Fake Princess
CCCLXXIX Chapter
The singing voice stopped, the wooden masks worn by the villagers moved to look at us. Haruki stepped forward, splitting the crowd of villagers who moved aside to avoid him. Haruki stopped his footsteps in front of the old woman sitting on a chair made of woven roots with several men and elderly women sitting on leaves on the ground beside the wooden chair.
Haruki knelt before the old woman, “Takaoka Haruki, salute,” said Haruki put one hand across his chest, followed by his head bowed in front of the elders, “ raise your head!” The old woman opened her voice followed by her right palm moving in front of Haruki.
I slightly glanced at Izumi who had also stepped foot after Haruki, along with me my legs stepped up after them with Cia who was also walking beside me. I knelt down in front of the old woman when Izumi had knelt before her, “Takaoka Izumi, Takaoka Sachi, Takaoka Eneas,” we said alternately, “ salute,” connect us back simultaneously.
“Thanks to your head,” the voice of the old woman came back, I raised my head back to look at her. Both my eyes slightly glanced at Lux who had flown off Haruki's shoulders, “I'm sorry for the sassy attitude I did,” Lux said bowing her head before the old woman, I stared at the two small wings slowly flapping.
“Thanks to your head, then let it pass,” said the woman again, Lux raised her head again and turned to fly closer to Haruki, “we call all of you, because we want to convey the decision we have negotiated,” he continued to look at us in turn, I slightly glanced towards the elders who directed sharp gazes towards us.
“We will agree to help you, as long as you can meet the conditions we gave you,” he said again, both eyes looking back at the old woman who was glancing to the left of her body.
I took a glance in the direction he saw, about ten people in wooden masks stepped up to us followed by the wolf-masked woman behind them. The ten men carried wooden trays covered in cloth made of animal skin in their hands, the ten stopped their footsteps followed by the wolf-masked woman who walked past them.
Each of the wooden trays they brought, they put them next to us. I glanced back at the woman wearing the wolf mask who had been sitting next to the old woman, “lift the cloth,” said the old woman was followed by a nod from ten people who wore masks before.
One by one the leather cloth that covered the tray was open, one tray contained a pile of multicolored flowers on it, one tray contained several glasses made of bamboo, one of which was made of bamboo, one tray contained several bowls with a collection of white moving objects in it, while the other trays contained a pile of fabric folds from animal skin on top. Three of the ten masked men stood with a tray of flowers, bamboo cups and bowls.
The three trays they put in front of the old woman, “we, will help you if you become one of us,” said the old woman when the three people who carried the tray were moving backwards away from her, “become one of you?” Izumi sounded softly muttering beside me.
“You, will follow the welcoming ceremony, after the ceremony is finished .. You will be one of us, you will be our family. You have to do it, if you want to get the trust of all of us,” he said again heard, “we understand, we will do it,” Haruki replied to the words of the old woman.
I glanced to the left as a black shadow suddenly walked past from behind, two bird-masked women walking up to the old woman earlier. The two of them knelt down to grab the tray with the bowl and the glass in front of the woman, both my eyes grew as one of the bird-masked women placed a bowl full of living white caterpillars in front of me.
All the feathers in my body were lifted up instantly as the group of caterpillars in the bowl was wrapped around his body. I turned to the right as I felt something firmly gripping my arm, I stared at Cia who was staring at the bowl full of caterpillars in front of her with a pale face. I took a strong bite back on my lips when the woman placed a bamboo glass filled with deep red water in it.
“Eat the dishes we have prepared,” said the old woman again raised her hands towards us.
I glanced at Haruki who had raised the bowl with his caterpillar, I was bitten by my lips when I looked at Haruki who had moved the bowl with the caterpillar approaching his lips. One by one the caterpillars fell into his mouth when his mouth was open, Haruki again lowered his head while his mouth was still moving to chew the caterpillars in his mouth earlier.
I turned my eyes back to the bowl with the caterpillar in front of me. Next to my hand moved to grab a caterpillar in the bowl, I gulped my saliva again as the caterpillar I was holding shrieked before my eyes. I lifted my head up with my eyes closed, my mouth closed again as I felt the falling object touch my tongue twitching.
The cold sweat poured down my body, as the caterpillar moved around my mouth. Slowly, I gave my mouth trying to chew the caterpillar, I was a little jolted when suddenly a sweet sticky liquid filled my mouth, “Son,” Cia's crying voice filled my ears, and, both of my eyes were staring at him.
“What are you doing?!” My voice rose when I saw one of the bird-masked women sitting in front of Cia with a caterpillar in her hand, the woman fell silent and did not speak to her and again directed the caterpillar to approach Cia's lips which she had clutched with both fingers.
My right hand moved to grip the arm of the bird masked woman, “I will kill you if you dare to touch her,” I said, I stared at the bird-masked female earlier releasing the caterpillar she was holding as the grip of my hand on her arm grew stronger.
“Allow me to eat all the caterpillars that are in my sister's bowl, she is still a child to know what is going on between us,” Haruki's voice is heard, I slightly glanced at him who had bowed his head before the old woman earlier.
“You want to bear it? Really good sister,” said the old woman back to Haruki, “but what if I say, rules are rules,” he continued, come look small smile on the corner of his lips.