I don't know why the idea of going to a place where there were barely any people frightened me so much, if everyone always says that life in the countryside is the best decision to find yourself.
***
"Quickly, Ren, come on."
"Wait for me, Miya," he replied, trying to catch his breath.
That same day, at dawn, Ren and Miya arrived at their new home after leaving everything behind.
The place that opened before them was completely new to Ren, even more so because he had never left the city.
Miya had told him they would arrive at a modest house, but there was nothing modest about it. Stone walls almost two meters high surrounded the property, giving a sense of isolation. The two-story house was so well designed that it left Ren slightly open-mouthed. His old home had always seemed cozy to him, but this place multiplied that feeling several times over.
"Perfect, right?" Miya said, standing beside him. "This will be our little love nest."
Ren barely nodded.
As Miya moved ahead to enter the house, a fleeting thought crossed Ren's mind.
Did Miya's parents have a very high status…?
Maybe. Ren didn't know for sure. The only thing he knew was that the house Miya had taken him to, to spend a few months—or perhaps years—belonged to her mother's family. A place surrounded by fields, isolated, with the nearest civilization about three kilometers away.
Upon entering, Ren felt as if the past became present within those walls. He observed every detail carefully until he reached the main living room, where there was a piano that, curiously, looked almost new. He approached cautiously and raised his hand to press a key, but Miya's voice startled him.
"Ren, come here!"
The urgent tone made him run immediately. For a moment he thought something bad had happened. When Ren reached the source of the call, he found Miya sitting on a huge bed, at least four times bigger than his own.
"This room used to be my parents'. Now it will be ours."
Miya smiled, patting the mattress.
"Don't you want to come try it?"
Ren grew nervous at her words.
Looking for help, he glanced around and noticed that several objects were still covered with white sheets. So an idea came to him.
"Miya, we have to unpack everything. Besides, the moving truck will arrive soon."
Miya, who moments ago had been looking at him with a provocative expression, changed to one of obvious boredom.
"Come on, Ren, that can wait," she said, slowly running her hand over the bed.
"Later, okay?"
Ren quickly left the room, leaving Miya with words caught in her mouth.
He knew he owed her something, and it was no small thing. On their wedding night, just the day before, they hadn't spent it together as expected. The reason was that fatigue had gotten the better of him.
When Miya realized Ren had fallen asleep, she became furious, with an anger that seemed to seek revenge. Ren sensed it that same day and knew, without the need for words, that sooner or later he would have to pay for what hadn't happened.
Once the moving truck arrived and finished its work, Ren began organizing the boxes. In the middle of the task, his attention stopped on a door locked with a key. It awakened his curiosity.
"It's locked… what could be in there?" he murmured.
However, he decided not to give it importance and continued with what he was doing.
As night fell, the two of them ate something improvised. While they did, the memory of the door returned to Ren's mind.
"Miya, that door at the end of the stone hallway… where does it lead?"
Miya stopped eating for a moment and looked at him in silence.
After a few seconds, Ren, uncomfortable, insisted, and she replied:
"It's the basement."
"This house has a basement? I'd like to see it. I've never seen one in person."
"I don't think it's possible, Ren," Miya said. "The door is locked and I don't know where the key is."
"What bad luck."
Seeing him like that, Miya took his hand and smiled.
"Don't be sad. I'll look for it."
"Thank you," Ren replied, cheering up.
After that, the night took a different turn.
Miya appeared wrapped in silk fabrics that left little to the imagination. Ren was left speechless at the sight, because although technically it wasn't the first time he had seen her like that, it was the first time he truly remembered it.
"Come here, Ren," she said softly.
Not really knowing what to do, with more nerves than experience, Ren went into Miya's open arms.
Under the full moon, the silence of the house disappeared.
That night, all the sounds seemed to be born from Ren; perhaps, without realizing it, the roles had been reversed.
Chapter 28: It's an Order, Ren!