[KIYOMI]
Pride.
That was what Sakura felt as she saw her beloved handling Mika for her. It wasn't that the wine was weak, but no one had ever stood up for Sakura like this. No one had ever said fuck the rules and stepped forward to defend Sakura.
Not even Otaru.
The consequences were always harsh, and people didn't want to suffer in a kingdom that they assumed was already bound to suffer. Of course, Sakura always made certain to protect Otaru, but right now, it was different.
Kiyomi was defending Sakura.
She was defending the queen's honor.
She was not letting disrespect come to light, and Sakura was excited to see how this would go. She had always known that Kiyomi was overly protective of those that she loved and cared about, but Sakura never thought it would be this intense.
Perhaps this was also the reminder she needed to remember that she had snapped Elif's neck. The reminder that her fate was something that would be worse than this.