The Shadow King's Princess (An OHSHC Fanfic) [Completed]

Chapter Twenty-Seven

A/N: Assume that most of what she is saying is in French for now. It’d be annoying to both of us if I had to put up the French words and the translations using google translate which isn’t correct most of the time anyways.

Zaira

The ride to France seemed to drain everything out of me. All of the numbness, the coldness, the complete acceptance of what was going on, it was as if all of these disappeared when the plane landed in the French airport. I just felt tired.

Despite this, however, when I was lead to the car that one of the servants watching over my estate had brought to the airport, I hesitated before climbing in. Before I went home and collapsed from jet lag, and everything else, I had a stop to make. I nodded to myself, then climbed into the car, Ono sitting down after me. Okada took the seat in front with Alain, a blonde man who had been one of the drivers for my family since before I could remember.

Just seeing him made it hard for me to breathe.

“You’re able to w-work again…” I mumbled, dropping my eyes as I spoke. Of course he was. It’d been around nine months now since everything had happened.

“Yes, Mon Cherie,” Alain replied, turning around in his seat to offer me a bright smile. “I’m not a driver anymore, but I help around the estate where I can. It’s easier, everything considered, plus there’s no need for a driver with you having gone to live in Japan.”

His smile faded as he finished speaking, having slowly faded into something that was a mixture of sadness and guilt.

“Mon Cherie… Zaira, I’m so s-”

“Please don’t,” I cut in, wincing. “It… I don’t need…”

He hesitated, then nodded, glancing at Ono next to me. I noted, with what might have been amusement at another time, that Ono’s brow was furrowed as he attempted to keep up with the conversation, something that he was probably having problems with, seeing as both Alain and I had been speaking fluent French.

“I understand,” Alain said after a moment, turning around to face the wheel once again. “As you know, the ride is only about fi-”

“Please, c-can we g-go somewhere else, f-first,” I said, placing my trembling hands together.

Alain’s smile that he had attempted to put back in place became strained.

“I believe I know where you mean,” he replied. “That will take a little bit longer.”

Nodding, I leaned back in my seat, able to relax now that I’d gotten my request across. Next to me, Ono seemed to be a bit tenser, perhaps having picked up on the jest of the conversation.

“Somewhere else…?” he questioned, his Japanese words slow and unsure. “Ootori-sama told me to escort you directly to the estate, Bello-sama.”

I gave him a faint smile, surprised that Ono had spoken up at all. He struck me as the type to just listen to whatever the one in charge said was going on. Although, I suppose Mr. Ootori was technically the one in charge of him.

“We have a short stop to make before we get there.”

Ono frowned, but didn’t argue my decision.

Around twenty minutes later I was rubbing my temples when the car finally came to a stop. One glance outside the window told me that we’d arrived. I chanced a peek at Ono’s expression to find that he was much less reluctant to be here than he had originally been. It was easy to guess that he’d probably decided that even Mr. Ootori wouldn’t argue me going against his instructions if this was the reason.