Accompanied song: BE ALIVE (Hey! Say! JUMP)

Keito sauntered down to his mother’s chamber. He had been thinking about every possibility of Ryosuke’s case, yet he came up with no solution. Until General Chinen brought him the light to this dark scheme, he should seek for any possible source of information himself. His strong intuition told him it was the work of his uncle, Prime Minister Shinsaku. And if it was really him, there would be no one knew about it more than his mother, Dowager Yumi.

“Mother,” he bowed as reverence.

“Are you having so much time that you visit me, Your Majesty?” his mother always so strict about a proper reverence.

“It’s been awhile since I saw you, Mother,” he sat across Dowager Yumi. “I hope you’re in a good health.”

“Thank you for my lord’s attention.” His mother sometimes reminded him of Ryosuke by her stoic face.

He sighed in his mind. Why they couldn’t talk casually like a mother and her son?

“Is there anything Your Majesty need from me?” she asked.

He noticed the piercing gaze of his mother. Hell, he never got rid of the pressure though he had become a king now.

“Are you aware of the current issue regarding father’s death?” He eventually started.

“If Your Majesty mean about Prince Ryosuke being the suspect then, yes, I have heard about it.”

He was not wrong about how nothing would amiss from his mother’s eyes. “Do you know something about it, Mother?”

“Pardon me, but I don’t get what Your Majesty mean.”

“Need not to pretend, Mother.”

When his mother did not show any sign to comply, he added, “I’m a king now, just as you and the Okamoto want. So, be responsible by not causing my reign wavers.”

After seconds, his mother eventually spoke, “What is Your Majesty want to know?”

“Does Uncle Shinsaku have anything to do with this case?”

“Are you trying to accuse your uncle for plotting against his king?”

“No. Not against me, but Ryosuke.”

“Pardon me, Your Majesty. I have no knowledge about it.”

He had predicted that his mother would not yield even to his demand. He had to think of other way to elicit information from his mother, somehow.

“If I may ask,” his mother suddenly spoke, “Why should Your Majesty concern about Prince Ryosuke so much?”

“He is a family.”

“He is NOT your family.” His mother stated firmly.

He sighed. When he was a child, he often wondered why his mother resented Ryosuke that much, but as he grew up and learned one thing after the other, the comprehension came gradually.

“He is, Mother.” His tone was harder than he used to use when speaking to his mother.

“Interacting with him indeed weakens your memory, Son. You forget who you should concern about.” She threw a cynical smile.

He understood that when his mother called him with ‘Son’ it was when she needed to show that she was the superior between the two of them.

“Forgive me for defying you, Mother,” he bowed a little to apologize, but when he raised his head, he showed her his firm resolution. “But protecting him is my way to protect you. I love you, Mother, and I don’t want you to sink deeper into your misery.”

A tense silence followed right after he finished. His mother shifted her gaze to another direction, refusing to look at him. He realized it was the time to stop probing. His mother would not talk and somehow he felt that when she said she did not know, she meant it.

“I’ll be off, then, Mother,” he rose to his feet. “But please remember that I keep all you and uncle had taught me,” he paused and his mother tilted her head just enough to let him know that she was listening.

“Including to never forgive any betrayal even if it comes from my own family.”

With that warning he strode away. He made a mental note that he was scared of his mother when he was younger, but now only pity remained when he looked at her. He understood how much pain she had to endure that he could not hate her despite all her wrongdoings. Drifting his mind back to the case, Ryosuke’s face flashed. While the sound of his steps echoing in the hallway, his heart went out to the precious people in his life.

“Ryosuke, he always reminds Mother of the love she could never have.”

**********

After a long night without sleeping, the second day of the royal court came. All the evidence and witnesses from the royal court had been presented and most of them were against Ryosuke. Hikaru mulled over a thought while Daiki raised his hand.

“Yes, Arioka-san?” the head judge responded.

“We have heard all the statements. But before we proceed further, I need to remind all of us that the council had issued a law in which stating that we must not reach a verdict even though all the evidence and witnesses weigh against the suspect,” Daiki paused, “Unless the suspect fails to prove that he is innocent.”

“Yes, thank you for reminding us, honored council,” the head judge subtly irritated by the intrusion because it was obvious that every law officer knew about that rule.

Hikaru raised a brow at Daiki but the latter only gave him a knowing look. Yet, he eventually understood when soon after that he heard Ryosuke spoke.

“I then demand for the court suspending until I am provided with the chance to prove myself innocent.”

He just realized that Daiki’s true intention was to give Ryosuke assistance by letting him knew about the law. He slapped himself mentally for not noticing it earlier.

“Your request is accepted, Prince Ryosuke,” said the head judge with subtle reluctance. “The court will be suspending for two days to provide you time to arrange your plead of defense. Then we will choose one of the law officers to assist you.”

“I don’t believe the law department,” Ryosuke bluntly rejected the idea.

He almost smirked seeing the head judge opened and closed his mouth like a fish on the land.

“Then who would you propose?”

“One of the council members over there,” Ryosuke indicated to where he and the rest members stood.

“But they are here for supervising…” the head judge stopped when seeing he raised a hand.

“Yes, Shida-san?”

“There is no rule to forbid the council members for assisting the suspect.”

The other council members spoke their agreement on his statement.

Having no choice, the head judge eventually asked, “Who would you choose, Prince Ryosuke?”

He was sure Ryosuke would choose Daiki for they were friend, but Ryosuke managed to catch him off guard.

“I choose my brother-in-law, Shida Hikaru-san.”

And that was how he ended up talking with Ryosuke in the chamber where he was temporary kept after the royal court. Yes, he was kept in a full guarded chamber, not a usual prison, due to his privilege as royalty.

“Why did you choose me instead of Daiki?” he genuinely wanted to know.

“It’s more make sense to choose my brother over my friend,” Ryosuke said in a matter of fact tone.

“Still…”

“Could we just get in to the point?” Ryosuke cut him off.

He gritted his teeth in annoyance, This brat!

“Fine,” he eventually said. “Let me ask you, did you or did you not poison King Shohei?”

“I didn’t.”

He recalled all the occurrences during the trial and said, “You said you didn’t know any of them, but how could they all say the same thing about you?”

“Wasn’t it obvious that it was a conspiracy? They’re scheming against me.”

“But it was too obvious.”

“I have a feeling they purposely made it obvious.”

“Care to elaborate?”

Ryosuke made a contemplative gesture, “If you want to do something and you don’t want anyone to notice, you will direct their attention to another matter first, won’t you?”

“You mean the mastermind behind this case is running another plan?”

“Yes, and I guess I am merely a distraction.”

“But I can’t even think what the other plan is that they dare risk their lives since the king will find out the truth soon.”

He saw Ryosuke’s gaze darkened, “That’s what I fear. It must be something big, huge even. And somehow I get a dreadful feeling.”

Seeing Ryosuke’s face he could not help but to shiver and he could not find a word to reply.

“The reason I chose you,” Ryosuke suddenly shifted the topic, “I want to ask you a favor.”

He raised a brow, “Not because you think I can assist you?”

“No,” Ryosuke said. “Just as you said, my brother will find the truth sooner or later. It’s not necessary for you or anyone to assist me. I can stand on my own.”

He did not know whether he should praise Ryosuke’s toughness or strangle him because of his impudence.

“How is the Outer Palace?” Ryosuke asked suddenly.

“It’s clean and Nakajima keep the security tight.”

He swore he saw Ryosuke a bit hesitated when asking, “And Mirai?”

“She’s well, but worried about you.”

Ryosuke went silent for a moment before looked up with a firm gaze, “Bring her away from the palace.”

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