Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The beauty laid on the ground. Her long blonde hair was shining. She slowly opened her eyes. Blinked as she tried to understand her surroundings and slowly sat up.

The scent of the room was welcoming unlike the darkness of it. The place was filled with ivy. The  stone she laid on was in the middle of the room surrounded by the water. She dipped her hand into the water.

That felt weird.

She couldn’t really feel it. Frowning at the thought, she noticed her reflection. Horns..? Touched them as if trying to understand where they came from. 

A voice was heard from the depth of darkness. “I see you have woken up.” 

She slowly got up trying to understand the source of the voice. She felt weak as she looked around. She tried to speak but her throat was sour. 

“Oh please, there is  no need to tire yourself out!” Finally, the source of the voice was revealed. The girl examined the guy. He had a long dark cloat. She could sense the dark magic in his veins. Which was weird that she sensed that?

Magic was forbidden for humans though she wasn’t a human anymore…Was she? She touched her horns again. 

The purple haired guy saw the confusion in her eyes. ”Please, take your time ~” He slowly walked through the room examining the walls. 

“ Since you will be here for a long time…” 

★

“Senpai! Where do you think you are going?!” The pink haired girl stopped in front of her senior. He did not say anything, there was no time to waste. He ignored her and tried to pass her from the side. 

“Tsukasa senpai…I am sorry I can’t let you go! Saki must be-” She grasped his wrist, her eyes filled with tears. She couldn’t let go of the person that hugged her with nothing but kindness. Not again she thought.

Tsukasa’s gaze was on the ground. How could he let this happen? How could he be so irresponsible that his sister…No, this wasn’t about him. How pathetic. He was blaming himself to ignore his irresponsibility. What was so responsible about accepting your mistakes? Don’t make him laugh. He was miserable.  Owning up to his mistake didn’t help anyone but his desire to cross out the stain from his perfectness.

He looked around once again trying to come up with a plan. Everywhere was burning. War didn’t have any  benefits, he hated wars. For the sake of his sister, he was corrupted by the sin that he hated most. 

“Mizuki. I order you to back up.” 

“Senpai please! This is not the right time nor the place to argue this-!”  

Tsukasa quickly pulled Mizuki to the ground. Covered her with his own body as another magic light exploded near them.

Mizuki coughed as she tried to open her eyes. “Senpai-!” 

She noticed his body on the ground. The explosion was too close! If he hadn’t acted on time they were going to be- No. She couldn’t think that right now. She needed to find help. Only if Tsukasa knew how much she respected her. She quickly checked if he was breathing. Still alive . 

“Akiyama!” The boy shouted. 

“Akito! Over here!” She waved her hand as she coughed because of the smoke. He was running towards them. He was also wounded, the uniform she sewed for him was now tainted with blood and pain. She wasn’t going to cry. She shouldn’t.  

“H-He is breathing, I- He was trying to go back- And I was too reckless-“  She held her tears, looking at the ground hiding her face. The explosions were still at it. 

Akito shook his head. There is no time.

“I will carry him,” 

Akito crouched down, breathing heavily. He must have had a long run. 

Tsukasa could hear the voices but didn’t have the courage to open his eyes. The voices were overlapping as he tried to stay conscious. Was this the way of paying his sins? He felt his body floating. Someone must have picked him up. 

“Akito be more gentle would you?! Mafuyu said you shouldn’t-”

“I know damn it!”

Even in this kind of situation, he felt some gratitude. He was proud of both Akito and Mizuki. He sometimes couldn’t believe he trained them. They were strong and pure unlike him. He wanted to be a good role model to them. He had to protect them from this corrupted world. What a joke he was. Saki was missing because of him. How could anyone be a good role model if they were not a good brother? He was a hypocrite wasn’t he? 

“We lost the north lines.” 

They lost the north lines…? That was the last thing he heard. He couldn’t stay conscious anymore as got carried away from the battle scene.

Chapter Text

The sun was shining brightly embracing the earth. Birds were dancing and singing with the gentle breeze of the wind. Tsukasa slowly opened his eyes. He felt the soft texture of the grass and slowly sat up from where he was lying. He took a deep breath and examined his surroundings. 

Ah, I'm a prisoner, 

Ah, what a fool I am.

“That voice…” He stood up from where he was sitting with a sudden rush. That soft voice could not be anyone other than his only sister Saki. He panicked and tried to find where the voice was coming from. He would not make the same mistake again . 

When he turned around, he found the source of the voice. 

“S-Saki-!”

The song had stopped. Saki turned her head slightly and looked at her brother blankly. 

“Saki-” Tsukasa’s eyes were filled with tears. He tried to walk to her. “Are you hurt? I was so worried about you-”

“…”

“Why don’t you say anything?”

The bright sun that embraced the earth was no longer there. Dark clouds were the sign of rain.

“Why did you do that…”

Tsukasa was confused. He chuckled nervously. 

“Saki! Everything is fine! Look, we are together again! I was so worried I am sorry-“

“You are ignoring the reality”

It was starting to rain.

“Saki what are you talking about please let's just go home-“

“Home…Where exactly is the home?”

Tsukasa held out her hand. Saki was moving further away from him.

“It is your fault.” echoed through the garden.

Ĩ̷̯͚͎̝̤t̶̡̬̦̜̼͔̃̑̓ ̵̙̙̥̦́̓ị̴̤̦̅͌̊͛͘͝s̷̬̭̓ ̵̝̤̤̿̎́̎͠y̶̰̱̟͑̄̋̕ó̶̬̠͆͆͗̚u̵̟͎̅͝͠r̶͕̱̪̾͌̂̃͘ ̶̯̿͂́͗̚̚f̷̡̹̎͑ȃ̷̺̂́͜û̵̟͇̮l̸̩̖͙̆̅͊̕t̶̟̣̐́̕͠ͅ.̷̭̱̜̾͆̓

It is my fault.

“Wake up!!!”

Tsukasa opened his eyes, covered in sweat. Everyone was looking at him with concern.

“Geez you didn’t have to yell that much, what kind of nurse are you?!”

Mafuyu shrieked as she finished adjustments of the serum.

Tsukasa was trying to control his breath as he studied his surroundings. The battle…Mizuki almost died- He quickly looked at Mizuki. There were some cuts on her face but she looked okay? 

Mizuki noticed how Tsukasa was looking at her and tilted her head with confusion.

Tsukasa sighed with relief. She is fine. He also needed to check out others because he felt like he was forgetting something…He tried to get up from the patient's bed. He hissed as he felt like his back was burning. 

Mizuki quickly got beside him.

“No, no , you are staying in bed, end of the discussion.”

“Since when did I get orders from you Akiyama?”

“You may not take orders from her. But you do from me Tsukasa-kun.”

Tsukasa looked in the direction where the voice came from.

Mizuki quickly bowed. “Princess Emu! Thank you! He wouldn’t have listened to me!”

Emu entered the room as she was relieved to see Tsukasa awake. Her pink dress was a bit uncomfortable to walk in but she managed to come to the near bed.

Tsukasa sighed, his back still burning. As much as they were close she was still the Princess and he couldn’t disobey her.

“Tsukasa-kun…” Her voice was shaking. Tsukasa couldn’t look her in the eye. He knew what was coming, ‘You need to rest’ or ‘ I told you to not overdo it’ yada yada.

Emu turned to Mizuki. “Mizuki-chan, please gather all the knights to the front garden. I will be there in ten minutes.”

“Yes your highness~” Mizuki saluted and left the room. Once they were alone Emu relaxed a bit.

This got the attention of Tsukasa and eyed Emu as he tried to understand what she was up to.

Emu smiled with eyes that didn’t reach her eyes and booped Tsukasa’s nose.

“ Why are you looking at me like that?!”

Tsukasa was getting frustrated with the whole situation. His back was burning and was metaphorically chained to the bed! Now Emu was not smiling at all!

“Tsukasa-kun…I tried to stop my brothers, believe me but-!”

Now he was even more curious.

Emu sighed as she mumbled but Tsukasa heard it clearly.

“They are going to retire me and replace me?! I am 23 years old?!”

“They are thinking about Shinonononome-kun.”

In any other situations Tsukasa would have been really proud of Akito, believe him but he was too young for retirement?!!. He tried to get up from the bed once again.

Emu tried to stop him. “No you are still injured”

“How can you expect me to stay in bed when my whole life is going to be wasted and I don’t even know what happend?!” He was trying so hard to stay in composure.

Emu couldn’t believe her ears. Did she hear that right?

“You don’t remember?”

“Remember what exactly?”

Why was she looking at him like that? What was there to remember? He protected Akiyama, got injured, what else?

“You were unconscious for 3 days. I guess it would make sense if you are having memory issues…” Emu hummed. She was acting weird and that annoyed Tsukasa a lot.

“For 3 days?! What about the war?!” He was in disbelief. He wasted 3 days, no wonder they wanted him to retire!

Emu sighed. She tried to speak up but in the end all she could do was look away.

There wasn't a word needed. Tsukasa wasn’t stupid. He knew Emu. He knew why this definition of the sunshine in the dictionary wasn’t acting herself. 

They lost.

If only he had been more careful

If only he wasn’t unconscious for 3 days

It was his-

Emu sat beside the bed and held Tsukasa’s bandaged hand.

“Tsukasa-kun, it wasn’t your fault. You did everything for this kingdom and I couldn’t ask for a better knight-”

“So you decided to retire me.”

“You know if I-” 

“I know. You would have stopped your brothers if you could.”

He held her hand back and whispered. “I know…” 

Although Emu was the princess, her brothers wouldn’t let her have the authority. She was seen as a childish princess, who only cared about childish dreams. She was more than that! Unfortunately her brother's heart was too blind to see that. He would never do that to Saki-

Saki!

“Hey, Emu where is Sa-” He was interrupted by the screams at the door. Mafuyu entered the room with a medical tray in her hands.

“It is time to treat the wounds.” Mafuyu smiled. 

“Eek! Anyways Tsukasa-kun! Don’t worry about the thing! I will try to talk with my brothers again!” And with that she quickly left the infirmary. Probably because of Mafuyu. She was weirdly either nervous or comfortable around Mafuyu. There was no in between. 

Mafuyu stared after the princess who fled away. She smiled softly and turned back to Tsukasa.

Well, that smile seemed geniune. 

She put the tray to the stand that was next to the patient bed. He slowly positioned as Mafuyu instructed him.

She slowly dressed the wounds. The wounds had dark magic in it. So it required different treatment and potions than normal burning wounds. 

He was trying so hard to not to make a sound but his back was burning even more with every cotton touch! 

“Do you want me to distract you?” Mafuyu said as she gave him time to relax.  Of course she noticed he was literally crying because of the pain. He believed that there was no shame in crying.

“You can tell me about the 3 days I missed I guess-” He hissed with pain again. Just how bad he got injured?!

Mafuyu mumbled a sorry and continued with her work.

“You worried everyone.” That helped a lot . He opened his mouth to speak but was cut again.

“Emu stayed beside you everyday.”

“She did…?” The princess was so busy with all the attending and work. She often rambled to Tsukasa and encouraged him to help her sneak out. As the lead knight, maybe not anymore, Tsukasa of course would deny! But…Well he could do an exception just for her. She was his best friend after all. They had a lot of history together, but that was a story for another time.

“Everyone visited. Well everyone except Shinonome-san…”

Then she continued.

“Though I caught him hanging around the door of the infirmary a few times. But I guess he is still not ready”

Everyone visited huh...He still needed to have a talk with Akito. He wasn’t blaming him, Akito always had hard times with infirmaries due to his past and something about his lost older sister. 

Speaking of sisters...How could he forget again ! 

Saki!

Mafuyu finished her job and started to gather her equipment. 

Tsukasa called her when she was about to leave.

“What about Saki?! Did she visit?” 

Maybe they didn't tell her so she wouldn’t be worried? Yeah that must be it. Otherwise she would have stayed with him like Emu did!

Mafuyu said her last words and left the room without looking back.

“The war wasn't the only thing we lost...” 

Chapter Text

Saki looked at the purple haired guy and examined the surroundings of the room(?) once again.

“Is this...The afterlife?” She asked as that was the only explanation she could come up with. Her appearance, the way she felt, this place...They all didn't make sense. She must have died. Well, what else was there to say? It's not like she had acquired magic and grew horns, right? There had to be a reasonable explanation, and this guy probably had the answers.

“Ah..I wouldn’t put it that way” He said, as he was unsure how to break the news to her.

Saki wasn’t satisfied with this answer, indicating a tiresome conversation was ahead.
“And how would you put it?” She asked with a determined look in her eyes.

He hummed as he came closer. “Do you feel alive?” His attention was now on her. His eyes seemed to know a lot but Saki didn’t know how to get past those walls.

“What kind of question is that?!” He was messing with her, wasn’t he? She had prepared herself for this. Also expected him to be difficult when it came to providing answers. She wasn’t going to give up easily!

He was examining her. It was funny to see her overthink all this but he wasn’t going to test her patience. “You are trapped here…Can you really say you're alive without being free??” He said as he gestured to the place. Then he continued, turning his back to her.

“You are in between. Yes you are not dead but you are not alive either.” He believed this was the best way to explain her situation. He was looking at her again. “I cursed you by taking the blessing of death.” He knew he was being cruel with his words. He had no other choice.

“Blessing of death…?” She was confused and had a lot of questions.

"As time goes on, you will understand how much of a blessing it truly is." She really wanted to laugh. He was underestimating her like she didn’t have to live with this awareness throughout her life. She stopped her wandering thoughts. It’s not the time, she thought.

“Why did you curse me? Is this your way of some kind of sick revenge?!”

He clutched his heart as if he were offended; perhaps he was, but it was difficult to say what he really thought anyway.
“My, how rude of you! I have no ulterior motives, I am no villain here.”
“Then why?!” She yelled as she could feel anger and desperation consuming her veins.
He shrugged, he couldn’t tell her right now anyway. It was best to ignore this topic. “Every truth will come out in its own time, don't bother with it. At least, for now.”

He was definitely getting on her nerves and that made her feel weak. She wasn’t going to let this pass but...She needed to be strategic or she could lose her opportunity of getting answers. She sighed and examined him. She couldn’t help but notice the sparkle in his right hand.

“What is that sparkly thing-?” He followed her eyes to see what she was talking about. He hummed with acknowledgement. The sparkle in his hand was gone now.

“It seems your brother is awake now.” Her brother was awake…? That meant he survived. She could feel she was being emotional but that didn’t matter right now since she was relieved that her brother was safe.

She paused. She couldn’t trust him. What if he was lying to calm her down? It was still too early to be relieved. The more they talked the more she needed answers.

“How do you know that-” She gasped as she frowned. “Are you a spy?!”

He chuckled as he winked. “That’s a secret.”

She had enough with all these secrets! What she needed was answers. She really tried to be kind enough despite her situation. She was going to be rude from now on.

“You are weird.” At least she made an effort; her brother would have been proud of her for standing her ground. But now, memories of him flooded her mind. What would he do in a situation like this? She pushed her thoughts aside, focusing instead on her companion's voice cutting through the silence.

“It's nothing I haven't heard before.” He replied with a casual shrug, although his eyes were filled with a flicker of nostalgia for a certain someone. He glanced at her once more.

“Please I just want to go home…I promise I won't tell anyone ever-”

“Oh, you got me wrong…” He interrupted, his tone surprisingly gentle. ”I am not prisoning you here. You are free to leave.” With that, he settled down against the cold, worn wall.

“Please I promise you that-”

Did she hear that right? The words echoed in her mind: she was free to leave? With a mix of disbelief and a surge of hope, she stood up and carefully walked past him, her heart racing. She didn’t know where to go or how to return home but that was okay! First she needed to leave, then she could think about her plan later.

As she moved toward the door, an unsettling weakness washed over her, making her feel as she drifted away from the center of the room. Each step felt heavier than the last. Would she collapse before she reached safety? By the time she finally reached the door, her knees buckled beneath her. Why was this happening…What if her sickness-

“I told you...You are not alive…” He said with sympathy as he crouched down and extended his hand. She didn’t want to accept his help but in the end, she did. He gently guided her by the arm, carefully helping her walk back to the center of the room. When they reached the spot once again, she closed her eyes and took in the memories of waking up in this very place.

“…”

“I am sorry.” Believe it or not, he started to regret his decision when he first saw her. Now, there was no coming back from that. A weak voice disrupted his thoughts.

“Why did you curse me…?” It was a whisper of gloom. For this once he wasn’t going to mince the words. He simply told the truth.

“Simple...Your brother begged me.”

Her brother? He wouldn’t want her to suffer like that! She knew him and this guy obviously didn’t.

“I don’t believe you.” She said as she crossed her arms. Two could play this game.

He understood why she still didn’t trust him. It was understandable, and he wasn’t taking it personally. “You don’t have to, I have no reason to lie~” Then he added. “At least for now…”

“I know him he would never beg anyone ever-”

“Ohh the power of desperation.”

“And he wouldn’t want me to suffer like this-”

Rui hummed, pretending that he was thinking. “Hmm, If only he knew.”

Saki was frustrated with all the cuts to her speech. This was her brother they were talking about! Why was this guy talking as if he knew her brother better than she did?

“Are you even listening to me?”

“I don’t know…am I?”

That was it. She was this close to anger consuming her and attacking the guy.

“Now please don’t be mad at me Saki-kun, after all I am your only way of feeling alive” Then he added. “It's great that you can still feel your emotions, though.”

Now he was back with the alive-death situation! She had enough of this as she didn’t understand anything anyway. Why could he explain everything clearly? She wasn’t a detective!

“What is next? Are you going to say that I don’t have emotions and at the same time I do? Let me guess, you cannot answer!” She continued to ramble. “And how do you know my name- Never mind. You are a sorcerer aren’t you?” That would explain the purple sparkle and why she sensed magic, w̶h̶i̶c̶h̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶w̶e̶i̶r̶d̶. Ah, how could she also forget the enigmatic answers.

Rui sighed, he really tested her patience. “Well, you are right about your last sentence…But no, I don’t know your name by magic.”

“Then how?”

“Oh, well your brother-” He was going to explain to her but stopped as he noticed Saki’s teary eyes.

“I see…Still a touchy subject. It is alright, as I said we have so much time to get to know each other” He was right as she couldn’t leave this place. At least she tried. She couldn’t help but think that everything would have been easier if he was some kind of villain. That would have taken the pressure in her heart.

“It’s only fair If I knew your name too” Since she was going to be here for a long time, there was no point in arguing with him.

“It’s Rui. Rui Kamishiro”

Rui Kamishiro. Nope, it wasn’t familiar at all!

“At least tell me how I died.” She tried her chance again, but she wasn’t the type of person to give up easily!

“As I said before you are not-“

“I know! I am not dead but not alive either, I get it!” Saki interrupted him as her frustration was evident in her voice. “It’s just…” She sighed deeply, feeling a swirl of emotions she couldn’t quite articulate. The uncertainty weighed heavily on her, leaving her at a loss for words.

“Well…I also wanted to ask you what you were doing at the battlefield..?”

What was I doing... She couldn’t tell him, could she? That would put her brother and her friends into great danger. She had to calculate her words and actions.
“I see…” She was still overthinking. He could say they both made processes with this talk though. Everything needed time to grow. He decided to reassure her.
“I know I may not seem the most trustworthy person right now but I am your only option here.”

“Maybe, it would have been easier if you weren’t so confusing all the time!” she exclaimed, frustration evident in her voice.

He shrugged as a playful grin formed on his lips. “That's kind of my charm?”

She tilted her head. “The question is, am I really your only option here?”
For once she noticed a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. It was a small crack in his usual composed demeanor. Finally, she got him. “You don’t have to answer that…It's obvious in your eyes.”

He raised an eyebrow as he tried to understand where she was going with this. “Oh do enlighten me please, what is it that obvious in my eyes? Being yellow?”

“Your loneliness.”

Chapter Text

"Brother-"

He sighed deeply, frustration was clear in his voice. "What is it, Emu?"

Emu took a moment to compose herself and took a deep breath, but her brother interrupted her again.
"Do you know how hard it is to be a leader? I don't have time to play with your childish games-"

"I know how hard it is! After you, I am next to the crown! She put on a determined face.

"I'd like you to rethink your decision about Tsukasa-kun."

Her brother had hesitation in his eyes, thoughtful. "He was a good knight; I will give him to that-"

"He is a good knight!"

"There are things you don't know, Emu; I am not arguing this with you; now I have a lot to do! " He quickly turned around and walked down the corridor.
She refused to let this go. She knew her brother was hiding something from her. He wanted to have secrets? Fine, then she'd let the secrets fall.

Emu turned and followed the path her brother had taken, her curiosity piqued. Hadn't he just mentioned he had a lot to do? His study room was in the opposite direction. The tense demeanor of him was noticeable. He was glancing back repeatedly, as if someone—or something— was following him. Luckily, when it comes to hiding, Emu was the best! Thanks to her childhood and constant hide and seek games she and Tenma siblings played.

She continued to follow her brother, this was the way of the castle’s library. But why?

Her brother stopped in front of the library door. He turned his head slightly, and for a moment, she thought she was caught. She quickly hid behind the pillar that was next to her.

Shousuke opened the library door and went in. After a moment, the librarian and a maid were kicked out; they looked confused as they left the place while gossiping about the king's weird behavior.

The door slowly swung ajar, offering Emu a narrow opportunity to slip inside unnoticed.

Once she was inside, she quickly hid behind the towering bookshelves. From that point she could see her brother standing with three unfamiliar figures. Were they diplomats? They didn't look like they were from here...But the real question was, if they were diplomats why did they meet here?
She was still far away to be able to hear their voices. So, she quietly approached and camouflaged herself behind the romance section of the shelves. Now, she could hear them properly.

The guy in the middle raised a glass of wine to his lips. "What a surprise, King Shousuke; we actually thought you weren't going to make it," A sly smirk was on his lips. The other man cleared his throat, clearly for attention. "Business, shall we?"

Emu’s gaze was fixed on her brother. This was the first time she had seen him this nervous. He wasn't in his normal behaviour. Even a stranger could sense this unusual composure.

The tense air in the room was thick and noticeable.

The third man leaned forward. “Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Since we waited for your majesty for quite a time.”

The guy in the middle glanced at the others and then turned his gaze back to Shousuke. "You are well aware of our demands, aren’t you?"

Shousuke nodded slowly, keeping his eyes fixed straight ahead; he couldn't show any weakness to these people.

The man continued with a clear mockery in his voice. "Say King Shousuke, do you know why it is important to win?" He gazed at the red liquor swirling through the glass as he moved his hand, then continued. "Winners write the history, not losers."

A cruel smile was placed on his face, as he pretended he was oblivious. “And what does that say about you—oh right, you lost!”
The other two guys burst into laughter as if the funniest thing in the world was said.

Emu didn't understand what was so funny. She didn't care for the consequences. They were bullying the king and, most importantly, her brother!

She intended to step out of her hiding spot and face them, but something caught her eye.

Another person was spying on her brother just like her! The other girl was in the history section which was in front diagonal from Emu’s point of view. The girl had long green hair, wearing a maid dress. Emu didn't recognize her. Was she new?

The green haired maids' presence was making this event more complex, as the library was not empty enough to have a secret meeting. Seriously, he couldn't even keep this meeting a secret. Two people were spying on them, and one of them was his sister!

Realization struck Emu. If she left her spot, they were both going to get caught!
She could easily slip away from the situation as she had the princess privilege, but the maid...Ultimately, she decided to remain hidden for the safety of the maid.

The authoritative figure nodded at the guy sitting next to his right. He took out a parchment and placed it onto the table.
The guy in the middle led the conversation again.
“Just a sign here, dear king. Easier than war, am I right?" He mocked Shousuke, a smirk playing in his lips.

Shousuke took the parchment, his hands were trembling; he could sense the weight of mockery. He examined the document closely, with each line his disbelief grew. How could they expect him to sign this? It was clearly a death sentence to this kingdom!

Emu noticed her brother's angry face. His eyes were widened; something must be off.
"How can you expect me to sign this?" He clenched his fists at his side. "These demands are the end of this kingdom-"

The leader of the trio chuckled darkly. "You really think you have a choice in this?" He took a sip from his wine then continued.

"This kingdom was already over the moment your dear grandfather passed away! You clearly failed to protect it, Shousuke; now it is time for you to pay the consequences."

"And If I refuse to sign?” Shousuke challenged, he had to.

The three men exchanged glances, and laughed so hard as if they were watching a comedy skit.
"You think you can afford another war?" He wiped away a tear as he tried to compose himself. The guy took a deep breath to stop his laughing.

"I thought you wanted to protect your beloved sister? You want to lose her just like the other one, ah I don’t even remember her name-"

A clear regret and anger filled Shousuke’s face. “Don’t you dare-!”

“Oh…I guess I struck a nerve there.” The guy chuckled quietly as he took a deep breath.

Emu’s blood ran cold. This wasn't just a political meet-up. They were clearly threatening her brother through her!

The man stood up, towering over Shousuke and his face.

“You don’t want to witness another loss, the only person that is left from the royalty of Ootori, do you?” His face twisted into a devilish grin.

"Make the astute move. For once, don't be a failure to your family." The guy patted Shousuke's shoulder.

With trembling hands, Shousuke reached for the pen. His grip was tight on the pen, as he slowly moved it through the parchment. A disbelief washed over Emu. Why did her brother have to burden everything alone? It was true, they were the only Ootori that was left. Which was why there had to be no secrets, as they only had each other. They could find a solution to this situation together-

Please...Please, don’t sign it brother…Please…

The man’s ugly smile was all over his face as it encouraged Shosuseke’s despair.
The parchment was signed. She couldn’t see her brother's face anymore as his hair was hiding it.

"A pleasure to do business with you, King Shousuke! Ah, excuse my habits, you are just Shousuke now." The guy stretched as if he was done with it all.
He gestured to the time. "Tic-tac Shousuke. Better find your sister and leave this kingdom."

Leaning in closer, he whispered with a cruelty in his voice. "Before becoming the embarrassment of the kingdom..."

Emu saw her brother leaving the library defeated, looking at the floor.

Once he left, the evil conquered the atmosphere even more. Now, the diplomat guys were alone, or so they thought.

"Congratulations, sir, what a victory!" The shorter one shook his hand enthusiastically.

"Indeed," the third man grinned, then added. "So, what will be the first innovation, Your Majesty?"

Majesty? The parchment...Destruction of the kingdom...Now it all made sense- Her thoughts were cut off by the following sentence.

"My, is it not clear? It seems I overestimated both of you..." He poured another glass of wine,as he glanced out the window, which had the view from the front garden of the castle. “We should clear out the threats first, obviously.” He turned to his companions.

"Exile Tsukasa Tenma, or better get rid of him." He glanced back at the window again. "I don't care how it is done; hire the best hitman or something." He sipped from his wine.

"He must never set foot in this kingdom ever."

Emu gasped, and unfortunately, it wasn't a quiet one which alerted the men. She was panicking. She needed to get out before they-
Suddenly, she felt a strong grip on her wrist.

The green-haired maid gestured for Emu to remain quiet and quickly pulled her through the bookshelves. They were hand in hand and running together, with the maid seeming to know exactly where she was heading. They soon stopped in front of a mountain of books.The maid quickly pushed one, and a secret door was swung open. They appeared in the back garden of the castle.

Emu tried to steady her breath, but the stress of almost getting caught remained. Had that secret door always been there? She slowly stood up from the ground. Emu's pink long dress was ruined with all the chaos but she could care less. She had to thank the maid; she didn't want to think what would have happened if they got caught.

As she calmed herself down, she noticed the maid's nervousness. The wind swayed through the maids' long green hair as she played with her apron.
Oh, she probably thought Emu was going to be mad!

Just as Emu was about to thank her, the maid seemed to return to her senses.
With a swift motion, the maid quickly bowed and ran toward the rose garden.
"Wait-" Emu shouted behind her and took a step hesitantly in an attempt of following the green-haired mysterious girl. A sudden realization struck her as she watched the maid's figure slowly disappear in the rose garden.

I have to warn Tsukasa-kun.