Prologue: Secret

Prologue: Secret PROLOGUE Secret

One crisp night in the middle of October, Ayano stirred awake, discomfort tugging at her from the shadows of her slumber.

It’s so…hot…

The moment her eyes snapped open, she realized that her entire body felt like it was on fire, so she irritably flung the comforter off her. The evenings had finally begun to cool down lately, prompting her to pull out a light blanket…but tonight was simply too muggy.

Still feels like summer…

Ayano rolled over, attempting to fall back asleep. However, not even ten seconds went by before she accepted that she wasn’t able to go back to sleep, so she sat up.

I need to pee…

The young maid left her room, taking even more care than usual to move silently, so as not to wake anyone in the house. She walked down the dimly lit hallway, used the bathroom, and was about to return to her room…when a soft sound tickled her ears.

“ … !”

The possibility that she had woken someone instantly erased any lingering signs of drowsiness. It wouldn’t be an issue if this were the sound of another maid or butler like her grandparents, but if, by chance, it was someone from the Suou family whom Ayano served—well, she would have no choice but to get on her knees and ask to be pardoned.

Her heart raced at the terrifying possibility while she clung to the hope that it was just her imagination. With a shaky breath and her steps hesitant, Ayano followed the sound up the stairs. She moved down the dim hallway before turning the corner…only to freeze when she saw where the noise was coming from.

A woman stood before her, her long black hair woven into a neat braid that cascaded down the back of her negligee. It was unmistakably Yumi Suou—the mother of Yuki Suou.

I must beg for forgiveness…!

Ayano instinctively tensed, ready to throw herself to the ground in a desperate plea for forgiveness…but then, a sudden thought stopped her. If Yumi had simply gone to the bathroom and was planning to go right back to sleep, startling her in this state would only make things worse. In fact, perhaps it would be better if she refrained from saying anything tonight and simply apologized tomorrow morning instead.

Yes, that would be the best course of action, Ayano decided…but then, she noticed something was off.

“ … ?”

Even when considering that Yumi had just woken up, her footsteps were unusually unsteady as she walked down the hallway. Plus, she wasn’t even walking in the direction of the bathroom.

Where is she going…?

Unease gnawed at Ayano as she trailed behind Yumi, only to be utterly perplexed when she saw the room Yumi stumbled into.

The piano room? At this time of night?

There was no way that she was going to start playing piano in the middle of the night…which meant that she must have forgotten something in the room. At least, that was what Ayano assumed as she carefully peeked inside, only to find herself even more confused.

Lady Yumi…?

In the moonlit room, Yumi sat in front of the grand piano, but that was it. She hadn’t even opened the fallboard, and her gaze seemed to be fixed somewhere between the keyboard and the music stand… She wasn’t looking at anything at all.

“ … !”

Yumi’s unnatural behavior sent a chill down Ayano’s spine, instinctively prompting her to reach out to wake her up —

“Wait.”

A voice called out from right beside her, making her jump and turn around, at which point she found a large figure looming over her. Her eyes went wide.

“Master—”

But before Ayano could utter another word, Gensei raised his hand, halting her mid-sentence. He then crossed the room toward Yumi, his voice breaking the silence as he called out to his daughter, who remained transfixed by the piano.

“Yumi.”

Yumi didn’t respond to her father’s call, her gaze still fixed on the piano. Gensei, however, said nothing more, his eyes never leaving his daughter as he stood and quietly observed. Moments passed, and then, slowly, Yumi’s eyelids fluttered shut, her body beginning to fall back.

“Ah!” Ayano gasped. She instinctively reached out, but before she could get any closer, Gensei had already caught Yumi’s fragile form in his arms as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Then, to Ayano’s astonishment, the nearly seventy-year-old man somehow effortlessly lifted his daughter’s limp body.

“Allow me—”

“It’s fine.”

Ayano offered her help in a soft voice, but Gensei declined tersely before continuing toward Yumi’s room. A knot of unease twisted in Ayano’s stomach as she trailed behind him, yet Gensei moved with unhurried determination. His steps remained steady until he reached the room, the door still open, and laid his daughter onto her bed. But as he quietly left the room and closed the door, Ayano couldn’t help but ask:

“So…is Lady Yumi … ?” Ayano muttered quietly, trying to avoid being so direct as to say ‘sleepwalking.’

After briefly exhaling, Gensei replied, “She went through a phase like this from time to time after Naotaka passed away as well. I thought she was cured after meeting Kyoutarou, but she started up again a few days ago.”

“A few days ago … ?”

The cause immediately dawned on her, surprising her.

“You should get back to bed, and keep this between us. I don’t want Yuki or even Yumi to know.”

Ayano stood frozen, forgetting even to say goodnight as she watched Gensei disappear into his bedroom one room over.

Was I…

If Yumi’s sleepwalking was caused by psychological stress, then Ayano could only think of one possible instigator.

Was I wrong for taking her…?

It was because she brought Yumi to listen to Masachika’s piano performance at the Autumn Heights Festival. She’d believed that showing Yumi that her son was moving forward would ease the mental strain of her regret, but…

Master Masachika… It appears I have made a grave mistake…

Ayano felt like she was being swallowed by guilt and helplessness. After all, her superficial view of the situation was never going to allow her to save Yumi. It should have been obvious. Even Yuki couldn’t save her…and while Kyoutarou could perhaps soothe Yumi’s heart, there was no way he was going to save her, either. If anyone could save her, it would be…

“…”

Gazing up at the moon in the night sky, Ayano made a wish. She understood that Masachika bore wounds in his heart far deeper than Yumi’s, and that was why she couldn’t put it into words. In her powerlessness and inadequacy, all she could do was pray that her great master would save Yumi…and Yuki.

“Please…”

Ayano turned on her heel with her unspoken wish tucked away in her heart.