In Sickness And In Health (Yandere M. Genius x F. Reader x Yandere M. Prince)

Chapter 56: Black And White

When Kazuya arrived back in Vethela, the first thing he did was go and see the younger girl. Even though she told him she was fine, he had still been worrying about her. He even dumped a ton of gifts on her, apologizing that he wasn't there. Bastien seemed delighted about his father bringing in gift after gift for her, almost excited for her. He also liked watching as she opened the presents, peeking over the bed the man made her stay in. Occasionally, the boy would also try and sneak and "help" her open one of the presents. She didn't really mind.

"Eloise came, too," the man smiled softly, "It was a long ride for her, but she said she was sick of Echal. She didn't want to die there. It...won't be long now."

"You're handling this a lot better than I thought you would. She's your whole world, but - "

"Until she dies, I will smile. Eloise has always liked my smile, but it's more so that I want to see her smile, so I will lead by example."

He may have said that, but his hands were shaking. The man purposefully grabbed at Bastien's hand to stop it from being so recognizable. The boy glanced up, confused, but only gave a pure smile. He thought his father just wanted to hold his hand, of which he was happy to lend him. Nonetheless, once Eloise died, Kazuya was going to be devastated. It didn't really matter how long he had been preparing to live without her. Either way, his heart was going to feel as though it was ripped out of his chest.

"She wants to go to the beach," the man said proudly, Bastien beginning to tap-tap his feet excitedly at the sound of that, "I've convinced everyone to have our meeting there while she plays. I would be grateful if you would come, too."

Of course, she obliged the man. Though she wasn't interested in going swimming, she wouldn't mind just hanging out on the sand. As they arrived at the private beach to the left and below the palace's location on the cliff, it wasn't at all surprising it was already decked out in decor. There were little tents to shade them from the sun along with blankets, towels, and chairs all set out for use. One tent was more regal than the others, probably the one Kazuya would be in, speaking about politics.

There were more decorations around, along with servants and guards for their convenience and safety, but she didn't focus on them. Instead, she glanced over to find Haru, Sona doing the same. As the android noted her interest in speaking with him, he chose to go escort Bastien to give them privacy. Still, for a while, the younger girl continued to stare, noting Haru was far away from everyone else, curled up and staring at the sea. He was not himself. Concerned, she moved towards him, only for her hand to be quickly grabbed, a bright smile directed her way as Orion greeted her.

"Come play in the water with me!" he giggled, tugging her towards the light waves and clear water, "It's not cold at all!"

"Actually, I'd like to talk with Haru - "

"No! He's fine! I mean, he probably wants some alone time, so that's why he's all the way over there!"

"Shouldn't you be in the meeting with your uncle? He's only a regent. You have to be there."

"They're not starting yet," Orion mumbled, getting a little closer, "I just want to have some fun first."

"Then, I'll join you later."

It didn't matter what kind of excuse the male made. She still slipped away from him and kept walking over to the brunette. For a while, he couldn't believe she had made that decision. Or, perhaps, he could; he just didn't want to acknowledge it was a possibility in the first place. After all, when Haru hadn't been around for a while, he was always the one she went to hang out with. Now that the brunette was back, he really hoped it wouldn't go back to the way it was before. Still, he had a bad feeling about it.