Chapter Text
Harumi’s stomach sank, and their good mood gone completely.
“…Who are you?” Harumi asked, their voice was shaky.
The masked figure didn’t respond at first, tilting their head as if annoyed.
Their porcelain mask had no mouth, and red circles on the cheeks that looked like blush.
Harumi was uncomfortably reminded of when they were the Jade Princess.
The masked figure began to speak.
“My my, look at how you’ve grown up,” the figure responded coyly, ignoring their question completely.
Its voice was distorted, so Harumi couldn’t tell who it was.
Harumi was slightly reminded of when they did the same thing to Lloyd, doing it at the time just to mess with him. Not even half a year ago.
What do they mean by grown-up? Harumi thought. Whoever they were, they probably knew Harumi as a child.
Harumi sat in silence, their heart racing as fast as their thoughts. They hated being reminded of the past. They would do anything to get out of this room, to get away from whoever this was.
“Well, aren’t you the Quiet One.” the figure teased. Harumi’s heart jumped at the statement.
“…Did you know my parents?” Harumi asked nervously, their eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
“No, and also, who I am is someone who practically raised you. What happened to that innocent little girl, Harumi Jade?” the figure said mockingly.
Harumi leaned back in their seat and looked over, noticing that nobody else was in the room, even the guards were gone.
Strange, Harumi thought.
“Still as silent as ever, poor thing.” the figure spat. “I remember when you had just gotten adopted into the palace on your first day.”
Harumi looked back at the figure. The cold atmosphere around them felt as if it would choke them.
“But I’m not here to play games anymore,” the figure continued, “I’m here to make a proposal,”
“What proposal?…” Harumi replied.
Harumi shifted in their seat uncomfortably. They fiddled with their fingers underneath the table, not wanting the figure to see their distress.
“Join me, and you will get out of the chains that bind you,” the figure explained.
“What do you mean?” Harumi asked, and they were starting to get annoyed.
“I mean I want to get you out of here.” the figure stated cheerfully, before promptly adding.
“It’ll be a blast.” the figure suddenly said in a very cold and monotone voice.
Blast?… Palace?…
Harumi’s heart suddenly plummeted in their chest.
Were they hinting at the palace bombings?
But that was impossible, Harumi initially thought everyone in that palace was killed after they exploded it so long ago. They struggled to remember all the staff members who lived there.
Harumi was suddenly reminded of their horrible misdeeds once again. And that sent a shiver down their spine as they looked down in shame. Their stomach sank again.
“I don’t need—“ Harumi’s words stuck in their throat.
“Think about it, Quiet One. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain,” the figure said gleefully.
Harumi did nothing to betray their terror, not of the masked figure, but of the darkness of which they were reminding them. It was trying to lure its way into the monster within, the anger that had not yet dissipated from Harumi’s heart.
Suddenly, the figure stood up, leaving Harumi with their thoughts.
Harumi walked back to their cell, thinking about what they’d just encountered.
As Harumi walked down the hall, they thought about what the figure had said. Harumi couldn’t remember who could possibly survive on that day that would want them to turn back to their old ways.
Harumi’s heart plummeted as they thought about the deaths they had caused that day.
The Emperor and Empress…
Dozens of palace guards…
Hutchins…
Harumi shook in terror at that last one. No matter how much they tried to make up for past misdeeds, nothing would make up for the many deaths they caused that fateful day.
But that’s too coincidental, Harumi thought. None of them would admire the horrible things that Harumi did on that day. They probably still held some resentment towards them.
Who was it?
When Harumi finally returned to their cell, an officer was already there, waiting for them. Harumi tilted their head in confusion, that weird feeling in their chest beginning to return.
Uh oh. Were they in trouble?
The officer walked up to Harumi, clearing his throat before speaking. The atmosphere went still and cold for a moment.
“Go get changed, you’re being moved out of this cell. Effective immediately.” the officer stated, his voice emphasized on the last part.
There was a slight pause. Harumi didn’t know how to respond, still confused as to what was going on.
“What happened?” Harumi asked nervously.
“You’ve been bailed out,” the officer said.