Chapter 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 3

THIRTY minutes of walking through the massive castle brought them in front of a grand chamber entrance with heavily armored guards on each side and unfamiliar flags hanging above them. The flag was designed around the same flaming red dragon that loomed on Luca’s armor and cloak.

Perplexed by the constantly changing scenery, Yuki restlessly glanced around for something to ground her when the hand leading her gave a little squeeze. She looked up at the comforting smile Luca directed at her as he leaned over to whisper in her ear.

“If you value your life, don’t say a word. Keep quiet,” Luca said, cool-headed.

Yuki raised an eyebrow. That’s not something you should say with a smile. At any rate, I don’t know what’s going to happen to me.

She nodded with a serious expression. Satisfied by her response, Luca faced forward.

As though he were waiting for Luca to finish, a well-groomed soldier announced, “Enter.”

The imposing door like none she had seen before opened silently on oiled hinges.

***

INSIDE the massive throne room was an air of sacred authority. Shaking off her discomfort, Yuki spotted another handsome man with black hair and eyes opulently seated on a throne. He looked like he was in his late twenties and entirely indifferent to the world around him.

Luca dropped to one knee and bowed his head. Yuki followed suit, and bowed her head. The man with black hair gazed at Yuki from where he sat with an air of absolute authority.

“This is the girl?”

Thinking he was referring to her, Yuki looked up and was met by a derisive smile. His lips were smiling, but his glare was piercing. His gaze was so unpleasant Yuki defiantly stared back at him.

“Yes, I found her covered in blood wandering in a daze through one of the battlefields I happened across. Thus, I took her under my care.”

Huh? Battlefield? Covered in blood?

Confused by the explanation of events she didn’t remember being involved in, Yuki reminded herself of what Luca warned her earlier and stared back at the man’s cruel gaze without saying anything.

“Heh. I heard a slightly different take on her story though. I heard the girl came out of the spring. Hence why she was soaked.”

“She was soaked because she was so terribly covered in blood I had her purified in the spring. Her clothing was bloodstained, so I disposed of it. I could not allow a person so dirtied to stand in your presence.”

“I see… Sounds like you had a rough time.” The words of pity that should have been for comforting Yuki sounded hallow. The black haired man, Orga, idly grasped at the air. “…Ah, right, right. I forgot. Luca, about your next assignment…”

Luca jerked beside her.

“I was thinking about having you go to Fol. You’re about the only person who could get things under control there. You’ll go there for me, won’t you?”

“…Yes,” Luca complied.

“I’ll prepare the troops so they will be ready for your departure tomorrow morning.”

“I am greatly obliged by…your high favor of me.”

“Oh, right,” Orga continued with an even colder gaze, his previous stoicism all but consumed in disgust, “I will do more than just take good care of your cute little guest. She’s one of Rvydom’s lost children. I’ll make sure she’s treated appropriately.”

“Brother! That is—”

“Luca. Should you be devoting yourself to a child?”

“…No.” Luca’s head was still bowed, but Yuki saw the terribly frightening expression on his face.

“All right, then. My business with you is over. My next audience is waiting. Leave.”

“…Please…excuse us.” Luca swiped his cloak behind him and gallantly left the room. Yuki dashed to keep up with him. She looked over her shoulder for a mere moment, but it was enough to see eyes filled with hatred staring at her.

***

“THAT sadistic scoundrel…” Luca’s face contorted before the door shut behind him. However, when he glanced at Yuki worriedly peering up at him, his expression did a 180 into a mischievous smirk. “Ryvdom’s lost child…huh?”

“Prince Luca!” The young man with indigo hair appeared from another doorway.

“Ah, Ain, sorry for making you worry,” Luca said.

“You should be. My stomach was turning on the other side of the curtain.”

“From just that?” Luca laughed.

The two of them turned their attention on Yuki.

“Now then…why don’t we ask this young lady what really happened. What’s the state of her guest room?”

“I already had it prepared.”

“I see,” Luca nodded, turning to Yuki with a sullen expression, “I won’t do anything bad to you. I can promise you that much.”

Yuki felt she could trust this expression more than any fake smile.

***

YUKI was led back to the room where the servants dressed her. Several servants were already in the room that smelled of black tea. She sat on the comfortable sofa, when one of the servants gave her a cup of tea and the rest immediately cleared the room. Luca sat in the sofa facing hers, and the young man with indigo hair—Ain—stood behind him.

“Now then, as I said earlier, I have no plans to do anything to you. As long as there aren’t any problems, I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

Yuki nodded.

“So why exactly were you drowning in the spring? I was there the whole time, you know?”

“Prince Luca,” Ain quietly admonished.

Luca responded with a dry smile. “That spring isn’t connected to any other water sources, even underground. Meaning you shouldn’t be able to drown there unless you step in from the surrounding shore. But I didn’t see you go in the water. Can you explain why?”

“I don’t know why.”

Ain and Luca’s expressions clouded.

“I’m sorry. But I really don’t know. When I came to, I was drowning in the spring.”

“…What did you say the name of your country was?”

“Japan. I live in a city known as Tokyo,” Yuki answered, thoroughly depressed. She knew she was somewhere incredibly far from home.

I’m sure this is the world Papa came from.

“I said this earlier too, but I don’t know of any such country. I don’t remember hearing of a city by that name either.”

He wouldn’t know it if this isn’t Earth.

“Also, I want to ask you if everyone in this Japan of yours has the same eyes?”

“What? Eyes?”

“Yes. Does everyone have violet colored eyes?”

Yuki’s violet eyes—violet eyes that caused people to look at her with a mixture of curiosity, awe, and fear.

“No, they don’t. In my country, everyone has the same black hair and eyes as your rotten older brother. Well, not everyone is as malicious as him though.”

Luca’s expression softened. Yuki was infuriated when she remembered Orga’s attitude. “I mean the way he speaks is repulsive. What was with that whole, ‘You’ll go there for me, won’t you?’ crap? Isn’t he some big shot? If he tells you to do it, you can’t complain. The way he said it is repulsive.”

“Hmph,” Yuki huffed, her rage cooling. “…Only Papa, my father…and I have violet eyes.”

Violet eyes stood out particularly bad in Japan, where more than ninety-nine percent of the population has black eyes, but Yuki knew there weren’t many people with violet eyes on Earth—if any.

“I see…then it’s not a secret country created by the people of Rvydom,” Luca commented.

“Hey, what’s Rvydom?”

Someone sighed. It wasn’t Luca, but Ain who was standing behind him. “This girl does not even know of Rvydom? I’m speechless.”

“Not like I can help it! I don’t know what I don’t know!”

“Rvydom is one of this world’s countries. I’ll explain. Just let me know whether I cover anything you already know,” Luca said, sipping his tea.

“This continent consists of three countries: Rvydom, Maruk, and this country—Adolunde. Get me a map,” Luca said. Ain quickly laid a map on the table. The map showed a continent similar in shape to Australia.

“The western half is Adolunde. The country to the north of the mountain range is Rvydom. To the east of the mountain range is Maruk.”

The three countries were cleanly divided by a titanic mountain range. Rvydom was slightly smaller than the other two, with the mountain range cutting more into its territory.

“The world was at peace while these three countries kept the equilibrium.”

“…While they kept it? It’s not anymore?”

“You’re smart,” Luca smiled. “Rvydom was destroyed—at the hands of a five-year war.”

Ain and Luca’s expressions soured. “Rvydom is now under Maruk’s control.”

“I see…”

Yuki recalled how Kaito told her, “That world might still be dangerous.”

Maybe the war was what he was referring to.

“And now Maruk is waging war with Adolunde. Eight years ago they started the war, and it continued for three years until both countries exhausted their people and resources. They formed a ceasefire pact, which has lasted for five years. The pact has been lifted, dropping this world into the flames of war once again.”

“I…see,” Yuki listened in an absent daze. “I want to go home.”

She gasped the moment she muttered the words. Yuki’s parents pushed her off their condo’s balcony. She was confused and maybe a little angry, but mostly just at a loss for why.

Maybe they hated it after all—perhaps they hated and were ashamed of their daughter who stopped aging since she was ten. Their happiness might have just been a pretense. They might have been suffering without letting her see. And maybe they were so distraught after eight years their only option was to push her to her death.

“Haha,” she laughed dryly. “…I guess I don’t have a home to return to.”

“Yuki.” Startled, Yuki looked at Luca sitting across from her. “You can stay here if you have no home to return to. My Brother said so too.”

“…Is that okay?”

Was it really okay to let someone like Yuki—who they knew nothing about—stay in their castle? Their world was currently at war. A world at war must have far too many problems to spare the time to deal with one girl.

But I don’t want to be under that rotten older brother’s loving care.

“Hey, aren’t you going somewhere tomorrow? Can’t I come with you?”

Luca and Ain appeared dumbfounded by her question.

“To Fol? Fol is a battlefield right now. I can’t take a child to such a place. I’m going there to fight; death is always a companion on the battlefield.”

“A battlefield! You were ordered to go there?”

“I’m a soldier after all. It’s only natural for me to go. I can understand your wariness toward my Brother, but I don’t think he’ll kill you. If you’re still unsatisfied with that, I’ll leave behind someone I trust.”

“You know a lot about your rotten brother, huh? You guys on good terms?”

Ain’s face stiffened and Luca looked like he just got hit by a peashooter, before his expression shifted to a defiant smirk. “Yeah, I’m well-informed on him. Brother wants me—yes, he hates me enough to want to kill me. He’ll readily kill me if I don’t keep my guard up.”

“Kill…”

“You were picked up by me—the man he wants to kill. Well, you best be prepared for what that means.”

I’m being granted a place to live and I’ll likely be given food, even though they don’t know who I am—and my life might be in danger. Have I come to a ridiculous world or what? Yuki thought in blank amazement.