The Devil Is Her Prince (Akabane Karma X OC)

SUMMER ARC - CHAPTER 3

Jun:

I had the whole afternoon to myself, using the time to clean the shrine dedicated to Kaori and Kouji. Only Sakura and I could enter this room and we both had maintained it as often as possible. The room had what's left of their essence, after all.

But this time, I'm alone.

It would take us long to clean this large room. The reason being that we would always wallow in nostalgia, recalling the memories we all made together. I would spend the whole day if I could, but I can't neglect my responsibilities.

The trip to memory lane would always end with watching my daughter fight for her life in the operation room. Tears never fail to escape from my eyes as I hold my surviving family in my arms, shedding tears along with me.

Once I'm done, I let out an exhausted sigh, wiping the sweat off my forehead with a handkerchief. I'm quite proud of my effort: the room is rid of dust and shines with luster. For someone who rarely cleans, I'm quite good at the task.

I bet Sakura would be doing this more than I am. Wherever she is.

What a lonely birthday this turned out to be.

I stare at the portraits of the two hanging at the back of the room, admiring their painted smiles. My heart aches that they are no longer in this world with us. How cruel fate is to take such wonderful souls away.

"Kaori. Kouji. I'm by myself today. Once again, Sakura's life is in danger. This time, I intent to protect her, even if it means she has to be miles apart from home. She's not safe here. Please, continue watching over her from above..."

It was to be expected that the girl would learn the truth after the accident. Their deaths were predicted by the astrologers earlier. What I was afraid of the most, came into fruition after that.

The princess took her studies sincerely this time, and opted to add Judo and fencing to her curriculum. No room for breaks, one lesson after another, her face had been devoid of emotion since then. No matter how much we all tried to reach out to the poor girl, it was hopeless.

The cheerful and carefree princess we knew and loved would be gone forever.

That is, we thought she was... Till this exact same date. August 5th.

I presumed that Sakura would be occupied with fencing to have some afternoon tea with me. I paid little attention to the maids and butlers setting the table with cutlery. I frown, worried about my daughter.

Then the burnt bread served before me disrupted my train of thoughts.

My eyes widen at the horrible sight, then turn to Yumiko for an explanation. She wore an uneasy expression on her face when she spoke with a worried smile. "B-Brioche, your highness."

I look at her with horror. This abomination is my favorite snack? I thought Kisaragi has fallen sick or gotten mad, because I trust that he would never serve me a ruined dish.

The fork and knife shakes under my hands as I cut a piece, the crunch it makes adds even more horror to me. It was not fluffy at all. Taking a deep breath, I put the piece into my mouth. I regretted it.

It was too crispy to chew and tasted like burnt coal. I spit it out, the taste unbearable. I thought it must have been a joke. A terrible one at that.

"This is awful! Can you even call this brioche, or food at all?" I coughed, turning to the woman before me. I noticed that not just Yumiko, but the rest of the maids and butlers in the area look at each other with worried expressions. It confuses me even more.