Chapter 23 – Crying Princess ③
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“Mother, it’s me. Yukishiro.”
“Enter.”
Just like yesterday, Yukishiro went inside her mother’s room and stopped in front of the chair prepared for her.
“Sit down.”
“Okay.”
And just like yesterday, Saori immediately got to the point as soon as Yukishiro sat down opposite her.
“It was acknowledged for you to become the family head of the Minatos as Yuuta-sama’s second wife during today’s conference. As such, it has become unnecessary for you to go to the Yoshiwaras any longer.”
“…I’m still the next family head of the Minatos. You’re the current family head, Mother.”
“Just as I mentioned during the conference, you are to immediately take over the family’s headship once you’re married to Yuuta-sama.”
“Mother, please wait a moment. As Kayane-san rightfully said, there should be no reason to hurry. Please find it in yourself to reconsider this.”
“I already told you today, but I do intend to help with your duties as family head until you give birth to a child and the child-raising stabilizes.”
As Yukishiro expected, her mother seemed to have no intention of changing her mind on this. But, at present, Yukishiro simply had no time to humor Saori’s excessive stubbornness. Now that the issue with Yuuta remained unresolved, she couldn’t afford to plan things on the premise that she’d soon succeed the family’s headship.
“Mother…please keep what I’m about to tell you absolutely secret.”
“…What is it?”
“Right now…there is a problem with Yuuta-sama.”
“What problem?”
Even Saori couldn’t help but feel uneasy about Yukishiro’s confession after they came this far. Even though the idea that it might be a second Takuya crossed her mind for an instant, she immediately realized that this would have been weird. After all, it’d be unthinkable for Yukishiro to stick with Yuuta in such a case.
“Yuuta-sama…lost consciousness and collapsed…at the end of July.”
“Wh-…”
“Ever since then…he hasn’t woken up.”
“D-Don’t tell me he’s…!?”
“No, no, he’s alive! There’s no problem with his physical health. All the doctors who examined him confirmed this as well.”
“So his body is fine? In that case, why does he remain unconscious?”
“That’s…I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
It was only understandable for Saori to be unable to make head or tail of this explanation. But, Yukishiro couldn’t offer her anything better since she really didn’t know why Yuuta wasn’t waking up.
“Right now…they’re frantically searching for the cause of it. It’s also scheduled to very soon carry out a plan…that might be able to pull Yuuta-sama’s consciousness back.”
“What plan is that?”
“I cannot tell you the details…”
Tears started to spill out of Yukishiro’s eyes. After all, this plan was about having Yuuta meet Suzune, the person who assaulted him sexually in the past. If possible at all, she didn’t want that to happen at all. But at this point, their options had dwindled down to very few. If Yuuta were not wake up from this method, they’d have no other choice but to pick a far worse method. Just thinking about this triggered tears to spill endlessly from Yukishiro’s eyes.
As if a dam had broken in her, Yukishiro talked to her mother about all the events leading up to the present. About her despair when she was told that she’d marry some unknown man during last year’s Holy Night Festival, and how she was saved by Yuuta on the day of New Year’s Eve. She also explained how she had pulled through the last eight months thanks to the support of Aoi, Yuuta, and the others. How she finally received Yuuta’s love and how she’d never in her life forget the dear emotions when she became one with Yuuta. And how that very beloved person wouldn’t wake up now.
Like a little kid who was telling its mother about its day, Yukishiro was crying bitterly while telling Saori everything.
“If Yuuta-sama doesn’t…wake up in the worst case…I plan to wait at his side until I die.”
“……”
“If Yuuta-sama…*sob*…dies…I-I won’t b-be able to l-live on.”
“……”
“If Iori-san…if Iori-san doesn’t work…at that time, p-please stay the family head as the guardian of Iori-san’s child.”
“…Really.”
“Eh?”
“You really fell in love with Yuuta-sama, didn’t you, Yukishiro-san?”
“…Yes. I’m deeply in love with him. It’d be difficult to express this feeling with any other word than love. I comprehend and feel it in my heart; this is love.”
“I see…”
“Yuuta-sama has kindly accepted the affections of a silly girl like me. And he gave me his love.”
“……”
“Thanks to you, Mother, I’m now able to come back to the Minatos. But, please allow me to be at Yuuta-sama’s side…for now. Please allow Yuuta-sama to visit this residence and meet you once he has woken up…whenever that might be.”
Hearing her daughter’s tear-soaked words, tears started to spill out of Saori’s eyes as well. Yukishiro was shocked as she had never expected to see her mother cry.
“Ah…Yukishiro-san. That is…impossible.”
“Impossible? W-Why!? Yuuta-sama doesn’t hate you or anything like that, Mother!”
“You’re misunderstanding…I…I…I’m not worthy as a mother to stand in front of Yuuta-sama.”
“W-What are you talking about…? It’s a matter of course that you’d educate me strictly! I’m thankful for that! Yuuta-sama too.”
“You’re wrong, that’s not it! Aah….aaahhh!!”
Saori was wailing in a way no one had ever heard. She shouted and screamed loudly without holding back her voice so that it was likely audible outside the room as well. Seeing her mother lose control for the first time in her life, Yukishiro stood up, walked over to Saori, and hugged her mother’s trembling body.
“Mother! Mother! Please calm down.”
“Ahh! Ahhh! Why…why!?” Saori lamented while in her daughter’s embrace.
Burdened by a sadness understood by no one. Burdened by a cursed suffering no one was allowed to know about.
Gasping hard, she said, “……..Yukishiro-san.”
“Yes?”
Neither of them knew how long Saori had continued to cry, but by now all power had escaped from her body.
“Go back to Yuuta-sama’s side. Stay by the sides of the man…who gave you his love.”
“…Okay.”
“Haah, haah…it’s fine now. Please…wait a bit.”
Saori stood up and entered her bedroom in the back. As Yukishiro stood there waiting, Saori soon came back. In her hand, she was holding a paulownia box.
“Take this…with you.”
“This is?”
When Yukishiro took the box from Saori, she could feel that it was fairly heavy.
“Is it fine for me to open it?”
“…Yes.”
Yukishiro tried to open the box. Inside she found…a marvelous dagger.
“This is…! A dagger…”
“I wasn’t able…to give it to him.”
“Eh?”
“I had a smith…polish it every year. It’s of verified quality.”
Once Yukishiro drew the dagger out of its scabbard, the light of the room was reflected by its flawless blade.
“Mother…”
“Prepare a dagger for Yuuta-sama yourself. This one…I’d be happy if you could carry it with you while thinking of it as a charm. From me who is completely unqualified as a mother…”
“Please don’t say that you’re unqualified. You’re my one and only, beloved mother! I understand that it was necessary for you to educate me strictly! Even that forced engagement…you did it because I had to have a husband! I’m nothing more than a fool who ran away without being able to bear the responsibility as the next family head! In the end, I managed to receive Yuuta-sama’s love, but…”
Yukishiro and Saori; both weren’t members of a normal high family. The responsibilities they had to shoulder as members of an Eternal family were all too heavy. Even though there were times when she had to put up with pain and bitterness, Yukishiro never resented her mother for what Saori put her through. Although Saori’s heart had been broken for a long time, she did her utmost to serve as the family head of the Minatos and as a mother who tried to guide her daughter. As such, Yukishiro cherished and loved her mother.
“Mother…please…please give Yuuta-sama and me your blessing as my mother. And please stay at our side. As the family head of the Minatos.”
“Yukishiro-san…”
Despite those words coming out of Yukishiro’s heart…Saori’s face remained twisted by grief and anguish. The more she accepted Yukishiro’s heartfelt words, the stronger the pain and sadness tormenting Saori’s heart raged.
“I will bless you…as…as mother…Yuuta-sama and you, Yukishiro-san.”
“Mother…why do you look so pained? What is it that torments you so much?”
“Don’t mind it. Yukishiro-san…it’s fine now. Everything is over. It cannot be changed any longer.”
“M-Mother…”
“One cannot turn back time. I…I’m…I’m a woman who wasn’t even permitted to give my dagger…my feelings to the one I loved. That is all there is to it.”
Once Yukishiro looked at the clock decorating Saori’s room, she saw that the time for Nanase to pick her up was drawing near.
“Nanase-sama is going to pick you up very soon, right? Get ready in your room and wait there.”
“…Okay.”
“As soon as you learn anything about Yuuta-sama’s condition, contact me…”
“Yes, of course.”
Without waiting for Yukishiro to leave the room, Saori retreated to her bedroom. Yukishor left the room while holding the box with the dagger she got from her mother. Iori and Lilika waited outside the room. They probably had heard Saori’s wailing. Yukishiro calmly smiled at Iori who looked pretty shaken.
“Please forgive us for making such a ruckus.”
“No, u-umm, what about Mother…?”
“She’s resting in her bedroom.”
Looking back once, Yukishiro stared at Saori’s room. She guessed that her words likely hadn’t reached Saori’s heart.
‘It’s not like they haven’t reached her. But I couldn’t understand Mother’s heart. What is…making Mother suffer so hard? Why was she looking so pained…?
“I will wait in my room until Nanase-sama comes to pick me up.”
“Okay…”
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After Yukishiro left, Saori buried her face in her bed and cried. She had acted like a little crybaby in front of her daughter. It was unbecoming behavior for the family head of the Minatos.
‘Why…why…why…?
There was no one present who could have answered her.
Yukishiro-san is my cherished daughter…Iori-san too. Yes…she’s my daughter…my daughter!
She told this herself, over and over again. So that her broken heart wouldn’t be shattered altogether. Repeatedly affirming that Yukishiro was her daughter and that she cherished her.
It hurts…it hurts…it hurts so much…Ena…Ena…why…why did you leave me behind and passed away…?
Ena alone understood Saori’s pain and suffering. Saori was able to keep herself together because Ena was by her side.
Others won’t do…if it’s not Ena…ahhh…talking to someone…about this suffering…about this pain that makes me want to vanish…
Akari’s mother was trying to support Saori. Saori knew that she was doing it for her daughter’s sake, but even so Saori was happy about it. But, she couldn’t replace Ena. No one could.
Forgive me…forgive me, Yukishiro-san. I…cannot look at you and Yuuta-sama…as mother…my heart wouldn’t be able to endure it…
Watching Yukishiro and Yuuta being affectionate towards each other would be too heartbreaking for Saori. She let Iori and Katsuya do as they liked. Although they were saying they liked each other, Saori’s heart could not calmly bear it because those were the words of two teens who used to be junior high schoolers a year ago. Though she didn’t know how her heart would take it if it was faced with the reality of Iori having had sex with Katsuya.
And back when Yukishiro was interacting with Takuya, she was also able to look at Yukishiro without a problem. Yukishiro had seriously interacted with Takuya, but there was no love to be found there. As a mother, she knew that Yukishiro didn’t love Takuya. For this reason, she could calmly watch over them and also meet with Takuya.
But Yuuta was different. Yukishiro had truly fallen in love with Yuuta, and Yuuta had answered those feelings with love and kindness. When Saori understood that, she…
“Uuhh…uuhh…aaaaaahhhh!!”
If she didn’t cry out her own grief, she wouldn’t be able to protect her heart from breaking because of the curse gnawing at her.
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