Sacrificed To The Banished Prince

Chapter 17

It made absolutely no sense, but Sakura felt a little better when she woke up from her long sleep after sobbing in Akuma's arms until her body could no longer take the stress. The ever-present thoughts of escaping this life to avoid confronting her trauma were quieter, less frequent. She remained weak despite this.

Ino kept her company, having maids fetch books, puzzles, and the like to keep her occupied. Inwardly, Sakura knew how hard Ino was trying to avoid talking about what happened yesterday and appreciated the effort. There were moments when the blonde would get a sad glint in her pretty blue eyes, only to blink it away when the pinkette noticed.

The blonde talked about anything and everything while never pressuring Sakura to respond. She told the lady of the house about her father, who was one of three men in charge of training the kingdom's military forces. Coming from a well-respected family, it was uncommon for a woman of her age and stature to become a maid, but the blonde explained that her parents attempted to arrange marriages for her. When she refused, she vowed to only marry for love, even if it meant she had to relinquish her title as a noblewoman.

Apparently, when King Madara was made aware of her defiance, he went above the Yamanaka elders and sent Ino to Prince Sasuke's manor. That was just over two years ago.

Sakura sipped her tea as she listened to the maid talk, "It was a blessing in disguise, my being banished to the Winterlands. At first, I was scared because of the rumors about My Lord, but he's not what I expected." Ino's face became sad as she reminisced, her eyes low as though watching distant memories pass by her vision, "The prince's existence is quite tragic. How he's remained kind after all his suffering is a testament to his character."

"I was under the impression you fear him," Sakura quietly said. "That everyone in the manor fears him."

'It's not fair, but it's the truth. Even someone as dull-minded as me can't help but notice how weary the staff behaves around Sasuke.'

"It isn't him that we fear," Ino's bright blues met Sakura's greens, "The Curse lashes out when us underlings fail to quiver at the sight of the prince. He sees it as an insult to his greatness." Her voice was as sarcastic as possible without coming off as too unprofessional.

The pinkette averted her gaze to her teacup, a frown tugging the corners of her mouth downward, "Somehow, I cannot...." She trailed off.

She didn't know what she meant to say. Was it that she couldn't see him as a completely terrible being? It'd been a while, but she made herself recall their first encounter when he beheaded Butler Yamamoto with zero restraint or hesitance. A good person would never do such a thing. Then, she couldn't help but remember the times he'd comforted her, the times he'd allowed her to weep into his chest when he could've shoved her away and called her pathetic.

"That's because you're special," Ino disrupted her thoughts. Sakura held her breath in surprise while meeting her gaze. A reassuring, kind smile met the maid's lips. Her words were warm and non-accusatory, "Both the prince and the demon have changed since your arrival. Perhaps it's harder for you to notice since you've known them only a short while, but the rest of us are in awe of your bravery."

"Bravery?"

Ino nodded, tears welling but not overflowing. Her voice wavered with emotion, "I've never seen a man look at a woman how they both look at you, Lady Sakura. It's as though you've given them life anew." She laughed, blinking while looking upward to try and rid of the waterworks, "My apologies. I'm just relieved the prince has found someone so wonderful. All of us were beginning to worry he'd succumb to the curse."

"Lord Uchiha never used to leave his personal quarters. He'd take his meals in his office and avoid being seen for days at a time," she explained, "Now, he joins you in the dining room, visits the library, and often wanders the halls in search of your companionship and well-being. There is a light in his aura when you're around that didn't exist before."