The Royal Secret - IWAOI Fanfic

TRS - Part Twenty Six

'What?!'

Call off the wedding?

But its tomorrow!?

I tried to calm Tooru down, stroking her hair and swaying us from side to side.

I kept glancing in the direction of her two attendants who were shuffling their feet looking very uncomfortable.

Tooru managed to stop crying after a while.

'You ready to talk?'

She nodded into my shoulder and I loosened my grip from around her allowing her to pull back and face me.

'What happened to your face!?'

I reached out to touch the red mark covering her left cheek, she beat me to it and quickly covered it with a shaking hand.

She looked over to her attendants who took that as permission to approach.

As she turned away from me she spoke.

'This is what happens when I try to defy my father.'

Her attendants seemed used to this as they pulled out some concealer and set to work covering up the bright red mark.

I was left speechless.

I understand parents discipline their children in different ways but that mark was definitely more than just a parent scolding their child.

Tooru quickly pulled herself together and acted as if nothing had happened.

'Anyway, Hajime, I need you to call off the wedding.'

She said this in such a nonchalant fashion, it was difficult to understand what she was saying.

'What!? Call off the wedding? Why?'

'Because. It is in your best interests not to marry me.'

'And who decided that?'

'I did. Cant you just listen to me and do as I say?'

She seemed exasperated but I was just as exasperated as she was.

'No! It makes no sense!'

'It doesn't need to make sense, just call off the wedding!'

This..... discussion, if you could call it that, continued on for a while, as stubborn as we both were, until I had had enough.

'Look, Tooru. I have no idea what has happened and it seems that you sure as hell aren't going to tell me....'

I paused to allow her time to explain if she wished. She looked away from me, eyebrows furrowed. So I continued.

'I have no idea what's going on and, unless you give me a good reason, I am not calling off this wedding!'

I paused again, giving her chance to speak. She looked at me as if she wanted to say something.

'There you have it. I have no intention off calling off the wedding. If you want to cancel it, then you have to be the one to do it.'

Tooru's eyebrows furrowed once more.

I put my hand to the cheek that was once red and gently stroked it.

She looked at me and the anguish in her eyes was clear.

I spoke to her gently.

'I dont know what's going on with you Tooru, but whatever it is we will face it together. I'll always be on your side.'

'If you were on my side then you would cancel the wedding.'

'Tooru...'

I warned her.