My Other Half

Preparations

The day, in its beginning, was ultimately uneventful. You went about your usual routine through the morning, being accompanied by Hania and Yori, your main nurse and butler. You went about most of the morning in the gardens, walking around and drawing studies of different plants and animals you saw, observing every detail that you could, practicing a skill that you had created through years of practice.

You settled down on a bench to rest again, holding out your hand to have Yori hand you your sketchbook and pen. "Thanks," you said, immediately distracting yourself as you began drawing the red spider lily, its petals reaching out like spindly legs made of scarlet streaks of blood.

You felt a sudden, all-too-familiar constricting feeling in your lungs, snapping your notebook shut and bringing a hand to your mouth as you unleashed a frenzy of coughs, each shudder burning your lungs. Hania and Yori immediately rushed to your aid, supporting your body as you let your coughing tire itself out, knowing they could only wait for your fit to be over.

As soon as it had come, the pain subsided with the coughing, leaving you to take a few more shaking breaths. Hania and Yori took a few moments to check that your pulse and breathing were alright before Yori lifted you from the bench to carry you to your room, Hania walking beside you and asking the same old questions.

"Are you in pain?"

"Is your throat dry?"

"Do you need anything to drink?"

"Are your lungs cold?"

She kept asking you questions, already knowing the answer to each, yet still asking out of concern. Stopping by your bedroom door and giving a small bow. "I'll get Daigo to bring down some honey-Chamomille tea made to your preference young master." She said, looking up to give you a worried glance that you responded to by simply giving her a reassuring smile.

"Thank you, Hania. And please, don't worry as much. My health has been improving over time. I'm sure I can survive a coughing fit every now and then." You said, trying to reassure her. She gave you a soft smile, worry still prevalent in her eyes as she turned and left, closing the door with a soft sound and walking off, her shoes tapping against the floor, muffled by the heavy door.

Hania was constantly around you when you were young, acting like a nanny as well as your main nurse. She had been working for your family since you were too young to remember, administering medicine and dealing with your ill health. Despite how different your places in the estate were, you cared about her for being more of a mother figure than your own mother. She was there to look after you when you were at your weakest, and still worried for you despite the fact that you were growing stronger with each passing day.

You let a moment of silence pass before chuckling quietly and turning to Yori, smiling to him. "How are the preparations for our outing Yori?" You asked, sat by the wind to allow the suns rays to stretch across your skin.

"Everything is in order, young master." Replied Yori, a smile to his voice despite the formal language that he had to use.

You smiled with him, closing your eyes to think. "what time is it at the moment?" You asked.

"Quarter to nine, young master."

You hummed to yourself as you continued to think. Your father would most likely request your presence in his office about 15 minutes before you had to leave. Along with that, it takes Hania 15 minutes to brew the honey-chamomile tea to perfection. Your outing would hopefully begin at around 10 a.m. With all that in mind, after Daigo delivers the tea, you most likely had 45 minutes at most to be completely ready with all the extra supplies you needed to bring along.

Opening your eyes you took a deep breath and sighed, catching Yori's attention. "All medicine, extra clothing, and necessary weaponry have been accounted for, right?" You asked, hopping slightly when Yori responded with a nod whilst smiling, unable to suppress the excitement that began to grow in his chest, a smile reaching its way around onto his face. Despite being 19, you still wouldn't let go of the childish delight and nature that went so well with your child-like build.

A knock on your door rung out, bringing Yori to his feet to open it and accept the silver tray holding a rather large teacup on top of it, along with a jar of sugar cubes. You sat by the window as Yori set down the tray on a table that he brought towards your seat from the corner of the room, allowing you to add sugar cube after sugar cube to your tea, slyly popping one into your mouth to savor the sweetness.

Once you were done, you leaned back against the glass with the teacup in hand, the sun behind you causing a shadow to be cast on your face. the next step would be the toughest, deciding whether the plan would really be able to go through or whether it would be thrown off the tracks. the meeting with your father would be your deciding move.

All you could do was wait.