It was a weekend. It was one of those few weekends where Yuki and Jacek stayed home all day to relax.
The heat of the sun that day could grill a pig; no one would have wanted to be outside. Mrs. Adlerian was sound asleep in her room and Jacek had been in his room all day after having breakfast.
Yuki got into her usual gloomy clothes and wore a cloak over it. Subsequently, she made her way out of her room.
Yuki crept through the living room, her feet barely making any noise on the floor. Her eyes darted back and forth, scanning for any sign of detection, as she clutched a little purse and a bottle of water to keep her hydrated while she was outside.
As she reached the front door, she hesitated, before she slowly turned the handle, wincing as the door creaked open with a faint squeak. She froze, holding her breath, waiting to see if the sound would alert anyone to her escape.
"And where are you sneaking off to?" came Jacek's sharp tone behind her. Yuki flinched and turned to look at her brother with a surprised countenance.
"What is there to be surprised about? Did you really think that I would allow myself to get drugged by you? Surely you misjudge me, dear sister." Jacek approached the dumbfounded girl with a vexed expression. "Where are you going?" He growled with evident vexation.
Yuki looked away hesitantly. "I received a letter from Ida," said Yuki reluctantly.
"And?" Jacek was not in his best mood and her demeanor was not helping ease the tension that was building in the room.
"The governor dropped off a letter for me. I have to go and pick it up," Yuki finally confessed.
"You promised to not escort anyone for a while, Yuki" Jacek grumbled.
"I am only going to get the letter. I will not see him. That letter is important to me."
"You and I both know that is a lie, Yuki. Are you saying you will not go and see him immediately he tells you he has information about your mother?" Jacek yelled.
"Jacek…"
"Yuki, how long are you going to be tied down and controlled by your past ?"
"Jacek…"
"Can't you just let go and be the an ordinary girl?" Jacek was completely overwhelmed by emotions.
"Jacek! Enough!" Yuki exclaimed. "What gives you the right to speak to me like that? What do you know about my past? What do you know of my conflicts? What gives you the right to run your mouth when all you know is what I let on?!" Yuki cried and stormed out.
Jacek stood in the living room completely at loss for words. He knew enough, did he not. She was suffering, he knew. He knew, but could she not realize that holding on to the past was the cause of most of that suffering. Could she not live in the present and let go of her sore past? A wounded expression found its way onto Jacek's face.
…
Yuki clenched her fists and gritted her teeth as she tried to curb the emotions that were swelling in her stomach. Don't cry! Don't you dare cry, Yuki. She was barely holding her tears back.
"We have arrived, miss," the carriage driver announced when Yuki did not get off his carriage after they reached her destination. She apologized and paid the carriage driver before finally getting off.
Yuki fixed the hood of her cloak to hide from the heat of the sun as well as anyone who could have noticed her as she made her way to one of the most popular brothels in the entertainment district.
When Yuki arrived before the large building, she was stopped in her tracks by two large men at the entrance. "Your pass?" asked one of the bouncers.
Yuki adjusted her cloak and handed the bouncer a golden card. He inspected the card before returning it to her and beckoned her to enter.
Despite it being in the day, the brothel was brimming with people, probably because it was a weekend. Yuki kept her head low as she made her way to the long stairs that led to the upper part of the brothel.
After a series of stairs, Yuki finally found herself on the third floor of the building. She navigated her way through the familiar hallway.
Finding herself at the very end of the hallway, and in front of the door with '3' engraved on it, Yuki knocked. "Who?" she heard an unexcited voice say behind it. Before she could announce her presence, the door swung open, revealing a beautiful blonde woman standing there. She wore a bold and provocative chemise with an indifferent guise which immediately turned bright at the sight of her visitor.
"Yuki!" Ida embraced the unexpecting girl. "Come in. Come!" she pulled Yuki into the room and shut it.
The room was a complete mess. Ida kicked an undergarment that was lying on the floor aside to make way for herself and the girl. Yuki took off her cloak and sat in the nearest chair, exhausted both physically and emotionally. She surveyed the room, and when her eyes fell on a smoking pipe on Ida's dressing table, Yuki fetched and lit it. She took a long puff on the pipe before exhaling a mouthful of smoke. She stared at the hovering smoke with narrowed eyes.
Ida sat on her bed staring at Yuki as if she was seeing her for the first time. She inwardly cursed herself for how terrible she was as a person to this child. Yet, she couldn't even feel proper remorse because she had no idea how to project that feeling.
She never had a guardian to correct her when she erred as a child, no place she could call home, no name to brace herself with, and no wealth to keep her steady. All she had was a pretty face and a strong will to live. So then, how was she to straighten someone when she could barely straighten herself.
She felt a sense of responsibility towards Yuki since she is the daughter of her only friend, Aihan. But then again, how did people take responsibility towards others? She had a fair idea after watching how Aihan had raised Yuki. But Aihan was special; she could never be like her.
Ida sighed as she thought of how much she and Yuki had miserably failed at living without Yuki's mother. She went over to her closet and drew out a letter. "The man sure is persistent. Do you know he offered to give me five hundred aiqes if I disclosed your identity to him?" Ida laughed and handed Yuki the letter.
Yuki put the pipe aside and received the letter. She opened it and immediately skimmed through.
"What did he say?" Ida asked as soon as Yuki finished reading.
"He said he has found something and will tell me if I met him on the night of the mascherata festival."
"Are you sure he isn't making an excuse to see you?" Ida voiced her doubt.
"Maybe he is. And maybe he is not. Do I have a choice though? The governor hardly disappoints me so I suppose he has some information, even if trivial."
Ida nodded in acknowledgement. "Contact me as soon as you find something, alright?"
"I will." Yuki put her cloak back on, "I shall be leaving now," she added and left the room.
When she exited the brothel, she spotted Jacek standing not too far from the structure at the same place he always waited at when she came to see Ida. A sense of relief washed over her. Nonetheless, as she was still angry about how he had behaved earlier, she ignored him and walked away.
Jacek followed Yuki from a distance. He closed in on her with an unhurried pace. When Yuki stopped a carriage to pick home, he rushed into it as well. The carriage driver looked at Yuki in confusion.
Yuki sighed and gesticulated to the driver to move. Jacek sat beside Yuki with his head lowered while Yuki looked away from him, disregarding his presence entirely.
"I cannot take back what I said, I know. Forgive me Yuki. I shouldn't have yelled at you nor said the things I did either. I just-just-just know I did not mean to hurt your feelings, Yuki. Forgive me, please," Jacek apologized and looked at Yuki who did not mind him.
"Yuki…Yuki…Yuki, forgive me. I will never repeat that again. I swear," he took her hand and squeezed it gently, "Yuki…"
"My mother was everything to me Jacek, I told you. How can you not understand that?" Yuki finally spoke up but she still did not look at Jacek.
"I know. I am sorry, I was just too sentimental. I know what your mother meant to you and I could never disregard that. Forgive me, Yuki. There will not be a second time, trust me."
"I will not forgive you if you say such things again," Yuki said in a low voice, then turned to look at Jacek.
His eyes lit up, then he drew Yuki to his chest and cuddled her. Yuki could hear his pounding heart. Was he that anxious? Listening to the heartbeat, Yuki found her own heart beating irregularly as well.
"I apologize as well. Forgive me for the things I said to you. I did not mean them."
"I know. I forgive you, Yuki. So… can you tell me why I leave you for a minute and you come back smelling like tobacco?" Jacek's calm voice grew dark. Yuki flinched and pulled away.
"I don't know what you are talking about?" Yuki feigned ignorance.
"Seriously, can I ever take my eyes of you?" Jacek sighed.
"You shouldn't. I stray when you are not looking, so don't," Yuki said candidly.
"As if you don't stray even when I watch you. Give me a break!" Jacek grumbled. Yuki chuckled when she saw the childlike countenance her brother wore.