Chapter 6

Even after Mikoto wrapped her arm around my shoulders to effectively create some distance between my seething mother and me, my eyes watered and I tried to keep myself from crying.

Mom and Ino would never be able to tell because this was their first time meeting her, but the queen's smile was much less natural than usual as she greeted them, "You must be Mrs. Haruno. I must commend you on raising such a delightful daughter. She's brought a light into our lives we didn't even know we were missing."

The Uchiha matriarch gave my shoulders a light squeeze of reassurance as I stared at my mom with a look of betrayal.

"My name is Mikoto Uchiha and I welcome you to our home."

Finally, Mom seemed to realize just who she was standing before and tore her eyes from my angry face to lay eyes on the royal as though she'd forgotten where she was, "Of course, Your Highness. Pardon the moment I took to discipline my child. The fact that she disrespected your family and God with her actions is completely unacceptable. Sakura has always been…" she paused to shoot me a short look of disappointment before returning her gaze to the taller woman, "rebellious, but she's never committed a crime before. I apologize on her behalf."

Mebuki Haruno leaned forward in a bow. My humiliation continued to grow the longer the day drew on. She made me sound like an absolute pest!

Mikoto let out a twinkly laugh, removing her arm from my shoulders to instead lay a hand on my mother's so the woman would rise back to her full height, "Now, now, Mrs. Haruno. All has been forgiven. We've all made mistakes before, right?"

I bit my tongue as my mom simply frowned. Please, please, please don't say anything that makes you sound like a heretic. Luckily, she seemed to be in some sort of trance as she stared deeply into the queen's eyes. After a moment of tense silence, Mikoto removed her hand from Mom's arm and gestured for Ino to step forward, as she'd been standing back slightly and watching the scene unfold with an easily-readable look of discomfort on her pretty features.

"You must be Ino. My Dear, you are quite the beauty just like your sister. I'm so pleased to meet you."

My sister stepped forward and gave a polite bow, looking polished with a bright smile on her lips. Her eyes sparkled with admiration as she gazed up at the gorgeous woman before her. She'd always dreamed of being someone important like Mikoto, so it didn't surprise me that she was reacting this way.

"My mother and I are humbled by your invitation."

I surveyed her appearance as she rose back up. Her hair was styled flawlessly and rolled over her shoulder in soft, loose curls. Her homemade dress was the same light blue as her eyes and since it was one that I didn't recognize, I inferred that they'd somehow found a way to keep Ino working after my arrest and our house being ruined.

Tears dripped down my cheeks, surprising all four of us women, and I couldn't stop myself from stepping forward and pulling my twin into a tight hug. Sometimes you don't realize how much you've missed a person until they're directly in front of you. Ino didn't seem surprised and even seemed to also be a bit emotional as she wrapped her arms around me.

She spoke quieter to try and hide the fact that her voice was wavering, but I heard her clearly, "I was so worried!"

We eventually pulled apart and attempted to pull ourselves together, Ino wiping anxiously at her eyes to try and hide the fact that she'd been crying at all.

A soft sigh from behind us snapped my focus from Ino and I looked over to see Mikoto smiling at us with her hands clamped together under her chin, "Isn't that lovely? If only my boys cared for each other like that, right Sakura?"

A small laugh passed my lips and I nodded. Sai and Sasuke don't interact very much and when they do, they either sit in silence or argue loudly. The situation is always a one or a ten, never somewhere in between.

Ino's ears perked up at the mention of boys and it was as though the two men in the room had just appeared out of nowhere, despite them having been present the entire time. Her ocean-colored eyes locked onto Sai as though she were a sniper and he was her target.

An annoyed groan rose in my throat, but I stopped it before it could come out. This was exactly what I was afraid of when I asked if Ino could visit. As I looked over at the two attractive men, I bit the inside of my cheek. I suppose I shouldn't be that surprised by her reaction. Even I was taken aback by how godly the men of the Uchiha family were. It was only a matter of time before she made a move for one of them.

An odd aura filled the air as she and Sai looked at each other and it seemed like they were having some kind of moment. Sai is odd in that he wouldn't normally look away if you caught him staring, but this was something different. His eyes weren't void of emotion like usual. Surprise, confusion, and curiosity swirled around in them and I wondered what could possibly be going through either of their minds.

Things were starting to feel a bit awkward, so Madara suddenly stepped in front of his nephew, effectively breaking their eye contact and offering my sister his hand, "I am Madara Uchiha, younger brother to the king. It's an honor to meet another Haruno daughter."

Ino broke from her trance and looked up at his handsome face with a small blush on her pale face, "Y-Yes, an honor, Sir."

She shook his outreached hand, as did my mother, before Sai stepped up to his uncle's side and stiffly bowed, "I am Sai." A smile tugged at my lips as I realized there was the slightest hint of color on the Uchiha prince's face. He must be feeling too nervous to offer a handshake.

My family greeted him politely and Mikoto clapped her hands together excitedly before another silence could envelope the room, "I'm sure you two are exhausted from traveling. Sakura, why don't you give them a tour of the castle while I oversee lunch plans?"

I felt Ino link her arm with mine as I nodded to the queen with a grateful smile. Mom simply stared at the elegant woman as she shooed the two men out of the room before following them out.

Once she was sure no one would hear, Ino squealed and hugged me once more, bouncing on her toes a few times with excitement, "Oh my gosh, Saku! You hit the jackpot! You get to stay here and you're surrounded by sexy men?! What crime do you think I'll have to commit to-!"

My mom swiftly slapped the side of her head to shut her up, but I could tell that my sister was only momentarily shushed because her eyes were still shining with envy.

"Ino, have some sense. Your sister is lucky to be alive right now and should be praying for forgiveness from the lord instead of flirting with these men."

Her piercing green eyes stared down at me as though I was an insect on the ground. My eyes narrowed as she continued, "You've humiliated your family. Are you even ashamed?"

My lips were moving before I could stop myself, "I'm sure slapping your children in front of a room full of royals helps our case, right?"

My eyes widened as her nails suddenly dug into my scalp and she grabbed a handful of my hair to pull my face closer to hers. For the first time in my life, I honestly felt afraid that my own mother was going to seriously hurt me. Sure, she'd hit me in the past, but she'd never done so with the crazed look that she had in her eyes at that moment. I could feel Ino's anxiety from behind me and was sure she'd like to intervene, but was most likely hesitating so she wouldn't end up on the receiving end of Mom's anger.

"The queen understands that discipline is a necessity for raising children. You're lucky that slap was all you received. You deserve-"

"What do you think you're doing?"

Her grip on my hair loosened and I tore myself away to create some space as we all looked to the entrance of the room. Sasuke stood there with a hateful glare, arms crossed over his broad chest and I swiftly wiped the tears from my eyes in hopes he hadn't seen them.

I almost swore Ino would die of happiness if one more handsome man presented himself today. My mother didn't seem quite as fazed. "This is a family matter, Sir."

His eyebrow rose in disbelief at her stern tone, but she continued, "I request that you send for an escort. I've no intention of staying and only came to formally disown my daughter."

The air was suddenly thick and it seemed like time was moving in slow-motion as he uncrossed his arms and took a few steps into the room. Chills ran down my spine at the enraged expression on his face and I fought the urge to run. He wouldn't hurt her, right? Yes, we've had a conversation, if you can call our interaction last night a conversation, but I couldn't guess how he was going to react.

"Show yourself out. The guards outside will show you to the gate."

Ino and I glanced at each other in awe. It was nice to see Mom taken down a peg or two.

For a moment, the two of them simply glared at each other before Mebuki finally gave in and turned on her heel, hurrying toward the hall she'd arrived from before stopping to look back, "Ino, come along. We're leaving."

My sister's face fell, but Sasuke spoke once more, "The royal family has extended an invitation to her. It's her choice if she leaves or not."

My eyes widened and I froze up awkwardly. This man is notorious for rarely speaking and then when it comes to pissing off my mother, he's suddenly singing like a canary. I glanced back at him with an uncomfortable and warning expression and he glanced at me, but Ino spoke before he could react further, "I'm staying."

Our mother gave us both one last look before speaking in an oddly calm voice, "Neither of you are welcome in my home from this day forward."

Both of us watched her exit with shocked faces. She disowned Ino, too?! How will she possibly survive without the money my sister made for our family? It'd be rational to be angry with her, but instead I was drenched with worry. Something has obviously taken a very wrong turn in her head over the past few years or so and it'd been getting worse, but I never expected her to take things this far.

A sob broke my thoughts and I nearly jumped when Ino buried her face in my shoulder as she started to cry. I quickly wrapped my arms around her as I awkwardly glanced up at Sasuke, who still had the same angry expression. He held my gaze for a moment and I noticed the guarded look from last night had returned, but he wordlessly shook his head to himself before turning and leaving the room.

Once I was able to console Ino a bit, I led her up the stairs, past the second floor, and up to the bedroom I'd been in before I'd moved into Sasuke's. Mikoto had told me earlier that it was to be Ino's room while they visited anyway, so I didn't see any harm.

My sister eventually got ahold of herself and washed her face in the marble sink in the bathroom before joining me on the plush bed. Legs up to her chest and arms wrapped around them, a very unexpected position for someone as proper as her, Ino leaned her head on my shoulder, "What are we gonna do? Where will we go?"

I grit my teeth and struggled to find an answer. Mikoto could possibly be open to accepting Ino as another servant, at least until my sentence was complete, but what would we do after that? We'd be homeless and jobless. Worry etched onto my words as I finally answered, trying to comfort both her and myself, "We'll figure it out. We always do."

Not wanting to wallow in our depression, I took Ino on the tour I'd promised her and just under an hour later, we arrived back to Ino's new room and sat on the bed. Ino slapped her cheeks with her hands lightly, eyes bright as she seemed successfully distracted from the drama with our mother, "Ugh, I'm so jealous that you've been sleeping on a bed like this for a week already."

I offered her a sheepish grin as she gave me an exaggerated look up and down my body, "First of all, damn, Saku! Who knew you were hiding a figure like that?"

She cackled when I slapped her leg, "Oh, and what is up with those twins, huh? Hotties! They're total babes! Do you have dibs on either of them? I liked the one with messy hair for putting Mom in her place, but there's something about the other one that I just can't put my finger on…it's impossible to choose!"

She'd officially gone full boy-crazy mode. My twin gasped loudly, causing me to jump and interrupting my reply, "Have you slept with one of them yet?!"

I could've died right there of embarrassment, "Of course not! You know me better than that and what the hell do you mean by yet?!"

Ino tugged lightly on a thick strand of my hair, "Puh-lease, Sakura. Even you aren't stupid enough to not realize how godly the men here are. Are you telling me you'd turn them away if they asked you on a date?"

I smacked her hand away with a red face, "Sleep with whoever you want, Ino. I'm not interested."

She let out another squeal and hugged me, "Yes! Okay, so who is who? Give me all the details."

We then talked about each of the members of the Royal Family. I avoided topics like Itachi's transgressions and the death of the twins' previous maid, not wanting to worry my sister.

Another half-hour or so passed when we were interrupted by a light knock at the door. Madara stuck his head in and offered a mischievous smile, "I hope I'm not interrupting, ladies, but lunch is ready."

My sister and I glanced at each other with bright red guilty faces. The topic he'd interrupted had been how we were wondering if the Uchiha jawline would be able to cut paper. Had he overheard? We allowed the older male to lead us downstairs and into the dining room.

Mikoto sat Ino across from me, in between Madara and Sai. The girl couldn't look happier, surrounded by beautiful men. The table was void of conversation for most of the meal, but it wasn't uncomfortable. I mostly tried to conceal my amusement as Ino made eyes at Sasuke and he tried to pretend he didn't notice. It was kind of funny to see Ino's advances being avoided, just like she'd avoided Naruto's for years.

Oh!

My eyes widened as I realized I hadn't asked about my best friend, "Ino! How is Naruto? Have you spoken with him?"

Her eyes turned arctic as she gave me an irritated look, "Don't even get me started on him, Saku. Where do you think Mom and I have been staying while the house is being repaired?"

I covered my mouth to mask the laugh that threatened to burst out at the thought of Naruto and Ino having to share a room. She'd be in hell and he'd be blissful.

Sai spoke up, surprising me for the third time of the day, "Who is this Naruto person you're talking about?"

Ino turned to meet his gaze before quickly looking back down to her plate with a blush dusting her cheeks when she realized how focused he was on her. I found his actions today quite odd, but decided to swoop in and save my sister from making a fool of herself trying to reply, "Naruto is my best friend. He's had feelings for Ino for years now."

Sai's eyes widened slightly and he looked back at my sister with an unreadable expression, letting out a robotic laugh, "Ah, I see…and does Miss Ino reciprocate these feelings?"

Ino shook her head immediately, "No I do not!"

Fugaku let out a grunt as he chewed and stared down at his plate, seeming annoyed with the table's conversation, but I noticed him turn his hand over so he could lace his fingers with his wife's.

Madara let out a wistful sigh, "Doesn't this remind you of your younger days?"

The rest of lunch went seamlessly and before long we were back in the family room and sorting through party supplies.

An hour hadn't even passed when Mikoto interrupted our focus with a curious voice, "Ino, Dear, I've been meaning to ask you about your dress. The design is so unique! Where did you purchase it? I'd love to have them design a few gowns for me."

Ino actually choked on the water she'd been sipping and fell into a fit of coughs trying to compose herself. I covered my mouth as I snickered, smiling as I raised the binder on my lap up to block my face from the other two so they wouldn't notice my lapse in composure.

My sister was able to get it together moments later and sat in front of the queen on her knees with her head low, "Do you really mean that? I designed and constructed this dress myself, Ma'am."

Mikoto dramatically sat down the tin full of ribbon she'd been holding and looked at both of us with wide eyes, "Oh my, how wonderful! Sakura didn't mention her sibling was a seamstress! This changes things!" My sister and I glanced at each other covertly.

"Would you be interested in designing my dress for the ball? I know it's quite short notice and I do have a preference for dark colors. Would it be too much trouble?"

Ino rose to her feet just so she could deeply bow to the woman, "Of course! I'd be honored, Ma'am!"

The Uchiha woman rose so she could hold my sister's hands in her own, "How wonderful! Why don't you come up with a few ideas and we'll pick one out tonight so you can start constructing it tomorrow? I'm sure Sakura won't mind, right, Dear?"

I shook my head with a knowing grin, "I don't mind at all."

Ino's eyes were bright and teary as the queen gestured for a guard to fetch her a sketchpad and pencil set, before rising and excusing herself to search for inspiration about the castle.

Once the queen and I were alone once more, I couldn't help but get something off my chest that had been bothering me since my family arrived, "I want to apologize for how my mother conducted herself, Ma'am. Had I known she would be that way, I wouldn't have asked permission for her to visit."

The older woman gave me a warm smile, "No, Dear, I'm sorry that you feel the need to apologize on her behalf."

Her brow furrowed slightly as her expression turned empathetic, "It's hard when someone you trust betrays you like that. Please don't think that I'll let her actions affect my opinion of you or your sister."

Tears rose in my eyes, but I blinked them away desperately, "Thank you." My voice wavered as I tried to compose myself.

The room became silent once more as we worked and I glanced over at her every few moments, a dilemma plaguing my mind. On one hand, this family was primarily responsible for the awful situation I grew up in, while on the other hand, I've been treated almost like family since my arrival by Mikoto. Even Madara, Sai, and Sasuke have gone out of their ways at some point for was kind of an unspoken rule that didn't need to be vocalized that I shouldn't bring up politics at any point in time. I was a servant girl and everyone else here was royalty.

With a sigh, I went back to work, but after another hour or so I needed to relieve my bladder. There wasn't a bathroom on the first floor of the house, so I excused myself to head upstairs.

Sasuke's room was my first choice since that's the room I now sleep in. He's never in there during the day anyway. Most of the royals disappeared for long hours at a time and I had no idea where they went and felt like I'd be crossing a line if I asked.

For the first time since my arrival, when I tried to open the door, it was locked. I didn't bother knocking because if it was locked, I probably didn't want to see what was going on in there anyway. My face warmed slightly as I pictured the possible actions that could be being performed behind the thick wood.

I turned to Sai's door in defeat and knocked briefly before walking in when no response came. My eyes landed on an unexpected sight and a short, surprised, scream erupted from my mouth before I turned back into the hallway and shut the door firmly behind me.

All I could see was Sai's unclothed back as he did…things…to a smaller figure beneath him. I was lucky that the blanket was just above his hips or I would've seen even more. I couldn't see who he was on top of because he was bigger than them and blocked my view, but I could see blond hair splayed out on the pillows.

It couldn't be Ino's right? She wouldn't work that fast.

To my utter horror, Sasuke's door flew open and revealed an attentive looking prince whose eyes danced over my body swiftly once they landed on me. He only had boxers on, but that isn't what had me squeezing my eyes shut and fleeing down the hall in humiliation.

The red-headed woman from before was standing behind him with nothing but a sheet draped lazily around her body. Is that what people usually do in the middle of the day? Was there a memo that I missed somewhere that said I should avoid the princes between the hours of two and four so I don't interrupt sex?

What the hell. What the hell. What the hell.

Sai and his partner hadn't seen me, but there's no doubt Sasuke and his did since they'd both met my gaze. My whole body warmed further when the image of Sai moving so confidently over his partner flashed past my eyes and I squeezed them shut to try and shake it away. I've never in my life seen someone committing the act in person. I've only ever seen a few men shirtless in my life, much less completely nude. That woman couldn't have been Ino, right?

With a shake of my head, I knocked on Madara's door and waited much longer than I had at Sai's before entering. I'd only ever seen his room once or twice and that was when I caught a glimpse when retrieving him for a meal, but now I was inside and alone. His room was similar to the princes', but also had a large desk with a lamp on it and few other papers and writing utensils.

After finishing my business, I came out of the ensuite to see the room owner sitting at the aforementioned desk and offering me a smile, "Good afternoon, Sakura."

My face warmed back up slightly, but I offered him a bow, "Good afternoon, Sir. I'm sorry for the intrusion, but I couldn't find another available room."

He shook his head and waved a hand of dismissal, "You're welcome to visit any time you'd like." I felt almost awkward as I excused myself, his eyes following me as I left, and shut his bedroom door behind me.

My hands were sweaty and I patted them on my dress as I headed further down the hall toward the staircase so I could rejoin Mikoto in the family room. Just as I passed Itachi's room, the door flew open and I felt cold hands pull me inside, one on my arm and one covering my mouth so any sounds I made would be muffled.