A Mother's Inquiry

[Ichiko's POV]

As five sleek black cars glided down the smooth pathway of the Agnus mansion, our car being in the middle, I was deep in thought.

In the backseat were myself and Mother. In the front sat our bodyguard driving us and Father who was on his laptop, responding to emails.

Even with the rhythmic hum of the car engine being played, the inside of the car was completely silent and all you could hear was the breath of those in it.

The one to break the silence and to pull me out of my thoughts was Mother.

She asked a question that carried underlying weight, "How was he?" Her voice was laced with much curiosity and intrigue.

It was a simple question composed of few words but the implications behind it ran deeper.

The "he" she was referring to was Bell Agnus, my fiancé as well as the man I had just bid farewell to a few minutes ago.

My gaze shifted from the picture on my phone to Mother's inquisitive eyes.

My lips remained sealed.

"Are you going to stare at the picture of you and the Agnus boy all day?" asked Mother.

Again I didn't respond as my gaze shifted back to my phone.

Despite my silence, a subtle and involuntary smile tugged at the corners of my mouth the more I looked at it.

It was a rare sight to see me smile, for I seldomly displayed genuine expressions of joy. Most of the time, I just faked a smile that was forced, reversed, and concealed beneath a façade of indifference, and the people around me were none the wiser.

My mother on the other hand wasn't simply a person around me. She was blood.

So naturally, she was taken aback by this unguarded, registering her surprise with a gasp.

"Is that a genuine smile on your face I see?" asked Mother, grinning from ear to ear.

"A smile?" said Father.

In the passenger seat, Father, now made aware of the subconscious change in my expression, swiveled around as fast as he could.

He had stern features and a stoic expression that suited his title in our clan those features were softened by his curiosity.

He tried to search for the smile that hadn't been shown to the outside world for so long but as his gaze finally fell upon me, my face had already wiped away the evidence, replaced by an impassive mask of neutrality.

"Where?" he asked. Then he turned to my mother and asked again, "Where is it? Where's the smile that I was promised?"

"No one promised you anything," said Mother. "Turn around so we two ladies can resume our conversation."

'What conversation?' I chuckled.

As he complied with her wishes, I could see his body slouched downwards and his typing getting louder to prove the mood he was now in.

As the journey to our hotel continued, the car moved through this western city's labyrinthine streets.

Every once in a while, whenever there was a decision too important for Father to make on his own, he consulted with me first, and only after I gave the go-ahead did he accept any business offer.

I don't mean to come off as boisterous but my mind was a complex labyrinth of strategies and calculations that surpassed even the most astute minds.

The most calculated plan I've ever made was the engagement to Bell Agnus but if he wasn't compatible with my personality or desires then I wasn't afraid to throw the plans away and make another.

'Thankfully, he was perfect.'

Mother, undeterred by my reticence, probed once again as if she was reading my mind and knew how was on it.

"Were you satisfied by the kid?" she inquired.

I gave my mother a look and with a smirk, she created a bubble around the two of us so that Father couldn't overhear.

If he wanted to, he was powerful enough to listen in but he wouldn't dare anger Mother or me.

I began to speak in riddles, feeling a little embarrassed to respond directly.

"It started with his face," I said, my voice carrying a hint of admiration. "It was just photos but I couldn't help but find it captivating and... irresistible even."

"Is that why you chose him out of all the prospects?" asked Mother.

I merely gave a slight nod.

"Ah... that's why you rejected the proposals of all those powerful families. Their kid wasn't handsome enough for you."

Mother must've noticed the redness appear on my face from embarrassment because she told me, "Don't worry about it. I didn't choose your father because he had a good personality. I just liked his face... and his sexy body."

"Mom," I glared at her.

"Sorry. Continue, please."

"He was pleasing to my eyes and after hearing the truth behind the incident between him and that girl, I felt it was appropriate to ask Father to arrange the proposal of engagement to the Agnus family," I continued.

I paused, my gaze returning to the photo of Bell and myself on my phone.

"But I'm not so stupid that I'd simply choose my future husband because he has a cute face."

"Of course not," said Mother. "My daughter's ambitions are too vast to waste an opportunity like that."

I didn't show it but I did smile inside my head as I heard what she said.

"But it was upon meeting him that there was more to Bell Agnus than just his face."

"Really?" asked Mother, not knowing much about him other than the brief interaction she had yesterday as well as the interactions from when he was a mere child.

I nodded. "His demeanor, attitude, his character... his charisma. All of it was simply perfect."

I didn't want to say this out loud so I just continued inside my mind.

'And when we touched, even though it was just merely holding hands, it was like our very beings resonated with each other.'

I knew that my words were painting a picture of an obsession that teetered on the edge of unhealthiness.

I also knew that this infatuation of mine could probably be credited to my lack of interaction with men outside my family.

Boys never approached me at school because they had to go through my army of friends before they could.

Whenever I went to extravagant events hosted by princes or rich tycoons, none of the kids dared ask me out to dance for fear of suffering the wrath of the other boys interested in me.

That interaction I had with Bell Agnus was probably longer than all my interactions with boys my age combined.

I didn't even know how babies were made until I researched it on the internet by myself because the clan refused to "corrupt" my mind.

I know that if I had more interaction with real boys my age, I wouldn't be feeling these powerful tugs at my heartstrings.

I know — but I don't really care.

His status, his name, his talent, his looks, all of it was suited to my plans for the future.

My mother who had been listening intently, I could see in her face that she was slowly beginning to recognize just how deep my emotions were.

"Sorry if this comes off overbearing but... as your mother, I can't help but feel like you're letting this force of attraction consume your thoughts and stir up your desires," she said, worriedly. "I worry that the intensity of your feelings, they are too powerful. You barely know the kid. Are you sure that this infatuation of yours won't lead to potential bad consequences for your ambitions?"

I looked at Mother and without saying a word, I conveyed all that I wanted to say in response.

"Good. That's all I wanted to know," she said as she removed the bubble around us.

As the car glided through the city, although I assured Mother that everything was alright, my unspoken desires settled upon me more as I still hadn't closed my phone yet.

My intelligence and my ability to navigate the intricate web of power and control in this power-hungry world, it was clashing with the unpredictable nature of my own heart.

In the depths of my mind, I acknowledged the potential dangers of my infatuation with Bell Agnus, the shadows that lurked beneath the surface.

But for now, I'll need to continue navigating that intricate dance between my desires and my ambition for the world because although the risk certainly existed, I told myself that this risk would've applied to any other guy I could've chosen to be my fiancé.

At least in the case of Bell, he's the perfect man for me physically, characteristically, and spiritually.

"Ichiko, what do you think we should do about the request for help from the Kitani clan?" asked Father.

The Kitani was about to be attacked by the Goto clan. Their relationship was always hostile but never to the point of battling it out.

However, the teacup eventually spilled when a dispute between two children from the clan led to one of them being crippled and the other dead.

Recalling all the information I had in my mind's library about the two clans, I began analyzing the pros and cons of helping the Kitani, not helping the Kitani, or helping the Goto instead.

It was nice out here in the West. Although families were allowed to fight amongst each other through business and sometimes official duels sanctioned by the government, full-on war was illegal.

In the East, however, war was as common as sands at a beach.

As long as the war was contained between the two clans and no innocent bystanders were harmed, the government allowed the battles to happen.

This was the Emperor's way of keeping power because as long as conflicts and bad blood continue to reside in the clans, the risk of having that bad blood being pointed toward the government lessened.

"Accept the request," I told Father.

"Alright," he responded, writing an encrypted mail that couldn't be easily intercepted by a third party.

Thousands would die in this war but I could already see our clan being on the winning side.

With our participation, I doubted that any other major clans would dare ally with the Goto.

Why am I siding with the Kitani?

I'm not.

I'm just going against the Goto because they have something I want.

Their family treasure, the katana forged by Goto Maresuke, one of the greatest blacksmiths in history.

'Will Bell like the gift I'm preparing for him?' I asked myself, hoping he does.