Ai of the Mountain (A Fairy Retelling #2) Read Online Free Page B

ground. I know how you feel.
    All too soon, I have made my way to the top of the mountain and find myself standing outside the walls of the castle. My heart beat begins to race, and it has nothing to do with the arduous climb I just endured. My feet do not want to move any further. I am frozen to this spot. I know he’s in there. Waiting for me.
    I can’t do this.
    A man walks through the gate of the castle walls and scans the tree line. He face is familiar, friendly. Kurasawa-san. He is searching for me. He finds me standing just behind a giant elm, and a smile spreads across his face. I wish I was here to spend my lunch with him.
    My feet finally break free from their rigid state, and I find the courage to move closer to the castle. As long as I’m moving towards Kurasawa-san, I find that my feet are willing.
    “Tanaka-san,” he says, “I’m happy to see you.”
    I feel the blush spread across my cheeks. I know I should be careful with my feelings. After all, I hardly know this man. “Thank you, Kurasawa-san.” I pause a moment before I add, “I’m happy to see you, too.” My words create an immediate reaction, his smile broadens and his eyes sparkle.
    It only lasts a few moments. Once he sees the two obento boxes in my hands, his face darkens considerably. “I should take you to Lord Nakaguchi,” he says, and I nod. There is a note of sadness in his voice. I smile at him again, but it is tight, not real. I do what must be done.
    I expect to follow Kurasawa-san up through the castle again, but this time, he leads me to the rear of the castle where work is still being done on the perimeter wall. There is a garden being built here as well. It is immense, taking up all of the land between the inner keep and the outer wall. A row of rocks creates a path through flowering bushes and a small grove of cherry trees that promise to bloom with beautiful pink and white blossoms next spring. There is a small pond here with an arched bridge crossing over it. The reflection in the water creates the illusion of a perfect circle. I’ve never seen such a beautiful place.
    “What do you think, Ai-chan?” a voice says behind me. I turn around. The daimyo is there, and beside him, my father. Lord Nakaguchi is spreading his arms wide as if he is embracing the entire garden.
    “It’s very impressive,” I say. The daimyo smiles. I’ve said just the right thing.
    “For your father?” he asks, indicating the obento boxes in my hands. I hold out the one meant for my father, and he takes it, then passes it on. My father holds it in both hands, utters a hasty “thank you,” and then shuffles off to another part of the castle grounds. He barely looked at me the whole time.
    “Come, Ai-chan,” Lord Nakaguchi says, taking the other obento in his hands and indicating that I should walk on the path next to him. He leads to the top of the bridge, and sits down, his legs hanging over the side. “I know this is a bit unconventional, but I thought it would be a good place to share a meal.”
    I do not care if it is unconventional to have a meal on the top of a bridge. In fact, I’m somewhat relieved. I would have been more worried if he had led us back inside the castle into a private room with no other eyes to witness his actions. This makes me feel a little better, less worried that he might do or say something that makes me uncomfortable.
    I sit down on the bridge, seiza-style on my knees, careful to keep the obento between us. I am not as afraid as I had feared I would be, but I still want to maintain my distance.
    The daimyo loosens the knot on top of the furoshiki, and unwraps the lunch inside. I chose a box with two layers, stacked on top of each other, so that I could keep our lunches apart. I do not want a second occurrence of the daimyo finding a reason to feed me. He smiles and hands me a portion of the box, along with a set of chopsticks. He has kept the larger portion for himself. I am not upset. I have no desire to