CHAPTER 10
Jurina didn’t believe her life could be more ideal. These last six years, she had been blissfully happy alongside Rena, the arrival of their daughter perfecting the picture. Regarding her professional career, her skills were put to good use at Matsui Corporation. She was fortunate to work with the best scientists of the country, and was given the free reins to develop projects dear to her heart. Despite all the liberty she was given, there was one project she regretted never seeing come to fruition. It was the reason why she had applied for a job at Matsui Corporation in the first place.
The time machine project.
Jurina was perfectly aware of Rena’s reasons for putting it on hold. When Natsuki was born, the business woman didn’t want to be a stranger to their daughter. The idea of having her growing up with an absent parent was inconceivable to her, and she wished to be present in her life as much as possible. In that sense, the time machine was an obstacle to her objective. Once the time machine was built and Rena would begin travelling through time, she would evidently be far less present at home.
Jurina understood her wife’s reasons, and willingly agreed when Rena suggested to pause the project for a little while. Following this decision, the team working on floor 22 got transferred to other services and allocated to other projects. As the years went by and Natsuki grew up, Jurina didn’t fail to notice that her wife spoke less frequently about her childhood dream.
When they first met, Rena’s enthusiasm for this project was manifest. Jurina could tell how important it was to her, and she loved the way her eyes would brighten up when she talked at length about all the ancient civilizations she couldn’t wait to explore. For Jurina, it was a motivating factor, and it pushed her to work even harder day by day, more than decided to fulfill Rena’s ultimate wish.
These last few years, Rena’s interest in the time machine project seemed to have vanished. In fact, as they both got engrossed in their work and focused their attention on other projects, Jurina got the strong impression that Rena had purely and simply lost the desire to finish the blueprint of the time machine. The idea of Rena giving up on her dream bothered Jurina to no end. Tonight, Jurina was determined to have a conversation with her about it. Half an hour ago, they had finished dinner and Rena was busy working in the living room, while Natsuki was playing in her bedroom with Alfred.
Jurina pulled a chair and sat at the table, her arrival prompting her wife to briefly look up to her and informing her she was almost done. Jurina nodded and remained silent, trying to figure out the best way to broach the tricky subject. It was not that she hadn’t already tried. Over the course of the year, she had mentioned the time machine now and then, hoping her wife would give her the green light to resume the project.
Each and single time, Rena had replied negatively, stating Natsuki was still too young. Up to that day, Jurina had always relented when her wife used their daughter’s age as an excuse for postponing the project. Nevertheless, Rena’s blatant disinterest for the matter worried her. As she waited patiently for her wife to finish her work, she already had all the arguments lined up in her head. Tonight, she was well decided to make herself heard and do everything in her capacity to change Rena’s mind.
“Is there something you wished to tell me?” Jurina, who was lost in her thoughts, glanced back at her wife’s question. Rena had paused what she was doing, and was watching her in a mixture of curiosity and interest.
“Yes, but I’ll let you finish your work. It can wait.”
Jurina expected her wife to follow her instructions and resume what she was doing. To her surprise, Rena pushed the tablet aside, giving Jurina her undivided attention. “No, I can sense it’s important. What is it?”
By Rena’s expectant look, Jurina knew she wasn’t planning on completing her task until she had received a satisfying answer. Taking a deep breath, Jurina finally confessed what had been troubling her for far too many months. “I wanted to talk to you about the time machine project.”
Rena released a small sigh, and Jurina guessed she didn’t particularly enjoy the direction this conversation was taking. Rena’s reluctance to talk about it was obvious, but Jurina refused to let it go. “I know you wanted to put this project on hold until Natsuki was old enough, and I agree with you that it was the best decision. But she’s almost five now. I think it’s time we start working again on the blueprint of the time machine. I suggest to re-allocate the previous team on floor 22. I also have a few contacts who could help us. Recently, I met with experts who could really contribute to the project.”
“Are you not satisfied with the projects you’re working on?” Rena asked, a mixture of concern and confusion filling her voice. “Is this the reason why you’re mentioning this again?”
“No,” Jurina quickly reassured her. “I like what I’m doing; it doesn’t have anything to do with that. It’s just that it’s been five years. If I didn’t know any better, I could believe that you’re not interested in building the time machine anymore.”
“What if it was the case?” Rena replied, in a decided yet gentle tone. “Would it be that surprising?”
Jurina fell abruptly quiet when she received the answer she dreaded the most. Until now, she was hopeful Rena would tell her that she was all wrong, and she had not given up on her wish to travel through time. However, there was no sign of hesitation in Rena’s voice, almost as if she had made up her mind a long time ago. “But you were so eager to go back in time when we first met. It was such an ambitious and beautiful dream. A dream I promised you to fulfill, nevermind how many years it would take.”
“I know you did, and I will always be grateful for the dedication you put in this project. But what if my goals in life have changed along the way? Tell me. What good reasons would I have to go back in time, when I already possess everything I desire in the present? Having you and Natsuki by my side makes me the happiest person in the world. I couldn’t have a happier and more fulfilling life.”
Jurina felt slightly destabilized and a little desperate, sensing her arguments were having no impact on her wife. “I think… I think you’re making a mistake.”
A warm smile spread across Rena’s face, and she extended her arm to cover Jurina’s hand with her own. “I know you only wish for my happiness, and that’s what I love about you. I’m sorry for not being more honest with you. It was my mistake. I should have told you I had already moved on and put that foolish dream behind me.”
Rena leaned forward and captured her lips in a gentle kiss, then slowly diverted her attention back to the tablet in front of her. Despite the fact the conversation was clearly over, Jurina didn’t move, and stared back at her in deep incomprehension. She wanted so much to add something. Anything that could change Rena’s mind. Since when did Rena believe her dream was foolish? It wasn’t foolish, and not incompatible with her family life anymore. Jurina felt both frustrated and bothered by the turn the conversation had taken, deep down convinced Rena would regret her decision.
“Read me a story, mama!”
Jurina, who was putting Natsuki to bed, smiled to herself. Once she considered Natsuki was tucked properly, she glanced back at her, expecting to hear such a request from the moment the little girl rested her head on the blue pillow. These last few months, Natsuki especially enjoyed it when she read her stories before going to sleep, and they already had gone through half the little girl’s book collection.
Jurina observed her daughter, caressing her hair with affection as Natsuki pressed her favorite stuffed dog against her cheek. Given the expectant look she was giving her, Jurina knew she would have a hard time accepting no for an answer. She stole a peek at her digital watch; there was still time left until Natsuki’s bedtime. “Alright. Let’s read a story.”
Natsuki’s smile broadened and Jurina walked towards the bookshelf, looking for a story she had not read. Finding one, she grabbed the book and returned to sit by the side of Natsuki’s bed, her previous conversation with her wife invading her mind. Jurina let out a small dejected sigh, upset with herself for failing to find the right words. The idea of broaching the subject again didn’t even occur to her. Insisting would be of no use, not when her wife had made her intentions so perfectly clear.
Natsuki called her hesitantly and Jurina jolted out of her thoughts, her conversation with her wife falling at the back of her head as she focused on the red thick hardcover book on her lap. The title was the first thing she read. “The Prince of Nagoya.”
Jurina’s mouth tugged into a smile of pleasure when the title rang a bell. It was a story her own grandmother used to read her when she was a child. Because of the distant memory, some details about the plot remained a bit blurry. “A long time ago, a young prince lived in a beautiful castle. Always composed and polite, the prince was also well educated and wise. With his shiny long black hair falling down his shoulders and his porcelain face, he was known across the country as a very handsome young man.”
“Mommy! The prince is mommy!”
Jurina paused in her reading, and looked up in surprise at her daughter’s excitement. “You think the prince looks like mommy?” Jurina laughed softly when Natsuki nodded with determination and vigor. “Alright, we’ll say mommy is the prince, then.” Jurina found her daughter’s statement amusing but didn’t try to contradict her, and continued reading the fairytale.
“Since a young age, the prince had always been a studious person, preferring the company of his books than sparring with his private tutor. Because of his neat appearance and advantageous looks, the prince drew a lot of attention, but remained solitary. He was constantly surrounded by people, but enjoyed better the quietness of his library than the liveliness of ballrooms. However, there were some duties he simply couldn’t afford to miss. One day, he received a delegation from a distant kingdom, among them a certain beautiful princess...”
Jurina made a pause. Natsuki wasn’t making a single noise and she tilted her head towards the bed in curiosity, willing to check if she hadn’t fallen asleep. The pair of eyes glued on her clearly proved otherwise. A pout formed on Natsuki’s lips. “Why did you stop, mama?”
“Sorry.” Jurina gave her an apologetic look, amused to see how fascinated her daughter seemed to be about the story. “It was love at first sight, and a few months later, they celebrated their love with a beautiful wedding. They were very happy together, until tragedy struck.”
“N–No,” Natsuki’s voice quivered, and she tightly squeezed Duran. “Did something happen to the princess?”
Jurina smiled inwardly, impressed by her daughter’s perceptiveness. “A king visiting their kingdom fell madly in love with the princess and tried to seduce her, but soon became conscious the princess’s heart would never belong to another but the prince. However, the king refused the concede defeat and, one night, took advantage of his hosts’ hospitality to kidnap the princess.
The young prince was devastated but powerless against the evil king: his young and small army was no match against the king’s trained and experienced soldiers. Nevertheless, the young prince refused to give up on the woman he loved. He couldn’t bear the thought of spending the rest of his life without his beloved princess by his side.
With no other options left, the prince did the unconceivable: he sought help from a witch. His advisors desperately tried to change the prince’s mind, warning him about her unpredictable, dangerous powers. The prince, who had always carefully listened to his advisors, dismissed every single one of their warnings. He was ready to face any danger to save the princess. One early morning, he took his horse and rode in search of the witch who was told to be living in a forest a few days away from his kingdom.
He found the forest but it was so vast, that he soon got lost in its immensity. After wandering in the forest for days, both exhausted and beginning to lose hope of saving his princess, he came across a small wooden hut. The prince, realizing he had discovered the witch’s hideout, got off his horse, his vision blurred and his steps unsteady as he approached the cabin. He had not eaten or drunk a single drop of water in several days.
Despite his undeniable relief, he was cautious when he arrived in front of the wooden cabin, his fingers clutching the pommel of his sword as he pushed the door. When he came face-to-face with the old witch, his advisors’ warnings came to the forefront of his mind, but he refused to let his fear transpire in front of her.
The witch invited him to take a seat and, after assessing the situation and judging the elderly woman harmless, he relaxed and explained the reason of his presence. The whole time, the witch listened to him with attention, not once interrupting him. As the prince finished narrating his story and hesitantly voiced his request, he feared the witch would refuse to help him. The prince had always been praised for being very perceptive, and it destabilized him when he found himself incapable of reading her thoughts.
To his surprise, she agreed to help him. The prince was so overjoyed, that he promised to give her everything she wanted if she brought him back his beloved princess. The witch was satisfied by his offer and agreed to his terms, but didn’t specify what she wished in return. The prince didn’t think too much of it. He wasn’t very rich, but his princess was worth all the gold in the world…That’s when–”
The sound of the bedroom’s door opening stopped Jurina in her reading, and she looked up, witnessing her wife standing on the doorstep. Rena’s gaze fell on her, then lingered on the little girl lying in bed. “It’s time to sleep, honey.”
“No!” Natsuki protested vehemently. “Mama hasn’t finished the story! I want to know what happens to the prince and the princess!”
“You have school tomorrow. It’s already past your bedtime,” Rena smiled, gently reminding her.
Natsuki’s disappointment was manifest, but Jurina knew she couldn’t argue with her wife when she cast a look at the digital clock on the wall and noticed the late hour. Rena was right: she got a little carried away. Jurina placed a bookmark at the page she was reading, and gave Natsuki a small embarrassed look. “Mommy is right. Natsuki needs to sleep if she wants to make beautiful drawings tomorrow.”
“Duran is not sleepy! Look!”
Natsuki held her stuffed dog in the air and Jurina smiled, considering reading a few more pages to please her daughter. When her wife cleared her throat behind her back, she knew the latter wouldn’t let her indulge in their daughter’s whim. “I’ll continue the story tomorrow, alright?”
Jurina stood up from the bed and replaced the book on the shelf, then faced back her displeased daughter. “Promise?”
“Yes, I promise.” Jurina nodded, and leaned down to kiss Natsuki’s cheek. “Sleep well. Mama loves you.”
Jurina pulled back and stepped aside, Rena approaching and pressing a kiss on Natsuki’s forehead. “Mommy...” Natsuki caught Rena’s arm as she was retreating. “The prince is going to save the princess, right?”
Rena’s eyes widened slightly at her daughter’s question. She wondered what she was referring to, then guessed it probably had to do with the story Jurina was reading her. “What does Natsuki think?”
“I think the prince is very strong and loves the princess. He will find a way to deliver her from the evil king.”
Rena smiled at her, and traced the line of her daughter’s cheekbone and jaw tenderly. “I’m sure he will. Goodnight, darling.”
Natsuki followed her parents’ retreating form as they turned the light off and left the door slightly ajar behind them, her attention drawn to the book resting on the shelf. The temptation to sneak out of bed and read the rest of the story was very strong. However, she soon gave up on the idea, knowing she was still too young to understand all the complicated words written on the pages. Reluctantly, Natsuki closed her eyes and held Duran close, impatient to discover how the brave prince would save his beloved princess.
TO BE CONTINUED
Version revised on August 25, 2019.