Chapter Ten:

Seto caught up with Atemu halfway through the maze back to the palace. Atemu was walking fast, but Seto caught up easily enough. As he did, Atemu sighed and slowed down, all of his anger seeming to drain out of him. Seto remembered that he'd intended to tell Atemu about Yuugi's underhanded scheme, but now was not the time.

"Seto, thank you… for coming."

"You're welcome."

They lapsed into more silence, which seemed awkward on Seto's part, but Atemu didn't seem to care. He was lost in his thoughts, watching the path under his feet and nothing else. Seto walked with him back to the castle; upon entering the palace, they were immediately waylaid by Lady Helen, who came up to Atemu with a look of hesitation.

"Prince…"

"I'm ok, Helen," Atemu said heavily.

Her eyes still glittering with tears, Lady Helen hugged Atemu to her, a few of those tears tracking down her cheeks. Atemu allowed her to hug him but didn't return it, his arms at his sides. After a moment, Helen released him and sniffled, wiping her cheeks.

"What-"

"I think I'll just go to my chambers. I'm not in the mood for dinner."

Helen nodded, but she looked concerned as Atemu turned away and headed down the hall, not looking at anyone and not looking back. Helen sniffled again and turned to Seto. She managed a faint, watery smile.

"Thank you, again, for coming. It's so kind of you."

Seto nodded awkwardly. He turned at noise from the doorway behind him and watched as Yuugi entered the palace again from outside, violet eyes locking on his as soon as he saw him. Yuugi's expression revealed nothing, though his gaze seemed hard. Then he turned his attention to Lady Helen as the woman stepped up to him, his face softening with a smile of mixed gratitude and sympathy. Helen hugged him like she had Atemu and Yuugi hugged her back.

"Yuugi, I'm so sorry," Lady Helen said.

"So am I," Yuugi murmured. "It's a devastating blow."

Helen released him enough to lean back, though she kept her hands on his shoulders, Yuugi's arms still around her waist. "It is. So unexpected. Just terrible. The poor prince, I just don't know what to do."

"Don't worry, I'm sure Atemu will be fine. He has many people who love him to look after him."

Lady Helen smiled and reached up to touch his cheek. "You're so sweet." Helen sighed and stepped back. "I'd better go and see what I can do."

"Me too. There will be much to do, many preparations to arrange."

Helen nodded, then turned to Seto. "Thank you again. Should I arrange a way home for you?"

"My carriage is waiting for me outside, thank you, Lady."

Seto had expected Yuugi to hang around, maybe try to get answers out of him again, but the shorter man walked away without even looking at Seto again. Helen patted Seto's arm and said goodbye, heading away down the opposite end of the hall, in the same direction Atemu had gone. Perhaps she wanted to see if she could offer him some comfort despite his withdrawing.

Seto sighed and headed towards the front doors of the palace. There was nothing else he could do.

...

For the next fortnight, no one wanted to talk about anything but the King's death. Everywhere Seto went, even within his own manor, it was the talk of the town. Many wondered what had happened. A lot reminisced about the King. And many expressed their concern about their new ruler. It was no secret that Prince Atemu was a playboy and a capricious person. Would Atemu settle down and act like a proper Victorian gentleman, be a role model for the people, and rule them like his father? Or would he fail and tarnish his beloved father's memory?

The current popular opinion was mixed. The older generations, haughty and old-fashioned, were not in favor of Atemu and often spoke of how scandalized they were of his disrespect of tradition. The younger generations were for him, especially the young women, who were enchanted with the rebel prince, much to the displeasure of their mothers.

On January 5th, Seto had seen Mokuba back to boarding school, the winter holiday over. Mokuba had moped the last couple of days before leaving. Seto knew he was going to be missing his little girlfriend, but he hadn't put up a fight and had gone back to school that afternoon. The manor definitely seemed quieter when he wasn't there. Seto ended up spending more of his time in London, working with his father's business partners, even accepting business lunches with them, to fill up his hours.

Charlotte had not given up her campaign to snare him. Invitation after invitation to parties, soirées, picnics, and carriage rides showed up to his house, all ignored and tossed into the fireplace. Alexandra, on the other hand, seemed to have decided to. A smarter woman than Charlotte, perhaps she had finally recognized a lost cause when she saw one. But not Charlotte.

One day when Seto was out with his father's old accountant, who still handled the finances of the manor, Charlotte showed up at the same café. In attendance with a few other girls and a couple of young men, she spotted him nearly as soon as their laughing party had entered. Her eyes lit up and she excused herself from her friends, coming over to him. Seto sighed and stood reluctantly along with the accountant as she approached.

"Charlotte," he said.

"Hello, Seto, darling. I'm so happy to see you."

"I bet."

"Won't you come over and join us?" She paused just slightly and said, "We're an uneven group. Three women, two men. A lady is left over and shouldn't be unescorted."

"I don't think so. I'm here on business and when I'm finished, I'll be going home."

Charlotte's smile faltered, then she tried a pout. "But, Seto, darling, you always say no."

'That should give you a clue, moron,' Seto thought. Out loud he said, "I'm a very busy man, Charlotte."

Charlotte smiled again, coyly. "I know. But, you know, you should take some time out to have some fun. You'll have plenty of time to be a businessman when you're married."

Seto ignored the not-so-subtle suggestion. The accountant was either not paying attention, or politely pretending not to. He was shuffling through his papers. Seto turned away and resumed his seat.

"Maybe some other time."

Charlotte looked down at him, glanced at her friends, then back at him. Finally, with a soft scoff that would have received a lecture had she been in hearing range of her mother, Charlotte stalked back to her friends. Seto glanced after her, smirked, then turned back to the accountant, who smoothly resumed his summation as if they had not been interrupted.

Once the business was finished, the accountant gathered up all of his papers and took his leave. Seto paid for the lunch, then followed suit. He had to pass by the table Charlotte and her friends had been seated at and he did so looking straight ahead, not even glancing at them, but he saw her looking out of the corner of his eye and the conversation died as he passed, only to resume in a more frenzied chatter.

Outside, Seto climbed into his carriage and directed the driver to take him home. As the carriage passed across the road that led to the palace, Seto glanced out the window, watching the palace until it had disappeared behind the beginning of the next block. Over two weeks since the King had died. How was Atemu coping?

At home, Seto's butler bowed to him in the entrance foyer, taking his coat from him and holding out a thick, gilded envelope. "This just arrived for this afternoon, sir."

Seto took the envelope, flipped it over, and saw the royal wax seal on the back. Seto stared for a long time at the wax seal, seeing the royal coat of arms embedded in the wax. The coat of arms from the engraving of a ring, the King's signature ring. Once Aknamkanon's and now… Atemu's?

Seto finally walked into his study and grabbed a letter opener to split the seal, pulling out a piece of parchment. At the heading was an ink rendering of the same coat of arms what followed was a form-letter invitation to the official coronation of King Atemu. Seto stared at the invitation, then slowly lay it upon the desk. The coronation ball, following a rite crowning Atemu King of England. It was to happen on twelfth, a week hence. The royal burial of King Aknamkanon was to happen tomorrow, four days after his death. It seemed awfully quick to have the coronation, but time and the country's affairs would not wait. Atemu would not be afforded the luxury of a decent mourning period. Or much of a chance to adjust to his new position before being called upon for his new duties. The coronation itself was merely a public formality. Atemu was already King and as such he had things to do already, things he could not escape from.

The days of being a scamp were over. Atemu would be a whole different person. He would have to be.

Seto took a piece of parchment and a pen and wrote back to accept, sealing it with wax stamped with his own family's seal ring, a ring he never saw except for this purpose, normally keeping it locked in the drawer. He started to put it away, then paused, lifting it back up to examine it in the light streaming in from the French doors and windows. The ring was thick and heavy, pure silver, with the Kaiba coat of arms engraved on the top. His father had worn this ring every day of his adult life and it had been passed on to Seto on his death.

Seto slipped the ring onto his finger.

...

The next day, the funeral took place. The coffin was loaded onto a fancy wagon drawn by four magnificent black horses and guarded by a dozen Palace Guards. It traveled somberly through the hushed streets from the palace to the Royal Mausoleum in Frogmore, the King's final resting place. Following the wagon was a carriage in which Atemu and his family rode. After that came more carriages carrying other officials from the palace and Parliament, completing the funeral procession.

Seto rode into London for the procession, meeting Mokuba from boarding school to observe the draped coffin pass by. Every shop and house was shuttered, flags at half mast, every man, woman, and child who was able standing along the streets in respectful dark clothes, the streets silent but from the sounds of the horses' hooves, the carriage wheels, and women weeping. Seto doffed his hat and lowered his gaze as the procession marched by. Once it was out of sight, hushed conversation began and Seto put his hat back on. Mokuba put his own on and looked up at him.

"What do you think is going to happen now, Seto?" he asked. "The boys at school, some of them, say their fathers say the county will fall apart now. That the Crimean War will come to us."

"Don't be stupid," Seto said more harshly than he'd intended. "The country is not without a King. There's Prince Atemu to be King. Nothing much is going to change."

"I guess so," Mokuba agreed.

"People are foolish. The war won't come to us. It has nothing to do with us. King Aknamkanon is dead, but our lives aren't going to change at all."

...

Seto stepped out of his carriage before the palace, arriving for the coronation ball for King Atemu. The last time he'd seen the palace, it had been somber and dark with mourning for the passing of King Aknamkanon. Now it was once again bright and vibrant, with bunting in royal colors hanging from windowsills and doorframes, the Union Jack flag flying high on the flagpole, and all of the men and women in their best dress, formal, rather than holiday celebratory.

Seto walked up the front walk and into the palace, greeted and announced by a man holding a guest list. The ballroom was packed, more so than it had been on All Hallows' or Christmas. Seto saw many people he knew from school, social circles, and his father's business relationships. And far more he did not.

An addition had been made to the ballroom. At the far side, against one of the walls, was a throne. It was likely not the permanent one in the King's Audience Chamber, but a portable one used for ceremonies and such. It sat on a red carpet runner, but it was empty.

Seto descended the steps, nodding to the people who greeted him, accepting a flute of champagne from a server. He stood in place near the wall by one of the huge windows looking out into the gardens, the same gardens in which he'd first kissed Atemu, and in which he'd comforted him after Aknamkanon's passing. Seto sipped his champagne and watched others mingle.

After about half an hour, Alexandra appeared. The older woman smiled when she saw him and changed course to approach. Seto nodded to her as she came up.

"Hello. It's been a long time," she said.

"Yes, it has."

"How have you been, Seto?"

"Well, Alexandra. Yourself?"

"The same, thank you. Anne is betrothed."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you. He's a fine young man. Youngest of Winston Chesterfield. Have you heard of him?"

"Yes. A member of Parliament."

"That's right. Adam, his son, is attending Oxford. To be a lawyer."

"Wonderful."

Alexandra sipped her own champagne and sighed. "Yes, it's the beginning of something new. Much like today. Such a shock the King's passing was. The poor prince. I remember when the Queen passed. Do you?"

Seto shook his head.

"Oh, no, I suppose you wouldn't. You'd have been about seven, I suppose. Young and young children never pay much attention to the affairs of adults. Yes, you would have been seven that year, if I remember. Atemu would have been about that age. Such a terrible thing then too. Scarlet fever. Not long after that, the King's sister came to stay, from Wales. Brought Yuugi along with her. I suppose having a playmate his age would have helped Atemu through his loss."

Seto doubted it.

"Of course, Yuugi would soon be left an orphan himself. A fire at the cottage in Bristol, absolutely horrible. Yuugi was here, and I can only imagine the pain he must have suffered. There is a lot of tragedy in the royal family, sure enough. They must be such a comfort to each other."

Seto wanted to ask her why Atemu and Yuugi hated each other, since she knew so much of their history, but clearly she didn't know this. Itw as no surprise. Yuugi was perfectly lovely to Atemu in public and Atemu apparently so often skipped formal events that his own cold receptions of Yuugi were probably little seen.

"No doubt," Seto said instead.

"Now that Atemu is King, hopefully he will settle himself down and find himself a lovely girl to be Queen. There are so many nice girls in the country, I'm sure he will."

Seto was sure he wouldn't. He couldn't help a faint smirk that Alexandra didn't notice or misinterpreted.

"The current gossip is that King Aknamkanon was, well, to be crude, pressuring him to court the Lady Margaret of Scotland. I approve. She's a beautiful, intelligent woman of good standing. A good woman for continuing the line."

Seto frowned. "Atemu is an only child, isn't he?"

"Hm? Oh, yes. There were two girls before him, but neither survived infancy."

Seto blinked in surprise. He hadn't known Atemu had had any siblings.

"Years ago," Alexandra went on. "When the King and Queen were newly married. Years before Atemu came along. Such tragedy. Just Atemu left, in fact. Well, and Yuugi. He's next in line if Atemu doesn't produce an heir." Alexandra looked surprised at her own words. "Dear me, what am I doing, dwelling on such dark thoughts? Forgive me. Atemu is just newly King! He has some time yet. Yes, I'm sure he'll find a lovely girl."

Seto nodded distantly, taking a sip of his champagne. Silence fell between them, but not for long. Perhaps Alexandra just couldn't stop herself from being a mother hen.

"Oh, look, there's Charlotte, dear."

Drug from his thoughts, Seto looked up and frowned. Charlotte was talking with a group more than halfway across the hall, most the same from the café. Her dark blue dress was very lovely and she looked stunning.

Seto took a drink and looked away. Alexandra sighed.

"Seto, dear, surely there must be someone who strikes your fancy?"

Seto scowled at her. "Even if there was, that's my business, isn't it?"

Alexandra sipped her champagne. "Yes, I suppose it would be, but I just want what's best for you. And everyone's business is everyone else's in this day and age, whether you like it or not. You can't do anything without someone finding out about it eventually."

Seto didn't answer.

Alexandra's daughter Anne came over a couple of minutes later with a young man who had to be Adam Chesterfield. He was a thin, bookish-looking man with wire-rimmed glasses and a fussy little goatee, neither handsome nor ugly, whose voice would have suited a mouse as it could barely be heard. Seto wasn't sure how he was going to make it as a lawyer with that timid voice. Anne, however, was clearly over the moon for him.

The three; mother, daughter, and soon-to-be son-in-law, started up a conversation about the latest happenings in France, and Seto walked away. He walked along the wall around the ballroom, trying to steer clear of people. He took up residence of a corner, watching people talk.

As he had been anticipating, Yuugi and Katsuya were there. Seto spotted them not too far from his location, talking together near the doorway leading further into the palace. Seto stayed where he was, watching them, waiting for them to notice him. He didn't need more dealings with them, but he was not going to run out because of them either.

They didn't notice him. Not before the ceremony began.

The Archbishop of Canterbury stood at the head of the stairs in his finery, holding what looked like a scroll. Behind him came a younger man bearing a purple velvet pillow. On it sat a crown, shiny gold and studded with sapphires. It was not King Aknamkanon's crown, the same one that had been passed down through generations of English royalty, this one instead the crown of coronation ceremony. Two other young men appeared as well, holding the other Emblems in their hands.

The Archbishop descended the stairs, walking along the path created by the crowd to the throne, the young men holding the Emblems walking behind him. The Archbishop stopped to the right of the throne, the young men going to the left, and turned to the crowd. He asked if they were willing to pay homage to their new monarch, and everyone in the room responded that they would.

Then entire ballroom fell silent, turning to the throne. A few people shifted for better positions to look. Seto ignored the throne, looking up to the top of the stairs. Sure enough, Atemu had appeared there, wearing the traditional clothing of royalty. White trousers under thigh-high black boots, a red belted jacket, gold belt, and red cloak with white fur trim. He paused for a brief second at the top of the stairs, then descended, his face expressionless, followed by four guards marching two abreast behind him.

The crowd had realized he was there and they hurriedly parted again in front of him, making another path from the stairs to the throne. Atemu passed by them without looking left or right, walking up to the throne, then turned around and sat down upon it, sitting stiffly upright with his hands on the arms. The Archbishop unrolled the scroll and read off the traditional Coronation Oath, before presenting a Bible for Atemu to swear on. Everyone stood in silence, watching and witnessing, as the ceremony was completed. The Archbishop presented him with the Emblems, the Sword of State, the Sovereign's Orb, the Sceptre with the Dove, and the Sceptre with the Cross. Atemu accepted them all. The Archbishop gave Atemu a blessing, then finally lifted the Crown of St. Edward from the velvet pillow. Atemu bowed his head and the Archbishop placed it upon his head.

Seto glanced quickly across the room. Sure enough, Yuugi, standing as far away from the throne as he could be without leaving the room, had a dark look on his face. Katsuya also looked like he was struggling not to sneer.

Once the crown had been placed, members of the clergy and nobility walked forward to pay homage to King Atemu, while the Archbishop gave him Communion. Once that was completed, Atemu stood again. Everyone bowed before him and Atemu walked back along the path to the stairs, up and out of the ballroom, followed after a moment by the Archbishop and his attendants as the choir sang "God Save the King" as was tradition.

Once they were gone, everyone fell to chatter. Seto stayed where he was, waiting. Before long, Atemu returned, now wearing the Imperial Crown, the same crown that his father had worn for special occasions. The other crown, the Orb, and the Sceptres would be returned to their places for safekeeping. The Archbishop was gone, no longer needed. Still followed by the four guards, Atemu walked back to the ceremonial throne, nodding to the people who wished him well or congratulated him, but responded in no other manner, his expression still reserved. He took a seat on the throne.

"Let the celebration begin," he said.

People spread out, some beginning to dance as the orchestra started to play, some chattering again, none daring to approach Atemu. He sat where he was, watching the proceedings without emotion. Seto stood in his corner and watched him, finishing off his flute of champagne. He was not surprised by Atemu's lack of happiness, considering what this came upon.

Yuugi crossed the room a few minutes later, leaving Katsuya, and walked up to Atemu. Seto watched closely, noting that Atemu looked at Yuugi without a change in expression, but tilted his chin upward a little, looking more or less down at Yuugi. Whether it was calculated or not, Seto could not tell. He couldn't see Yuugi's face clearly enough to see how he took it. Yuugi stopped in front of the throne and spoke softly to Atemu, who responded. For all appearances, they looked like a pair of cousins chatting amicably with each other.

Yuugi left not long after, returning to where Katsuya stood. The pair of them left the ballroom. Seto turned his attention back to Atemu, who his eyes closed. He opened them and looked down at the floor between his feet, expression thoughtful. Seto frowned, then set his flute down upon a side table and walked over to the throne. Atemu looked up when he approached, looking briefly surprised to see him.

Seto bowed in front of him. "I wished to extend my congratulations, Your Majesty," he said.

Atemu's expression changed subtlety. "Thank you, Seto."

Seto straightened, but wasn't sure what to say now. Atemu, however, got to his feet. "Walk with me, Seto."

Surprised, Seto nodded. Atemu started across the ballroom floor, nodding to those who said something to him, but saying nothing. Seto walked beside him, up the stairs and into the palace proper. The four guards were following them, but Atemu turned to them and told them to leave them alone.

"I'm not leaving the palace."

The guards stationed themselves on either side of the outer side of the ballroom doors and Atemu and Seto walked down the hallway. There were no palace staff about; as with previous celebrations, Seto suspected they had been given time off, once the celebrations were set up and under way. Only the occasional guard stood at rapt attention.

"Ate-erm, Your Maj-"

"Don't call me that," Atemu said flatly.

"Um, very well. Atemu… Where are we going?"

"You have been very kind to me, Seto. Your comfort out in the gardens was appreciated."

"You're welcome."

Atemu led him to the stairs and they ascended to the second floor, heading down another hallway. Atemu's pace was languid, as if he was merely wandering. Seto walked with him at the same pace.

"Considering the way I treated you, I suppose I don't deserve it."

"What?"

"The game. It was cruel to play with your emotions."

Seto wasn't sure what to say. "It's fine."

"The truth was, I have never done that before, with anyone else. When I first met you at the Costume Ball… It was exciting and the idea suddenly came to me. I didn't… I suppose I acted that way because I didn't want to find out that you were like every other pathetic social climber in the kingdom. I am so tired of those snobs, those people who smile to each others' faces and stab each others' backs."

Seto nearly mentioned Yuugi at that moment, but Atemu went on and he stayed silent.

"I suppose I thought that if I didn't know your name, and didn't give you mine, if I kept it as distant as possible, then it might be different. When you saw my face and didn't know who I was, I was surprised, but thrilled, thinking this might be different after all. You were different. It was quickly clear that you *weren't* some social climbing fool like all of the others. It was refreshing. I kept my name from you to keep it that way."

Seto nodded, ascending another flight of steps with him and turning down another hallway. He was keeping his interest on Atemu, not really paying attention to where they were going.

"I understand," he said.

"Yes, I think you do."

"When I found out who you were, it turned out just like you thought it would."

"Yes. At first. When you threw me out, I figured it had turned out just like it always does. That position mattered more than anything else. But, then you came to the Christmas Ball. And you didn't seem to be there just to curry favor or blackmail me."

"Of course not."

"I know that now. And when you came to me in the gardens after my father died…" He seemed able to say it more easily now, though there was no mistaking the continued, quiet pain in his voice. "When you came then, I knew it really was different."

Seto said nothing. He was feeling extremely uncomfortable now. What could he say?

Atemu stopped in front of a pair of double doors. Seto looked up and realized with a start that they were in front of Atemu's bedroom doors. Seto looked down at Atemu, who looked back up at him, silent and waiting. Seto swallowed, his discomfort growing to nervousness.

"Atemu, I-"

Atemu ignored him. He reached out and turned the handle on one of the doors, opening it.

tbc…