The Pact of Lies

Several days had passed since Mio fainted in Kaguya's arms. She woke up in a private hospital room, surrounded by silence and white flowers. As a safety protocol, and to protect her mental health, Kaguya had given a strict order: no one but her could come in to see her.

For Mio, those days of isolation felt unreal. Sometimes, as he stared at the white ceiling, he thought that all the commotion, the reporters' shouts, and the cruel photos were just a bad dream from which he had just awakened.

When the doctors finally discharged her, Mio got ready to leave, expecting to find the building empty or filled with people who would judge her. But she was wrong.

When she opened the door to her room, she was greeted by a welcome committee that was completely unexpected. Several girls were there. “ Mio! ” they shouted at the same time, some with tears in their eyes.

They were all happy that she was okay. Mio had no idea, but her arrival at the company, her humility, and her courage had greatly influenced the people who worked at Minamoto Corporation. Her presence had become a beacon of hope and warmth in the corporate environment. “ We're with you, Mio. ” said the head stylist, squeezing her hand. " It doesn't matter what the news says. You are our queen. "

Mio was happy that everything was fine, at least for a moment. She felt that she was not alone.

Later, in a private room where Mio was finishing getting ready to leave, the atmosphere changed instantly. The door opened and Kaguya entered. Her face was serious, but her eyes showed relief. “ Everything is ready for the transfer, Mio. ” said Kaguya, checking that the girl was presentable and impeccable. " Don't worry about the press outside. I'll take care of everything. But first... there's someone who needs to see you. "

Kaguya stepped aside. A male figure entered the room. He was wearing an impeccable suit, a far cry from the dirty apron Mio had seen him in earlier.

It was Tomoki.

Mio was terrified when she saw him. Her eyes widened in shock and her legs, still weak from lying down, gave way. She almost fell to the floor in shock, but she held on to the edge of a chair. “ To... Tomoki? ” she stammered. When her brain processed that it was him, that her friend from Happy Burger was there, safe and sound, she was overcome with emotion. She threw herself at him and hugged him tightly. “You idiot!” she scolded him as tears began to fall. “ Why did you disappear? I thought you were gone forever! Sara and Kenji were worried too! ”

Tomoki hugged her back tightly as he closed his eyes, enjoying the moment. “ I'm sorry, Mio. I had to take care of some things... family stuff. But I'm here now. I won't leave again. ”

Kaguya had to interrupt the moment. There were urgent matters to deal with. Tomoki gently pulled away from Mio, but kept his hands on her shoulders. “ Mio, listen to me. The situation outside is very bad. Ryōma Shinomiya wants to destroy you. And the only way to stop him... is to give them news bigger than the scandal. ”

Then they explained the plan to Mio.

Tomoki, the lost heir of the Minamoto clan, would announce his return at the same time as his engagement to Mio. “ Marriage?”  Mio took a step back, moving away from him. “ You and me? Get married? ”

At first, she refused outright. She shook her head vigorously. “ No! That's wrong! ” Mio exclaimed, putting her hand to her chest. “ A wedding is supposed to be when two people love each other, right? It can't be a lie. It's sacred. ”

Tomoki felt a twinge of pain in his heart when he saw her rejection, knowing that she was thinking of someone else, but he kept up his act. “ This isn't a love match, Mio. It's to protect you. ” Tomoki said seriously. " If you're my fiancée, they won't bother you anymore. You'll become the future owner of this company. No one will dare call you a servant ever again. It's the only way to save you... and to save my mother's legacy. "

Mio looked at Kaguya, who nodded. Then she looked at Tomoki, who was looking at her with a silent plea. She thought of Ren. She remembered the balcony. She remembered how he hadn't looked for her in all these days. " Maybe... maybe he gave up too " Mio thought sadly. Maybe I should stop dreaming and start getting real. She understood the situation. She had no other choice. “All right,” Mio whispered, looking down.  “ I'll do it. ”

Hours later, the Japanese internet exploded again. But this time it wasn't hatred. It was absolute shock. The press conference was broadcast on every screen, from cell phones to giant televisions.

The handsome young Tomoki Minamoto held the hand of a shy but beautiful Mio. The headline ran across the bottom of the screen:

“THE RETURN OF PRINCE MINAMOTO: ANNOUNCES WEDDING TO SHIBUYA'S CINDERELLA.”

The hate instantly transformed into a romantic soap opera. People forgot all their hatred for her; now she was the star of a novel.

At Ryōma's mansion, he looked at the news on his tablet. He frowned, confused. He didn't know how to deal with this. On the one hand, Mio was no longer an obstacle he could easily attack, as she now had the official backing of the Minamoto clan. On the other hand... this meant that Mio was definitely far away from Ren. “ She's marrying Kaguya's son? ” Ryōma muttered. He was undecided as to whether this was a masterstroke by Kaguya or a fatal mistake. “ Bah, what does it matter, ” he finally said, turning off the tablet and pouring himself more wine. “ As long as she stays away from my son, she can marry whoever she wants. Better for me. ”

Ryōma decided to let it go, believing he had won. He didn't know that, in the basement of his own house, that news was about to change everything.