While Hayame Kaoru was brushing his teeth in the spacious bathroom, his personal maid, Kanami, stepped quietly out of the room. Her task? Secure permission for her young master to leave the estate.
Permission, of course, had to come from the lady of the house—Kaoru's adoptive mother, Takaba Aoi, who at that very moment was in the kitchen, cooking breakfast as she did every single morning for the past six years.
Once a proper high-society young lady with zero culinary experience, Aoi had learned to cook only after Kaoru came into her life. And while she had never been a prodigy in the kitchen, she had managed to become more than competent. These days, her breakfast dishes were not only edible—they were actually delicious.
Kanami found Aoi standing over the stove, seemingly lost in thought, to the point where the eggs on the pan were dangerously close to burning.
Without saying a word, Kanami turned off the stove and waited.
"Kanami," Aoi said softly after a pause, her voice a touch distant. "Did Kaoru say why he wants to go out today? Is it something important?"
"I don't believe so, ma'am," Kanami replied in her usual calm tone. "Based on what I understand, he wants to buy manga or light novels. He didn't want the staff to do it for him. I believe he simply wants the experience of choosing them himself."
Kanami had always been perceptive—perhaps more than anyone else in the household. She'd been with Kaoru nearly every moment of his life since he was a baby. She knew his habits, moods, and even his whims better than his own mother did.
Aoi's expression turned complicated. She stared at the pan on the stove, lips pursed.
"I see... That's very much like him," she murmured. "But today's not just any day. We're expecting an important guest. Someone... connected to Kaoru."
"Connected?" Kanami asked, her voice sharper than usual.
"Yes. The family arranged for Kaoru to meet his fiancée today."
Kanami's carefully cultivated calm cracked. Her fingers stiffened at her sides, her expression unreadable.
"...Fiancée?" she echoed.
Aoi glanced sideways at the girl and smiled knowingly. "Yes. Surprised?"
"May I ask who she is, or what she looks like?" Kanami quickly asked, though she immediately corrected herself, resuming her neutral tone. "If I'm to explain the situation to Master Kaoru, I'll need to know."
Aoi smirked ever so slightly. "You're flustered."
"I'm not," Kanami responded quickly, though the hint of color in her cheeks said otherwise.
Aoi's eyes softened. It wasn't hard to understand Kanami's feelings. She had been by Kaoru's side for so long that, even if she didn't realize it herself, a possessive kind of affection had likely taken root. Whether it was familial or something else, Aoi didn't particularly mind. If Kanami was the one standing beside Kaoru in the future, she wouldn't oppose it.
But this engagement wasn't something she could avoid. It had been arranged by Kaoru's grandmother, the matriarch of the powerful Takaba family. And Aoi had neither the will nor the authority to reject it.
"This girl—his fiancée—is someone Kaoru asked about not long ago," Aoi said, turning back to the stove. "That should be enough of a hint for him."
Kanami bowed respectfully. "Understood. I'll explain it to him... and ask if he's willing to delay his outing to tomorrow."
"Thank you. And Kanami?"
"Yes?"
"You'll always remain by his side. I promise you that."
Kanami's eyes widened briefly, before she quickly bowed again. "Thank you, my lady."
With that, she turned and left to return to Kaoru's room—her mind spinning with thoughts of this mysterious fiancée. Whoever she was, her presence would mark the beginning of a new chapter not just for Kaoru, but perhaps for Kanami herself.
Meanwhile, Aoi sighed and looked down at the half-burned egg. "Guess I'll have to make another one…"