twelve Nights a Lady: A Sakura Haruno Tale

Chapter One: "When You Wish Upon A Star"

Chapter One: “When You Wish Upon A Star”

“Cinderella, Cinderella,
Left A Cage and Came Back to Paint It Gold”
—What Do You Really Wish For?—

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In a castle on a hill, a noble lady was being berated by her parents. And all for giving a prince a chaste kiss. The lady frowned and quickly wiped it off her face as she pasted on a fake noble’s smile. Wasn’t that how fairy tales were supposed to be — to find true love’s kiss?

The lady, a woman of petite frame, brilliant green eyes and stunning long pink hair, smiled kindly at her parents — as practiced by hours of stern tutors. She snickered in her mind. “How am I suppose to find love if you will not let me show love?”

“Lady Sakura Haruno! How dare you speak to your parents like this!” Her mother gasped. “Marriage isn’t made from simple, base love. It is a partnership — one for the family and especially for a noble family. The more power that is in your hands, the higher your responsibilites will be and thus the greater value your reputation will be.” She whipped her lacy fan into her palm. “The prince will be your betrothed, we plan on that, but do not disgrace your name before then. The contracts will be written and the deal set by the next full moon. Until then, you are to remain chaste, honorable and unblemished. They must see you are the pure virgin we guaranteed to their prodigal son and I will not have you mess that up by acting like a whore!”

Her father nodded in agreement. “Sakura, you are worthless to the family if you do not marry well. All these luxuries you are priveleged to does not come from thin air. Now that you are older, you must earn your keep. You are a noble lady even if you are older than other brides. How you manage to scare your suitors is beyond me, but you are nineteen — and still unwed! If you insist on being here, you must carry your own weight.” He eyed her up and down like a cattle for sale. “Yes, if the prince doesn’t become your betrothed, then I know of other lords who will. And you are lucky in that the prince is at least your age, my dear.” The older man’s threat was clear. 

Tch. Old man. He had already begun negotiations with his cousins it seemed. In what way was their family pure and honorable? Bloodline purity my ass.

“Yes, Father. Yes, Mother.” Sakura bowed her head to hide her disgusted gaze, but her delicately styled pink hair was pinned back with the teeth of dozens of pins and so she had to pretend to be docile lest she be thrown in her room without supper again. Now that she was of marriagable age, at least she didn’t have to worry about the whip. “I apologize for my shameful behavior.”

“Remember Sakura. You must destroy your love rival for the prince’s affections. By any means necessary, yes, but not damaging our noble name. Do not be like those harlots of the other families.”

How? The prince won’t suddenly take interest in a mouse in the corner! Other ladies are already providing him favors, as they say. I do not wish to be a harlot, but I just wanted to taste a kiss. Why is that a sin?

“…Yes, Mother.”

One day, I will break through this glass cage and never come back…I wish.

For all her thoughts talking back, she knew the world can be cruel to a woman. An unskilled and homeless lady who couldn’t even protect herself would not survive on her own very well — the commoners who slept outside their keep’s walls were a sign of that.