"Mina!" I sat on my best friend's lap, hugging her.

"Sana! Why are you here?!" She yelped. "Go flirt with your future wife, you idiot!" 

"No no no, I can't. She's an angel. A pure angel. Have you seen her?!" I shook her by her shoulders. 

"Yeah. I did." She laughed. "Go flirt. Go~" She whined playfully, pushing me off her lap. 

"I'm not going out alone." I got up and grabbed her hand. "I'll get you a chair. You're eating with us." I dragged her out of the kitchen, and she grinned sheepishly as I grabbed another chair and pulled it over. I put her chair inbetween Tzuyu and I's but she sat down in the seat that I was planning to be mine...which forced me to sit next to Tzuyu. I didn't sit down.

"Sorry...my lady wanted me to eat with you." Mina rubbed the back of her neck, and Tzuyu seemed to have cheered up having Mina by her. I was kinda jealous...but anything that makes my little Tzuyu feel better makes me feel better, too. 

"It's supposed to be a family thing. You're family." I huffed as she pulled me down to my seat. "You were supposed to sit next to Tzuyu." I whispered angrily in her ear. 

"I know. But she's your wife. Talk to her." She nudged me with her elbow. We began eating after we were thanked for the meal. I watched Tzuyu tentatively start to eat her ramyeon. She smiled, so I assumed it was good. Especially when she started to eat a little faster. I couldn't help but giggle a little bit at her adorable behavior. I was glad she was eating so well. The poor thing was kind of thin. 

"M-Mina..." She whispered, and my best friend heard. She got up, since whenever we had guests she should act like a maid, but as soon as they leave she can go back to being her usual self. She stood next to Tzuyu and bowed. 

"Yes, my lady?" 

"It's really good...thank you..." 

"I'm not the one who made it." She smiled. 

"Oh...then...who made it...?" 

"Your wife did, kiddo." She broke into a smile and patted my shoulder. I grabbed a glass of water and started drinking it, hoping to cool down my blushing face. 

"Thank you for asking what I wanted, though." 

"Sana asked me to see if there was anything you wanted." She leaned down, but I heard her whisper, "My lady was too nervous to ask you herself." 

"But...thank you." Tzuyu seemed awfully insistent on thanking my best friend, who continually pointed out that I did all the work, while Tzuyu didn't pay me any mind. Mina smiled, shaking her head, and sat back down next to me. 

"Have you even said a word to her yet?" Mina whispered into my ear.

"No." I whispered back. "But it's scary-"

"Then why do you get to tell me to talk to Momo when you can't talk to your wife?" She patted my leg under the table encouragingly. "You can do it."

"It's awkward." I put my hand on top of hers, and squeezed it.

"Well, when we're done eating, at least ask if she enjoyed the meal. Talk to her at least once tonight." 

"Yeah, as if I can talk to a goddess like-" I heard a cough from my little Tzuyu, and I turned my attention to her. "Are you okay?" She looked surprised at my concern. 

"Yeah..." She nearly whispered. 

"Do you not like it? It's okay if you don't." I was resisting every urge in my body to rub her back in hopes of comforting my little wife. 

"I just ate too fast..." She said even more quietly than before. She was about to resume eating, but I took her glass of water, and put it in her hands.

"You should drink for a minute. The food isn't going to go anywhere." I giggled, and she started drinking the water. She had a little bit before she went back to eating. She seemed to really like my cooking, which made my heart soar. Mina patted my back, and I looked over at her. She was grinning like a proud mother, then motioned for me to get closer so she could tell me something. 

"Okay. Now, you've earned the right to bother me about Momo again." 

"Yes!" I whispered before we went back to eating. 

The adults spoke for most of the meal. They spoke about politics, the economy, and their situation with their families. I didn't pay much attention, as I was focused on stealing subtle glances at my Tzuyu. 

Sana, the woman I'm marrying against my will, is pretending to care for me in front of everyone. I don't even want to think about how they treat the maid when I'm not here, or when guests aren't here. Mina probably did cook it, since I doubt a spoiled brat like Sana could cook. I couldn't help but worry about Mina. They say that Mina is like a member of the family, but she acts like a maid...a very formal maid. It worries me...what would happen if she forgot a formality, or if she didn't bow to someone? Would they whip her? Would they take her food away? 

To make matters worse, she kept stealing glances at me...probably undressing me in her sick mind. I'm only eighteen...I shouldn't have to get married, and I sure as hell shouldn't have a woman two years older than me undressing me with her eyes. 

I finished my ramyeon, which was beyond delicious, and asked to excuse myself. I tapped Mina's shoulder as subtly as possible on my way out, hoping that she would follow me, and tell me what was really going on...I wanted to help her. We could run away together. Maybe we'd break up and find someone better, or not, but being engaged at this age is ridiculous. Especially to a spoiled brat. I wanted out.

I waited in the bathroom until I heard knock on the door.

"It's Mina, my lady." 

I opened the door, pulled her in, and locked it. "Tell me everything." 

"Tell you what?" She looked genuinely confused.

"Do they hurt you? Why are you so polite? Are you okay?"

"Oh...my gosh..." She started laughing. "Do you watch too many movies? I'd love to ruffle your hair but it's so nice, and you still have the rest of dinner with your wife...I wouldn't want to mess it up." 

"Seriously, Mina. You don't need to call me 'my lady' or anything. We're both people, just talk to me. And I don't like spoiled brats, therefore, I don't like Sana." 

She laughed even harder. "Sana?! A spoiled brat?!" She wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh geez, where did we go wrong?"

"It's okay. I figured it out myself. You don't need to tell anyone that I know. We'll run away from here together." 

"Oh. My. God. You're adorable." She grabbed my shoulders and shook me lightly. "There are so many reasons why I want to stay here, and you'll want to stay here too, once you give Sana a chance." 

"Mina..." I was disappointed that she seemed to be on that brat's side...the girl who gets everything she wants. Including me, apparently. 

"Okay, let me explain. What do you want explained? Sana's non-brattiness, or the fact that I usually just wear my pajamas around the house and Mr. Minatozaki does all the housework? Maybe you want to know why I love living with the Minatozakis, or why you should really give Sana a chance?" 

"Can you even be gone for that long?"

"Ooh, true...Ah, who cares? I'll tell him when you guys leave." Mina seemed incredibly laid back for a maid. 

"Explain that you're not being beaten." I took her hands. "I'm worried about you. You're so formal, and-"

"Calm down!" She laughed, taking her hands out of mine. "Oh, really, you're definitely a kid. I came here when I was fifteen, because my mom needed me to work, and this is the only place that would hire a fifteen year old. I did housework for the first day, but when I came back the second day, Mr. Minatozaki told me that he wouldn't let me work. He said that he'll pay me no matter what, but that his daughter was a little lonely. Sana and I met, and it was a little odd at first. I thought the same as you; that she was a rich and spoiled brat. She grew up with the Yakuza, and she was terrified of me when we first met. She was scared of almost every Japanese person. There were plenty of attempts on her and her dad's lives because of their Yakuza connections. She lived a tough life, until her dad realized that being the Yakuza boss wasn't something he could do anymore. He said he had seen too many things, and that he wouldn't be able to bear it if he had to see any more. He handed his position over to the person who was next in line. He already had a fortune from being the boss of the biggest and most infamous gang in all of Asia, but he helped the government locate and take them down for even more money. He wanted to make sure Sana didn't ever have any financial troubles. He didn't want her to end up dealing with the Yakuza or the criminal world at all ever again. When he said he was moving to Korea, I asked if I could come with, since Sana and I got really close. He said he was planning on asking me if I would have wanted to go with them to Korea, anyways, so he let me come with. The worst scolding I get at this house is when Sana and I get scolded for eating all the food, or for making too big of a mess. I don't think I've ever been scolded by myself, it's always both Sana and I who get into trouble together. I do practically nothing here, except being a maid for show when guests come over. As soon as the guests leave, I change back into my pajamas and just do whatever I feel like. I usually play videos games, but sometimes I'll watch a movie with Sana. We have similar tastes." 

"Oh...really..." I looked down, shy.

"Yeah. In short, I live here, not work here." She chuckled. "And yeah, Sana isn't a spoiled brat. She kinda earned this wealth for growing up in the Yakuza. People were always trying to take her life to get to her dad. You wouldn't believe the stories she's told me, or the physical scars the poor thing has."

"She has physical scars?!" 

"Oh yeah. Big time. There's a lot on her back and on her feet. She never wears open-backed dresses, or any shoes that expose her feet...she hates that stuff. She wants to forget, and I don't blame her."

"How did she get hurt? Also, you're not calling her your lady?"

"You already know that the whole maid thing is a facade, so there's no point in calling her my lady. You, on the other hand, I should serve, even though, honestly, Sana will probably be ready and willing to do whatever you want her to. She adores you. She thinks you're the cutest thing she's ever seen...it's honestly kinda funny." She giggled, and I felt my face heat up. "We really messed up, huh? Anyways, the scars on her back were from when she was fifteen, I came into the picture a few months after this happened. She actually got kidnapped, and they were whipping her to tell them where her father was. It's terrifying to look at. She wouldn't tell them, though. It was always only ever her and her father. They have an incredible bond. Probably has something to do with them both being gay-"

"He's gay?!"

"Yeah, but he doesn't want to tell her just yet. He doesn't know when the right time would be. Anyways, the scars on her feet are, generally, just from living around the Yakuza and being clumsy. I was with her when one of them happened. She's incredibly clumsy, by the way. She managed to not only step on a gun that had the safety off, but her other foot was just in range of the bullet. She has all her toes, but, uhhh...that one took a while to heal." 

"Oh my gosh..." I was shocked. How could I believe that this spoiled rich girl, actually, maybe deserved her wealth? Maybe not all of it, but she actually had to go through some stuff. I couldn't believe that Sana, the girl who lived in a mansion with her father and a maid who turned out ot be her best friend, actually experienced the outside world.

"Yeah, she's an idiot- Oh, wait, you're probably worried about her. You should be, as her wife." Mina grinned at me. "Let's head back. Dinner's gonna be over soon, and you should get your flirt on. I've been bothering Sana all night about getting her flirt on, but the poor thing is too shy." 

"Oh, geez, yeah..." I turned, and we went back to the dining room, where everyone was done eating. "I apologize for being away for so long." I bowed. "I got lost, and Mina had to find me and help me out." She bowed as well, taking her seat next to Sana. I sat in my seat on Sana's other side. I saw the two of the whispering back and forth, and found it kind of...cute...maybe. Mina made it sound like she was incredibly nervous, and maybe she really was nervous, and she might have truly wanted to treat me well. I kind of felt like a jerk, but I was still too shy around Sana to apologize. How could I talk to her, even if I don't hate her?