The Last Princess
Page 12
“Your last princess shows her face to you and overcomes all her fear to speak and you call her a traitor!”
There’s silence. Now is the time to show what kind of king I will be. I planned on being nice but not after seeing her cry and scream.
“Han has no right here!”
The crowd gets loud again. A rebellion? I didn’t expect this. I think we just found the resistance that caused the massacre.
“We are still looking for the murderer that killed all these people. Anyone that speaks against the princess will be detained as a suspect and likely killed. And you Morinaga people have no tact; throwing red paint at a funeral and making your princess cry.”
Ayato-san still holds the paint thrower.
“Kill him,” I say to him.
He doesn’t hesitate. He takes out his knife and slits the man’s throat. That should fix things for now. The crowd roars louder and I step off stage. That’s real power. That’s what I wanted. Watching her tremble angers me. I admit I caused her grief with my plan but I will not allow any more to come to her.
Chapter 35: Yumiko
Never thought I would be back here again after what happened. There’s no sign of an attack. With the crowd outside being unpredictable we took refuge in the palace. Setsuna-chan immediately went to her room and ran a bath. I sit at her side watching her take the paint from her ears.
“Are you really okay?” I ask her again.
“I’m fine,” she says hoarse.
There’s just the sound of water. Her screams are still in my head. I had no idea what to do. She was covered in blood once before and I’m certain this was a reminder. After she left the stage she turned cold. She’s been taking everything so well. It can’t be long before she lets it all out.
“Please talk to me,” I say to her.
“There’s nothing to say.”
“You got your voice back so there must be something to say.”
She shakes her head. If she won’t talk then I’ll just leave her alone.
“I’ll go grab you another robe.”
I get up and go to her bedroom. If it had been me, I would be crushed. What makes her stronger than me? I went through some of the same training. Up until my mother’s scandal I was treated as an heiress. If anything were to happen to Setsuna-chan I would be the last princess. I was prepared for that. But I can’t handle her burden. What is it about her?
“I figured you would be here. Same as always.”
I turn to the door. A woman dressed in black steps forward. She’s flashy with fur trim and dazzling diamonds. Gaudy, actually.
“Mother?” I guess.
I haven’t seen her in years. I figured she would show.
“Always so supportive of little Setsuna.”
“She’s like my sister.”
“If only…then you would be worth something.”
“Why are you-”
“I only tease. You got your hands on the crown prince. That’s a great come up.”
She takes off her hat and I look away. I realize now why I never missed her. She walks around the room slowly examining anything worth money.
“Keep him close and you can be queen one day.”
“I don’t want to be queen,” I tell her.
“Why not? You would have a legacy. You would have money and fame.”
“I don’t want that.”
I just want Kantarou-sama. I don’t want the prince or the future king or the commander. She’s turned into such an opportunist since losing her royal status.
“I only stopped by to give you a bit of advice. You don’t have to scowl at me, dear.”
“I don’t want your advice. Shouldn’t you be more concerned about the loss of your brother?”
“My brother? You mean that prick, Hajime. The brother, the king, that turned his back on me. The brother that wouldn’t even let me explain my circumstance. The same brother that exiled me. Fuck him!”
“That’s enough,” Setsuna-chan steps in. “I won’t let you speak of him that way.”
Setsuna-chan frowns across the room with just her towel. Mother went too far. Seems no one has respect on this day. I’m so embarrassed of my mother.
“Nice to see you again,” mother says to her.
“It isn’t. You were told to never enter this house again. Leave or I will have you escorted.”
“No need to show fangs. I thought we were family.”
“Not with those words you just spoke.”
“Fine…don’t be so touchy.”
Mother slowly saunters out. I sit down holding my head. Even now when I am so shook up, my cousin is calm. She goes to her closet and picks out a robe. I never knew my mother was that bad. What turned her sour? What life has she been living since being thrown out?
“I know she’s your mother but I don’t like her,” Setsuna-chan speaks.
“I know.”
“Yumi-chan…”
I look over at her. She struggles putting on her robe. Her hands are trembling. I get up and run to her. I kneel down and tie her sash.
“I’m really sad but…I don’t want to think about it. If I do, I’ll break.”
“I can always put you back together.”
We will only feel sad for a moment and then we’ll move on. Kyoya-sama is the one that makes her happy. Just the idea of him makes her happy. With him gone, there has to be something to take his place.
“I need to say my goodbyes to Kyoya-sama.”
She sits down at the vanity and puts on her makeup. I don’t think she’ll ever let go of the traditions. Aunt would be so proud of her.
“I’m gonna head to my room and grab a few things,” I say to her.
I should take some of the traditions with me too. I look back at her and she’s silent going through the motions
Chapter 36: Ayato
It’s not necessary for me to visit her again but she’s becoming like a little project for me. I stand near her door and watch her cousin pass right by me. With the door open I glance in.
She has her back to me. I step in and close the door. Her head perks up then she turns sharply.
“Real blood suited you better,” I say to her through the mask.
“What do you want?”
“Please continue with your regiment. I’ll just observe.”
She’s gotten use to the masked figure. But she’s very hard to read. She’ll show a fear once but won’t repeat it. She screamed for me to stop that night but when I visit her now, she says “what do you want,” like I’m an annoyance.
That night she had the best screams. I didn’t think they could escape out such a small body. She can definitely take the torture; I guess that’s why I like her. I guess that’s why I got carried away that night.
“Did you recover from your wound?” she asks.
The wound I got when she stabbed me in the chest. It still hurts. Luckily I’m not an ordinary man. Odd of her to inquire. I walk to her side and watch on as she delicately tries to cover up her own wound. Next she pins up her hair.
“Why aren’t you afraid?” I ask her.
“You said you wouldn’t hurt me. And you’ve already killed my family, what else could you do to me.”
“Take away your lover.”
She stops and lowers down her comb. Just a bluff. I could never get rid of Kyoya-sama. He’s the only friend I have. I saved his life and that saved my own.
He came to me with his plan saying I was the only one capable and the only one he trusted.
“I…I wanna be king. I’m ready.”
“You can’t marry her until she’s sixteen and even then you can’t take the throne until her father dies.”
“Well…I can’t make her grow any faster but we can do the second part,” he said to me.
I stared at him hard. Kyoya-sama isn’t a killer; he doesn’t think like one. He’s not like me. I dismissed him two years ago. I refused to do it if it was on a whim but then he came back. He planned everything and w
as certain in his wishes. I had to make his wishes come true.
I had made captain and there was a lot at stake. If anyone found out then we would both burn for it. His family would be disgraced and forever labeled murderers. He planned it well, calculated everything. But he didn’t count on this girl not being a naïve little girl. He didn’t count on falling in love with her either.
“What do I have to do to stop that from happening,” she says to me. “I’ll do anything to protect him.”
She tilts her head up to me. I don’t know why I came here. There’s no reason for me to see her again. But now I want to. I always admired Kyoya-sama and respected him. Right now….I wanna feel what he feels. I wanna know why this girl makes him feel so weak. He made me slit that man’s throat. It wasn’t part of any plan. He just had so much hate for the person that made her cry.
I wanna feel what he feels with her in his life. He keeps her ribbon in his pocket and smiles every time he looks at it. In that video…he showed so much tenderness. He wasn’t the man I knew but I wanted to be that man too.
“Kiss me.”
“Huh?”
What am I saying? Shock spreads across both our faces. She can’t see mine.
“Your face is priceless. Like I would ever. I’ll leave your lover alone so long as you keep your silence.”
“You support him as king,” she guesses. “Is that why you did what you did?”
So perceptive.
“Think whatever you want.”
I walk to the door. I close it behind me and take a big breath. I can’t take Kyoya-sama’s place. I need to know my own. I said such stupid things in there. Good thing it’s just between me and her.
Chapter 37: Kyoya
So this was his office. She told me he spent a lot of time here writing. His body was found here. Probably his last words were about sparing his daughter’s life. If his soul still haunts this place then I’m sure he’s standing next to me. He wouldn’t curse at me but just shake his head in disappointment.
I’m not fit to take his place but I will. I don’t know much about his country or the kings before him; I spent time learning about my own country’s culture. And yet I wanted to take over this place. I never tried to understand it deeply. I figured she would help me with that.
I walk around his desk and pick up the one picture frame he has. How fitting. It’s a picture of Setsuna-san smiling. I can’t believe she thought he didn’t love her. I hope he told her before he died.
“Kyoya-sama.”
I look up and see Ayato-san at the door. My loyal friend. Seems like he’ll do anything I ask. He has no morals.
“Time to go?” I ask him.
“No…they’re still ushering the crowd away.”
“How come you didn’t hesitate?” I ask abruptly.
“Hesitate?”
“When I told you to kill him.”
“He harmed the princess. If you didn’t tell me to I would have done it anyway. Probably not in public though.”
I feel sad being here. It’s wrong to walk through another man’s palace. I could never live here. I’ll have to have a new one built after the wedding.
“You seem distracted,” he notices.
“I don’t know what kind of king I want to be. I haven’t figured that out.”
“I think you know. You’re just worried about being accepted.”
“On stage I wanted to show my anger. I wanted to make an example of him. But Setsuna-san is so gentle. I wonder if she agreed. If you could have seen her face when she cried at my chest….you would know-”
“I get it. You’ll kill anybody to make her see you as her savior. You like having that little girl in the palm of your hands.”
She’s not in the palm of my hands; I don’t control her. I feel like she controls me. At this point I’ll do anything she says to make it all up to her. He starts walking around the room. He touches the bookshelf and blindly plucks a book from it. It falls to the floor.
“He was where you were standing on that night. Standing right above his desk just like that when I entered.”
He stops and slowly draws his sword. He looks at it amused then points it at me.
“I wanted to hear his last words so I stopped just like this. He quivered. He asked who I was and I told him, “Kyoya Niwa sent me to kill you so he may have the princess and the throne.” And you wanna know what he said.”
So he knew right before he died. I suppose that was fair. He knew why and he knew she would go on living.
“What did he say-”
“Kyoya-sama?”
He puts his sword away. The door creaks open and the princess steps in. She’s cleared of the paint and put her makeup back on. I smile at her and she steps in happily until she sees him. She hides her smile quickly and moves towards the wall. She’s still suspicious of him.
“How are you, princess?” he asks her. “It’s nice to hear your lovely voice again.”
“Um…”
“Setsuna-san, I already told you that Ayato-san is my friend. There’s no need to act so scared of him.”
“I know that-”
“And since I’ll be gone for a while and my brother will be here too I’m leaving Ayato-san in charge of you.”
She looks at me with worried eyes.
“I look forward to it, princess” he says to her.
“Can I speak with Kyoya-sama alone, please?”
“As you wish.”
I don’t want to be alone with her now that she can talk. I don’t want to see her face either. I definitely don’t want to be in this room. I walk towards the door and she grabs my hand.
“I always wanted to bring you here. I figured this would be your office one day.”
“I don’t want it.”
“I know. Not after what happened. I didn’t think I could walk around the house like normal but…with the blood gone…”
She holds my hand tighter.
“I know you must stay and I know I have to release you but I don’t think I can make it without you.”
Her voice starts to break and then she starts wailing louder with all her pain. I stand still. I know I’m supposed to hug her but I can’t do it here. I have to get out of this room.
“He came to me again. Twice today. The killer.”
Twice? I kneel down to her. Why would he come twice? I told him to give her voice back but why a second time?
“He came to you?” I ask her.
“Yes, I think he’ll hurt you.”
“No one can hurt me.”
“He said if I told he’ll hurt you but I couldn’t keep it all in. I’m afraid of being apart from you. I’m-”
“No man can hurt me. The only one that can hurt me is you,” I tell her.
She dries her eyes on her sleeves.
“And…the only one that can hurt me is you,” she says back to me. “So that means I have nothing to worry about.”
I nod to her. The worst is over with; there’s no more I could do to hurt her. Well…leaving isn’t helping. I have to talk to him before they all leave. I need to know why he paid her a visit without my knowledge.
“I feel a bit better saying that,” she says. “You would never hurt me. And I should believe you when you say Captain Saki is a friend.”
“Yes, he’s a friend.”
I need to get out of this room. I feel eyes on me. I grab her hand and pull her out. I need to get out of this house.
“Wait,” she says to me.
She goes back in the room. It feels like that one room has the worst aura. She comes back and hands a book to me.
“This is father’s journal. He wrote in it often. He never allowed me to read it. Only the successor can read the words of past kings. The other king’s journals are archived but I think you should start with this.”
I struggle to take it. His last thoughts are likely written here.
“Go on,” she says to me. “Let father guide you.”
“Um…I-”
>
“I know it’s all very sudden for you. You didn’t ask to take the throne so early. But I believe in you. I will wait patiently for your return.”
I take the book from her. I have a lot to atone for. I thought I would be heartless when this time came. When I planned it all I figured I would step into place put on my royal robe and rule but I didn’t count on her looking up to me.
“I look forward to meeting you again. Please stay as beautiful as you are.”
I haven’t been very honest with her but my feelings for her are real. They were real since the day I first saw her. I look forward to marrying her.
She smiles at me and I lean down to kiss her one last time. It doesn’t matter what’s around us; right now all I see is her. Her dead father can haunt someone else; he’s not ruining this moment.
“I…wanted to say…I love you.”
Immediately my skin tingles.
“I love you too, my princess. Is there anything you want from me? Just ask me and I will do it.”
She shakes her head. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy. I stroke her hair until I hear steps behind me.
“It’s time to part,” Ayato-san says to me. “The jet is ready.”
“Is there no more time?” she asks me.
I suppose not. I think I said all I needed to say.
“I’ll go get Yumi-chan so she can say goodbye to you.”
She runs down the hall with her long sash behind her. Before he can move any further I grab Ayato-san’s shoulder.
“I know how you are,” I say to him. “She is not one of your play things. Do you understand?”
He nods to me.
“Why did you see her twice?”
“She told you-”
“Why? What did you say to her?”
If I can’t trust him then I have to rethink everything.
“You know I would never go against you,” he says to me. “I just…”
“I know what you want to say. Stop playing with her.”
“You have my word. Sorry.”
I release him. He’s a strange man. I know he gets some sort of sick pleasure from killing people and tormenting. I have to believe he would never hurt her; he always keeps his word with me.