The Rose Bride, still clad in her military-style gown, walked
slowly from Saionji's dorm room towards the Chairman's
quarters at the center of Ohtori's campus. She had
done exactly what her onii-sama had instructed her to, and
now the one Engaged was caught as well. Soon, the revolution
would come, and she would be free.
Anthy supposed she was lucky.
As the Rose Bride, the witch who bore the brunt of all
the world's hate, she was constantly in pain. It was
her fate to endure that pain for all time, and as a result,
she was doomed to be the Rose Bride, engaged to and abused
by whoever might be lucky enough to win her in a duel. Whether
it was physical, verbal, or psychological, the Champion of the
Duels inflicted a portion of the pain that Anthy was fated to
live with.
She could deal with physical abuse, and verbal abuse meant
virtually nothing to her. Psychological abuse, however,
was a different matter. That dredged up ancient, long-forgotten
emotion, emotion that Anthy had spent a millennium trying to forget.
The psychological pain was always the hardest. Being hit or
yelled at usually had something to do with her disobeying her
current fianc�'s wishes, but psychological abuse always
concerned her fate as the Rose Bride and her utter inability
to change that fate.
Saionji-sama only abused her physically.
And no physical pain could compare to the pain of the Rose Bride's
emotions.
So, Anthy supposed she was lucky.
"Anshi, do you love me?"
He had asked her this once, after a particularly grueling
battle with another duelist.
"Of course, Saionji-sama."
Of course she loved him. He wanted her to. If they desired, she
always loved her fianc�.
But she loved her brother more.
Anthy entered the tower through its rose-patterned doors.
* * *
Akio met her at the door of the planetarium. "Was the
trap set?"
"Hai. I told Saionji-sama everything you said."
"Good girl." He led her into his room, drawing her onto his lap
as he settled onto one of the white couches. Akio pulled the
pins from her hair, combing his fingers through her violet
tresses. The folds of her crimson dress flowed over him like blood.
Shutters slammed and all light in the planetarium was extinguished.
"Did you miss me this week, Anshi?"
"Hai, onii-sama."
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