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Title: A New Insight
Inspired by: Chapter 11 of the Manga Akagami ni Shirayukihime
Characters: Izana Wistalia, Shirayuki, Obi
Wordcount: 1062
Rating: General
"Obi, to be fair to you, that thought did crossed my mind once."
I stilled.
Obi made some awkward shuffling sounds. "Oh."
I found my right hand clenched tightly with rising anger. It wasn't very long ago when someone mentioned the exact same sentiments to my younger brother's face. The look in Zen's eyes crushed me harder, even though the opinion was clearly meant for him.
This is why I do not like Zen mingling too much with commoners and foreigners! I thought to myself furiously. They think that the life of a prince is easy and we are not capable of feeling any hurt, too!
We did not decide our fate. No one asked us if we wanted to be a prince or a member of the royal family. No one asked us whether we wanted to rule over Clarines. Fate handed us our lives on a golden platter the moment we were born. My brother and I sacrificed a lot in order to be of service to the people. It was not an easy task, because the moment we slipped up and show our emotions, we would be perceived as weak and deemed unworthy to rule. Every day of our lives we were always under relentless scrutiny.
It took a lot of effort to pacify myself as I battled conflicting emotions over a simple phrase.
"Just once, miss?" Obi tentatively asked.
My teeth gnashed together. How I wished I continued on with my business instead of poking my nose into other people's conversations.
"Just once."
"I see."
There was a resigned sigh.
"Obi, I cannot imagine Zen being any other normal person but a prince." Shirayuki's voice took on a reasonable tone. "And it suits him well, in fact. I cannot imagine him as anything other than what he is right now."
"You are fine with it?" Obi asked in a pondering voice.
"Of course. He seemed really haughty when I first met him. But after spending a lot of time with him, I can see how he loves his country, and how devoted he is to his family, his aides and his subjects. And he admires his brother a lot, so much so that he aims to exemplify him."
"He will forever be a prince." Obi's tone is solemn.
"Yes, he will be. How could he not? Someday, when Prince Izana is crowned King, Zen will be by his side to support him, as any other prince should be. And there will be people who are drawn to that certain part of him and devote themselves to him, dedicate their lives to him." Shirayuki let out a wistful sigh.
"Mistress…"
"I know very well that there are some people who make fun of him when he's with me. I am torn between leaving him and staying, because the truth is, I have finally found the place I wanted to be. And this is the place!"
There was a bit of a muffled sound. I stood still, straining to hear more. My half-lidded eyes glanced at the floor in front of me. I could see Shirayuki and Obi's shadows thrown against the afternoon sunlight.
"I am most concerned for the guards at Raxd. Zen did what he thinks was right. And when his brother took away his responsibility to that area, he tried to act cool about it. I know Zen was hurt, but I couldn't do anything to comfort him!"
"If you don't know what you're supposed to do, why don't you just go and look for it? You definitely seem like the type who'd take action on your own rather than sitting by the windows and grieving."
There was a pause. It was so quiet inside the room that I could even hear Shirayuki taking in a long deep breath. "That's true," she agreed.
"If you were planning to go, I'm glad you did not do anything yet. I would gladly take you there if you were so worried. However, I already saved you a trip." There was a low chuckle.
"How?" Shirayuki asked, puzzled.
"Master seemed concerned about their welfare, and I was too, because I lived there for a time. So I went to visit after Prince Raj left. Everyone was happy to see me and left messages for you and Master."
"A-and?" Her voice seemed to crack.
"They all said they deserve the punishment for lowering their defenses and that they are hanging in there."
She let out a noisy combination of worry and relief.
"Oh, I am so glad!"
"Do not worry about these things, Mistress. Master has great responsibilities. He is young but these lessons are essential for him, too."
"Of course. I do agree. I am sure his brother, Prince Izana, has only the best interests for him. I can have it no other way for him to learn. Life is hard. But we have taken our choices and we have responsibilities." She admitted.
My clenched fists slowly unfurled; anger slowly dissipating. I knew all along that putting Zen in his place hurt him, but I commended my younger brother for accepting the punishment I meted out gracefully. If his aides understood the consequences of making rash decisions, then it meant that Zen had learned his lesson and was imparting the same discipline to his own aides and followers.
Including Shirayuki.
While I had my doubts about the girl's overall personality and true intentions in staying with my brother, I had no qualms about her chosen profession. As a pharmacist in training, she was well-versed with her knowledge of plants and poisons. Anything she could learn from her apprenticeship would be an asset in the future.
"I need to hang in here, too. If I can be of any service to Zen, a support that he needs, I will gladly give it to him. I owe him that much at least."
I could almost imagine Shirayuki's mouth lifting up in a smile.
For once, I admitted that I liked her positive attitude and unguarded opinion towards Zen. Her declaration of loyalty is just icing on the cake.
Hearing the shuffling of papers, I hurriedly moved away and went down the hall on my right. A small detour was necessary so as not to arouse suspicion that I had just eavesdropped on a most interesting conversation. These nuggets of information might come in handy one day.