[The following is temporarily Kane's point of view]
It was dark, and I was currently in a room. Although everything doesn't come back to me initially, I still take a while to process what happened to me. I was on an expedition against monsters along the outer wall. I never expected it to be a trap, though. If it weren't for the fact I can sense killing qi, I would have died then and there. After killing my attackers, I was in a haze and losing blood. It wasn't till I walked up to a tree did I see a girl sitting on the ground. She seemed to be in pain and cultivating either way; she couldn't sense my presence. At this point, I was too weak and collapsed. I just hoped the girl would notice me and take me to get help. As soon as I collapsed, the girl seemed to open her eyes, and all I could do was cough. That cough was enough to get her attention. I don't know what she was saying.
All I could do was watch with blurred sight. Although weak and unable to carry me, she still tore her clothes and dragged me on top of one of the layers of her garment to get me closer to help. Although I couldn't see correctly, I could tell that we were at the Asami residence at this time. I could hear her shouting for help and saw a man come over. He lifted me as if i was a sack of potatoes. Although he was careful of my wounds, I could tell he wasn't happy. But the girl seemed not to care and just asked him to take me somewhere. I know they don't remember my Identity, and because of that, they aren't allowed to treat me, but the girl still had me taken somewhere.
Soon after, I lost my vision and could only listen to her as she started to work on me, but I could tell she was the only one giving me treatment. The pain from her stitching me up didn't hurt, and the fact that I could tell that she was making sure that I had nothing harmful in my wound proved to me how hard-working she was. Who is she? Most would've left me to die, especially if they don't know who I am, but she is helping me. Soon after I started to regain sensation and pain in my body, but I could tell that it only stung the girl left the room to wash herself of my blood had walked back in this time I could see her. she seemed so mysterious, her golden brown eyes and her long brown hair seemed to fall in all the right places looking further down I could see scars peeking out beyond her sleeves practically covering her hand making one almost doubt that she was the one to do all the stitching of my body. She couldn't tell I was awake and started to speak. Her voice was soft, and she almost seemed nervous that I was asleep.
"Sir, are you still conscious."
How did she know I was awake? I did close my eyes before she could check. Opening my eyes, I tried to sit up and speak, but she sat me back down with little force on her part.
"Don't push yourself. I need to give you some medicine, but you must ingest it. I will sit you up; I need you to swallow the medicine no matter how bitter."
Putting the medicine in my mouth, it was bitter; then she added water, and all i wanted to do was spit it out. I didn't care that a pretty lady was taking care of me; I liked the medicine out of my mouth. She must have noticed my expression because she covered my mouth as soon as I went to spit it out. She didn't seem too stoked about doing that, but I managed to force the medicine down because of her.
"I'm sorry, but you need this medicine to regulate the blood flow. I had to give you other medication earlier so you wouldn't bleed out. This should help control your blood flow once more. So please don't hate me this is to help."
Her hands were shaking, and her eyes expressed that she knew how bitter medicine was and seemed sympathetic. I know I can't hate someone who saved my life, so I nodded. Soon after, I started to feel tired, but I refused to sleep, especially since I could tell since I could see appropriately that this room was not a medical room but probably her private room. She seemed to notice that I was tired as though.
"You can rest. I'll ask you more questions when you wake up."
I couldn't help but fall asleep, unaware of my surroundings. A while later, I could tell I was being cleaned off, although I didn't want to startle her; she seemed to be in and out of the room. I could tell that she was washing the blood off my body. Soon she came back with a man. They whispered something to each other then she waited outside the door. What is going on?
"Sir, I know you are probably awake, but Agatha wanted my help getting you out of your bloody clothes into clean clothes. I am only doing this for her, not you, though."
While talking to me, he started to change my clothes with ease. Although I wanted to help, I didn't want to move wrong and reopen my wounds, at least for a few more hours.
"Also, I should tell you don't take that girl's kindness like a grain of sand. You will probably never know how much she risked helping you even when she is injured."
Is she hurt? Is it her old scars? No, that doesn't seem right wait, she did seem to struggle using her left arm when moving me around. Is she hurt there?
"Also, if you can, I want you to try to get out of this room by morning. She will be punished if others see you are in this room."
With that, he left the room with my clothes. He handed the girl Agatha my clothes and walked away. Although he seems to be rude, he is pleasant to the girl. Are they dating? No, I don't think that is it. I felt a ring on his hand when he moved me around, but she wasn't wearing one. So they are most likely family. Why is this bothering me so much? What does it matter? It shouldn't bother me that she will be punished for saving my life. Okay, it bothers me. Why will she be punished for saving someone's life? She doesn't deserve that. She deserves a reward. Yeah, I'll get her gifts and reward her for saving my life. Soon she returned; she used her internal energy to dry my clothes a little faster and then started to stitch the clothes. She seemed to want something special to it, although I could tell she noticed the crest on my clothes. I could hear her muttering to herself.
"Kage Takeo"
Hearing my name from her mouth for some reason, rather than upsetting me, I liked it. If I could hear her say my name repeatedly, I'd probably enjoy it too much.
"If he doesn't like it, I guess he is fully capable of getting a new set."
I could tell she was thinking out loud, unaware I could hear what she was saying. But I can tell they spent a significant amount of effort stitching in the design that fit my clothes, making the cuts in my clothes no longer obvious but beautiful. Soon as she was done, she folded my clothes at the foot of the bed and sat down; she seemed exhausted and had passed out. Knowing she was asleep, I got up, circulating my internal energy so moving around won't aggravate my wounds. I looked closely at the design that she did on it. It's hard for me to believe she stitched an intricate pattern into the cloth within a couple of hours. She made great efforts to make my clothes look better than the damaged ones. Getting off the bed, I walked behind the wall divider and put on my clothes, and folded the clothes I was blended. It suited me much more than before, and for some reason, It appealed to me more, but I don't understand why. Looking at her asleep on her desk, I lifted her, laid her down, saw her hair layout, and covered her in the sheets that seemed to be moved off the bed so that she could treat me earlier. With that, I took a quill and paper and wrote my thanks.
'I know when you wake, I won't be here, but as thanks, I will return more than what you granted for me. My life is eternally in your debt - Kane Takeo'
With that, I left swearing to give her my utmost gratitude the next time we met by granting her anything she wished for and more.
[The rest will be from Agatha's Point of view]
When I woke up, a servant knocked on the door, and I was lying on the bed. Before I let her in, I looked around to see if there was any evidence of the man from yesterday, but the only evidence was a note.
"I know when you wake, I won't be here, but as thanks, I will return more than what you granted for me. My life is eternally in your debt - Kane Takeo."
Did he leave? DID HE LEAVE? That dumbass does not know he shouldn't be moving around too much, or he will reopen his wounds. Even if he is a practitioner from that crazy family, he can't be that stupid. Wait, he is that stupid because he isn't here, and he probably was the one to put me in bed.
*sigh*
"Miss, are you awake? We need to get you ready for the town meeting that is happening in the next hour. Understand we are already running short on time due to your lack of response."
Great, I am so not ready for this. With that, I opened the door, and six servants came in and started to dress me in an extravagant outfit to cover the scars on my hand. They put lace gloves on my hands, making them go with my scars, almost having them seem invisible. Putting the Hanfu on me, I felt exhausted, and the day had just begun. Before they could, I had them put "martial slippers" on my feet. Poking and prodding my head, they stuck a headdress on me. With my outfit put together, I could finally breathe without being pulled or poked. Soon the servants were putting light makeup on me so that my eyes seemed to shine even brighter. With that, they painted a tiny lily on my forehead. It almost seemed like a dot from a distance, but one can tell it is a lily up close. Why do I have it on my forehead? Well, that is because it is the healer faction of my family, meaning it is like a logo or crest on my body. Most women have the insignia painted on them somewhere on their bodies, or they have the logo printed on their clothes. With me all dolled up, they sent me out the door, and I had to walk gently to get to where they needed me to go. I hate dressing up. I love the result because i look gorgeous at the end, but that doesn't mean I like being poked and prodded.
With myself being dressed up, we headed out to the town meeting. The meeting will last all day, and food will be served. It is tiresome, but it is efficient in making alliances and getting materials. It is almost like a market meeting. People give something and get something back. It is also a time to talk about things that are happening with the monsters. It is political and business only some of the most influential families and companies can go to the meeting. For me, I will be representing the business side of the family. I'd rather spend this time working on improving medicine, maybe even making new medicines, but I have no choice but to come to the meeting.
Walking through the house to the main entrance, I saw the family head, and he saw me. Knowing that I shouldn't run, I didn't speed up but stood beside him.
"Agatha, I see you are looking perfect today."
"It's an honor you think so highly of me. It brings me joy to hear a compliment from you."
"There is no need for such pleasantries. I like hearing the opinions you have, no matter how small."
"I will try to speak more relaxed, but unfortunately, that will be too disrespectful if I speak all my thoughts."
He seemed happy talking to me, although he is in charge of the family. Asano is only 26 years old this year, but due to his hard work, he has raised the prosperity of this family. He and I used to get along when we were kids, but he started to avoid me one day. Although I know he didn't hate me, it made me struggle with the fear that anyone I cared about would leave me. I hate the man beside me intensely because he left me, and I know why. He left me alone and avoided me because I came of age to experience the first torture. I think he avoided me because he knew what I'd be going through when I turned 10. Due to that, he has evaded me for the past nine years. I never understood why he was avoiding me until I saw his expression when I was young. He had the look of being guilty. That's when I realized he was the one to torture me. He had to torture me as a test to become a proper heir.
The only reason why I knew it was because that day, my father told me that Asano passed the succession test with flying colors. It is because of him that I have permanent scars on my hands. Because of him, I have faded spots on my back from being whipped. He was the one to torture me for hours while I begged for the pain to go away. He was why I am now unable to cry in pain or beg for help. He was the one who had to torture me when I was ten. Although he was the only had to do it once doesn't mean I will ever forgive or forget that night.
"Agatha, I know you..."
"Sir Asano, It is time for us to go."
Before Asano could finish what he was saying, my father interrupted and stopped him from speaking. I know my father is keeping the family head from getting close to me, but i think it is because he found out how Asano passed the succession test. I also told my father when I was a kid that I no longer wanted to be in unwanted situations with Asano. Because of that, my father usually interrupts Asano and shortens his conversation when he tries to talk to me. Although my father is an asshole, he does care in his way by interrupting the family head; I smiled a bit. My father brought his face near my ear and whispered.
"Agatha, I'm proud of you work hard tonight. I will have the staff help you with your medical experiments."
I know he means he wants me to make a lot more effort for some form of reward, probably because if there is nothing in it for me, I'd hide in the corner and avoid others besides the basic introductions. Nodding my head, we stepped inside the carriage. The ride was deathly quiet and a little awkward I could tell that Asano wanted to continue talking to me. I should probably listen to him, but I feel rather stingy now, so no. Besides, if he wants to talk to me now, he should have spoken to me back then rather than avoid me. Although I know I can't avoid him forever; I'll try. Looking out the window, it is evident that people are just going about the day as usual. Almost like today won't change the course of this town. I wish I could spend today with Kenji or at least be anywhere besides where I am going. I wonder how Kage is. He was seriously injured; from a doctor's perspective, he wasn't completely healed. Even someone who has cultivated their life would struggle with such a wound. I know we weren't in the carriage for long, but because it is awkward here, time feels like it is flowing differently. Soon we arrived, and all we could do was step out. I was the last to leave the carriage. Asano reached his hand out to help me down to not be rude, especially with lookers. I took his hand.
As soon as our hands touched, I felt a piercing glare, and all we could do was look around to see if it was a threat, but neither of us saw who released such anger in our direction. When we felt the glare, not once did Asano let go of my hand, even when I got out of the carriage. He even held my hand even tighter, not letting it go.
"Asano, can you let go of my hand?"
He looked at our hands and didn't even release my hand but interlocked our fingers. WHAT THE FUCK?! Let go. I am not comfortable with this. I'm not too fond of this. I don't even want to be near you. Let go of my hand. Although I wanted to say all this, my father nor I could do anything that could cause problems in public, even if we were family. However, I should say that Asano and I are not related by blood but by marriage in the family. He is the son of his mother's previous husband. Meaning we have no blood ties. He was adopted into the family due to there being no living heir.
Trying to pull my hand away without gathering attention gently, Asano didn't even let go of my hand and started to walk with me by his side. Why is he doing this? I have never been more confused in my life. While trying to release my hand, Asano would tighten his grip and keep walking, forcing my hand to stay in his. Soon we were inside, and everyone probably noticed that we were holding hands. My father couldn't hold back anymore and whispered something in Asano's ear, and Asano just ignored my father's suggestion. For some reason, I felt the glare once more. This time I could see who it was coming from.
Kenji? Why is he here? And why is he glaring like that? I struggle reading people or understanding them unless I diagnose a physical issue, but why is he glaring. Wait, why is he here? Looking at his clothes, I knew why he was here at this moment, and I felt upset. I felt like I knew nothing of my friend all these years. Why didnt he tell me he was part of the Mieko family? Why didn't I know or notice earlier? All these years, I thought he was an apprentice practitioner instead of part of the Mieko central family. I think he knows more about me than I do him, which bothers me for some reason. Although I never told him what family I am part of, I told him almost everything besides anything to do with family traditions that I am not allowed to discuss. While I was deep in thought, Kenji approached me without a word to me. He glared at Asano and seemed livid.
"The lady seems to want you to let go of her hand. I suggest you let it go."
"And who might you be for you to intrude on a private matter?"
"Someone who doesn't try to force myself onto a woman who is uncomfortable."
"Who is to say she is uncomfortable?"
"Everyone with eyes to see that she has been trying to get you to let go of her hand since the moment she stepped off the carriage."
"Who are you to intrude on us when she has voiced no objections?"
"It seems I have lost my manners seeing a man rude to a woman. My name is Kenji Mieko, Heir of the Mieko family. May I ask who your rudeness is?"
Kenji is the heir? Why didn't I notice am I that out of touch with society?
"I see just a young man who doesn't understand hierarchy. I am Asano Toda-Asami, Head of the Asami family. Agatha, why don't you introduce yourself?"
I never wanted him to know about my family this way, but unfortunately, I had no choice but to cooperate. Although this is a great chance to have Asano let go of my hand. So, I was finally free from his grasp without moving too quickly.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Agatha Asami."
Muttering under his breath, Keji was repeating my last name.
"Asami, can I ask what relation you have to this man."
"He is the family head of the Asami family and my Adopted cousin."
Keji seemed a little less bothered finding out we are cousins, but I could tell that the adopted part bothered him. Why would it bother him, though? The only reason I think is that Asano will have to marry one of my family members to have a blood heir, but I don't know why that would bother Keji. Thinking about it, I wanted to talk to Keji in private, but something didn't feel right. As soon as I tried to speak thought I was interrupted.
"It is good to see you again, Ms. Agatha."
The shock went through my whole body. I turned to see the man I saved not that long ago walking around like he was perfectly healthy, although I could tell he was still injured.
"Mr. Kage, may I ask why you are here?"
"Why wouldn't I be? Besides, this place is a great way to meet you. As well, thank you for saving my life. I wouldn't doubt my life would've been forfeited if it weren't for you."
Asano seemed angry that he was being ignored and curious about our interaction, so he grabbed my arm without much to say.
"I'm sorry, I need to talk to Ms. Agatha to the side for some private matters if you would excuse us."
With that, he pulled me to the side, where there was a balcony. No one was there, and everyone else seemed engrossed in their conversations. The only people interested in our conversation seemed to be Kage and Kenji.
"What was that?"
"What was what?"
"You know what I mean."
"No, I don't, so quit dancing around the subject like an acrobat and tell me."
"Why did Kage Takeo say that you saved his life? Not only that, but why does Keji Mieko also seem to know you?"
"Both of those questions are not mine alone to answer if you want to know, ask them, although I doubt they will answer."
"Agatha, you will tell me, although I am not expecting an answer right now, I do want one later, or I will have to interrogate you am I understood."
I was so angry, ripping my arm from his grasp, I walked back over to both Keji and Kage so that I could avoid any conversation with Asano. If he wants answers, just ask questions I might not answer, but others might.