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Among The Blue Flowers

I. Engaged

The brush was dabbed again in a bottle filled with a rich ruby red liquid. The liquid was smeared across your lips, the hand that held your chin raised it higher to reach the corners. A cloth helped to wipe the edges of your lips to rid of the liquid in unwanted areas.

“Beautiful.” You heard the woman say before releasing your chin. A smile grew on her face as she looked at you. You taut your lips a bit as you grew uncomfortable under her stare but it was short lived when she quickly collected her things and went to join the other servants in preparation. You sat there watching them scurry away to do their jobs, making sure everything was perfect for today.

You found yourself watching a pair of familiar eyes staring back at you. A young woman dressed up elegantly for the occasion, her makeup and hair perfectly done. She looked like a princess with that blue kimono decorated with golden embroideries. Her hair pulled up and held together by a golden jewelry piece. She was stunning. Absolutely stunning.

Except for that frown on her lips.

And that’s when you realized that it was you. That gorgeous woman was your reflection and apparently, a reflection of what you were feeling. You looked at the mirror with all sorts of uncertainties in your heart that showed on your face. You knew in the position you were in, you didn’t have time to dwell on it.

“Just go with the flow.” You remembered his words but it was all easier said than done.

A hand rested on your shoulder and your eyes glanced at the person who appeared besides you in the mirror. A young woman around your age with long pink hair looked at you with a bright expression on her face.

“You look really beautiful.” She complimented you but you couldn’t smile at her words. She noticed this and couldn’t help but give a nervous smile in return. “You’ll be okay.” Her hand moved to rub your back. “It’s not that big of a day. It’s just a small ceremony.”

You knew she said it to make you feel better but it is a big day. It’s a day to make it official. Once she felt like she wasn’t going to get a response from you, she lightly slapped your back. “Well, come on. It’s time.”

With that, you stood up from your chair and turned to face her. A sympathetic smile was shown on her face as she held your shoulders. “You’ll be fine. Believe me. All you have to do is walk in and sit down, okay?”

You nodded and she gave a little pat on your shoulders before leading you out of your room. You followed behind her through the busy hallways filled with frantic servants hurrying along. They all greeted you before continuing with their duties. A few male servants stopped to gape at you before being yelled at to continue working. It was nerve wreaking walking down the hall with so many eyes on you and you knew it was about to get worst. The pink haired woman stopped in front of the sliding double doors before she turned to face you. This time her face filled with confidence.

“You can do it.” She said confidently before she ordered two servant girls to stand by the doors. They position themselves to open them and she began to count down from ten. You took a deep breath to calm your beating heart but it did nothing. You curled your toes in your shoes and took a big gulp of saliva. You clasped your hands together only for the pink haired woman to slap them away from that position. You rested your right hand on top of your left hand and held it over your lower abdomen. You received a pleasing nod from her but it didn’t do anything to get rid of this nervousness. Ten seconds went by and the servants opened the sliding doors only for it to be shut in the next second.

“Wait! Wait! Momoi-san!” A female servant came running down from the hall, a devastated look on her face. Her skin was pale and sweat drenched her face.

Momoi approached her, not looking forward to the news. “What happened?”

“We-We can’t find Ouji-sama!” Momoi’s eyes widen.

“What? Didn’t I tell someone to watch him!?”

“Yes! But Ouji-sama knocked him out and escaped! We can’t find him!” The servant cried in panic and held herself but Momoi was quick to regain her composure.

“I have an idea where he could be. I’ll go find him.” She sighed heavily before turning towards you. “Everything will be alright, trust me!” She then ran off to wherever and you couldn’t help but feel relieved for the moment.

Outside in the gardens, the birds chirped happily, oblivious to the chaos and panic happening within the palace. As well as a man, resting upon one of the tree’s branches high away from the surface of the earth. His hands rested behind his head, his leg crossed his other as he snoozed peacefully under the shade of the tree. This is how he liked it. Undisturbed. Unwatched. Just him snoozing up on a tree with no interruptions.

“Dai-chan! Dai-chan!” He came to understand the meaning of “all good things come to an end,” when a shrill cry sounded out below him. He grumbled something under his breath and sighed. Maybe this is a dream.

“It’s time for the ceremony, Dai-chan! Come down here! You’re holding it up!” As much as he wanted it to be, it wasn’t a dream. That annoying whine can only come from one person.

“Oi, Satsuki. You’re ruining my nap.” He glanced down and found Momoi glaring at him with her hands on her hips.

“This is an important day for the both of you! You can’t just arrive late like you always do!”

“Yeah yeah…” He sighed again, gazing up at the cloudless sky before sitting up. He jumped off the tree and flawlessly, his feet met with the ground. He held a hand over his mouth and released a heavy yawn, tears formed at the corner of his eyes and he wiped them away before meeting with Momoi’s glare.

“Come on. You’re keeping everyone waiting.” She grabbed his wrist and pulled him along.

It wasn’t long for Momoi to return to your side. The news of the prince being found lightened the atmosphere among the servants. The woman who brought the bad news was especially relieved.

But this only heighten your anxiousness as the ceremony resumed. A hand on your back that belonged to Momoi tried to comfort you.

“Hold your head high, back straight, and don’t look anywhere else but forward.” You fixed yourself as she ordered. A sweet smile on her face when she encouraged you once again. You took a deep breath as the servants prepared to open the sliding doors. With a small nod, Momoi left your side. The sun rays slowly entered into the hall through the crack doors. The servants pushed the doors until they stopped, revealing a large courtyard filled with people. Their eyes glued to the opened doors as you stepped out. And as in cue, music gently filled the air.

You followed Momoi’s directions and kept your eyes straight as you slowly made your way down the red carpeted stairs. Your eyes fell upon the missing prince, lazily sitting in a chair besides the king, and muffling a yawn with his hand. Your eyes then moved to look at the king and he had a proud look on his face. His eyes oozing with confidence as he watched you walk down. You then looked at where you would be seated. Right beside the king on his left side, an empty chair was waiting to be filled.

With each step closer, the music grew more intense and louder but it still retained a certain elegance. You continued down the stairs and finally reached the last step.

And then your foot slipped.

You quickly regain your balance but it was all too obvious that you tripped. Mumbles arose from the nobles and royalty amongst the crowds besides you. Displeased whispers and amused giggles sounded all around you. Panic arose in your heart but you didn't allow it to show on your face. You regained your composure and continued to walk down the pathway to your seat. Your eyes flickered to the prince and he was stifling a laugh, clutching his stomach and almost falling over in his seat. Heat suddenly rushed to your cheeks when you saw his reaction. How could he?! You wanted to just rush over there and yell at him but once your eyes rested on his father, you almost stopped in your tracks. That once confident, prideful expression he held was now a look of disappointment. He looked at you with cold eyes that sent shivers down your spine, a look that made you regret your mistake and threatened your very existence.

The king made you increase your pace and in no time, you were sitting in your chair with your knees tightly together. You had to make sure to not make any mistakes for the rest of the ceremony.

After the music players finished their melody, the king stood up from his seat. A powerful presence emitting from him as he grabbed everyone’s attention. He spoke with a booming voice, loud enough to hear him all around the courtyard and maybe even inside the palace.

“I would like to thank each and every one of you for joining us on such an important day in Touou. Today, we make history by officially announcing a joining of two families.” The king paused in his speech before continuing.

“I acknowledge that this ceremony be held to celebrate the engagement of first in line of the throne, Prince Daiki and the daughter of one of the most trusted noblemen in Touou, (f/n) of the (l/n) family. Let us rejoice and look forward to a marvelous joining!”

Loud cheers and applause erupted from the guests. The king had a pleasing smile on his lips at their reaction. Prince Daiki, on the other hand, rested his chin in his hands and watched the cheerful crowd with not much interest.

None of the emotions they were having matched yours. You knew this was your fate five years ago and it was only a matter of time before they officially announced it to the public but it felt surreal. This moment.

You glanced at the prince. It was clear he wasn’t interested in this sort of thing. It almost looked like he was about to fall asleep in his chair. You sighed softly, your lips sinking into a frown.

The crowd’s cheers grew louder to more of the king’s announcements. Their smiles on their faces either genuine or not.

You felt another sigh coming on. Honestly, you weren’t looking forward to this. Not at all.