Sureiyazu

Episode 19: The Cursed Princess

Yuri took a deep breath before she began the story - the story she'd promised herself she would never tell.

"As long as I can remember, I was always super spoiled. No one really wanted me to get upset. I didn't know when I was little what would really happen if I got sad, or mad, but nobody ever told me I couldn't do something. It was kind of fun, actually." Yuri giggled.

***

A young Yuri stands in front of a mirror, wearing a new dress. Bright pink and sparkling, it is fit only for a princess.

"You like it?" a seamstress, standing nearby, asks.

"Yes, it's perfect," Yuri says, twirling around.

"Good, I'm glad all the adjustments you had me make are to your liking."

"It's pretty," Yuri replies. "Oooh - when I'm crowned, do you think you'll be able to make something even better than this?"

The seamstress shakes her head. "Yes, of course, Princess."

---

"Can I see the cake?!" asks Yuri excitedly. She wears the same dress, surrounded by girls her age as they stand in the courtyard, all admiring Yuri's stack of birthday presents.

"It'll be ready soon, Yuri," the king, dressed in pink garments Yuri designed, assures her. "The bakers are having a slight delay because they needed a step ladder to reach the top of the cake."

"This is the best birthday ever!" Yuri cheers. "Oh, wait - I'm thirsty. Where did the servants put my drink?!"

***

"I didn't know then that I was a monster," Yuri added sadly. "I was so much happier then. But as I got older, things got . . . complicated."

***

A twelve-year-old Yuri checks her face in the mirror, making sure, again, that her skin is impeccable. She fluffs her dress, its long elegant skirt of white silk shimmering with a sheen of yellow. She runs her hands through her golden hair, which cascades over her shoulders and down her back, its curls reflecting the afternoon light.

She turns, knots forming in her stomach, as she walks, like she practiced, to the front gate.

"Heishi!" she calls. He should be guarding this exact spot. Yuri wonders for a moment if she should turn around and go back to her room, to wait for the next day Heishi has guard duty.

"Behind you," a voice says. Yuri jumps, losing her balance, and resolves never to wear high heels again outside as she hits the ground.

Heishi offers his hand. "I didn't mean to scare you," he laughs. "You okay, Princess?"

Yuri blinks, for a moment not knowing what to do. "I - um - thanks." She takes his hand, and he lifts her gently off the ground.

"Are you hurt, Princess?" Heishi asks. "Oh - your dress."

"You don't have to call me 'Princess'," Yuri assures him. "'Yuri' will do. And the dress is fine. I have a thousand other dresses, and if I really wanted another like this the seamstress would make one."

"Well that's . . ." Heishi searches for the right word. "Comforting?"

Suddenly being the richest person in Hana Firudo seems horribly embarrassing. "If either of us should be worried about the other's clothes, it should be me worrying about you," Yuri tells him, gesturing to Heishi's worn outfit under his one-size-fits-all guard's armor.