They had just passed the guard on duty on the path to the pagoda. He didn’t react to Ciara’s appearance but bowed to them dutifully. Katsuo made sure to remember his face, however, and tell Taiki to train his guards better.
Ciara seemed harmless enough, but if a dangerous person were to make their way there… Katsuo made a fist with his hands as he remembered that night when Ayaka was kidnapped. It was pure luck and Ciara’s determination that his daughter got back safely. The woman was still guilty of trespassing, though, and he didn’t intend to let the whole incident slide.
“Well, I’ll be going back to my room—” Ciara started to say, but Katsuo shook his head. “What is it?” She asked.
“You didn’t think I’d let you off the hook so easily, did you?” Katsuo quirked an eyebrow, and Ciara looked away. The tips of her ears grew red. So she did think he was going to forget what she did. “You knew well that it was forbidden to enter the pagoda area unless you had my prior permission.”
Ciara looked down as she nodded.
“I cannot let this go unpunished.”
At his words, Ciara froze, and her eyes widened. Katsuo swore he saw her pale.
“W-what do you mean?” Her question came out as a breath. Her big, purple eyes looked up at him, wide in fright.
“Every action has its consequences.”
“I know that,” she replied, looking away again. She cleared her throat after a moment of silence. “What do you have in mind?” Her voice sounded different from before. Detached.
“I’ll think on it. I’ll let you know by the end of the day,” he replied. A little time for her to think on her actions might do good. “You may go now.”
“Yes. Bye.”
She hurried off so fast that Katsuo didn’t even have the chance to ask if she would need help finding her way back to her room.
***
Ciara didn’t even go to town with Yura that day. She just wandered around the orchard or circled the corridors, careful to avoid people. She had steered clear of Katsuo’s office. Finally, when she could take it no more, she visited the bathhouse and relaxed for a long time. Thankfully, her bath was uninterrupted and she was alone and could meditate. By the time she exited the pool, her fingers had wrinkled from the water. She felt warm and happy until the moment she stepped out of the bathhouse and came face to face with a servant she didn’t know.
“Milady, please come with me. Milord wishes to speak to you.”
“Okay, lead the way,” Ciara said, following the man. He bowed when they reached the door to Katsuo’s study.
“Milord, Ciara-sama is here,” he said, tapping the door.
“Let her in.”
Ciara took a breath as the doors slid open for her. Katsuo’s voice was just as emotionless as his face was at the moment she looked at him. He did the gesture she had learned meant ‘come in’ in this country, and the doors quietly slid closed behind her. For a terrible moment she felt like a mouse trapped with a cat. A big cat. Like a lion.
“You called me?” Ciara asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.
Katsuo finally looked up at her and put his paperwork away. He looked taken aback as he gazed at her. Ciara’s eyes furrowed.
“What is it?”
“I thought… I didn’t…”
It was amusing to see him bewildered for a change, and Ciara had to swallow a smile.
“Were you taking a bath?”
“Yes. It was very lovely,” she emphasized the past tense.
Katsuo cleared his throat and looked away for a moment before gesturing for her to sit in front of him. Ciara sat on her knees, waiting for him to start talking.
“I’ve decided what you need to do to make amends for your trespassing this morning-”
“I’m still not sleeping with you,” Ciara said firmly.
Katsuo’s eyes flashed golden for a moment, but it disappeared before Ciara could confirm what she saw.
“Why do you always jump to that conclusion?” he asked, puzzled. “Do you actually want to sleep with me but are playing hard to get?”
Ciara gaped.
“I’m not!” she immediately protested.
Katsuo mumbled something unintelligible under his breath.
“What was that?” Ciara narrowed her eyes.
“You make me dinner.”
“Ummm… what?”
“You make me dinner today, for just the two of us,” Katsuo clarified. “You can use whatever ingredients you want from the kitchens. There’s just one condition.”
“And what is that?” Ciara asked. “I’m not cooking for you naked!”
“Will you stop that for just one second?” Katsuo hit his fist on the table, making Ciara jump. His ears were red.
“It was just a joke,” she mumbled.
“A joke? So there’s a version where you’d actually cook naked then sleep with me?”
Ciara’s hid her face behind her hands, but whatever remained exposed, Katsuo could see it turn crimson red.
“Can we just move on and never mention it again?” she asked.
“I’m just continuing what you’ve started,” Katsuo simply said and stood up. He rounded the desk, completely silent, so when he reached for Ciara’s hand, she jerked in surprise. She looked at him with huge eyes the color of twilight. As their gazes locked, Katsuo felt some kind of tense energy whirling between them.
“Be careful what you say. The joke might be on you,” he said as he held her hands. Ciara’s breath hitched, and she didn’t move. She felt as if she was trapped by the gaze of a predator.
“You make me dinner tonight. The only condition is that it’ll be Western cuisine.”
“Oh.”
“The head cook can show you where we store the ingredients,” he said and stood up, still not letting go of her. He lifted her hand a little, and Ciara rose from her seated position with his help.
“I’m looking forward to dinner,” he said with a small smile.
“R-right.” Ciara retracted her hand and turned to the door. “See you later, then.”
“See you at dinner,” Katsuo told her as she exited the room.