Chapter Text
Shirayuki pressed her hand against her chest, hoping she didn’t look as pathetic as she felt in the current situation. Heat was creeping up the column of her neck and the file folder in her other hand grew heavier and heavier with each passing minute, as if it was a weight she was burdened to carry. Right now, it felt like the world was toppling around her and she didn’t know what she could do to at least pretend that she had herself pulled together. She was supposed to be a… a what did the file call her again? A “well-dressed, intellectual, debutante”? She didn’t feel like any of those things at the moment.
“Shirayuki, right?”
She put on what she hoped was her most professional smile. “Yes.”
“And you’re… supposed to be the candidate?” Mitsuhide flicked through the paperwork she had provided him, looking over all the documents until landing on the signature at the bottom of the last page. “Izana signed off on this?” He sighed, his shoulders slumping as he flicked through the rest of the pages again, rereading the articles that she had tried to memorize. “Izana ordered all of this. I’m sure that’s going to make Zen so happy.”
Mitsuhide handed the paperwork to the woman standing next to him. “So… what do you think, Kiki? I mean… it’s… I don’t want to go against Izana, but this all seems sudden.” He ran a hand down his face. “And I don’t think Zen will like this at all.”
Shirayuki swallowed and glanced at the stranger who was standing silently in the corner. He hadn’t said anything yet, and was only leaning up against the wall, eyes boring into her. He somehow managed to say nothing and everything at the same time. It was like he could tell that she wasn’t what she claimed to be, but he was letting the scene play out before he made a decision to alert the others. Her blush crawled higher up her neck and she looked away, her eyes catching the sight of the massive greenhouse in the distance. Looking at it made the tightness in her chest ease just enough to make her feel like she might be okay… at least for a little while.
“It all looks legitimate.”
Shirayuki glanced back to see Mitsuhide taking the paperwork back from Kiki and glancing over it again. He sighed and handed it back to Shirayuki, his expression suddenly very solemn. He shifted on his feet before leaning against the massive desk behind him, looking back at Kiki before turning around to the stranger in the room. “Zen is not going to like this. It’s one thing to threaten him with a bride, it’s another to just go and order one.” He looked back at Shirayuki and blushed. “No offense.”
“None taken.” Shirayuki was surprised how her voice managed to keep still.
“I guess we have no other choice but to go and tell Zen.” Mitsuhide sighed and let his head fall into his hands. “Izana ordered him a wife.”
“A… a trial wife.” Shirayuki clarified the best that she could without sounding like she was arguing. She had no intention on marrying anyone if she could avoid it. It was one thing to put on this ruse to save herself, it was something entirely different to ruin someone else’s life in the process. “This is only meant to see if we’re compatible. It’s in the paperwork that I’m supposed to be here no more than six weeks unless Zen sees fit to offer me a formal courtship.” She prayed he didn’t.
“Izana will make the ultimate decision about you and Zen.” Mitsuhide looked back at Kiki, who nodded before taking a step forward, expression unreadable.
“Come on now. I’m sure you’re tired from your long trip. I’ll show you to where you’re staying, and let you get washed up.” She started out of the office and Shirayuki trailed after her, her steps muffled by the plush carpet under her feet.
Shirayuki felt relieved that no one had second-guessed her paperwork or what she was doing here two days before her scheduled arrival. And, honestly, there was a portion of her that felt bad that she may have ruined some young woman’s chance at marrying a corporate heir, but her choice was made out of survival and necessity. She needed to get as far away from Raj as possible, and this was her only option at the time - write and forge documents for a fake mail-order bride.
She felt utterly ridiculous, and equally hopeless.
“Mitsuhide is going to speak to Zen about your introduction.” Kiki was a pillar of calm and strength in the chaos that was surrounding Shirayuki, and it was nice to connect to her on some level. It was almost comforting to feel as though Kiki would help her control the whole situation. “Izana has a history of pulling stunts like this with Zen, so it’s unlikely that he knows you’re here. We’ll try to wrangle him the best we can, but he might not be in the best of moods.”
“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.” Shirayuki followed her through the rest of the halls, listening as Kiki pointed out little bits of information - which rooms were which, what the best time to sit in the solarium was, where Zen could often be found if she was ever looking for him. Shirayuki tried to keep her thoughts pulled together and focused on what Kiki was saying, but this moment of calm that surrounded her after her last few panicked days seemed to drain the energy from her entirely. Every muscle in her body was aching, begging to be rested, and her heart hurt from the fear that had been weighing on her.
“You look tired.” Kiki’s hand finally rested on a doorknob and she looked over her shoulder at Shirayuki. “Perhaps you should rest a little before meeting Zen.”
Shirayuki looked down at her toes and nodded. “I… I think maybe you’re right.”
Kiki nodded and opened the door, leading Shirayuki into an artfully decorated room that looked over the back lawn. Shirayuki stood there and felt in awe, looking around at all the splendor she didn’t get to experience in her own life. It was as if she had stepped into some posh decor magazine, and she couldn’t do anything but at least appreciate the fact that for a few weeks she got to live here. It did feel at least a little bit like a fairy tale. Shirayuki walked to the window and looked out across the lawn, seeing the massive greenhouse in the distance. Her chest tightened again, but this time in excitement and appreciation.
“I’ll have your things brought up.”
Shirayuki turned back around and looked at Kiki, framed by the light coming in through the windows, and she gave a sheepish smile. “Thank you. For everything, I mean… I guess I didn’t know what to expect when I came here, but it’s nice to know that you’re here… helping.”
Kiki let a flash of shock cross her face before her expression melted into something softer. Nodding politely, she made her way out the door. “Of course.”
Shirayuki watched her go for a moment waiting until the door clicked into place before she let loose a sigh of relief. A few moments slid by in silence before Shirayuki walked to the balcony door and stepped outside, needing to feel fresh air on her lungs again. Her stomach turned over and she pressed her hands against the stone railing, watching the stretch of meticulously manicured lawn in front of her. Once again she felt a surge of guilt at the thought that she had cheated some other woman out of this because she was trying to save herself. She felt… foolish. So stupidly foolish and rash.
“You’re new.”
Her eyes flicked open and she leaned out over the railing to see someone staring up at her. Shirayuki swallowed, her heart turning over in her chest as her fingers dug into the stone of the balcony. That had to be… He looked so young, far too young to be a corporate genius - as the magazines called him. He couldn’t have been much older than her, with hair so blonde it was nearly white, and blue eyes that made Shirayuki think about the petals on cornflowers. She swallowed the excuse that was dancing on the tip of her tongue, and felt her face burn bright red with embarrassment.
He cocked an eyebrow and leaned back on his heels. “Do you at least talk?”
Shirayuki nodded, still trying to find words that didn’t sound like a bark noises jumbled together.
“Well, that’s good.” His lips pulled back into a smile. “I’m going to guess that you’re my mail-order bride, right? Shira… Shirayuki? Right?”
She nodded again.
“Great.” He turned on his heel and started walking back inside, disappearing under her balcony. “Well. You can gather your things and leave.”
What!?