Sacrificed To The Banished Prince

Chapter 5

Akuma was gone when Sakura next woke, leading her to believe the prince had regained control of his body at sunrise and left.

'All these things have happened, and I've yet to speak with the prince face to face.'

She had no idea what type of personality the Uchiha man had because he'd always been shrouded in mystery. All she had to go on were the rumors that circulated the halls of her home and what Akuma had said.

Two days passed without catching a glimpse of Prince Uchiha, day or night. Sakura was too afraid of what Akuma would do if he found out she wasn't taking care of herself, so she'd given up refusing meals. It didn't take long for her strength to begin returning.

The Haruno woman had so many thoughts and worries swirling around in her head that she often became dazed. 'Should I trust Akuma to give me a purpose in life? Is it okay to allow a demon to determine my future?'

She didn't hate the idea of having her decisions made for her because that was how she'd lived her life thus far. She'd never known anything else. Her concern was what would happen if her family discovered the prince's secret. If they asked, what would she do? Should she tell them? They were her family, after all, and she owed them for keeping her alive all this time.

But what about Akuma?

He was a bloodthirsty and prideful being, but he vowed to destroy anyone who'd bring harm her way. How long will his attention last? Was it just temporary because he was amused? In the end, Sakura decided to just do as the demon wished because if he did grow tired, she'd be in the same place she should've been all along: dead.

On day three after waking from her long sleep, Sakura was sitting at the windowsill in the massive library with an open book in her lap as the falling snow distracted her attention. It wasn't the first time she'd seen the elegant precipitation, but it was rare for it to be so thick and constant where the Haruno estate was located.

She quite hated snow because it reminded her of the times she'd been sent out to shovel it without proper garments. Every year, she'd get deathly ill from carrying out such orders, and every year, her family didn't bat an eye. Even the maids and butlers were given thicker clothing than her.

The memories sent a shiver down her spine.

"Are you cold, Lady Haruno?"

Sakura turned her head in surprise to see a somewhat familiar face. 'It's the prince! Why is he here now? And Why?' Gasping, the woman got to her feet so she could properly bow her head, "My Lord, it's an honor to finally make your acquaintance."

"Please raise your head. If one of us should show our respect, it should be me." The Haruno woman's spine straightened as she watched in awe as the prince bowed his head, a hand to his chest as though something there was causing pain. "There is nothing I can do that will ever sufficiently make amends for what I've put you through, but please allow me to properly apologize. Because of my negligence, you've experienced such terror."

'He's...different from Akuma.'

Not only was his personality much less demanding, but his features were somehow softer. Red eyes were a deep black and filled with exhaustion and sadness. His lips seemed unable to turn upright, instead stuck in an attractive frown. The overwhelming, petrifying energy that Akuma often had crackling around his aura was gone, leaving something that felt tragic and self-loathing.

'So this is the monstrous second prince. He's nothing like the rumors.'

If Sakura didn't know the truth of his curse, she'd consider herself extremely lucky to have been sent to marry such a polite and mild-mannered man. His beauty was out of this world, too, regardless of which personality was present.