Hidden Secrets

Chapter 14

Very cautiously, Usagi crept back to the door through which she had escaped in the evening. The first windows were already brightly lit, and she hoped to make her way back as unnoticed as she had left the night before. With ease, she popped the lock, only to freeze in the next moment.

Behind the door, she was already expected. Kenji stood there with folded arms, a hardened expression, the vein on his neck pulsating threateningly, and his icy gaze met hers. "Where were you?" he barked harshly, grabbing her wrist roughly to lead her unceremoniously into his office. Usagi barely knew what was happening as the door slammed shut behind them.

"I was just taking a walk. In the clothes I feel comfortable in! Surprise, surprise, I didn't grow up as the heir. After all, I'm the child you didn't want," retorted Usagi defiantly. It was harder than she thought to conceal her rising anger. She desperately wanted to know where her siblings were, but she knew she mustn't show anything.

Kenji's eyes flashed with anger. "If you're away all night, with no one knowing where you are, and we can't trace you, then yes! It's not allowed, and especially not in these clothes! Heaven, you look like a burglar and not like the heir to a great empire. So, once again, where were you?" thundered Kenji.

"I was taking a stroll. In clothes that make me feel comfortable! Because surprise, surprise, I didn't grow up as the heir. After all, I'm the child you didn't want," retorted Usagi defiantly.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Usagi's left cheek as Kenji struck her with a resounding slap. The blow was painful and humiliating at the same time. Her eyes filled with tears, but she refused to cry in front of her father.

"This is how you'll never speak to me again! Do we understand each other? Otherwise, I'll change my approach. You still live under my roof, and you will damn well show me respect. I've tried the friendly way so far, but if you think you need to test your limits now, I can do otherwise! Just before I reach my goal, you will certainly not thwart my plans. Do we understand each other?!"

Usagi held her aching cheek and continued to struggle hard to hold back her tears. Her father's slap had not only hurt her physically but also deeply humiliated her emotionally. Her father was a dangerous man, she was beginning to understand, and she was just a means to an end for him. She was just a pawn in a game whose rules she didn't know. Slid in because the original heiress had died.

"I will assign you a personal guard now. Once the engagement is over, and you're pregnant, you will have served your purpose, and I don't care what you do in your free time. But as long as these conditions need to be met, you will enjoy special supervision from now on," Kenji declared coldly. He knocked twice on the door, and it opened slowly, revealing a young woman who entered. Then he continued, "This is Makoto. She will never leave your side from now on. Don't dare to take off your tracking devices again. Go freshen up now; the doctor will arrive soon."

"Doctor?" Usagi asked, still feeling as if in a trance. "Yes, the Kous' doctor, to confirm your health and virginity. We talked about it. Tomorrow is the engagement; everything must be confirmed in writing by then," Kenji explained.

Usagi swallowed hard, feeling trapped in a nightmare. Her hands trembled as she nodded, while Makoto opened the door for her. Makoto was approximately Usagi's age but a good deal taller and very slim. She seemed fit and confident. Her long brown hair was tied back into a tight ponytail, but she offered Usagi a friendly smile.

On the way to her room, Makoto followed her like a shadow, and the silence between them was oppressive. Maintaining a professional distance, Makoto finally broke the silence when they reached Usagi's room. "I'll just have a quick look around your room, then you can get ready in peace. If anything happens, I'll be waiting here in the hallway," she stated authoritatively.