Princess Mai is on her usual day-to-day routine and is now, again, at the marketplace.

Unlike what other people usually do whenever they see a Royal Princess, like bowing or giving respect or anything, they all treat Mai as if she is an ordinary person walking around; not because they are just that comfortable with her but because they are not aware that she is actually THE PRINCESS.

She wears plain clothes that match those worn by ordinary people. She does it to blend in and since she is typically not that kind of person who would like to draw attention. She also thinks that it is the best way to be able to get to know what is really happening in their kingdom, what the people think about the governance of the king and their personal opinion.

She has been doing this for quite a while and the people know her as “Mimooh”, a wandering and a mysterious girl. Most of them think that she lives at the woods since she usually goes there with her bow and arrow and she has a lot of friends already. All the information and insights she receives from the people are reported to the king. Thanks to her efforts, the people also managed to love the king and thus making their kingdom a harmonious place to be at.
Although things are almost perfect, she still seeks that love and attention from them. Even after all her efforts, it is still as if, those are not enough.

Having all these thoughts in mind and thinking about all those wonderful things she had done in the past, she did all the things she usually do at the marketplace. She talked through some of the sellers, went to the blacksmith to fix her weapon, went to the pet store and bought food for her pet and immediately proceeded to the woods where she knew she can unwind from all the stress.

She began practicing with her bow and arrow and made precise shots.

She was about to make her signature blow when she felt pain on her right arm. Thinking that it might be due to the stress on practicing, she tried to rest for a while and headed back to the castle.

On the way back to the castle, she thought that the pain will slowly go away. Whenever she felt uncomfortable or if she knows that something is not right, she just shrugs it off and heads back to the castle, this time though, it is different.

While making her way to the castle, she felt a pair of eyes watching over her yet as she tried to take a look around, she saw nobody around. She continued walking and it was easy for her to forget things. Well, that is one of her attributes and one thing she is quite well known for… her ability to easily forget things.

The pain becomes more and more unbearable for her like her right arm is being ripped off of her yet she managed to arrive at the castle. The King was there and noticed that her daughter was clinging on to her right arm.

“You seem to be quite early today, any news?” The king asked not even a bit worried about why his daughter is clinging tightly on her right arm. The king thinks that it is only another accident since he knows very well how clumsy his daughter is.

“Nothing new and interesting today I guess. I am sorry but I need to take my rest.” Mai said while still clinging on her arm. It hurts so bad that she felt like even if she stabs it with her arrow, she will feel no pain. She proceeded to her room together with her pet and tried to apply some medicine on it but there is still no relief and the pain is still stinging.

“What in the world is happening!!” She cried out in pain.

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[Diamond Kingdom]

It is another typical day for Princess Aki and as expected, she has her set of plans laid out which she tightly follows; from the moment she opened her eyes up to the moment she will lay on her slumber, everything is organized and she follows it all.

She had her usual breakfast with her father and discussed some matters regarding the condition of the kingdom. They usually have such kinds of conversation and though it might not show, Aki really enjoys it and so does her father who admires her perceptions and way of thinking. Aki is a voracious reader and a logical person as well. She thinks it will be best to compromise and to fill out her lack of physical strength.

As a form of therapy, she usually does her trainings at the training ground. Sometimes with a teacher but she usually does it alone. Today, her teacher decided to join her in her training.

It all started smoothly as she throws her shurikens well while defending herself with her tekko-kagi. She maintains her composure as she continues on. It is the usual thing.
All of a sudden, Aki trips out of the blue but managed to have a safe landing.

“Are you ok your highness?! I guess this is enough for now.” Her teacher said as he went nearer and offered Aki a hand.
“There is nothing to worry about sensei. Sorry for that sudden fall.” Aki said while trying to grab her teacher’s hand to aid her in standing up. She was about to stand up when she felt her right leg became numb and she suddenly stopped trying to get up and instead tried to remain in her sitting position.

“What is it your highness?!” The teacher asked worriedly but Aki only shrugged her head in response trying to gain her breath as well.

She thought that it is just some normal cramps and thought that a little stretch or rest can solve things but instead of making her condition better, it becomes worse… she can feel prickling pain at first and as time goes on, the intensity of the pain increases. She tried to calm down and think things through but the pain was just too much.
Her teacher noticed it and immediately called the attention of some of the maids to help them and to attend to it immediately.

Faint grunts can be heard from Aki as she tries to fight the pain she feels…

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[Amethyst Kingdom]

It is Princess Kazuko’s “dayoff” and her favorite day of the week. This is the day in the week where she can at least relax. No lessons, no trainings, no all of those boring traditions and the best part of it is that, she is allowed to go out of the castle to do some shopping on the clothing areas of the kingdom where only the finest are offered but of course, she still has her butler, Koyama, with her.

As she walked through the shops, she found some lovely and some gruesome styles as she classifies it. She also loves to give tips to those store owners around and they are all prepared as well since they know that it is the Princess’ dayoff.

They are already inside their carriage and was on their way back to the castle and Kazuko was looking out at her window looking at the beautiful sceneries that their kingdom has. She decided to open the window and feel the breeze of the wind as it brushes through her cheeks.

“Koyama, can we stop by the lake and rest for a while?!” Kazuko asked her butler who then agreed and immediately asked the coachman to stop the carriage.

Kazuko took her shoes off and decided to soak her feet on the water and play a little. After satisfying and playing up to her heart’s content, she sat under a shady tree and decided to ask Koyama to have a mini game. They lay on their backs and looked at the sky as they tried to recognize shapes formed by the clouds.

They are enjoying the moment when a strong wind came. Kazuko suddenly held on to her right eye.

“Is there something stuck your Kazu?!” Koyama worriedly asked as he noticed Kazuko holding on to her right eye.

“Nothing I guess…” Kazuko said as she sat up and blinked for several times. Indeed no particles are caught inside her eye.

“I guess we should head back to the castle and fix those things you just bought.” Koyama said and stood up as he fixed his clothes. He was about to give his hand and assist Kazuko to stand up when he noticed that Kazuko was tightly holding on to her right eye.

“What is wrong?!” Koyama worriedly asked as he kneeled in front of his princess and tried to assess the situation.
“Koyama, it hurts!!!” Kazu said as tears can be seen flowing out from her left eye. It is the first time that she experienced such pain like her eye will want to get out of its sockets. She feels like someone is squeezing it so hard and she can’t help but cry in pain.

Koyama carried her and immediately proceeded in the carriage.

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[Human Kingdom]

Today, King Daiki made a plan. For them to entertain the guests and to enjoy the moment as well, they decided to invite their guests to play different games so that they can relax themselves and free themselves from all sorts of stress.

Shirika challenged Daiki on Horse Race and of course, Daiki cannot refuse an offer most especially if it is Shirika who asked.

They were on their third round of their league since Daiki keeps on requesting for a rematch after losing for two straight matches since Kurumi is a very competitive person and she finds pleasure in defeating Daiki. She agrees on a rematch as she looks forward on defeating him again and again. It has usually been that way since they were kids. And until now, things had remained the same.

The match is head to head and it was a close battle with Shirika leading only a few steps away from Daiki who is still struggling. She was really enjoying the moment when she felt some sort of sting on her left leg. She tried to ignore it at first but the pain grows as time passes. She had no choice but to slow down a little but she tried not to make it obvious as to not make Daiki worry too much.

Daiki was celebrating on his own as he finally won after three tries but in a way, he was a bit curious since it was clear that Shirika was leading. He looked back and saw Shirika in an awkward position with her grip tight.

“Kurumi! Tired of winning and decided to finally give me a chance?!” Daiki said as he was trying to joke around although he is aware that there is something weird going on with Shirika.

Instead of getting a reply, Shirika just remained in her position and kept quiet and not showing her face to Daiki. This made Daiki worried thinking if there is something wrong with Shirika or is she angry or offended with what he just said which he thinks is not really plausible since they usually talk to each other in such a manner.

Still having no response from Shirika, Daiki decided to offload from his horse and run towards where Shirika is to have a closer look. As he went near, he saw Shirika’s face in a grimed and pained expression and as he traced where his fiancé’s hand is clinging on to, he saw her holding on to her left leg.

“What is wrong Shirika?!” Daiki worriedly asked since he knows that Shirika is a really strong girl.

Instead of getting a reply from her, she just shook her head as if saying that she is ok when clearly, she is not.

“Jump off the horse Kurumi. Please. Just trust me and jump off.” Daiki said with a serious tone as he summons his tiger, Haru for assistance. Shirika knows that Daiki is serious but she is a stubborn child who doesn’t want to let go still but she had no other choice since her surroundings suddenly became black and she lost consciousness and fell off the horse. Good thing was that, Daiki was there to catch her.

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Shizuna had a duel with Chinen on golf. Unfortunately, Chinen cannot concentrate and yes… he is still trembling as well.

Why is he playing golf with her anyway and why golf of all the sport he can offer?! Why not something exciting like what Shirika and Daiki did or why not something of his forte that involves logic like chess?! Well, to cut the long story short, let us just say that Yuri was tongue-tied again as he was about to offer Shizu a sport. He has all sorts of sports in his mind that he can offer Shizu but the moment he saw her and was face-to-face with her, all those elements inside his brain were flushed out and nothing was left. In short, all that he can say was.. uhhhm’s, ahhh’s and a lot of stuttering.

Shizu, noticing the agony on Yuri who is having great difficulty in speaking, decided to help him in constructing his sentence. She saw a golf club nearby and they settled on playing golf instead. She is somehow in favor of it since she is somehow good at it.

As they were playing in the field, there were no continuous conversation happening. They do talk but the topic stops and never develops all thanks to Yuri who seems like he had swallowed his tongue. Another thing is that, Shizu forgot that it is currently summer at Human Kingdom and playing at the grounds under the heat is not really a brilliant idea after all.

“Maybe we should take a rest for a while. Wha… what do you think Shizu!?” Yuri asked Shizu noticing how uncomfortable the princess is because of the heat. At the back of his mind he is partially blaming himself since he thinks that this would not have happened if only he was able to suggest a better sport in which they can converse well and not be under such heat. At least that as time goes by, His stuttering lessens; looks like he is getting more comfortable in talking to Shizu as well.

As they were heading towards a shady area where they could rest, Yuri was gaining confidence and is sharing some trivia and information about different things like science, anatomy, unique and interesting facts about the kingdom and so on. Shizu was enjoying the moment since it is not like everyday that Yuri talks smoothly when with her.

They sat under a shady tree and still, Yuri is talking non-stop and this makes Shizu laugh every once in a while. It was a relaxing moment and Shizu was laughing because of something that Yuri said when her laughter abruptly ended.
Yuri became curious because of Shizu’s sudden silence.

“Did I say something wrong or something that offended you?!” Yuri asked as he looked at Shizu who has her head bowed down with her hand at her face.

“Nothing Yuri. I actually enjoy your company.” Shizu said but Yuri notices that there is something different on Shizu’s voice like she is trying her best to conceal something.

“Shizu?! Shizu?! Is there anything wrong?!” Yuri gets more worried since Shizuna is still not lifting her head up. He looked closely and saw her holding on to her left eye. Shizu is in pain and as Yuri was close to her, Shizu held on to his clothes and had a tight grip.

Yuri understood the meaning of it and summoned his eagle, Natsu to help him and carried Shizu back inside the castle for immediate attention.

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Riki is playing chess with Ryosuke since they both want to stay inside the castle and relax for a while. This is also considered to be a rare moment for Ryosuke to spend time alone with Riki considering that Riki has always been close and always sticks with Yuri.

Ryosuke knows about Riki’s past and he can still clearly remember that day when she was brought into the castle.

[Flashback]

Everyone was in panic as the news about the opening of the box spread across all nations. It was said that the box of plague was opened and that the people from the Emerald Kingdom are greatly affected. Rumors say that the box was opened by a demon and it was not difficult for the people to believe it because of the assumption that only demons have the power to open the box. What made the rumors intense was the growing dispute between the demon kingdom and the Emerald Kingdom because of some suspicious acts committed by the Emerald Kingdom’s king.

Almost all the residents of the kingdom were affected and ninety percent of their total population suffered and died due to its intensity and because the people were not prepared. Even the King and the queen were affected and only Princess Riki was able to survive among the royal family.
Some suspicions arouse saying that it was all because of the princess. There were even legends telling that she was even a cursed princess and that she should die. She was about to be executed by the remaining townsmen while in the middle of their grief but she suddenly was gone.

Unknown to the townsmen, the Princess’ physician, Takashi Chinen, immediately heard the news and was able to save the princess in the nick of time. They decided to let her stay and reside in the Human Kingdom. As a request, Riki asked that she should not be treated as a princess but as a normal servant in the castle which was approved by the reigning king (which is Daiki’s father).

Riki looked so pale and was not able to speak for almost a month because of the entire trauma but she was never seen crying. She just had a blank face painted on her and made her more mysterious. Yuri was always the one who talks to her and not long after, she was able to open up and finally talk to him and decided to be his assistant.

[End of Flashback]

Ryosuke wanted to open up a conversation with Riki but he doesn’t know where to start. Yes they usually are spending time in the castle but he was never able to have such alone time with her. It was an awkward atmosphere for him but he thinks that Riki feels like it is a normal thing.

“Check!” Riki declared as she moved her rook supported by the queen and the bishop. This snapped Yamada back into his senses and noticed that he actually was trapped.

“You seemed to be thinking about something. Is there anything wrong?!” Riki asked noticing that Ryosuke is not in his full attention. She knows that he can do better than this considering how he plays when up against his cousins.

“What makes you think about that?!” Ryosuke asked while thinking about ways on how to save his king.

“To be honest, I am clearly disappointed, Your Highness.” Riki said with a smirk planted on her face.

“Indeed, I lacked concentration for a while but I don’t think such move is enough for you to rejoice.” Ryosuke said as he saved his king and made his counter attacks.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking something.” Ryosuke asked Riki whilst in the middle of the game.

“I don’t. What is it?” Riki asked. It is not usual for prince Ryosuke to ask her things and to have an actual discussion with her.

“Do you have any special feelings towards Yuri?” Ryosuke bluntly asked expecting a change in Riki’s reaction only to see a smirk plastered in her face… again.

“I don’t think it is anything of your concern though.” She replied and began studying the board and the remaining pieces as the table was turned and now she is about to lose.

“Still, that doesn’t answer my question. I really will not mind you answering it honestly…” Ryosuke mockingly said as he saw Riki made her move.

“I guess this conversation will lead us nowhere until I gave an answer that will satisfy you.” Riki answered.

Ryosuke had a wide smile on his face as he made his move. Riki took a deep breath and as she reached out to move her rook, she accidentally touched her bishop instead. She knew that Ryosuke will protest if she changes her piece because of the “touch move, place move” rule that they have. With no choice at all, she decided to stick with the bishop but she noticed her hands shaking and she felt sharp pain on her left arm.

“Riki, is there anything wrong?” Ryosuke worriedly asked seeing how the intensity of the shaking of his opponent’s hand worsens.

Riki placed the piece down and tried to pacify the pain by holding on to her arms tightly but to no avail, the pain just grew worse and this made Ryosuke stand from his seat and assisted Riki into her room and immediately looked for a physician who can attend.

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Daiki, Yuri and Ryosuke are all in panic as they tried to look for available physicians to attend to princess Shirika, Princess Shirika and to former Princess Riki. Soon enough, the physicians came but they all cannot determine the cause of the sudden pain that struck them and in the end gave Princesses Riki and Shizuna something to make them all fall asleep since Princess Shirika lost her consciousness before she was sent to her room. They were all worried as of what is happening and were all gathered at the study area.

“Daiki, what happened to Shirika?!” Ryosuke asked.

“We were in our third round of the horse race because of my request and again, she was about to win when she suddenly slowed down. I won the third round but when I came and checked her, I saw her holding on to her left leg and she suddenly lost consciousness. Good thing that Haru and I was able to catch her.” Daiki summarized the story to Ryosuke.

“Yuri, what about Shizu?” Now Ryosuke turned his attention to Yuri.

“I was finally able to have a good conversation with Shizu after playing golf. We were having fun as I discussed a lot of trivial things to her. It was a moment for us to relax and then, a cold breeze of wind passed by. Shizu flicked her left eye. I thought something was stuck but the next thing I knew; she was holding on to it tightly and was in pain.” Yuri explained.

“What about Riki?” Yuri asked Ryosuke this time.

“We were playing chess and just as she was about to move her piece, her hand trembled and it shaked making Riki put the piece down at an awkward place and she then hold her left arm tightly. I was worried and immediately brought her to her room. Don’t you two find this occurrence weird?” Ryosuke asked his other brothers as he analyzed their stories.

“It is too similar and the chance of it happening because of coincidence is really low.” Yuri said.

“If we also try to consider the time it all happened. It is as if something triggered it to happen.” Daiki said making his two other cousins think.

“It has begun…” Ryutaro, who was standing by the door and listening to the King together with his cousins’ conversation, said to himself. He took off and went back to Rena’s room after confirming it all.

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What is happening to all the Princesses?

What does Ryutaro mean when he said “It has begun”?

What will happen next?

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I am a bit disappointed on myself and about the things around me as well but I don’t think I have the right to blame anyone since I guess that it is all entirely my fault but I have to admit that I really am frustrated as of the moment.

Nevertheless, a promise is a promise.

Thanks.

Satomi-chan!