Under The Cherry Blossoms

1 // wandering about

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Fast forward to a night after that scary encounter, I was now settled in a room tens the size of my own house. I was still not used to it. Yes, it was everything that I've ever dreamed of back when I was with my family. The size of the room, the bed, all these expensive decorations that seemed as if one antique was already worth more than my own life. But the difference that separated my former dreams to this, was the feeling of it.

Instead of happiness, all I felt was the intense pressure.

I've been here for just a single night, but not even the thick covers of the bed could shield me from the coldness I'd felt. The natural desolate feeling that this room brings, the collar of loneliness that seemed to continuously tighten around my neck but most of all, The constant fear for your life. I couldn't stop the thoughts in my head from swimming in these endless possibilities. I felt like I was suddenly stripped of my rights to live the way that I had wanted to, that my life was no longer mine to control. What if he gets tired of this act? Will I go back home to my family? Or will he silence me so that the whole story would end with me?

Even when the moon that I used to admire was high up in the sky, I couldn't bring myself to look at it with that same adoration.

"Ah!" I yelped, when the comb had suddenly gotten entangled in my hair, causing slight pain in my scalp as my head moved backwards.

"I apologize." came the swift apology of the woman who was tending to me. It was not like I needed it, but orders that came from that scary man is absolute. I tried to look at the brighter side of things, this was my chance to get the information that I needed.

"I-It's alright." I stuttered out nervously, pushing back those negative thoughts and feelings that had been surfacing just a few moments ago. I knew what I had to do, but doing and thinking were two completely different things and for some reason, despite planning it numerous times in my head, I still didn't know where exactly I should start. "Uh..." I coughed just a bit, securing the woman's attention. "Can I ask...who...Chin Ai Fan is?" I said it. I finally said it, but it wasn't yet enough to lift the burdens off my chest.

"You're Chin Ai Fan." She said without a pause, looking at me as if I had just said something stupid, it wasn't the answer that I was expecting. "Is your memory okay young miss? Does this servant need to call for a physician?"

"But I'm not!" I exclaimed, feeling exasperated. "I'm Han Mei, H.A.N. M.E.I, why is it all so hard for you to understand? You've all got the wrong person!"

Her eyes widened in alarm, covering my mouth with her free arm. "Keep your voice down if you want to keep your life." She said in a lowly whisper, her eyes scanning the room in a hurry. "It doesn't matter who you were before this, who you were, what you were, that's all in the past. Ever since you've stepped foot into this place, you're now Chin Ai Fan, the prime minister's daughter."

"But why?" I whispered back, my head now hurting from this whole dialogue. "Don't I at least deserve at least some kind of explanation? Who's Chin Ai Fan? What happened to her? Why does this crazy man want me to be his daught-" My mouth was covered again but the woman didn't answer me, all she did do, was shake her head. Telling me through her actions that I wouldn't be able to get any answers from her at all.

"This servant is unsure about you miss, but this servant surely does want to keep her head." She stood up, placing the comb back into the drawers before she bowed to me, although just slightly. "This servant will be taking her leave."

I could only watch her back leaving the room with my mouth agape. "She really left? Just like that? Wasn't this in the servant's rules to only go out when their master tells them to?" I shook my head. 'But then again, I'm just an imposter without any real power and authority." I'm a substitute, a fill-in for someone that's no longer around. But why do I have to follow what they want? Do they really think that I'll just accept this act of being someone that I'm really not?

But first, I'll find out who this Ai Fan is one way or another.

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Perhaps sneaking around this big manor, was a bad idea. An even worse idea, was the fact that I was sneaking around without anything to defend myself with. What was I even looking for? Hell, not even I knew. It's weird to have a purpose without actually having any set plans.

"How's the prime minister?"

"Well thank the heavens he's stable now. Looks like those old goons really did manage to make the whole thing work."

I could hear these people getting closer and closer to wall I was hiding behind. I held in my breath. I was too paranoid and worried at the possibility of them hearing me and finding me, what if they really did catch me? what then? It wasn't as if I had any real skills to stop them. The difference of builds between a man and a woman, especially with an age gap was far too wide. There was nothing else I could do except to clasp my hands together in a silent prayer, wishing that these two men would walk the other way instead.

"Well, I almost feel bad for the kid."

From the corner of my eye, I could see them turning around to face the direction in which they came.

"Ha, don't be. It's just her dumb luck to have the same face as his dead daughter."