𝓓𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓟𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓼𝓼

𝟎𝟎𝟑

Pathetic

✩｡:*•.─────  ❁ ❁  ─────.•*:｡✩

        Kanao is a very interesting girl. She's very quiet and shy, but I don't blame her, given how she spent the first few years of her life. It's sick how people would do such... horrible things to little kids.

Aoi is the complete opposite of Kanao. She's much more loud and boisterous, but she's kind and nurturing. Shinobu and Kanae raised them right.

I like to hang around them when I get too overwhelmed. Their presence calms me down. As we sat outside, my hands fiddling with the delicate petals of a Wisteria flower, I thought about what Mitsuri had told me an hour or two prior.

Lord Agatsuma is to visit the palace because he wants to court me. I've heard of him, and his reputation is sorta pathetic, but also sad. The sad part is that, apparently, his parents neglect him, so he has to take care of himself. The pathetic part is that he's always begging women to marry him, noble or not.

"What's on your mind, Princess?" Aoi asked from beside me, looking at me with those big blue eyes of hers.

I shook my head, slowly plucking the vibrant purple off of the plant. I let go of the petals, and they flew away in the breeze, leaving nothing more than a useless green stem.

"Nothing..." I hummed, dropping the stem as well.

"... You're troubled," Kanao observed, her voice soft.

I shook my head, glancing behind me when I heard footsteps approaching. I saw the familiar face of Sabito. He was training to be a soldier, training under Tengen, Yorrichi, and Gyomei. They must've been the ones to send him here.

"Princess!" He said, bowing at an exact ninety-degree angle, "Lord Agatsuma has arrived! You're wanted in the garden!"

With a sigh, I stood, wiping nonexistent dust off of my kimono and haori.

"I'll see you two later," I said before stepping back inside.

I walked a few steps ahead of Sabito. We went through a few hallways before ending up at the entrance to the garden. I stepped outside and slipped my shoes on.

When they were secure, I glanced up and was met with a pair of wide brown eyes. I quickly stood up straight, realizing that this was Lord Agatsuma.

"Ubuyashiki-sama...!" He said, immediately bowing, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you!

"It's nice to meet you too, Agatsuma-san," I said, looking away uninterested.

It may seem rude, but I'm not at all interested in getting married. Not right now, at least. Why does he want to get married so badly?

He coughed awkwardly and stood up straight, kicking away a small pebble. He looked at his face, examining my features, and his face flared up red.

"You..." He uttered, seeming at a loss of words for a moment before continuing, "You're so pretty!" To my surprise, he dropped down onto one knee and grabbed my hand. "Please, marry me! Please, please, please! I'll feed you unaju every day!"

I laughed nervously and pulled my hand away. His demeanor faltered a bit, and he pulled away.

"Sorry..."

"No, no, it's alright...!" I reassured, noticing how dejected he looked.

"Um... Do you want to walk with me...?" Zenitsu asked, more timid than before.

I nodded, letting him walk a little ahead of me as we walked through the beautiful garden. My father keeps it maintained quite well. There was a large pond filled with koi surrounded by stones and a small bridge that went over it, allowing us to look down at the fish.

"The garden is very pretty," Zenitsu said, a small smile appearing on his face.

I nodded, smiling as well.

"Mhm! Even with his sickness, my father always pays attention to detail. This garden is never dirty."

Zenitsu let out a soft chuckle, walking across the bridge to sit on the bench that was shaded by a large cherry blossom tree. He gestured for me to sit next to him, so I did. He reached up to take one of the petals from the tree and put it in my hair.

"There. Now you're even prettier," he said.

Caught off guard, I giggled and put a hand on my cheek. I looked up and took one of the petals, putting it in his hair in return.

"Now we're both prettier," I said, giving him a closed eye smile.

His face turned redder than it already was, rivaling a freshly picked apple. He said nothing for a few moments before grinning and murmuring something under his breath.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Nothing...! Nothing..." He murmured.

I was confused, but I said nothing more, instead choosing to relax in the peaceful silence. Maybe he isn't as pathetic as I thought he was.

✩｡:*•.─────  ❁ ❁  ─────.•*:｡✩

✿Sengoku Era Secrets✿

❥ Kibutsuji and a lot of other people who live on his hand of Japan are, for some odd reason, allergic to wisteria.
❥ I looked on the wiki that Zenitsu is scared of women because they would talk behind his back, and it made me feel bad for him, and I tried to implement that in the chapter 😭

✩｡:*•.─────  ❁ ❁  ─────.•*:｡✩