Face

Momozawa Ai calmly, coldly, observed Haruka’s reaction.

Any other person, upon hearing of Fujiwara Asou’s sudden, violent death and realizing they were holding the ring the dead woman had cherished most, would have gone pale with fright or immediately thrown the cursed object away.

But Haruka’s expression only grew calmer. He slowly, deliberately, scraped away the layer of dried blood with his fingernail, revealing the dull, lifeless emerald beneath.

He even smiled, a small, chilling curve of his lips. “Mother has truly given me a grand gift. It’s just a pity that I am a man and cannot wear this ring myself.”

A bright, calculating light flickered in Momozawa Ai’s eyes. “Perhaps… the Young Master could gift the ring to someone else?”

Fujiwara Asou’s death was the real gift from Lady Murasaki to Haruka, a clear, brutal statement of how much she valued him. The ring itself was insignificant, merely a vessel for the message. In fact, a ring worn by a dead person was considered terribly unlucky, a carrier of misfortune.

“How could I do that?” Haruka said, his voice smooth. “How could I give away a gift from my mother?”

Momozawa Ai’s tone became cheerful, the bright, shameless sound of an heir dividing property at a funeral. “The Lady has already gifted the ring to you. You naturally have the right to give it to someone else.”

Haruka followed her gaze to Murakami Suzune, who was still kneeling on the floor, a silent, waiting sacrifice. Momozawa Ai was suggesting he give the ring to the maid.

Haruka held the ring, its weight cold and heavy in his palm. Murakami Suzune helped me. I have already caused her to suffer such a profound loss of dignity. How can I give her this unlucky, tainted object from a dead person?

As he was thinking, he picked up the empty box. “On second thought,” he said, “it would still be improper to give away a gift from my mother. And precisely because I am a man, carrying it with me will show even greater respect for her.”

Momozawa Ai had no objection to his choice. From his actions, she could see he was a very calm, very composed child. He did not lack the talent for great deeds, nor the courage to see them through. But he was easily, foolishly burdened by his own kindness.

From her own perspective, a world away from his, Momozawa Ai offered a gentle reminder. “Young Master, you are not a woman, after all. You cannot wear such a ring on your hand every day.”

Haruka pretended not to understand. He placed the ring back in the velvet-lined box and smiled. “That is why I have put it in the box. This way, I can carry it in my pocket.”

“The most important thing is the sentiment toward your mother, is it not, Mrs. Butler?” he said, his eyes meeting hers in a silent challenge.

Momozawa Ai bowed her head. “The Young Master is right.”

“Mrs. Butler,” Haruka asked, “you said my mother prepared three gifts for me. I have seen the first two. What is the third?”

“The third gift,” Momozawa Ai said, her voice a smooth, blank slate, “I do not know what it is.”

“How could you not know?” Haruka asked, puzzled.

“The Lady only had me deliver the first two gifts. The third, she intends to give it to you personally.”

A flicker of genuine curiosity stirred in Haruka. The first gift was a personal maid, a human being bound to him by an ancient oath. The second was the death of the person he disliked most, Fujiwara Asou. What could the third possibly be?

“To be delivered by Mother herself,” Haruka said, his voice full of a carefully crafted anticipation, “it must be far more precious than the first two.”

Momozawa Ai simply bowed her head. “I cannot be certain, but I imagine the Lady’s gift will be unlike any other.”

“Then let us go to her now,” Haruka said.

“There is no rush, Young Master,” Momozawa Ai replied. “Why don’t you get to know your new maid a little first? After you have had breakfast and changed your clothes, it will not be too late to go.”

“You’re right.”

Momozawa Ai turned to Kiyohime. “Second Young Mistress, I will take you to the Lady’s side now.”

“Why me?” Kiyohime said, annoyed. “My younger brother isn’t in a hurry to go. What’s the meaning of calling for me first?”

“The Lady has something to discuss with you.”

“I’m not going.” Kiyohime turned away, her back rigid, and sat back down in her chair properly.

Momozawa Ai had no choice but to say, her voice softening into a tone of gentle persuasion, “Perhaps the Lady has prepared a gift for you as well, Second Young Mistress.”

Kiyohime let out two cold, sharp laughs. “So what if she gives me a thousand, ten thousand gifts? I’m not going.” No matter how Momozawa Ai tried to persuade her, she would not get up.

Haruka came over to her. “What if Mother really has something important to discuss with you? You should go and see. I’ll get ready and come find you right away.”

Kiyohime glanced at him, hesitated, and then let out a reluctant “Tch.” 

“Fine, fine. I’ll go.”

As she stood up, she passed by the kneeling Murakami Suzune and bent down to whisper, her voice a venomous hiss, “So you like to snitch, do you? Do you know what I do to people with loose tongues? There was a servant once who liked to talk too much. I pulled out her tongue and sliced it, bit by bit.”

Seeing the color drain from the maid’s face, Kiyohime couldn’t help but laugh, a cruel, satisfied sound. She was about to pat her on the cheek, a gesture of ownership, but then she remembered this was now her brother’s maid, so she patted her on the shoulder instead. “I wonder how many slices your tongue would make?”

Haruka didn’t know what Kiyohime was whispering, but seeing the maid’s pale, terrified face, he knew it must be a threat. “Onee-chan!” he said, his voice sharp with a warning.

Kiyohime glanced at Haruka, then whispered to Suzune, “For my brother’s sake, I’ll let you off this time. If you ever dare to tell anyone else my business again, hmph, you know the consequences.”

Suzune, terrified, quickly promised she wouldn’t. Only then did Kiyohime stand up, satisfied. “I was just having a little chat with her,” she said with a bright, innocent smile.

“Don’t frighten her, please,” Haruka said.

Kiyohime raised an eyebrow. “She’s just a maid. Why do you care so much about her?”

“She is a gift from my mother, after all.”

“Gifts get broken or boring eventually. When that happens, Sakuya can just serve you and I together.”

“Young Mistress…” Momozawa Ai’s voice was a little cold.

“Ai-obasan…” Kiyohime laughed awkwardly, just now remembering that Sakuya’s mother was standing right there. She immediately ran out, calling back, “I’m going to see my mother now!”

“The Second Young Mistress is as lively as a wild child,” Momozawa Ai said with a sigh. “If only she were half as calm as you are, Young Master.”

Haruka smiled. “The Second Young Mistress is still young. She will be more sensible in a few years.” He saw Momozawa Ai staring at him and couldn’t help but ask, “Mrs. Butler, why are you always staring at me?”

“I seem to recall that the Young Master is a few months younger than the Second Young Mistress, are you not?”

“That’s true…”

“Then the Young Master is more sensible than the Second Young Mistress. It seems age is not the key factor.”

Haruka felt there was a hidden, probing meaning in her words, but this time, he couldn’t grasp it. “Perhaps it has to do with my childhood experiences,” he said. “Or perhaps boys just mature earlier than girls.”

“Then the Young Master can forget his past experiences. You have returned to the Fujiwara family now.”

As Haruka watched, Momozawa Ai’s beautiful, exquisite face slowly moved closer, until her nose was almost touching his. He could feel the warmth of her breath on his skin. “I wonder in what way the Young Master has matured so early?”