-treat me nicely like your real fiancé, alright?-

-The present time-

I did it. I graduated. And I snuck out of the academy. I left the ceremony and then headed to the Flower House to visit my mother. I don't have to run or rush to the place. I can enjoy the journey, but not entirely. 

"The sky's beautiful this evening."

I say to myself, inhaling the air, and suddenly, my sight is black.

"!!"

"Let me go!!"

I am captured. My head is covered by a black bag, and my body is held by a guy.

"Argh!!"

And then he throws me, and my body hits the hard material.

"Go, Go!"

And the guy's voice comes up, and the engine starts.

Am I in the car?

"You mother fucker!"

I yell at a guy who is sitting next to me. I kick his body even though I see nothing. I kick around, punch around like a little kid, and try to get the black bag off my head, but it's so tight. I wonder how I can still breathe.

"Stay still!" 

A guy next to me shouts.

"Just punch her and put her to sleep."

Another guy suggests. I assume he's a driver.

"We can't hurt her, you stupid."

"Get this thing off of me!!"

I yell while trying to pull the bag out.

"Tight her hands, idiot."

The driver suggests it again.

"Fuck, Fuck stay still!!"

He's shouting at me.

Then I kick him again.

"If you don't stay still, I'll kick your ass, and I don't care who you are."

Then he pushes my head down to the seat, grabs my hands, and tights the rope around my wrists.

"Finally! And you, just drive faster!"

Somewhere

"Go inside."

I am pushed to walk in the tiny, long hallway. I see the wallpaper is very traditional and cultured. The light in the hallway is very slightly dark, but there's a soft red light through the wall, which makes me wonder if it might not be a wall but a door or maybe a room behind this wallpaper. And I noticed a guy with a black suit standing in front of me.

"Am I going to be murdered here?"

I'm asking myself while I'm walking nearer to him.

Then I stop.

He steps aside and slides the door, which looks like just a wall. I see nothing, only the soft red light.

"Is that a slaughter room?"

I ask him.

"No."

He answers.

Then I decided to get inside that room.

"!!"

And then a tall big guy stands up when I step inside.

He bows at me.

Should I bow at him back?

"What's going on?"

I ask.

"Please sit."

Then he bends his body back up and then I see his face. It's a familiar face. Then I sit like he tells me.

"..."

I say nothing. Just look at him. His pulled-and-tight-back red hair, his red eyes, and his black suit turn everything in this room into red, like his signature.

"Why are you kidnapping me here?"

"I didn't kidnap you."

"Then why am I here?"

"We have to discuss about the engagement."

"!!"

Ahh, so he's the one I am engaged with.

"You should come to me nicely like the first day. Why do you have to do all this?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. My grandfather chose this place because it's very nice to take a woman to dinner."

He explains to me while looking at me.

Maybe he's not the one who kidnapped me.

"You don't know that you need to be here."

He continues.

"Please drink."

He offers me a tiny cup of tea.

I look down and look up at him.

"There's no poison."

He answers everything I ask inside my head.

"You're still in the school uniform."

He's still the one who is asking.

"Yes, because I was kidnapped."

I answer while brushing my long hair, which is messy because of the bag.

"I'll handle it for you."

"Handle? Handle what?.. It's fine if it isn't you. It leaves the choice to the head lady."

I say and drink the tea gently.

It's nice.

"Thank you."

I say softly.

"?"

He looks me in the eyes. No one would look at me like he does. It's not that scary-frightening, but it's genuinely calm-intimidation.

"I haven't had a chance to say it to you…about that night…you took me to my mother."

"...My pleasure."

"I don't want to be married."

I say to him fearlessly.

"We are not yet."

"Can I take this engagement off?"

"No."

"Because of the agreement between you and my father?"

"Partly."

"Then what is the main reason here?"

"Please eat first, and I'll explain."

He says this while using the chopsticks to pick tasty food and put it on my plate. Then, I take the food in my mouth.

Wow, it's delicious.

After seeing my reaction from the first bite, he puts all the food on my plate at once.

"Thank you."

"One of the reasons is because your father owed something to my father."

"Money?"

"Power."

He changes the answer for me.

"..."

I am listening while I'm eating. This food is delicious.

"And yes, also money. The agreement was created to break off the long-term debt your family owed us by our engagement. He gave you to me so he could pay off his debt."

"How much did I help what he owed?"

"All."

"What? seriously?"

"Yes, seriously."

He repeats me.

"Then it's not that much."

I chuckle and put another piece into my mouth.

Hmmm, tasty.

"...You are valuable enough to clear all his debt."

He tries to confront me.

"I know I am valuable, but not for my father or in that family. If Serena, I might believe it."

"..."

"Is there any stronger drink than tea?"

I ask.

"What would you like?"

"Anything you order for me."

"..."

He silently glares at me, and then he calls his guard to come in and tells him the list of the names I don't know.

"What's your name?"

"...Kaiza Takaki."

He answers.

"Can I just speak to you directly, Mr. Kaiza."

"..."

There are several drinks in front of me, served by the server, who is wearing kimonos.

"I don't want to be engaged as well. I don't care about his debts. It's his doing, not mine. And he chose me for you because I am the least favourite of his kids. The head lady despises me. And this engagement is a chance for her to kick me out desperately instead of letting me go freely. So, I will be on my own, and you will be free from me too. You could have anything you want, right? Probably could find another woman and just let me be."

After a long talk, I drink up the glass in one go.

"Wow..."

I can't help myself.

"What is your plan? If I let you be."

"..."

I drink another glass. I don't want to lie. I look at him, in his eyes. Why do I feel like I never run away from his sight?

"To be honest, Mr. Kaiza, I really don't know."

"..."

He is listening to me carefully.

"I lost my only dream. I would rather be lost than be a tool for them to be happy."

I answer.

"Don't you want to be happy too?"

"How? Can you tell me how?"

I say and drink another glass.

"While you are lost, I can be by your side."

He says.

"..."

"Until you find another dream."

"If I can't find it?"

I ask.

"I am still with you...I cannot promise to make you happy, but I'll try. At least I can promise that you will not feel the same way as you do from them."

"...Ahh."

I make a sound after I drink another glass.

Why is he so persistent about the engagement?

"If..you still deny...I gotta bring the last weapon."

"Hmm?"

"Do you have anything you want?.. I can make that happen..anything for you."

Anything for me?

I have a lot of questions, but...

"I want to go back to my old land…I want to own the Flower House so I can stay with her… I want to leave that mansion...I want his business to be underground like he did to my mother...I want the Stygian name out of my life."

"..."

He's still listening to me intently.

"Can you do all of that?"

I challenge him with a little smile.

The red light is getting redder. I feel a little tipsy. Why is he getting closer, or am I just hallucinating?

"Ah."

I make a little sound in my throat when he touches my left cheek.

"Your hand is so warm."

"You're drunk."

He says softly.

"I'll do it…but you won't get that all at once."

He says.

"I know if you can do it all at once, you're god."

"Heh."

He chuckles.

I heard his little laugh, which made me try to look straight at his face. He isn't what I 

expected or what people have talked about.

"Really?"

I ask.

"Yes."

"Mr. Kaiza, why?"

"Zephyra, I am the one choosing you, not your father."

"Why?"

"Because I want you."

"..."

"Why?"

"Because I want to."

"That's..."

"You will live with me until you get the house. And about your father's business, I can help if you really want your revenge."

"Revenge?"

"But it will take time."

"I have to live with you? I don't want to be under any other people's rules anymore."

"No, you will live freely as you want. You don't have to do anything if you don't want to." 

"I don't want to be involved with your business...I don't know exactly what you do, Mr. Kaiza, but I don't want to be involved with anything like my father does."

"I understand." 

"And if you start our agreements and anything that involves me or if you have any progress, you need to tell me. Don't do anything behind my back."

"If it hurts your feelings?"

"Yes."

"...Alright."

I pick up the glass in front of him and try to raise it, but he puts his hand on it to cover the top of the glass.

"Hmph."

I make a sound and pout my lips

I put my upper lip on top of the glass, touching his finger and bottom lip at the outside edge, and raise the glass as the liquid runs through his fingers into my mouth. And I look at him. His eyes are slightly startled, but I barely see it through the red light on him.

"..."

He slightly pulls back his hand.

"This girl..."

He's mumbling.

I lick the liquid on the edge of my mouth.

"Oh, and one more thing, I want a lawyer. Is it a deal, then?"

"Yes, it's a deal."

"Are you going to treat me well, Mr. Kaiza?"

I speak vocally this time. What is this drink? My head is round and round.

"Yes."

"Treat me nicely like your real fiancé, alright?"

Then suddenly, my head is too heavy to carry on my neck.

"..."

He uses his hand to hold my face before I hit the table. And he moves himself to sit next to me.

"You are my real fiancé."

"..."

He gently touches my hair and puts it behind my ear. I barely open my eyes.

"But first of all, I need to take care of the guys who kidnapped you here."