the Silent Truth

Mio was in one of the highest rooms in the building, a VIP area where there weren't many people. In fact, there was no one there. She was on a large balcony, leaning on the glass safety railing. She closed her eyes, letting the night air hit her face, trying to wipe the tears from her cheeks. In his mind, Seraphine's words repeated like a broken record: “Womanizer... You're not worth it... Your parents would be ashamed...”

Kaguya had sent her with Tanaka to rest in one of the building's private rooms to recover, but unfortunately, or perhaps by design, both girls got lost along the way.

Some mysterious waiters, wearing low caps and seeming to know too much, had subtly led them away, guiding Mio to this isolated place.

But far from being afraid, Mio felt calm. At peace. The noise of the party and the judgments of the people were eighty floors away.

At that moment, the magnetic door slid open with a soft hiss. Ren had also entered the room.

When Ren received the papers from Tomoki in the bathroom, along with the threat, there was also an unmarked black card. It was a master key to a room. Unlike Mio, who was guided, he was curious. He wanted to know what was hidden in that place the cook had given him. He walked through the dimly lit room and stepped out onto the balcony.

He was greatly surprised to see a familiar silhouette. The pink dress fluttered in the wind. Mio.

Ren hesitated for quite some time about whether to take the step or not. His logical mind screamed at him to turn back. His father was down there, Akira was down there. This was dangerous. But his treacherous heart, which had recently awakened, ordered him to move forward.

Determined, he did so.

Finally, after a long time, they were both in the same room. Alone. Far from the cameras, the fake crowns, and the corporate wars.

Mio didn't immediately notice that Ren was there. She was absorbed, looking at the city lights, about to cry again. Ren cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “ It's funny... I've been coming to this building for years for boring meetings, but this is the first time I've ever been to this place. The view is... different from here. ”

Mio jumped in fright. When she heard that deep, calm voice, she opened her eyes wide in surprise. Slowly, afraid that it might be a hallucination, she turned to see who it was. She was greatly surprised when she realized. “ R... Ren? ” she whispered.

Ren also turned to look at her fully. They stared at each other for several seconds. He saw her red eyes. She saw the wine stain on his sleeve. Two perfect disasters. Until Mio's mind connected the dots again. Panic set in. " Him! The fiancé! The one who plays with everyone! I have to get out of here! " She wanted to flee the scene, moving toward the side door.

“Wait!” Before he could do so, Ren reacted instinctively. He grabbed her hand to stop her from running away. The skin-to-skin contact was electric. It caused a strange and devastating sensation in both of them. Ren felt that familiar heart arrhythmia, that thumping in his chest that he hadn't felt since the alleyway. And Mio felt her heart racing, beating so hard that it hurt.

Once again, they remained in that position for several seconds, frozen by the touch. Mio slowly stopped running away, but turned around without looking him in the face. Her face was turned down, ashamed and hurt. She knew she couldn't run away from that moment, but guilt hit her. She quickly pulled her hand away, as if he were burning. “ No... you can't do that. ” Mio said, her voice trembling. “ You have... you have to respect your partner, Miss Akira. ”

Ren stood with his hand outstretched in the air, feeling the coldness of her absence. “Mio...” Ren began. “ She was with you. ” Mio interrupted, taking a step back. “ And that blonde girl... Seraphine... she said that you... that you're just playing games. That you collect girls for your own satisfaction. ”

Ren frowned. A shadow of anger crossed his face, not toward Mio, but toward the lies that surrounded her. “ She told you that? ” Ren took a step toward her, invading her personal space, not to intimidate her, but to make her really listen to him. “ Mio, look at me. ” She looked up, reluctantly. “ I don't know what poison Seraphine spat at you. ” Ren said intensely. “ She doesn't know me. No one in that hall down there knows me. They only see the surname. They only see the Prince.”

Ren sighed, running a hand through his hair, ruining his perfect hairstyle. “ That whole world... the lights, the cameras, the expensive suits... it suffocates me. It's a golden cage. ” Ren looked him in the eyes. “ But when I'm around you... when I watch your videos, or when I find you in a dirty alley... it's the only time I feel like I can breathe without the pressure from my parents. ”

Mio gasped. That didn't sound like something a womanizer would say. It sounded like a desperate confession. “ But... you're engaged. ” she whispered weakly. “ It's a contract. ” Ren said bitterly. “ My father's business. It's not my choice. ” He softened his voice. “ Don't believe a word Seraphine said. She lies to win. She said those things because she's afraid of you. ”

“ A-afraid?” Mio blinked. “ Of me? But I'm a disaster. I even fell on stage. ” 

“ Yes. ” Ren smiled slightly, a sad but genuine smile. “ You're afraid, you fall, you cry... You're real. And that makes you unique and special... at least to me. ”

Mio felt the weight on her chest lighten. “ I thought you'd make fun of me. ” she admitted. “ Like everyone else. ”, “ Never. ” Ren said.

There was a moment of silence, but this time it wasn't uncomfortable. It was different.

Ren, moved by an impulse he couldn't control, raised his hand again. This time he didn't grab it. He just gently brushed the bunny pin Mio wore in her hair with his fingertips. “Don't let them shut you down, Bunny.” he whispered.

Mio closed her eyes at the touch, leaning slightly toward his hand. For a second, they forgot the gala, forgot Akira, forgot Seraphine.

Amidst the silence, a sound was heard, a sound that was almost imperceptible. A tiny flash from the shadows of the upper floor of the balcony. Neither of them noticed it. But the moment of peace had been captured. And that image was about to become the bomb that would destroy everything in the future.