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“Close your eyes.”
Mizuki listened. Her maid leaned over and drew a perfectly steady eyeline over her right eye.
Moving to the other one, she asked: “So…? Excited ?”
Mizuki supressed the urge to glare at her. By now, everyone in the personell should know about her repulse against royal balls.
Her parents wanted her to find a spouse. They wouldn’t shut up about it.
“You’re almost 21 sweetheart. It’s about time you got to the throne, and you can’t do it alone, can you ?”
“There are so many pretty princes for you out there, I’m sure you’ll find one to steal your heart.”
Why did they marry Yuuki off so fast if they planned on hurrying up their second daughter to inherit the throne ?
“Aaand…done ! What do you think ?” The maid forgot her question and examined her creation.
Mizuki opened her eyes and looked in the mirror. She was shining, her eyes seemed brighter and lips softer. When it came to makeup, Thea was truly a master.
“Beautiful, as always.” She couldn’t supress a smile. She may have hated the parties, but looking so pretty sure as hell paid it off. “Thank you so much, Thea.”
The maid just smiled and left the room.
Mizuki looked at the clock. She had about 15 minutes. Sighing, she looked at herself once again, then stood up from her chair and went to the balcony.
Her room was placed above the royal gardens, the view being worth more than the entire castle. She always loved that place, loved morning walks between the flower beds, loved talking to the gardeners about their plants, loved helping them.
It was a bit of freedom for her awfully responsible life.
A mutter came from the direction of the entrance. Mizuki leaned over the railing, catching the corner of the gate. A row of fancy dressed, important looking people stood there, ready to spend the night talking behind people’s backs.
They were all the same. Egoists. Caring only about their status, money, prominence.
Finding someone that wouldn’t annoy the soul out of her for the rest of her life was a mission harder than not getting caught running away.
Three knocks on her door.
“Your royal highness ? It’s time.”
Mizuki glanced one last time at the purple Asters growing near the fountain. Then she closed the window, joining her escort on the threshold.
~~~•~~~
A prince that hated everyone that didn’t bow down to the floor when he walked by.
A prince that was looking at every other princess the entire dance long.
A prince that…just ugh.
One song ended, another started, like a cassette stuck in a player.
Another night with nothing to bring, just a lot of wasted time.
After an hour, Mizuki finally managed to catch a break. Grabing a cup of tea, she walked to the most hidden and silent corner as she could, slowly moving towards the door.
She needed a bit of silence, a break. Outside.
After few minutes, she managed to leave without being noticed. Exhaling as she stepped back to the silent hall, where only distant sounds of the ball were heard.
As she turned the corner, making her way to her beloved gardens, something flashed in her peripheral vision.
Immidiatelly stopping, she looked around, seeing exactly nothing but the pieces of art hung on the walls, lit only by the moonlight.
Took her a good minute to realize - one of the frames was empty.
Then, again, something moved fast. This time Mizuki shot forward, dress flying behind her, limiting her speed a bit but not stopping her.
Running outside the castle, the unknown shadow formed into a person, dressed all in black, a roll case on their back.
If it weren’t for a black cat jumping under their feet, Mizuki would have never had caught up.
“What is it, stealing in the middle of a party ?” Mizuki caught the holder before the thief had a chance to start running again.
The person had a black hood hid under a leather coat, black pants and high boots without heels, which explained their silent steps.
Without saying a word, the thief kicked Mizuki’s leg, an attempt to free themself. The only thing they achieved was their hood falling off.
And for godness’ sake, it was the most beautiful girl Mizuki ever laid her eyes on.
The shock almost caused her to loosen the hold. The girl gave up her attempts to run. She was seen.
“Let’s make a deal. I’ll help you put the painting back and you won’t tell a soul you ever saw me.”
Mizuki liked that attitude. She should have called the guards right there and then.
Smirking, she nodded. Somehow, the girl felt more genuine and selfless than all the snobs currently dancing just few rooms away.
In a deadly silence, they went back to the castle, the thief checking for guards every five steps. They made it to the frame unnoticed, the hall staying empty as the brunette, her hair tied firmly in a bun, put back the painting.
She climbed down, and as she was preparing to run off and never be seen again, a footsteps started echoing from the end of the aisle.
Mizuki’s instincts hit in and grabbing the girl’s hand, she started running the other way, quickly dragging them into a small service room.
She could’ve played it off as catching the thief, letting the guards arrest her and lead her back to the ballroom, but it felt like a betrayal to their agreement.
And she would much more rather be locked in a room with a thief, than any of those people.
Especially when the thief was this girl that Mizuki felt weirdly tied to.
Like as if the universe wanted them to meet, the fate put them together, arranging their meeting. She didn’t want to let go of her, didn’t want her to leave, not yet, not without knowing her name.
They waited silently in the room, so close to eachother that if Mizuki reached her hand, she could brush the girl’s hair. They heard the guard pass their shelter, for those few moments even forgetting to breathe.
Once the sound of footsteps disappeared farther into the hall, the brunette reached to the doorknob, Mizuki immidiatelly pulling her hand away from it.
“It’s never one person.” She whispered in the darkness. “ If one guard came from that direction, soon, minute maybe two later will come another one, from the other hall. You need to wait…uhm. What’s your name, mysterious thief ?”
“I’m not introducing myself to you ?!” Said mysterious thief murmured furiously.
“I’m not turning you in ??”
The brunette opened her mouth to argue some more but Mizuki covered her mouth with her hand before she had a shot to do so.
Breathing for a few seconds, before the sound of steps dissapeared again, the thief threw Mizuki’s hand off. She waited for absolute silence and continued.
“So ? Can I go now ?”
“Not yet. Wait a bit more, sometimes there’s four of them.”
She sighed, Mizuki basically felt her glare piercing through her, even if there was the darkness of a black hole.
After about 10 minutes later, Mizuki’s mind stated that it should be safe for them to leave this crowded small room. Mizuki however, still didn’t know this beautiful and ineresting girl’s name.
“Were you at the party ?” She asked, her voice a normal volume now.
“What ? No, are you out of your mind ?”
“Why ?! Can’t a girl ask a question anymore ?”
“You’re giving questions to someone that tried to rob you !”
“I do not identify as the owner of this castle.”
“Aren’t you the heiress of it ?”
“So what if I am.”
“That’s enough. I’m leaving. Thank you very much for not letting me be cooked alive by the guards, though, It’s my time to go. Bye.”
She opened the door and stepped outside. The moon shined over her features, her hair looking like it was made of pure diamond. And Mizuki, she really couldn’t let go.
“Do you want to dance ?”
That forced the girl to stop in her tracks.
“I told you already, people like me are not allowed to balls like this.” She didn’t decline the way Mizuki expected her to. There was almost a hint of…longing in her voice. Like she wanted to, curiosity eating her alive, expectations of a royal life, but she couldn’t.
Once again, Mizuki got reminded of just how many snobs there were in her ranks.
“And I’m the princess so if i say you are allowed you are allowed.” It didn’t work like that, but with few changes of looks…
As if the thief forgot her mission, she turned to face the heiress on the threshold, eyes locking into her gaze.
“So ? Are you going with me, mysterious girl ?”
“Ena. Shinonome Ena.”
~~~•~~~
“Good lord, do you even have time to wear all of this ?!” They were in Mizuki’s closet, walking through the room, trying to find a dress to suit the brunette.
“Oh you have no idea. Look at these, i think green would suit you.” She hanged down one of the countless dresses and threw it Ena’s way.
“Hurry up, we don’t have that much timeoooh I have never worn this tuxedo before.” Mizuki’s eyes landed on another piece, the girl making three long steps and grabbing it.
“Actually it would be less obvious if one of us wore a tuxedo.”
“And why should I be the one to wear it exactly ?!”
“Oh come on Enanan~ I can’t change in the middle of the night and tuxedos don’t even suit me.”
“I’m not your Enanan and what makes you think it would suit me ?!”
“Just look at it. The buttons match your eyes…the ornaments compliment your skin…” Mizuki’s eyes scanned the girl in front of her, voice soft as she was getting lost in the sight. “Maybe if we style your hair bit different…”
Ena’s cheeks caught a slightly pink tint and looking away, she gave up. “Fine. I’ll wear your stupid tuxedo.”
Mizuki left the closet to give the girl a bit of privacy to change. It probably wasn’t the best idea to leave a thief alone in a room full of expensive clothes, but Mizuki didn’t even think of Ena as thief anymore.
It was stupid. She knewn the girl for barely an hour, knew nothing about her, yet she trusted her more than some of her maids. Oh the sweet irony.
Ena walked out, her face hinting that she actually liked her clothes very, very much.
Mizuki walked closer, reached up to her bun and dissolved it, making her long brown hair falling onto her back.
She looked into the mirror, looked at her new self, dressed up in rich clothes, hairstyle unusually different and unpractical for her.
“I always wanted to cut my hair short” She said suddenly. It caught Mizuki off guard.
“Really ? Why did you never do it then ?”
She let out a small, forced yet honest laugh. “Honestly..? I dont even know.”
Mizuki looked at her cosmetic table, at the carved scissors on it. An impulse thought, but it felt right.
“I can cut it for you if you want.”
“What ? Oh, uhm…” Ena looked down at the floor, her boots, still the same she wore before. They matched the tuxedo perfectly. She did.
“You would do that for me..?” She glanced up, once again searching for Mizuki’s eyes.
Said princess only smiled, grabbed the scissors and sat the girl down.
It was stupid, yet she knew. She would do anything for this girl.
~~~•~~~
Walking back into the ballroom felt like walking into a loud circus full of clowns.
For the girl next to her, it felt like a fever dream.
She looked more free, more happy from the moment Mizuki cut down her hair. Mizuki didn’t know why, but seeing the effect this little gesture left on Ena warmed her heart. And now, she was in a place she never thought she’d see, walking hand in hand with a girl she never should have told her name to.
They walked around the room, the brunette trying the many drinks and desserts, carefully as ever. Mizuki had to greet few people, but she managed to not get involved into any more dances with selfish princes.
As another song neared its end and the parquet emptied a bit, she asked her question once more.
“May I have a dance with you, mysterious girl ?”
This time, the brunette just smiled and took her hand.
“It would be my honor.”
They didn’t walk to the middle of the room, like her parents always forced her to. They stayed in the shadow, dancing in an embrace, together, just the two of them in this overfilled room. Twirling, laughing.
Mizuki never felt like this before and for the first time in her life, she prayed for the song to never end.
Ena seemed to wish for the same thing. They didn’t stop after one composition ended, nor after two or three.
They danced and talked, like they knew eachother for years, till Ena looked at the clock, ringing for 3am.
She waited for the violins to fade into silence, then stepped back from the heiress.
“I should go.”
Mizuki wanted to argue, but looking at Ena, at her face that showed no signs of wanting to leave, she knew. It didn’t matter what she would say, this girl she wanted to spend the rest of her life dancing with had reasons she needed to leave now.
So she just intertwined their hands once more and lead her to the door.
As the girl stepped forward to leave, dressed up in Mizuki’s tuxedo, hair styled by her own hands, the princess asked one last question of the night.
“Will I ever see you again ?”
The mysterious thief, brunette named Shinonome Ena, stepped on her toes and pressed a quick, soft kiss on her lips.
Turning away and walking out of the door, she stopped at the stairs to look at Mizuki’s confused, flustered but pleased face once more.
“Well, that painting is certainly one I would come back for.”