Bow, Your Highness

Chapter 3: Die For You

Sumeru doctors' estimates were correct. A pair of heterochromatic eyes opened slowly the next day. Accompanied, in turn, by a blockage. Mona immediately thought back to her memories of the previous day. Princes and princesses... Kunikuzushi! She rescued her friend, but... And then what happened? She was not quite sure. From the lush gardens of Sumeru's palace, she had woken up in one of their comfortable guest beds.

She brought a hand to her forehead, but it was at a normal temperature. She noticed there was something inside it. A bluish cherry petal sparkled, glistening between her fingers. Mona gazed at it in fascination at its beauty. The colour reminded her of the eyes of the Inazuma heir. She suspected that he must have been the one who had given it to her. Therefore, he visited her. He had cared for her... At best, of course. Mona chose to believe.

When she turned the other way, she found her parents asleep. Focalors rested his head on Neuvillette's shoulder. And they were both sleeping in comfortable armchairs next to her bed. Of course, they had been worried about her, too.

After rubbing her eyes, she yawned and stretched out her hand. Her small fingers tried to reach out for her father's. But, before she could do so, her father's. But before she succeeded, she saw, out of the corner of her eye, the bedroom door quietly open.

She remembered the detail that the doors in those lands had no latches. That fitted in with the incoherence of his mother's failure to lock the room. A certain indigo-haired boy peeked through the door. Discreet. At least, until he saw that Mona was awake.

The princess decided to leave from the opposite side of the bed. She indicated with her hand that she should wait there in the meantime. Quietly, she climbed down. Then she walked stealthily towards him. In a few silent strides, she managed to catch up with him. And when she did, the imperial prince looked at her smilingly before embracing her.

"Mona, you have awakened!" He whispered, holding her tightly. "Let's go tell the others."

"Hmp, of course." She stressed proudly, blushing back at him. "A fainting is nothing to me. It's just that my powers are so spectacular that they sometimes overwhelm me. In a short time, I'll get my vision and regulate them, you'll see."

"Yes, but..." His tone sounded wistful. "Be careful, okay?" Mona nodded determinedly. "Yesterday you froze before you fainted while rescuing me, remember? You gave us quite a scare."

About that... She did not remember. Mona knew that she had fainted. But what happened before that? Why would she freeze? She acknowledged that it had never happened before. She only used to feel exhausted after using her powers but had never gone to such extreme lengths before. Questions only grew in her mind. She decided she would ask her parents later.

"No... I know I fainted, but I didn't see anything..." She mused thoughtfully. Then, she remembered the cherry blossom petal and decided to break away from him to show it to him. "Right! Did you give it to me?"

Kunikuzushi looked away with flushed cheeks and nodded. He pulled one of equal size and unusual colour from his pocket. The blue petals danced in their hands until they ended up glowing next to each other.

The faint light emanating from them was welcoming, one that seemed to strengthen their bond with each sparkle. Mona was lost in their beauty as she smiled from ear to ear.

"That's great!" And as soon as she said it, she cleared her throat and regained her princess façade. Her expression became more serious as she subtly turned away from him. "I mean, I guess it's not bad... Anyway, thank you very much, Kuni. I'll treasure it. Does it have any special power?"