Despite the gravity of the news, Watanabe actually remained very composed. But then, he was the emperor and had to do so, even if the only other person in the room was Sakaki- whom he trusted even though they were not always in agreement with one another.

When Watanabe was younger, he dreamt that Aizuki would be someone that allowed him to put aside his position.

"And I must act?" he finally said very bitterly. "Do not begin the lecture now! Just tell me, do I have to act now?"

The answer was a nod, but it was soon followed by a lecture.

"It is not these children's fault!" Watanabe said, interrupting Sakaki. "This is my fault!"

"The future empress' adultery is also treason." Sakaki pointed out bluntly. "That is why you have to act. Likewise, what Shiraishi…"

"Yes, Shiraishi will be hurt too. I must be a disappointing student as I never learnt the most important lesson that you tried to teach me: the emperor must act for the state all the time."

"Are you going to refuse punishment?" Sakaki's tone was extremely grim. "It is your duty to punish them. This is an extremely serious crime so don't be foolish by thinking that I would help you in anyway."

"Of course not. But Sakaki, I will only punish one person. These two foolish children would no doubt want to save the other. If I go to Shiraishi first, then I know that he will say that he raped her, and who will believe that he didn't? What idiot other then a lover would choose to have the severer punishment?

"I know that what they did was due to love because Shiraishi would never do anything like this but..." he continued.

"I do not approve." Sakaki begin.

"Sakaki- were you there? Your son saw the adultery but how did he know that it was not rape?" Watanabe pointed out. "Besides, the fact that Atobe was there due to the two children saying the empress was in an…unusual position made the story too tidy."

"My son would not lie." Sakaki began angrily.

"I am not saying that he is." Watanabe quickly interrupted him. "But this would be a rather wonderful solution for us. Shiraishi is still not seen as my son and people could use his background as a way to excuse me. He would probably be executed for having the misfortune of drinking too much and then having the ill luck of finding the empress near him. It will be one of those regrettable but necessary things.

"As for Ashita- she would be the victim and no doubt people would say that she did not scream due to being threatened and she would not be the first woman who wanted to pretend that nothing had happened.

"But as I said, I am a very selfish man." Watanabe said as he stood up. "I will go and talk to Ashita."

The ill will and hatred from Aizuki would be hard but he was sure that he could bear that burden easier then Shiraishi's death. After all, has he not been bearing that burden for the past decade?

He chose to carry that load because he could not bear to see Shiraishi die.

"Forgive me." he whispered to his foster son as he knew that this path would hurt Shiraishi more, even though it would be the path that would save him from execution.


It was clear that Ashita knew or guessed about the nature of the visit as she quickly sent her maids out of the room. Her maids were brushing her hair so she was holding that bronze mirror, which she continued to hold against her chest.

Her expression did not change even when Sakaki told her what was happening: her silence itself was a betrayal of her answer.

"Is the choice of saying that I have no idea of what you are accusing me of still available?" she finally said.

The shook of their heads did not surprise her.

"I feel sorry for my maids, they were just trying to comfort me about the rumours." Ashita said before her voice become very grim. "Since I heard about the rumours, I had a fear that this would happen."

"What you have done is treason." Sakaki said bluntly as he saw that Watanabe actually closed his eyes and seemed to be thinking about what to say. "But there is also the matter of Shiraishi."

"Shiraishi?" Ashita did not miss the way Watanabe suddenly tensed and she realised that the best revenge one could give Watanabe was to hurt his foster son.

Perhaps she was the same.

"Shiraishi…Shiraishi is the victim of a loose woman who wishes to commit adultery as she doesn't want to marry the emperor. Will this do?" Ashita said calmly. "As for the method- I drugged him, or I forced to do so by threatening to accuse him of rape if he does not sleep with me. Take your pick. The reason that I tell you this is because it turned out that I do have a conscious and does not wish for him to die due to a lie."

"Ashita…why is it that you can remain so calm?" Watanabe asked bitterly.

"I think I knew this all along, only that I pretended that I could get away with it." As she said this, Ashita was tracing her mirror's engraving. "But I am not lying when I say that the fault is all mine. Shiraishi did nothing wrong."

"What is the truth?" Sakaki pressed on, still not approving the idea that only one person would be punished for a crime that was committed by two people. He was not being cruel as he was right by obeying the rule, especially when he was a very high ranked person. Also, it was because these two were not important to him so he would not wish for the law to be evaded.

"I don't trust you." Ashita said bluntly. Standing up, she went to the table where her pipa was and gently plucked the strings with one hand, since the other hand was holding her mirror. "Therefore, I am the one who forced Shiraishi to commit this crime. A crime that is serious for him, but not worthy of death. And he would be leaving anyway…"

The notes she played were random notes, but they were very melancholic.

"He must not be punished." Ashita continued, and her voice was suddenly very hard. "But don't you think that a loose woman such as I might have had more then one lover? And isn't it possible that the old one is jealous and was spying on me?"

Normally, Ashita would certainly be scared by Sakaki's reaction, but it didn't matter right now as she was already treading on an ice that would crack. Therefore, she was determined to do all that she could to save Shiraishi.

When Sakaki speak, his voice was very chilling and Watanabe almost took a step backward out of reflex.

"You dare to threaten me?"

"Only because this is the only way. But I really am not lying when I say that Shiraishi is blameless." She replied again, her voice still steady. "Therefore, do not argue against my story. I must ensure that Shiraishi is safe because this is only happening because of me."

"Sakaki…you understand, don't you?" Watanabe added. "Shiraishi is my son…"

Very slowly, the other consented.

"Thank you." Watanabe said before he indicated that he wished to speak to Ashita alone.

"Are you going to hit me?" was what Ashita actually said when they were alone, and it was almost as she was merely the wife of a jealous man who caught her talking to some men on the street.

"Why will I hit you?" Watanabe asked wearily as he decided to sit down.

"For what happened." She said. "For what I did to Shiraishi."

Upon this, she explained what really happened- the real nature of the drug that Shiraishi had consumed as well as how he managed to obtain it.

"Unlike him, I had no excuse." Ashita admitted. "I did what I did out of my own free will and he really was too weak to refuse."

"That could be a drug itself." Watanabe said in reply. "I have no doubt that you would never have done what you did if Shiraishi didn't suddenly appear in your room."

Her rooms were naturally richly furnished, but she would soon be taken into a new home: the prison. The rich and fancy dress she had on would be dirtied while the make up would wash off.

"Ashita," he began gently, "I am the emperor so I cannot forgive you. But if it was just me then I do not need to forgive you as it is my fault as well."

"I don't blame you. Not for this." Ashita said simply. "But can I take this one thing with me?"

He naturally thought it was her pipa, so he hesitated for a little while before he decided to grant her request.

"It is this mirror." She said

"That will not help you." He pointed out.

"It would comfort me." she said, hugging it to her even more. "I will tell my secret…"

Still clutching to the mirror, she disappeared into her private room and then announced her return by throwing something onto the table.

It was a mirror that was almost identical to the one she had in her hands. The only difference was a slight alternation of the pattern on the back.

"This is the mirror that I gave you." He realised, gesturing to the less loved mirror. "I remember now…Shiraishi choose a mirror as well."

"I love him." Ashita said firmly. "I don't care what will happen other then that Shiraishi would be safe."

His nod was a reassurance as well as an understanding.


He found his foster son sitting in the middle of the almost impersonal room, but Shiraishi was merely sitting there. No doubt he was thinking of the girl that he love despite everything.

Watanabe wonder whether the guilt that was in the boys' eyes would have been obvious if he himself did not have any foreknowledge.

It was not an easy task, but Watanabe long realised that to delay something would often make matters worse.

"Before you say anything." Watanabe said very quietly and quickly once he finished explaining what had happened. "Remember this one thing: Ashita wants you to live."

"To live like this?" Shiraishi clenched out. "To live by causing her to die?"

"Wouldn't you have done a similar thing?" Watanabe pointed out sadly. "Self sacrifices are selfish as they lead to a life that would only have pain."

"That is why I wanted to leave." Shiraishi whispered, only to realise that it was much too late.

Much to his surprise, he felt his foster father patting his head, how he had comforted the boy who was told that he did not and should not be here. Even though it could not provide full security, it still made Shiraishi feel a bit better.

"Shiraishi…I don't know how this would help you but I do not blame you. I told you, didn't I?" Watanabe began. "No matter what, I am always on your side."

"Can you save Ashita then?" That was Shiraishi's main concern.

"I don't know what I can actually do but I promise you that I will try." Watanabe assured him grimly before he mentioned the topic that related to him coming here. "As I said, Ashita want you to live, so you must live for her sake.

"I will not ask you to lie as I know that you can't do so." Watanabe continued. "So I will lie for you."

"I am to let Ashita be accused of this?" Shiraishi pleaded out. "I cannot live with myself if I have her die due to my lies!"

"But Ashita want you to live." Watanabe repeated again, this time, his tone was much more firm. "She desires this with her own life."

The tears come when Shiraishi knew that he must do this. After all, all that Ashita did for him would be in vain if he threw it away.

"Is a single moment enough to cause such ruin?" he whispered out brokenly. "Just a single moment of madness…"