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The Last Princess

Page 21

by Marissa Craig


  “I’m taking you out of the palace guard.”

  “No!”

  I slap his hand away and sit up. If he takes me out the palace guard I won’t get to see her or him. I won’t have anyone. There are a lot of secrets between me and him. If anyone were to find out about the things we’ve done, we promised to go down together. That’s why he’ll never tell her what I did.

  “I’m the best one in the palace guard. Even better than the commander. You know that. And without me guarding her, she’ll be in danger.”

  “The only one that’s ever tried to harm her is you.”

  It was only because she made me angry.

  “Seems removing you would solve a lot of things.”

  “You’re finally jealous of me,” I say to him.

  “Jealous of you? What could I possibly gain from being more like you?”

  “Setsuna-san’s love.”

  He punches me and I spit out blood. I figured he would do that. I sit up again and wipe the blood from my face. For a guy that hasn’t been in combat he’s pretty strong.

  “You’re supposed to be my friend,” he says to me. “I had your back so many times. I covered for you so you could be yourself. Remember Saya.”

  I remember her. After that day Kyoya-sama knew the extent of my disorder. He hand delivered people for me to experiment with. He accepted how I was, laughed with me, and held me when I cried.

  There were moments when I remembered my parents and cried. Nothing could make me stop. I thought….I’m just like the man that murdered them senselessly. And I’ll just breed another when I take someone’s parents away from them. I didn’t know Kyoya-sama well at that time. It was the day I moved into the palace.

  “I heard all about you,” his mother says to me. “Mind telling me your name?”

  He has a hot mom. I look over at him and Kyoya-sama shakes his head in disapproval. So I shouldn’t look at her chest.

  “Ayato Saki,” I tell her.

  “You’re so handsome. Just like my Kyoya. Looks like you’ll be my forth son.”

  “I’m not looking to be your son. I already had a mother. I just want to stay near Kyoya-sama.”

  “You sound like a loyal friend. Welcome.”

  She walks off with her baby trailing behind her holding her dress. He’s not quite a baby but I bet he acts like one.

  “Be more respectful to my mother,” Kyoya-sama tells me.

  “Sorry. She seems like a nice lady.”

  “She is. It was her influence that allowed you to stay. My father is really against it. Says you’ll be a bad influence.”

  “Oh…”

  “But don’t let that stop you. Just be yourself.”

  I start walking with him down the hallways. There are infinite hallways. I look out the large windows and see a big open garden. It’s so different. He walks these halls like he owns them.

  “W-what do you do all day around here?”

  “Study.”

  Twelve year olds have to do more than study.

  “You’ll be studying with me,” he tells me.

  “O-okay.”

  “But how about we play some video games first.”

  I never played them before. I bet he has the best ones. I try to hide my smile. He makes me feel normal.

  “I’ll race you,” he says looking back me. “Take a left at the corner and go upstairs. It’s the first door.”

  “Um, you mean now?”

  He’s already taken off. I run after him and feel so happy. I see him up ahead but I’m not far. I breath heavily but it’s the happiest I’ve been.

  “You’re too slow,” he calls back to me.

  “Look out!”

  He bumps into a man and falls down. I kneel down to him.

  “What did I say about running in the hallway?”

  “Sorry, father.”

  The king looks down at me and I stare back. I would never bring any harm to Kyoya-sama. I’ll be good.

  “Ayato-kun, have you settled in?” he asks me.

  “Uh, yes, sir.”

  “It’s nice to see Kyoya with a friend.”

  We both look at each other embarrassed. I’m happy to have a friend too.

  When night time comes I’m left alone in my room. It’s a big room. Not sure what to do with all this space. I’m afraid to close my eyes; if I do, this might all go away. My eyes flicker then finally shut.

  I’m awakened by my own screams. Kyoya-sama’s arms hold onto me. I slow down and stay silent.

  “M-my mom.”

  “What about her?” he asks.

  “I miss her. I…I killed the man that took her from me. I think she might have still been conscious when I did it.”

  “So are you regretting what you’ve done-”

  “I liked it,” I admit to him. “I feel like I woke up when the sword went through him. But what if she sees me now. She would hate me.”

  I sit up and wipe my tears. It’s what I’ve been afraid to tell him or anyone. It wasn’t for defense. That man never tried to attack me. I killed him cause I didn’t want him to get away. I enjoyed it. It made me happy being covered in his blood. I wonder if he felt the same being covered in my mother’s.

  Kyoya-sama sits next to me on my bed. I wonder what he thinks.

  “You and I will be friends for a long time,” he says smiling. “Nothing you say or do will stop that.”

  “But…why?”

  “Who’s to say I’m not like you.”

  His words made me want to serve him. Looking back at him now, I’ve never seen him have so much rage towards me. Kyoya-sama has had it all his entire life. All I want is to have that girl. He’ll always be my friend. Nothing I say or do will stop that. So if I go after her, we’ll see who comes out on top.

  “Still won’t drop that stupid smile,” he says to me. “Fine. You can stay in the palace guard.”

  “R-really?”

  “If you hurt Setsuna-san again, I will kill you myself.”

  “I’m only allowed to die by your hands.”

  “It would be a pain if any of this got out,” he says to me. “Silence the reporter peeking out that room.”

  How did I miss that?

  “You’re skills aren’t as sharp as they use to be,” he teases. “Maybe you need to get some practice in.”

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  I snap up and grab the door before the woman can close it. I’ll have to be careful about this. It will just make the palace look bad if someone ends up dead.

  “I have this wonderful drink I want you to try. You’ll forget all your worries.”

  “I’m gonna report what I heard.”

  Kyoya-sama steps up behind me. It’s the bitch from the evening news. She got herself a real story just now.

  “I told you to stop fishing for a story,” he says to her. “We have this drink that can turn you brain dead and another that can make you forget the last two years.”

  I’m prepared to give her either one. As long as I get to force it down her throat, I’m happy. He steps in and before she can shriek he covers her mouth. Oh, this is surprising. He’s never been very hands on.

  He looks over at me and I pull a vial from my side. Never know when it will come in handy.

  “Another secret between us,” he says to me.

  I nod to him. He holds her down and I open her mouth wide.

  When it’s done he walks the woman back. The guests should be leaving soon. I missed most of the festivities. I hope Setsuna-san had fun. She always wanted a birthday party.

  She looked so pretty on stage. She couldn’t stop smiling and I couldn’t stop staring. I better do my last perimeter check. It’s been such a long day; it’s been a good day though.

  I can’t wait to see Setsuna-san again. If I talk to her a bit more and make a move, she’ll fall for me. She doesn’t care for Kyoya-sama anymore.

  “Excuse me, Captain Saki.”

  I turn around. Normally I have a thing for crying d
istraught women but she just doesn’t do it for me. Yumiko-san walks towards me. I examine her to make sure she wasn’t attacked. Her dress is intact.

  “I know you’re supposed to be on duty but…is your offer still open?” she asks softly.

  “What offer?”

  She sniffles and comes closer to me. I remember the offer; I just want to make sure she does. Kantarou-sama must have finally finished breaking her heart.

  “I’ll wear the royal attire and put my hair up,” she says. “And…you can call me whatever name you want. It’ll…it’ll be between us.”

  “Really now?”

  She’s already ashamed, I can tell. Her shame is not my business. I lean down to her ear.

  “I’ll come to your room right away, Setsuna-san,” I whisper to her.

  She sniffles and walks pass me. It really has been a great day. Yumiko-san seems to have fallen into the darkness, my territory. After a few rounds with me, she’ll snap out of things. I’ll enjoy playing around with her in the meantime.

  Chapter 58: Kyoya

  I wonder if she put all these plants on the balcony to improve my air quality. Seems like something she would do. She doesn’t like that I smoke, I can tell. But today was stressful. Today rattled me.

  I breathe out trying to avoid the plants; I want to keep them alive as long as I can. The things she’s touched are the only things I can look at to remind me that we’re still in love. Fishing through my pocket I find her ribbon. When I pulled this from her hair on that first night, I decided that I would love her.

  It’s not just some silky red threads, it’s her innocence.

  There’s a knock at the door. I put the cigarette out and head back inside stuffing the ribbon in my pocket. Hope this isn’t about that reporter woman. I open the door and stare down at her.

  “I hope I didn’t wake you,” Setsuna-san says to me.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “You said I could stay over. Or maybe that’s not the best thing-”

  “Of course you can stay. Come in.”

  Did she come to get the present I talked about? Surprisingly I’m not in the mood. I close the door behind her and she waits in the middle of the room.

  “It was a fun party, wasn’t it?” she says to me.

  As long as she enjoyed herself. I walk pass her and go to the closet. Her words still sting. I can’t blame her for it but it still stings. I guess this is how she felt imagining me with someone else.

  I take off my tie and begin to undress. It’s quiet. I turn back and see her watching. Don’t tell me she’s interested. I’m looking right at her and her eyes are focused on my body.

  “What are you thinking?” I ask her.

  “I always wanted to see how you take off your suit. How you hang it and care for it.”

  “I wondered the same about you.”

  “With me it’s more complicated. I have to take each layer off then fold it and when I’m all done I have to pray and thank my ancestors. I have to do the same when I put my robes on too.”

  “All that?”

  “But if I’m really tired, I just sleep in them. Mother would never figure that out. She would come in some mornings and I would jump out of bed like I had gotten up early to prepare myself. She seemed so impressed by me.”

  “Can I watch?” I ask her.

  “Hm?”

  “Go ahead and get undressed.”

  She shakes her head. It’s was worth a try. I wanted to experience her traditions a bit more. I continue to undress while she watches me.

  “Dancing with you was fun,” she says.

  “Glad you enjoyed it.”

  “But it didn’t end well. Can we try again?”

  “At the next event.”

  “How about now?”

  “I’m really not in the mood now. It’s been a long day.”

  She puts her head down. What am I doing? She’s trying to get closer to me and I’m turning her away. I put my shirt away and pause. We can’t keep avoiding each other because of the hurtful things we’ve said.

  “I’m sorry for what I said. I could never fall in love with anyone else-”

  “You don’t have to be sorry for anything,” I tell her.

  “But…I hurt you.”

  “You can hurt me all you want. It’s nothing compared to what I’ve done to you.”

  She slams into me from behind holding me tightly. I touch her hands as she holds on to my stomach. I turn around and kneel down to her. She’s still the sweet girl I remember.

  “Don’t make that face,” I tell her. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”

  “I only wanted you. I swear.”

  I’m the one that’s at fault. I actually did something. But her thoughts of someone else make her feel as guilty and wrong as me.

  “But I really am close to him. He’s like my best friend. He’s all I had while you were away and Yumi-chan was away and-”

  “I get it. I left him with you so I get it. Don’t beat yourself up.”

  “I really do love you,” she says to me. “It was hard but I never stopped loving you.”

  “Is it possible you’ve turned even sweeter than before. Let me have a taste.”

  I kiss her and pull her close. We’ve talked enough; I just want to feel her now. When I back away she licks her lips and comes at me again.

  “I’m sorry,” she says shyly. “I didn’t mean to.”

  “Come to bed with me.”

  I take her hand and she follows behind with her eyes on the floor. I won’t get carried away; at least I will try not to. We both sit down in silence. It’s not my intention to have sex but she pulls her robe off her shoulder and I’m immediately stimulated. It’s mesmerizing just like when I pulled the ribbon out her hair. It’s arousing to see a part of her that no one else sees.

  But there are just bandages underneath. White bandages wrap around her arms and across her chest.

  “None of them have healed,” she says to me. “I’ll be scarred for the rest of my life unless…he’s nice enough to give me that salve again.”

  I was turned on at first but I can’t stand looking at her like this. I reach out and touch her shoulder and she winces with pain. He told me about his special blades. He likes to stare at his work so he coats his blades with a serum to allow a wound to heal without closing.

  “I must look disgusting.”

  “Not at all. But you’re still in pain. I don’t want to be too rough with you.”

  I turn away from her to cool myself off. I was thinking we might do something. Her kisses are just too hot; such a tease.

  “You’re still as gentle as I remember,” she says to me. “But you’re also quite scary too.”

  “Sorry if I said-”

  “No, it’s okay to show yourself to me.”

  It’s okay? She says the words I always wanted to hear. It’s nice of her to say but I know it’s not okay.

  “You’re really doing a great job,” she says softly behind me. “I watched all your appearances. Everyone loves you. They see what I see.”

  “And what is it that you see?”

  She doesn’t see all of me, no one does.

  “My hero.”

  I immediately breathe out. I look back at her and see her smile. Even after what I’ve done, even after I abandoned her she still sees me that way. I take her in my arms and hold her tight. I don’t want her to see me cry. It’s easy to tear up.

  “You mean everything to me.”

  “Show me,” she whispers.

  I peel away from her and look into her eyes. They belong to a woman. I hope she knows what she’s saying. As I move she moves with me. Backing up towards the middle of the bed and laying down.

  “Show me I mean everything to you,” she whispers in my ear.

  I can’t hold back anymore.

  Chapter 59: Kantarou

  “Yumiko-san!”

  I pound on her door. She normally comes at the first knock. We have a breakfast to go to.
It’s father’s follow up meeting where he continues saying how disappointed he is.

  I got a taste of it last night. After that red slutty woman announced my marriage to the wrong woman he screamed at me till he went hoarse. I couldn’t hear him at that time. Kept thinking about how much Yumiko-san cried. It’s a sound I can never forget.

  “Yumiko-san!”

  Even though I got the reality of things first, it’s still hard to hear her cry. The sooner she gets back to work, the sooner we can normalize all this. I’ll get to look at her and look out for her.

  The door cracks a little.

  “Commander,” she says.

  I push the door open. She must have had a tantrum in here; it’s a mess. She’s a mess too. Normally she’s always put together.

  “What’s the occasion for your royal robes?” I ask.

  I can’t tell if I caught her in the middle of taking them off or putting them on. Her lipstick is smeared all the way to her ear. She puts her head down trying to wipe it away. I know she was trying to escape. Does she plan on going back to her country like that?

  “Just trying them on. Why are you here?”

  Things are starting to make sense. There’s a bottle of wine at her nightstand. I didn’t know she drinks. I step closer and pick it up. She was upset enough to start drinking. A cheap bottle but it’ll get her drunk. She sniffles grabbing the bottle from me.

  “Why are you here?”

  “We have a breakfast to go to. My father wants to speak with you. Get ready.”

  “Speak with me?”

  “You should know why. I tried to cover for you as best I can-”

  “I need to face him and apologize. I get it.”

  “Hurry and shower. You look a mess.”

  She walks off to the bathroom. I didn’t mean to have her crying all night and drinking. We’ve been apart for months at a time. I assumed she had a better handle on our situation.

  I plan on paying her well and making sure she’s taken care of. She just needs to be my assistant. She’s the only one I can tolerate being around in such a fashion. And when she understands her position we can continue our relationship in secret.

  I wander around her room kicking around the mess. Last time I was in here was when she asked my opinion on a dress. We were heading to the military ball. She loved being out in public with all the cameras. Took the spotlight off me. The reporters asked if we were together and I shook my head saying she was just a kid. Denying it to no end but desperately wanting to….to….

 

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