Chapter 45

Haruka accompanied me upstairs. She gently placed me on the sofa and draped a soft blanket over my trembling shoulders. Then she began to prepare the tea in the kitchen. The scent of hot herbal tea filled the room and reminded me of the cozy evenings I had spent with Seiya here.

"You caused quite a stir yesterday when you suddenly disappeared from the hospital," she said as she placed the teacup in front of me. I noticed that it was Seiya's zodiac sign cup, and memories of our time together flooded back.

"Could I have prevented it?" I whispered softly, my voice tinged with pain.

Haruka sighed and sat down next to me, her gaze full of sympathy. "Moonface... I don't know. I had located him hours before the gala, and then he suddenly vanished. When the boss told me that you would be leaving the gala, I followed you both. I just wanted to make sure you got home safely. He seemed to have followed us too. When I saw him, he already had his gun aimed at you. I had to react. I'm sorry about your friend."

A shiver ran down my spine as I heard her words. The burden of responsibility weighed heavily on my shoulders, and the "what if?" question haunted me. Tears welled up in my eyes again, and I hid my face in my hands. Every expression of sympathy seemed to magnify my pain.

I could hardly bear that everyone expressed their sympathy to me. It was not what I needed. I didn't want more pity, empty words of comfort. I wanted Seiya back, his warm embrace, his loving eyes.

"Where is he now?" I asked Haruka.

Haruka's expression became somewhat contemplative as she processed my question. "In confinement," she answered eventually. "Believe me, he won't be able to hurt you ever again."

"Does that mean he's with the police?" I asked in shock.

Haruka shook her head slowly. "No," she said calmly.

"Haruka!" I exclaimed, my voice filled with anger and pain. "Where is that despicable asshole who took Seiya away from me?"

She hesitated for a moment before answering. "With the boss."

Diamond. It was so clear. Why couldn't I have figured that out earlier? Did he want to protect his brother?

"Take me to him," I demanded determinedly. "I want to look him in the eyes."

"Wait a moment, I'll check," she said, taking out her phone and dialing a number. "I'm with her... she wants to see him... yes... no... yes... one moment."

Then she handed me the phone.

"Usagi?"

"Yes."

"What's going on? I was at your apartment, and there was a guy who told me he lives there now! Bunny, I'm worried about you."

Right, he didn't even know that I had moved. Before I could reply to him, Haruka was already calling for me, so I pushed the phone back into my pocket and hurried downstairs. She was already waiting in her impressive sports car, a vehicle that Seiya would surely have liked. A painful laugh escaped my lips at the thought of him.

While we drove to the villa, there was a stifling silence between us. Each of us was lost in our own thoughts. Haruka dropped me off at the door and said she would wait in the car.

One of the servants opened the door for me and led me to the small salon. Mr. Prince Senior seemed to be waiting for me there, with Diamond a few steps behind, his arms crossed behind his back. His dark eyes watched me attentively, as if he were scrutinizing my every move. The striking resemblance between him and his father was still unmistakable.

Mr. Prince Senior approached me with a determined step and extended his hand, which I hesitantly shook. His words hit me unexpectedly and left a conflicting impression on me. "Mrs. Tsukino, I am speechless and deeply saddened by what my son has done to you. It is unforgivable, and I am aware of that. Nevertheless, I would like to offer you my sincere condolences. If there is anything we can do for you, please let me know."

Did he really know everything? Did he know about Rina? About the tragic car accident? A mixture of anger and suppressed pain brewed within me, and I struggled to contain it. I replied composedly, but my inner being trembled with pent-up emotions. "Thank you, Mr. Prince. May I see him?" I asked, trying to maintain my composure.

Mr. Prince Senior nodded and gestured toward Diamond. "Diamond will accompany you." His words were brief and distinct. I started to move, and my nervousness increased with every step. Diamond led me through the long, majestic halls of the villa.

Finally, we stopped in front of an inconspicuous door. Diamond gently placed his hand on my cheek. "You look worn out. Actually, I don't want you to do this now," he said roughly.

"What you want doesn't matter to me right now! I have to look him in the eyes. I have to know why he did this. Why he didn't just leave me alone. I need to understand why Seiya, the best person in this world, had to experience something so terrible. He hadn't done anything to anyone! He was innocent!" The words burst out of me, guided by emotions.

Tears streamed down my face, but I still couldn't move. I was paralyzed.

Saphir was sitting cross-legged on the bed, and he lifted his head when he heard the door. A malicious grin spread across his face. "Oh, what an honor. My brother and his little girlfriend," he sneered. Only now did I notice that he was wearing some sort of handcuffs that bound his hands together.

"Shut up, Saphir! Do you even realize what you did yesterday, you filthy bastard?" Diamond yelled at him and then, with two quick steps, he was by his brother's side, pressing him firmly against the wall. The anger in his voice was unmistakable. With both hands, he held Saphir firmly in place.

"You killed an innocent person! Just because you couldn't let go! Look at her! She's at her breaking point. Is that what you wanted? She didn't love me, never did, but him, that singer you shot down yesterday! Senseless! You're such a stupid and pathetic asshole!" Diamond lashed out at him.

For a moment, he let go of his grip. Saphir's dark eyes focused on me, and a whirlwind of emotions engulfed me. I felt angry, sad, and fearful all at once. But still, I couldn't move, remained frozen.

"If you hadn't taken Rina away from me, nothing would have happened! But you..." Saphir began, but before he could continue, Diamond had turned around quickly and punched him in the chin. The impact of Saphir's head hitting the wall was clearly audible. The force of the blow conveyed my own emotions as I watched the scene with mixed feelings. I had never seen Diamond like this before.

"It was an accident! When will that finally get into your damn head! Just rot in here!" Diamond shouted, and he seemed to be on the verge of doing something even worse.

He shook his hand, with which he had just struck Saphir, and then stepped in front of me. "Do you want to say anything to him?" he asked me irritably.

I shook my head absentmindedly. What the hell had just happened? Diamond pushed me out of the room, and as the door closed behind us, I slowly began to comprehend everything. Diamond wanted to rush back in, but I held onto him. His gaze was cold and distant.

"What?" he muttered impatiently.

A thousand questions swirled in my head, vying for attention. "Are you hurt?" The question that interested me the least managed to escape my lips.

Diamond looked at his hand and clenched it into a fist a few times. "I'm fine."

"Diamond, wait."

He still looked at me emotionlessly.

"Why is he here and not with the police?" I asked, trying to convey all my pent-up emotions in my words to show him how much the answer meant to me.

Diamond ran his hand through his hair in frustration, and an expression of frustration appeared on his face. "Believe me, he won't leave here alive. I promise you that. I was already taking him to the station, but my father had us intercepted. We agreed to keep him locked up here, even though I had worse plans for him."

His tone sent a slight shiver down my spine. The coldness and determination in his voice left no doubt that he meant what he said. My gaze sought the ground as I tried to sort through my own emotions.

Even if I could come to terms with the fact that Saphir was locked up here, other worries haunted me. How would I explain it to Yaten and Taiki? How could I make them understand that there would be no trial for Seiya's death?

"When we're done here... Should Massaru drive you?" he asked suddenly, as if he wanted to get rid of me as quickly as possible.

Why did he want me to leave so quickly? The question hovered in my head, but I could only muster a soft whisper: "No, Haruka said she would wait for me."

Diamond nodded curtly. "Fine. I have things to do. See you, Usagi."

And then he was simply gone.