The Nightingale
Chapter 84: Alliances
Winter — x494 / January 8
Isshin had fulfilled his promise, he prepared the trip for the two of them to the cabin in the mountains with no date to return, and she enjoyed those days of peace and tranquility that the forest gave them.
It was as if the forest cleansed their souls and emotions, as if being outside that castle freed them from something strange that hung over them, and they both needed that peace.
During the days in the cabin, Isshin behaved like the man she had known when they were both young, he was attentive, kind and smiled. He was no longer that young man whose smile shone but it was still a beautiful smile that touched her heart and reminded her why she fell in love with him.
Masaki didn't know if it was because of the guilt that seized him or because he really still lived some of the love they once had, but she preferred to think that it was love that filled them both in those days of peace and tranquility.
She felt so good in that cabin, so happy in that place far from the castle that devoured everything good that inhabited it, that she asked Isshin to abdicate in favor of Kaien or Ichigo or Yuzu or whoever he wanted, but that they no longer return to the castle and stay there. Masaki felt so tired of everything that sometimes she had the impression that she would go to sleep and never wake up, would join the Shadow in the afterlife and live her immortal eternity between timeless time.
Isshin promised her that they would have more time like this and that he would consider her request, and Masaki felt a small dose of hope in her heart.
They were both broken, their marriage was broken, but there was still hope and that was what every day drove them to try again.
Near the date that they had destined to return to the castle, a messenger from Adelaar arrived with a letter from the twins with the news that Kisuke had become the new king of Vayalat after having filed the succession fight as dictated by the tradition.
Masaki would have loved to witness that fight but she understood that there were reasons for her not being invited to witness it, among them the fact that she was the queen of Avanta and that Isshin had betrayed the alliance by naming Kaien as heir.
The news of Kisuke's ascension to the throne was not entirely pleasant for Isshin, so instead of returning to Avanta, he asked Masaki to send a letter to her brother informing him that they would visit him and congratulate him on his coronation. Kisuke would know how to read between the lines, because the visit went beyond family matters.
The trip to Vermist was tense, for both Isshin and Masaki for one simple reason: alliances between kingdoms die when the kings involved die. And while her father wasn't dead, the new Shadow King might have a different agenda, and an alliance with Avanta might be something not included in his future plans.
On the day that Isshin and Kisuke met, in a private meeting behind closed doors, Masaki met with her mother and spent the entire day with her, being scolded and comforted in equal measure as they waited for the resolution of the alliance. Masaki needed her mother, she needed to spend time with her and she needed to feel protected like when she was still a child; she needed to not be the queen of a kingdom and just be Masaki.
When the meeting ended, Masaki didn't have to ask what the result had been because she could see it clearly in Isshin's gaze.
Kisuke did not agree to renew the alliance, and how to do it? Kisuke had an alliance with Gardelia that gave him profit and the alliance with Avanta was more of the diplomatic type. Also, Gardelia seemed not to have broken any clauses, as Avanta did.
Masaki met with her brother, also behind closed doors, and left that meeting so angry that the stay in Vermist was reduced to the time necessary for them to rest and prepare for the return trip.
The twin girls stayed at Vermist, they were learning to handle what was in their blood and couldn't stop the training, but Masaki was glad to see that her daughters were getting better at handling the gift.
Isshin asked that they spend the New Year's Eve celebrations in the Palace of the Sun, and Masaki, considering that Isshin had asked for it more because he needed advice from his mother than because he wanted to spend the celebrations there, agreed to it. She was in no hurry to get to the castle either.
That was the worst ending and beginning of the year they could have.
The news of Nelliel's death came almost as soon as they arrived at the Palace of the Sun.
It was after greeting her mother-in-law that Masaki asked about Nelliel, and it was at that moment that Queen Mother Raiza broke the news.
Masaki couldn't believe it and at the same time, in her heart she felt that Nelliel finally got the opportunity and the courage to hurt herself, because even to hurt oneself there must be courage. However, when she asked if she could visit Nelliel's grave, the queen mother finished informing her of the death details of her protégé and showed her the letters sent by Kaien and the Kahya.
In Kaien's letter, he asked the Queen Mother for permission for Nelliel to visit the castle with the excuse that he missed her and appealed to the Queen Mother's goodwill. In the Kahya's letter, she explained to the queen mother the sad way in which Nelliel died and about the funeral services that were held within the castle grounds.
Nelliel was laid to rest in the graveyard of the grove, in the same crypt where some of her parents' belongings were buried, so that she could rest with the memories of her family.
Masaki didn't know how to feel at that moment because all the feelings overwhelmed her. She had promised before the Deities that she would take care of Nelliel, she had promised her parents, and she had promised Ulquiorra before he left the castle the day he was exiled, and she had not been able to keep that promise.
Masaki had never wanted that fate for Nelliel, she didn't want Nelliel to die like this. She wanted a long and bright life for that girl who was left alone before she could have a memory of her own parents.
She cried for Nelliel, for the child she had been, and for the woman who had slowly been led astray by Kaien; she cried for Nelliel as a mother cries who loses a child and blamed herself for not having taken better care of her; she cried for Retsu, who had loved Nelliel like a daughter and she cried for Isane, who had cared for Nelliel like a sister.
Masaki cried knowing that she had not been a good mother, neither to Nelliel nor to her own children. Masaki thought that all of her sins were coming back together against her, not giving her a break to recover from one blow before receiving the next.
Isshin comforted her when she was about to have a nervous breakdown because she didn't know how she was going to inform Ulquiorra about Nelliel's death. In that moment, everything had become too much for her.
— My Queen…
Masaki looked up from her own hand, where she held the bracelet that Nelliel had inherited from her mother and which was in her possessions in the Palace of the Sun, and met Isshin's worried gaze.
The carriage had stopped in front of the main entrance of the castle and she hadn't noticed it because her mind was wondering how she was going to tell Ulquiorra what happened with Nelliel.
— I'm fine. I just have to… just…
She no longer cried, she only felt that pressure in her chest that prevented her from breathing when she thought too much about that situation. Nelliel had been like her daughter and, although they did not share blood, the pain was too much because Masaki never imagined that this girl would die before her.
— I'll do it. — Isshin hugged her. He too had suffered from Nelliel's death because he was the one originally entrusted with the mission of caring for the Cifer children. — Go to rest. I will investigate what happened to Nelliel.
Masaki agreed to what Isshin said but deep down they both knew that she couldn't rest until she knew what had really happened with Nelliel because that trip and that death were making too much noise in her mind.
Isshin went down first and helped her down, but neither Ichigo nor Kaien nor Rukia was there to receive them, only the Kahya was there, with that sad expression that someone has when they have lost a loved one.
When Isshin asked about his sons, the Kahya informed him that they had left the castle early and had not returned yet. Rukia wasn't in the castle either, she had also left early.
— If this wasn't a coincidence, I'd think they were hiding. — Isshin commented and Masaki shuddered because she perfectly understood what her husband was referring to.
Kaien, Ichigo and Rukia had been left in the care of the castle and Nelliel had died under their watch.
Masaki didn't want to think that her son or Rukia had anything to do with that death because unfortunately, this time, she couldn't blame Kaien. Kaien's love for Nelliel was something she had no way to question.
Kaien would never be able to hurt Nell, but Ichigo was a different matter.
Ichigo had beaten and threatened to kill a king just because that king hurt Rukia, and Masaki was aware that she didn't know how much rancor and cruelty her son's heart could harbor against someone. Ichigo was cruel and disguised it well under a mask, and she knew it.
The phrase "make it look like an accident" had been ringing in her mind ever since she read that Nelliel's caravan had been robbed before reaching the castle.
—
Rukia was sitting behind Ichigo's desk inside his office in the House of Justice, a glass containing less than a sip of the golden liquor of business by her right hand and with the fingers of her left hand absently drumming on the cover of her notebook.
Kaien was reclining on a long sofa with his head resting on one of the armrests, one arm covering his eyes and holding a glass of the same golden liquor in the other hand. Ichigo was standing up, leaning against the desk with his hands in his pants pockets and staring at some point in nowhere. He also had a glass of the golden liquor next to him.
The three were silent and only the noise that came from outside the building could be heard, which entered through one of the open windows. The advantage of that office was that it was on the second floor and no one could bother them beyond a knock on the door, but a knock on the door was what plunged them into that overwhelming silence.
The soldier who was stationed at the entrance of the city told them that the king and queen had entered the city and were on their way to the castle, just as they expected.
In the morning, one of Ichigo's soldiers came to the castle to report that the king and queen spent the night at the house at the Crossroads with the intention of continuing their journey in the morning, so they all agreed and left the castle with whatever excuse they could think of after breakfast.
None of them wanted to be the first to face the questions they knew were waiting for them as soon as they paid their respects to the new arrivals because everyone had forgotten that the king and queen had seen Nelliel grow since she was a baby and that they would not be satisfied with a simple: "she cut her own wrists".
— It's time. — Kaien commented after getting up in his place and drinking the last thing in his glass. — It doesn't matter the order in which we arrive, we will still be interrogated and it is better to finish this matter.
Ichigo agreed and drank the last of the liquor in his glass, because no matter how the situation looked, some truths had to be told to hide others. He wouldn't hesitate to protect his wife, but doing so also meant siding with Kaien because Rukia had made the mistake of forging a letter from Yuki and Kaien found out.
— Let's go. — Rukia got up from her seat, as if she were the one guiding the moment and the hour, and both Ichigo and Kaien nodded and set off.
Kaien had played his role well as an ex-husband, friend, and lover grieving the death of the woman who had lived in his heart since they were children. As it was supposed to be, because he had called Nelliel to the castle and she was his responsibility.
Nelliel's death was also his responsibility.
All the ruckus happened near his room, so he was among the first to arrive when he heard Rukia's cries for help, going in only after the Kahya had gone inside to see what was happening.
There was no way his surprised expression wasn't real, since he didn't expect Nelliel to cut her own wrists in that room, but seeing Rukia with her hands covered in blood, her gaze fixed on Nelliel and not blinking, something inside of him told him that Rukia's hands were bloodstained in more ways than one.
He didn't dislike it, on the contrary, the idea that Rukia was more bloodthirsty than she seemed was, in a way, exciting for him, but this was not the time to think about such details.
It was a matter of seconds between that thought and the moment he approached the bed where Nelliel's corpse lay, calling her name and telling her not to leave him alone, promising that he wouldn't be mad at her anymore and asking for her forgiveness; asking her to open her eyes and tell him it was a bad joke.
Kaien looked up to find the Kahya's eyes brimming with tears, he asked the woman to tell him that everything that was happening was a nightmare or a cruel joke, because Nelliel couldn't have died but the Kahya shook her head slightly.
The Kahya, who was suffering at that moment for the loss of what she considered a daughter, consoled him as much as her own pain allowed.
While the Kahya hugged him, Kaien noticed that his hands were stained with Nelliel's blood, because he had held Nelliel's hands moments before, and took advantage of that moment to show his bloodstained hands to Rukia, who seemed to tremble at that gesture while he looked at her with a question in his eyes: "did you do it?"
Rukia had played her "late savior" role well, the shock on her face at having murdered Nelliel in cold blood was easily mistaken for the shock at failing to save her.
Rukia knew how easily a life could be taken because she herself had ordered a couple of deaths, but doing it with her own hands gave her such an overwhelming feeling of power that it made her feel drugged. Her heart was pounding and she herself was fighting the urge to laugh at how ironic that situation seemed to her at that moment.
Nelliel had gotten desperate to consummate her own plan, gotten into trouble, and been exiled from the castle for trying to kill Rukia and steal the king's seal for that reason, but Rukia just waited patiently until it all came into her hands.
Rukia thought it was just perfect, as if everything aligned so that she would have her retribution along with that girl who, just like her when she arrived at the castle, just wanted to be free.
But that Rukia who only wanted to return home, take care of her garden and have a quiet life, gradually faded over time as soon as she began to play that power game and understand the politics of the kingdom.
Ichigo had mentioned to her what could happen after she did what she had to do and warned her not to lose control because of the euphoria she might feel at accomplishing her goal or because of the sadness of the death of her own human part; but the dark queen within her praised her for giving her first tribute to the Shadow while rewarding her with power.
All the threads holding the dark queen's left hand snapped and all of this made it difficult for Rukia to maintain the mask she was wearing.
It was just at that moment that Kaien showed her his bloody hands and snapped her back to reality, making her aware of the slight tug on her cheek that could twist into a smile at any moment if she failed to retain control.
When everything had calmed down and the queen's doctor had arrived to do what little she could, the Kahya led everyone out of the room and asked Rukia what had happened inside that room. Kaien was next to her and that made everything more difficult for Rukia because she had to lie well, since she was someone who had a reason to hate Nelliel and everyone knew that.
Rukia had thought of many excuses to say, but at that moment she realized that possibly the Kahya wouldn't believe her and neither would Kaien.
Hiding everything without hiding it was an art that she also had to learn to handle well.
Rukia didn't cry when she related the facts to the Kahya, as much as she wanted to shed a tear for Nelliel, she couldn't do it and the most she managed was an expression of desolation and helplessness while looking at her hands stained with the blood she shed. Quite the opposite of the Kahya's look, which reflected the pain she was feeling at that moment.
That was perhaps the only time that Rukia felt bad about the whole situation, for having made Kahya suffer, who had been good to her all this time.
The alliance took a step forward after Nelliel's funeral.
While Ichigo and Rukia were fooling around in the Second Prince's room, Kaien burst into the room, dropping the mask of a man grieving the loss of someone he loves. Ichigo stood up demanding an explanation for that invasion and Kaien simply confronted him, ignoring Rukia who was away from them for her own safety.
"I told you it had to look like a fucking accident, but you send your wife to kill her in her bed! Do you have any idea how much trouble we're going to get into, Ichigo?!"
After that statement, a verbal fight started between Kaien and Ichigo. Kaien was almost certain that Rukia had been responsible and Ichigo was defending his wife's innocence because he wasn't going to let Kaien blame her for Nelliel's death when Kaien himself had ordered that execution.
"I know you two want to get rid of me, but if I fall, I'll take you two with me." Kaien threatened them, looking between Ichigo and Rukia, who was adamant in her own defense of innocence.
"And how will you do it? You are the only one responsible for everything, there is nothing that links my wife or me to the death of Nelliel. I didn't even manage to fulfill your wish to kill her on the way, so stop wanting to drag us down with you." Ichigo defended himself, who had been thinking of all the possible scenarios that could unfold in the castle after Nelliel's death.
Kaien smiled and neither Ichigo nor Rukia liked that smile.
"Of the three of us, who was married to her and who wanted her dead? Who will appear to be the main suspects in that death, including the assault on the caravan? Neither of you have seen what the queen is capable of when she gets angry, you haven't even seen the fury of the Kahya to know how they would react."
"You don't know my mother."
"No, it's not like that. You don't know your own mother. I have lived with her all my life, I know her better than you or your wife. Think about it, we get rid of this problem and then we can either kill each other or start digging to see who gets executed first. Because of the two of us, little brother, I don't have a history of assault or death threats against kings just for defending my wife."
That was why, when the spy that Ichigo had sent to the Crossroads arrived at the castle in the morning saying that the king and queen would arrive in the afternoon, the three of them met to talk and establish a temporary alliance in the war that had been declared between them.
—
Rukia gave Ichigo a kiss before he said goodbye to her to go to the king and pay his respects. She couldn't deny that she was nervous about what the king might say to Ichigo, but she trusted him and that Kaien wasn't going to betray them because they had all pulled the rope with which Nelliel lost her life.
She wasn't stupid and knew that if she confessed, Kaien would use it against her, so no matter how the matter was handled, Rukia remained in denial even though Kaien didn't believe her. Suspicions were one thing and a direct confession another, and Kaien would never get a direct confession out of her.
When she was ready and had managed to calm her nerves, Rukia entered Queen Masaki's room, who was lying on her bed with a damp cloth on her forehead and her eyes closed.
— Welcome, mother. — Rukia greeted the queen by taking her hand and giving it a kiss. — I hope your trip has been favourable.
— Did you kill her?
The queen's question was so direct that Rukia felt a punch in the stomach.
Rukia was grateful that the queen had her eyes closed and didn't see the look of surprise on her face, as she had prepared for everything but not for such a hostile and accusatory question.
— No, your majesty.
The silence after that response felt heavy, broken only by the sound of her own heartbeat awaiting the queen's verdict. Her hands didn't sweat, the queen had trained her to lie and that was her litmus test, lying to her queen and teacher.
— I will trust you. — The queen answered and removed the damp cloth from her forehead only to look Rukia in the eye and give her a light smile, the one that included an apology for asking the question.
— Thank you, your majesty.
Rukia wasn't nervous but she tried to have that look of sadness that indicated how insulted she felt by that question. She had to feel insulted, that was her role when hearing such an accusation because she had to seem hurt by the queen's words; she even changed "mother" to "your majesty" to mark the distance the queen created by asking that question.
— I had to ask because Nelliel was like a daughter to me. — The queen spoke again and Rukia only nodded before taking the queen's wet cloth and wetting it again with that infusion of fresh herbs that served to relax the user.
— I know, your majesty. — Rukia carefully placed the damp cloth on the queen's forehead. — I know how important Nelliel was to you, so I wanted to make sure she was alright since Prince Kaien put her up in the Inamorata room instead of the queen's area.
— What happened? — The question was simple but the answer included so many details that it was better to start talking before the opportunity was lost.
— Kaien sent for her, taking advantage of the king's absence, and on the way she was injured because they robbed the carriage in which she was traveling. The soldiers were killed but the coachman survived and brought her to the castle. Isane checked her and healed the wound, but Prince Kaien asked that Nelliel stay in the Inamorata's room and not in the queen's area, as it should be.
— Why did you allow it? — The queen asked, drawing her beautiful eyebrows together in a very obvious frown as she sat up and removed the damp cloth from her forehead.
— Mrs. Retsu allowed it. — Rukia explained, avoiding saying that at that moment she was touching paradise with her fingers. — When they told me, Nelliel was already in the room and I didn't dare move her. She had lost a lot of blood and was in delicate condition.
Rukia was betting that the Kahya would have already told all the details of that event to the queen, who was simply interrogating her to check that everything was similar. In that part of the story there was no way to fail, the problem was the time of Nelliel's death.
The queen narrowed her eyes for a moment before allowing her to continue.
— The next day, Prince Kaien came to see her. I don't know what they talked about but Ichigo was outside the room and heard them arguing about someone. Prince Kaien was furious, and when I arrived to speak to her, the maid told me that Nelliel was unwell.
— Why? — The queen asked and Rukia looked at her blankly. — Why was Ichigo outside Nelliel's room?
Rukia nodded understanding the question. The queen wanted to rule out Ichigo as a suspect and she didn't like that, because it meant that the queen believed that Ichigo was responsible.
— He was in charge of finding out what happened in the assault, he went with the intention of asking Nelliel about what he could remember. — Rukia paused. — By afternoon, the maid told me that Nelliel had already woken up and I went to see her, but when I entered the room she had already cut herself and was bleeding to death on the bed. I got scared, called for help and tried to stop the blood, but by the time Mrs. Retsu arrived it was too late.
— Why didn't you heal her? — The queen's question carried that reproachful tone that Rukia didn't like. — The gift allows you to heal other people.
— I tried, Your Majesty, but I was scared and nervous. — Rukia was careful to look at her hands, which were starting to shake because she was making them shake. — I could feel the magic, I held her by both wrists and I know something healed, but she still lost a lot of blood.
The queen remained silent and Rukia closed her eyes with that expression that was meant to scare away bad memories. She was stressed, the queen's gaze on her told her that the queen was trying to see beyond the words and gestures she made when speaking.
— It's sad? — The queen asked carefully and Rukia gave her a somewhat absent look. — Are you saddened by Nelliel's death?
The queen's question was simple and direct, and Rukia for a moment considered telling a lie but there was no point in lying on that score. She was not saddened by Nelliel's death, but she had to be careful when saying it, or she might drive a nail through her own coffin herself.
—
Both Ichigo and Kaien were sitting across from him, as if they were a pair of scolded children about to be dealt a severe punishment. They were both men and Isshin knew it, beyond the fact that each had shared a bed with more than one woman, they were both old enough to be considered men.
However, in his eyes, they were both a pair of children hiding from their parents because they had done something wrong and were afraid of punishment.
Isshin had cried because of the death of Nelliel, his friend's daughter whom he swore to protect; the little girl he saw grow up and who held his hand when she was lost in the immensity of the castle; the little girl who spoke incorrectly but was still charming.
Isshin wanted to know if his sons had been responsible for that death, because everything indicated that they were more involved than it seemed.
— I don't know if you two think I'm dumb or too old to not realize you guys were hiding in the city. — The king began as he looked at his sons. — But I can't believe that you two, who have put spies in the Great House to ensure your own interests regarding the Kuchiki family and the kingdom, would give me the pathetic excuse of "we didn't know you were coming today, Your Majesty".
— Dad, we...
Ichigo tried to speak, but Isshin held up his hand to stop his son from saying another word.
— I leave you two as protectors of the kingdom for two months and in the first days a person dies. How the hell am I supposed to interpret this?! — Isshin asked that question but didn't allow his sons to answer. — I want the truth, because if I find out that you are lying to me and that one of you is directly or indirectly responsible for Nelliel's death, I will apply the corresponding punishment. I warned you last year, my mercy to tolerate your mistakes and your faults, ended with the Kuchiki affair.
— The truth. — Kaien muttered, and Isshin could tell his son's fists clenched for a moment before he saw him relax.
The king did not like that because he had never seen him make that gesture. Kaien wasn't smiling, he was serious, and Ichigo seemed indifferent since he stopped him from speaking.
— The truth. I need to know why Nelliel was in the castle when her place was the Palace of the Sun. — The king reaffirmed as he alternated his gaze between Kaien and Ichigo.
— The truth is that I called Nelliel at the castle to see her, I missed her and wanted to be with her, talk to her and ask her if she was responsible for Miyako's death. — At the mention of that name, Isshin felt a sudden chill down his spine, but he didn't interrupt Kaien's explanation. — We argued a bit and she confessed that she ratted out Miyako. Maybe I said some hurtful words to her and then I left, leaving her alone. I couldn't be around her, who lied to my face, comforted me when I lost her, and dared to say she felt love for me after hiding such valuable information.
With Kaien's answer, Isshin could see that the matter of Miyako was not as buried as he thought, and he also had the impression that those last words were directed at him.
The question was, what revived the memory of Miyako? They had taken care of cleaning everything. Nelliel had assured them that Kaien didn't know about Miyako's condition, so he took him hunting so he wouldn't see or prevent the girl from drinking the tea.
Someone had to have talked to Kaien about that girl, someone had to have told him something he didn't know about this whole thing to make him bring Nelliel to the castle.
"To hunt her." That thought was terrifying.
The idea that someone wanted Nelliel dead was terrifying and yet, Isshin looked at Ichigo, who was still silent and staring at some point in nowhere. Ichigo had reason to kill Nelliel, what she did to Rukia was reason enough if he took into account Ichigo's background regarding the King of Gardelia.
If Ichigo was able to threaten death and hit a king just because that king hurt the Kuchiki girl, then he might be perfectly capable of killing whoever tried to kill her. If Kaien was hurt by whatever they had told him about Nelliel and Miyako, Ichigo could have taken advantage of that and made an attack on her or, in the worst case scenario, both of them could have teamed up to kill her.
However, in all those situations mutual trust was required and Kaien and Ichigo didn't have it.
Also, there was no way Isshin would accept the idea that his sons killed her because he couldn't conceive that those children, who ran through the gardens, were really so cruel and, at the same time, that idea was there and it screamed in his face that his sons killed her taking advantage of the fact that he was far from the kingdom.
Isshin had no proof but the more he thought about it, the more that idea became established and the more he reproached himself for all the mistakes he had made as a father for his children to be so ruthless.
— Which of you two ordered the assault on the caravan? — The king asked without going around the subject.
Isshin really wanted to ask, "Who killed her?" but they might be expecting a direct question, and if they had teamed up to kill Nelliel, they would both have an answer to give.
— Contrary to what it may seem, Your Majesty, no one ordered that assault. — Ichigo commented, drawing the king's attention and calling him "your majesty" again when he had called him "dad" moments before. — I authorized the soldiers for my brother to send for his guest, I did not know that it was Nelliel who would come, and I myself took it upon myself to find those responsible.
— Did you find them?
— They are locked in the dungeons waiting for your justice, your majesty. — Ichigo replied calmly.
Isshin was too suspicious of his children's words, the indifferent way they talked about Nelliel caused him some kind of chills that he couldn't explain. It was as if he didn't know the men sitting across from him.
— I will trust you two, but the warning is given. — Isshin waved his hand to indicate that the meeting was over. — Now get out of here.
Ichigo was the first to get up from his seat and head for the exit, Kaien took a little longer, as if he wanted to ask him something but didn't, and finally left.
—
— They are lying. — Masaki concluded when she stopped pacing in the king's bedroom. That sentence made Isshin stare at her, waiting for her to continue. — Not everything they said is a lie, but I feel that there is something they are hiding.
Isshin, who had a glass of golden liquor in his hand, approached her and grabbed her by the waist to prevent her from pacing the room again. The pauses were necessary to understand what was being said because it was their children they were talking about.
— I know. — Isshin commented fixing his gaze on his queen. — It's obvious they were hiding from us and whatever they did, they're covering each other's backs. I saw the prisoners, they are thieves and looters, they will be executed for their crimes but they are not responsible for Nelliel's death.
— Nelliel was like our daughter, we can't let her death go unpunished. — Masaki muttered while still looking the king in the eye.
Isshin had his brows drawn together and his grip firm on her.
— And they are our children. — Masaki made Isshin release her and she stepped away from him, turning her back on him. — If Kaien is the culprit, you will ask me to punish him, but if Ichigo is the culprit, will you also agree to me punishing him? What if the Kuchiki girl is the culprit? You know that the whipping will be a generous punishment, are you willing to accept it?
Masaki was silent.
They were trapped in a web from which they couldn't get out no matter what thread they pulled because the search for the truth could yield answers that neither of them could like.
Punishing Kaien would be delicious but punishing Ichigo, who would also receive the same kind of punishment, she didn't like, and punishing Rukia was something she didn't want to think about. The Kuchiki were still a problem and a punishment for Rukia could make the Kuchiki resume the rebellion they left unfinished; besides, they would have Jetaiya after them because the alliance they would have with Karin's wedding was not written and she was in Vermist.
The queen didn't want to say it out loud, but she agreed with the king's idea that the Kuchiki were becoming a thorn in their shoes.
— I thought Kaien was over the Miyako thing. For years he was calm and even married Nelliel, so someone must have told him something about the girl for him to make Nelliel travel. — The queen changed the subject because both she and he knew the answer to those questions.
— It's another teen romance gone bad.
Isshin's voice came very soft to her from behind, almost like a whisper, and Masaki only tilted her head to allow him to kiss her neck. Her head was beginning to ache and there was no better remedy than to spend the night with the king.
— Kaien loved the girl, Ichigo was just playing around. — Masaki clarified, feeling how the king began to gently untie the ties of her dress. — I shouldn't have pushed you to enforce the rules. You should have let him go with her, let him offer to give up the throne and go live with the girl on a farm.
— At this time there is no point in talking about what we did or did not do. We both were wrong. What is done is done. — Isshin gave his queen a kiss on the neck as he accomplished his task of removing her clothes. Masaki allowed her clothes to fall and turned to face Isshin. — What I don't like is that they are lying to our faces. I always wanted Kaien and Ichigo to have a good brotherly relationship, but now I think they are more dangerous together.
Masaki smiled at that statement and began to open button by button on Isshin's shirt, taking care to go slowly to keep the conversation going a little longer.
— Do you fear for your life?
Isshin took her by the waist, making her shudder.
— My life is yours, my queen. — Isshin made her look at him before kissing her so passionately it took her breath away. — One of them is going to kill me, now I can see it, so let's stop talking about this and let me enjoy you. If tonight is my last night, I want to die with your essence in me.
Masaki's response was drowned out by a kiss from Isshin.
Hi!
Did you see this alliance coming? I know you didn't. Don't get excited, it's temporary.
Just remember that all actions have consequences, even if they don't seem like it.
Can you guess which letter Rukia forged?
