforting embrace. Bestowed upon them was the dim glow of the eerie, blood-red harvest moon of autumn.

- End of Chapter 1-The Curtains Arise -

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