unveiling truth
The Lost PrinceThe kingdom greeted me with hostility and angst. Everyone is in a state of frenzy that it takes a dummy to realise that something horrible has happened during the ceremony.
"Hey you~" a guard walked past me in such urgency that he did not notice my presence.
"I apologise, General Yuto. please pardon my inattentiveness" he gave a 90 degree bow and never raised his head until I instructed.
"tell me, what happened?"
"the queen, she assassinated the King, and was arrested on the spot. the whole incident was crazy. no one expected it. Dowager Umi has General Chinen and Daiki in for questioning, since they were on duty at the time of the attack and they were right behind the Queen."
"be careful of your words. I will hold you responsible for any form of slandering towards the high guards."
"I'm sorry, General Yuto. I didnt mean to"
"what about the King? is he okay?"
"I'm not too sure about this. there were all kinds of rumours, but he did lost alot of blood at the scene and collapsed before the citizens"
I tried to sustain my cool, but deep down I am trembling with fear. I should have paid more attention to Mirai and things would not have progressed to this stage. if I only understood her plans earlier....everything is making sense now... the army, the hostile attitude towards Ainosuke, the severance letter, the assassination...it all adds up to one motive - and Ainosuke has to know of it before it's too late.
but I need to avoid the Dowager's detection for now, or she'll call me in for questioning before I reach Ainosuke, and if that happens, it'll be too late to prevent a tragedy.
I sneaked past the guards and hid myself near Ainosuke's chaotic chamber until the coast is clear. the wait was nerve-wrecking as I saw the nurses dashing in and out of the room with blood dressings.
Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed me from behind and cupped my mouth. I couldn't struggle cause right after, the Dowager and her guards walked into the room.
"Yabu, Hika!"
"we need to talk" the 2 generals grabbed me into a nearby room and secured the door.
"what did Mirai assign you? you must know something about this...the dowager is looking for you frantically, and you don't need me to tell you what she wants from you"
"I went to meet King Takea. Mirai asked for me to pass a letter to her father. it was deliberately to send me away because my suspicion of her would stifle her activity."
"Yuto, you know what she's up to? what's the letter about..?"
"Yabu, Hika, we've got to save Mirai. we've got to believe her..." I gave them a reassuring look and they returned confident smiles. I knew that the 2 of them gave their full support to whatever I have in mind. the three of us waited for everyone else to evacuate from Ainosuke's chamber before we could speak to him.
*****
Yuya entered the cold, dark prison cells, crawling with rats and roaches. screams of prisoners driven crazy by the dead silence filled the atmosphere. it was a place that no one would ever want to be in. Yuya walked down the rows of cells and finally reached the last one where a lady sat in a corner sobbing uncontrollably, with her knees tugged close to her chest.
"i knew your intention was not to kill him. visiting you have given me a reassurance that my instinct was right"
the lady looked up with shock.
"Yuya~"
he entered the cell and squat beside her.
"you have to tell me the reason, or none of us can help you"
she shook her head subtly and continued to dug her head in between her knees.
"Mirai~I know you hurt Ainosuke for a reason, and it's not about assassination. if you don't tell us, you'll be sentenced to death"
"is Ainosuke okay?"
"his wound isn't deep, and Mirai, you deliberately stabbed it at the same spot... the reason why, I believe, it's because you were thinking of sacrificing yourself for him, just like how the person who first made that scar thought about"
"Yuya, stop asking. just let me die. everything will resolve if I die."
"Mirai! you're really stubborn. please, I beg you, just tell us the whole thing."
Mirai totally shut off and Yuya realised no matter how much he said, it'll only be a waste of breathe.
"I'll be back. I won't give up, so you don't too. you and Ainosuke have still a long love life to lead." Yuya turned around and walked towards the exit rid of the stale smell that lingered in the cells.
******
my eyes opened briefly as the commotion surrounding me was too noisy to rest. i recalled my senses, though the pain at my chest was excruciating, just as my heart is feeling. why did Mirai do that? I pondered hard. but my thoughts were interrupted by something more severe.
"Chinen and Daiki said they don't know any of her plans. Yuto hasn't returned yet." I saw two low ranked guards talking to my mother.
"it's clearly an assassination. I now sentence her to death. I want her dead tomorrow at noon. my son's life is in danger because of her."
"please reconsider, your highness. there must be a mistake. Queen Mirai would never do that."
"really?! these days her coldness towards the King was already worrying. it's not exactly impossible if you think about it. I won't want her by my son's side, and a queen who commit such grave crimes cannot be forgiven, can she. just do as I said!"
the 2 powerless guards could only submit to the orders of the Dowager. my heart is clear now, that regardless whether Mirai is or is not trying to kill me, I will not let her die. but it's nothing I could do openly because it will only spark unhappiness across Aoihoshi. everyone saw the incident, there's no way to say it's a mistake.
is there a reason why did she try to kill me with everyone looking? it's a suicide attempt, since there's no room for escape. is it the hatred for me or is there another reason for putting yourself through such torment.
I pretended to be asleep the moment my mother turned to look at me. She wiped my fringe from my forehead as she took a good look at my pale face.
"my son, how much more do you have to suffer? it's my fault to bring you to this world, cause I haven't seen you smile ever since you restore your position."
I did, mother. that's with Mirai. so please let it go.
"I'll not let it go. whoever who tries to harm my son, will have to pay a hefty price. an eye for an eye. but since she's still the Queen, I'll give her a painless punishment. death wine it is. it'll probably be hurtful to you in the beginning, but I'm sure Riko and your son Daichi will slowly wash you off the painful memories"
a tear ran from the side of my eye and I could feel her hand wiping it off gently from my face. the heartache was much more unendurable than the physical pain. mother, why can't you understand...
"sleep well, my son. I'll visit you tomorrow...don't worry about Riko and Daichi, I'll take care of them until you fully recover." she left a kiss on my forehead.
"2of you, take care of the King." she turned to the maids and instructed.
the moment she left, I opened my eyes, and the blurry vision took a while to clear. I tried to sit up but when I did, the pain in my chest was excruciating.
*cough
"your highness, please lie down and rest..."
"get Yuto to me..." I instructed but to my horror they collapsed in front of me and behind them, was who I wanted to see most at the moment. Yuto, Yuya and Hikaru knocked out the 2 maids and stood by my bedside.
"Nakajima Yuto! you!!!" I raised my voice but I regretted so, my wound hurts beyond words. cold sweat trickled down the sides of my forehead and my jaw tightened.
"be careful of your health!" the three of them said in unison, but still avoided my eyes, until the middle one decided to face me.
"I'm so foolish to have not noticed what Mirai has been planning. If I have been more alert, I could have avoided this entire tragedy." Yuto kneeled onto the cold solid ground and shed tears of regret.
"I'm more furious at the very fact that you deceived me! from the beginning, there's already a conspiracy between the both of you. you chose to hide it from me!"
"No no, it wasn't a conspiracy, cause it never was something that involved killing you or staging a rebellion. all she ever did behind your back was nothing but supporting you."
I looked at Yuto in disbelief. I refused to believe that someone would go to the extent of hurting me so as to watch over me. it just doesn't make any sense.
"what Yuto said is true. Mirai has also tasked us to secretly build up your Aoihoshi's army and purchase mercenaries. she said you can't depend on Shiroku's army forever. the numbers are never reported to you or anyone else, so that by the time you are fully ready, there'll be a full army behind your back. unknown to you, we now have a strong fleet of 10,000." Yabu explained in such detail but i got more confused over the intentions of Mirai.
"so that was what is about between you guys and Mirai. and what about you disappearing the whole of the day?"
"that was my mistake. I guess Mirai wanted to divert me away so that she can carry out her plan without having to go through me. she tasked me send a letter to King Takea, that was why I was late."
"a letter?" my heart begins to pound as I could feel the atmosphere tense up. it is almost like I could feel the revelation reaching the . on top of that, I could feel the regretful tone in Yuto's explanation.
"the letter... it was a severance letter. she didnt want to shame her family..."
"her act is going to bring condemnation indefinitely"
"no Ainosuke, you have mistaken. the letter wasn't just that. it was also to ask King Takea to watch over you."
"w-what? why would she do that if she's about to kill me"
"it was never her intention to kill you. she did all those to protect you, to watch over you!"
I was in a state of shock. it was getting more difficult to listen on. every word spoken is every heartstrings torn.
"I don't get it."
"the people are becoming displease of her position as Queen. after Lady Riko gave birth to the heir, it only made it harder for Mirai as people grew more doubtful of her ability to assist you. this unrest could only die down if Lady Riko stands in as Queen. but this is not without dismissing Mirai's status. despite the people opposing her, a woman is a woman. if you dismissed her as your wife, talks about your integrity, faithfulness will be prevalent. The only way to step down without giving you a bad name...."
"is to assassinate me in front of the whole public so she becomes condemned and even sentenced to death. and I'll retain my purity and everyone else remains in their status quo but her." I completed Yabu's explanation with my hand shivering from the intensity of the truth. I'm hoping my guess is wrong, but the subtle nodding of Yabu saddens me.
"w-why is she so silly... from marrying Riko to this, she never gave me a chance to participate in the decision making...why is she always giving her all to me, but i never gave her anything in return!" I pounded on my chest as my heart breaks to the point that I thought I'm dying of grief.
"no! Ainosuke, your highness! you need to pull yourself together. it's still not the end." Hikaru triggered off the vivid remembrance that my mother has just sentenced her to death.
"goodness. Okay, you guys listen up carefully. we are running short of time, and should this mission fail, not only will Mirai die, but all of you as well."
the three generals listened carefully to what their King said. word for word, they internalized closely until there was not a single information lost or confused.
"a mistake is a mistake. whether she can survive this ordeal is up to you guys" Ainosuke left them with the last line. the three generals turned and gave him a last glance and saw the sadness and hopelessness on his pale face. since success or not, there'll be no happy ending for either of them.
******
I could sense my death approaching. it's what I wished for isn't it, so why am I still haunted by my own timid and fearful self.
do it for Ainosuke. yes, I should gather my courage and truly face my death cause it'll do many good. Lady Riko can fill my position legitimately and Ainosuke can finally settle down on his reign.
a few hostile guards walked into my cell and I could already see my method of death. Poison wine.
thanks Dowager Umi for granting such a painless penalty.
"Queen Mirai, we are sorry, but you have to drink this up." a much petite guard said
"don't worry, I know"
the guards present reveal a remorseful face and I could feel that I'm at least someone worth respecting in their heart. well, Shida Mirai, you did achieve something in your life. I gave a subtle smile that confused the guards.
"can I ask you a favour?"
"anything, your highness"
"save me some dignity. I don't wanna die with you guys looking. my last moment will be too ugly to witness."
"your wish is our command. we'll be right along the corridor."
"thank you." they gave the final salute and left the cell, leaving me with the cup of colourless liquid which seemingly stare at me with hostility.
just as I was about to put in to my mouth, a soft crash startled me and the next moment, a few masked man entered with swords in their hands.
"guards!!!" I shouted but to no avail. I knew this instant that the guards are either knocked or killed. never did I expect to die this way. the masked men stuffed my mouth so I couldn't make any noise and then one of the three tall men threw me over his shoulder like a beanbag.
I was petrified as I imagined being brutally slaughtered and thrown into the forest to feed the wolves. I tried wriggling out of his grip but the man was tough that it seemed he wasn't at all affected by my struggles.
the worst has yet to happen as later, their movement alerted several guards on duty and they started attacking them. I swayed violently as the man defended against the constant blows. there were at least 10 guards coming right at them, but it didn't seem much of a problem for them. what's more are arrows flying right towards the guards, assisting the masked men in the background. the archer is so amazingly accurate that I instantly thought of Daiki but when I looked towards the source, I couldn't see anyone. my confused mind is causing me more nausea by the minute.
the guards cleared effortlessly and the masked men eyed each other as if reading each others mind and reaching a mutual consensus. they dashed towards the exit of the palace and ran like the winds into the forest. the trees were indeed good camouflage as there were no sign of guards. I could feel them slowing down, that was when I could sense my death approaching. who knows what these skillful masked men are about to do to me. kidnap the queen when she's on her death roll? doesn't make sense.
they stopped, and there was a carriage before my eyes. I tried to voice my queries but it was all muffled because of the stuffings obstructing my vocals..
the man let me down and I looked at him in fear.
"I'm sorry for hurting you, my queen" the man took down his mask and I was in extreme shock to see the familiar face.
"Yabu?!!!"
I turned around and saw the other 2 removing their masks and they were Yuto and Hikaru.
"what is this about?!"
"we've received orders to get you out of the palace right away." Yabu explained.
there could only be one person. "A-Ainosuke?"
the three of them nodded and proceeded with further instructions.
"come out" Hikaru called out to the carriage. I looked towards the direction and was wondering if Ainosuke would step out of the carriage. my heart was hoping so. I have so much to say to him, I wanna hold him in my arms... I wanna cry in his embrace.
sadly it wasn't him... but someone I least expected. "Kento?" the guard who was caged up and harrassed by the wealthy ladies whom we met at our mission walked towards me. his footsteps was light that I couldn't make out his movement. but as he stepped out from the shadows, I could sense a whole different aura emitted from him as compared to the last time I saw him. this feeling of greatness, of loyalty and capability are what one can gather from the man before me.
"My queen, Nakajima Kento here at your bidding. please be assured that I'll you to safety." he bowed politely. I, on the contrary was utterly rude as I couldn't mask the disappointment that he wasn't Ainosuke.
"Mirai, Ainosuke has made arrangements for your lodging. you'll be safe there. and he wants me to let you know that he'll announce your death when dawn breaks." Yuto added.
"so... he forgave me? he knew? you figured out, didnt you."
"Mirai, I was initially upset with your plans to divert me away. but who am I to reprimand you for your foolishness. your recklessness is really Noble that I could only applaud your unconditional love for the King. all of us generals will remember what selfless queen we have and model after your greatness. Our king is aware of everything you've done for him and rather than hatred, he's probably feeling the pain of losing you."
there was a pause of silence as everyone was absorbed in a solemn atmosphere. finally the three generals gave their last salute to their Queen and Mirai knew that her journey with them has officially ended.
before Yuto raised his head, Mirai threw herself over him and gave him the heartiest hug.
"Q-queen..."
"no, I'm no longer the Queen. I just wanna show my gratitude to my best friend in Aoihoshi. I'm sorry I lied to you, and thank you for everything you've done for me thus far." Yuto was clearly so overwhelmed that he couldn't articulate what he wants to say, choking on his tears as he struggled to form even the simplest sentence.
"I understand, Yuto. it's okay." I saved him the agony of speaking so I went on to Yabu. He was less passive, and he instead pulled me into his embrace. it was funny how he's really very attractive, the feeling he gave me was more of a matured man with security. and lastly Hikaru, whose jokes never stop entertaining. he too wrapped his warm arms around me and gave me a gentle squeeze.
"stay happy, Mirai." was the one line he said, that sums up the night's affair.
"please convey my farewell to Chinen and Daiki too. tell them they are the best company I ever had, way better than my siblings back in Shiroku." everytime I think of the 2 of them, I'll unconsciously smile regardless of how down I am. Really, Aoihoshi taught me alot of humanistic values that are near extinction in the cold heartless palace, full of bureaucratic rules and unforgiving customs. instead, the kingdom under Ainosuke is filled with brotherhood, love and concern.
I returned the final bow to the three of them and stepped away with Kento by my side. he gave me a reassuring smile that sets my heart a little less heavy. my footsteps still gave me away, it was slow and hesitant, and everyone around knew what was holding me back. perhaps the dramatic moment where the King arrives to see his Queen? I prayed silently in my heart and mind that I could see him smile one last time. I didnt want my last memory of him to be that of blood and tears. no, that'll be too difficult to bear. but as I stretched my feet onto the carriage, I knew that moment will not come. it's over. the verdict is clear - the story of me and Tanaka Ainosuke is officially over and done.
"sit tight, Mirai. it'll be a bumpy ride" Kento said over the carriage door, but it was barely a few steps when the carriage came to a sudden stop and the inertia had me hit hard on the other corner of the carriage. the carriage came to a complete stop and I feared once again that something is not right. It's even more strange that Kento did not respond to my calling.
I stepped out of the carriage, noticed that Kento wasn't on the driver seat, instead standing some distance away from me, alongside Yabu, Yuto and Hikaru. I stood alone, lost and confused, turning myself around 360 degree, only to finally locate a familiar figure in the shadow.
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