Author's Note: Hi again, everybody! As I told you in the last chapters, I had to restructure the whole story, and I finally managed to put together the central line of this new season. So thanks to it, and to my magic notebook where I wrote everything, I can present you with due warnings for this new season. This season is the reason why the story is classified as "tragedy".

Tags: IchiRuki. Romance, drama, tragedy. Revenge, Karma, relationships for convenience. Sexual scenes and allusion to these. Graphic descriptions of violence, torture and death. Death of characters. Magic and possibly witchcraft. Dark Rukia and Dark Ichigo. Alternate Universe, use of OC and OoC.

Characters who die: 4

The Nightingale

Chapter 70: First move

Summer — x493 / July 22

Queen Vayalat's former palace was once a majestic place with huge halls and equally large gardens, with such luxury and wealth from the queen's conquests that it seemed even like something out of a dream. Rukia had only seen it in her dreams, when the queen led her to that episode in her life where Rukia was able to meet the founders of the two oldest kingdoms in that part of the continent.

She didn't have to ask how old that palace was, she could figure it out just by knowing Maranni's history and adding a few hundred more years.

The kingdom of Maranni of the Blue Mountains was indeed old, and the kingdom of Vayalat of the Shadow was even older.

Nature had reclaimed much of the palace, but there was still enough space to walk through what were once the great halls and corridors to the throne room, where only fallen stones remained where Queen Vayalat's lonely throne had been so long ago.

The queen who didn't need a king but was still given a mate by the Shadow so she wouldn't live eternity alone.

— Can you believe it? — Rukia asked without letting go of Ichigo's hand as they walked towards where she knew the queen's throne had once been. — Here, in this place, Queen Vayalat sat down and was revered by her people.

— In this palace the queen met her Eternity. — Ichigo replied kissing Rukia's hand as he pulled her closer to him and held her as if they were going to dance at any moment. — And as a direct descendant of the Original Mother, I have brought to my Eternity to this palace.

Rukia blushed at those words, because that was true and because the similarities were many. Ichigo was a descendant of the queen and she was a descendant of the Jeweler, she just hoped their end wouldn't be like theirs. She couldn't live an eternity without him, she couldn't emulate the Jeweler only to reach death and reunite with her Eternity.

— Mrs. Kurosaki, shall we dance?

— Of course we do, Mr. Kurosaki, but we don't have music. — Rukia was smiling at that moment, looking at Ichigo who was also smiling, as if he knew a secret that she didn't.

— We don't need music, there are the nightingales. — The answer made Rukia smile more before she shook her head in amusement. — No, they're not a good guide to a dance and I don't sing, but I guess it should do. After all, it's our first anniversary and we've survived a lot this year.

— I feel cheated, I thought the prince of the kingdom had numerous charms. — Rukia joked amused, remembering that reunion on the cliff.

— But singing isn't one of them, so don't expect me to do it. — Ichigo warned before giving her a soft kiss on the lips before she could complain about those words. — Happy anniversary, my Eternity.

— Happy anniversary, my Eternity. — Rukia replied before feeling Ichigo start to lead her in a dance to imaginary music until she heard him make a soft noise in his throat.

Perhaps it was some song that he heard before, somewhere where he was, because the melody did not seem familiar to her but it was really beautiful, really soft and that served as a guide while they danced in that abandoned throne room.

Ichigo turned her around in his arms, stole small kisses on her lips and from time to time said a little phrase that Rukia interpreted as the lyrics of the song. It wasn't a common language or a language of dawn, but those phrases undoubtedly made her smile when Ichigo said them because he did it in such a beautiful way that her heart could only beat faster.

Ichigo looked at her as if she was the whole world and everything he needed, and Rukia really felt blessed and happy to be with him because that's exactly how she felt seeing him; as if he was everything in the world and everything she needed. Ichigo was right, they had survived many things during that year, they had grown a little more as people and as a couple, and they had learned new things; especially her, who had made a deal with the Shadow just like the Original Mother did.

Rukia knew that the dance was coming to an end when Ichigo hugged her and began to move slowly. She hugged him and rested her head on Ichigo's chest, listening to his heart beating with the same intensity as hers, and felt him kiss her head.

— Now I know I have met an angel in person and she looks perfect.

—

They all had to learn to play at least one musical instrument and know about music, although Yuki knew that she was lousy at that kind of art. Yuki knew how to use brushes well, she painted and she did quite well, or so her teacher in Maranni said before the trip to the Capital of the kingdom.

Kahya's presence inside the classroom made everyone put their notes aside and turn their attention to her and Riruka, who was holding in her arms what seemed to be a few somewhat old books. The teacher exchanged a few words with the Kahya and nodded before giving her place to the newcomer.

— Ladies, the queen has a meeting in two days with the wives of the lords who are in the charity committee, it is customary for the queen to take the People's Princess and the Crown Princess with her to get acquainted with the surroundings, but since the first is on a diplomatic mission in the kingdom of Vayalat and the other is not yet chosen, she decided to take one of you people.

Yuki could see the excitement in the girls, no matter if they wanted to be the crown princess or not, being in a meeting as the company of the queen was always a good thing for future relationships. Riruka started walking between the girls' seats and left what she was holding in her arms in front of them.

When Yuki got hers, she realized that it was a musical score.

— Why do they give us a musical score? — Asked one of the girls, who Yuki identified as belonging to the Tenjira City family.

— The queen decided that she would take with her whoever could interpret this piece of music, either with an instrument or with their own voice. — The Kahya explained. Yuki knew at that moment that she had no chance to go to the meeting and just sat in her seat listening to everything. — All of you have had musical instruction when you were in the castle and in your own homes, so I suppose you will have an easy time playing the piece.

Kahya's smile after saying those words made Yuki shudder, who immediately paid attention to what she had in her hands and discovered that it was quite a complicated piece. Even Rukia, who was really good at playing the piano, had trouble with that piece. The last time Yuki saw Rukia practice that piece, Rukia was frustrated because she didn't like how the ending sounded.

She knew she had no chance of going to the meeting, so the faster she got through this ordeal, the better it would be for her. She raised her hand attracting the Kahya's attention and asked to be the first to try to perform the piece. The Kahya nodded and allowed her to do so.

Yuki made some movements with her mouth, prepared her throat, took a deep breath and began to perform the piece. At first she did fine, but her lungs didn't last long and she quickly ran out of air. She heard the Cifer girls taunt her, but she ignored them, sitting down with an "I tried but I couldn't" gesture.

— Have you performed this piece before, Miss Yuki? — Kahya asked curiously.

— Princess Rukia played it in Maranni and I used to vocalize with it before, so I know a bit about it. — Yuki explained calmly, knowing that by saying that she would set a high standard for what was expected of all other girls. — I don't know if she already perfected it, but she just had to complete the final part.

— She has already done it. — The Kahya muttered before writing something down in a notebook. There were some murmurs between the girls but the Kahya ignored them. — Well, who else wants to try?

The other girls tried, some with a musical instrument or with their throats, but none of them managed to complete the piece, they always made a mistake at the end that forced them to stop and give someone else their turn.

The Cifer girls were the ones who took the longest to interpret the piece, but they were also wrong. Only Mila, who had interpreted the piece in a beautiful way, seemed that she was going to complete it but she did not modulate the air well and fell out of tune towards the end, causing the interpretation to also remain incomplete.

— Miss Stark will be the company of the queen to the meeting with the ladies. — The Kahya pointed at Mila, who was really excited, before continuing to speak. — The rest, keep studying.

They all said goodbye to Kahya, they just waited for her to come out to start talking about how difficult that piece had been until the teacher called their attention making them all remain silent.

— The piece is impossible to play the first time, it requires many years of practice and talent to be able to play it. — The teacher explained, becoming the center of attention again. — That piece is the final exam of the first year at the Entabeni Academy of Arts, and inside the castle, there was only one girl who performed the piece without making a mistake the first time she got her hands on it. Miss Miyako played the piano with wonderful skill and sometimes played for the queen and king while she was here.

— Miss Miyako must be a great virtuoso at Entabeni. — The girl from Orlen City commented.

The teacher looked at them all in silence with an expression that Yuki interpreted as sadness.

— Tragedy took her too soon. The Deities have her in their glory. Now go back to your books.

Yuki kept thinking about how virtuous that girl must be to play that piece so well that it was an example worth remembering and also how misfortune had taken her. Then she looked at her hand and remembered the wounds on her back and a really dark and ironic thought came to her mind: maybe that girl had messed with the wrong prince.

Summer — x493 / July 23

Ichigo had told her that inside his mind there were doors that opened when he was able to synchronize with the ankh and that they stayed open because he had learned to control it; so when she got into that part of her own being where the magic was, she didn't expect to find a woman.

The woman was sitting on a huge throne with her eyes closed, dressed like a queen and with a beautiful Sun Crown on her head. The place was dark but Rukia could clearly see that woman and everything around her, just like what happened when Ichigo gave her the tattoo and she saw herself in the mirror.

Rukia carefully approached the woman and could see that there were fine golden threads that were tied all over the body of the queen on the throne; each finger had at least three threads attached to it, and her hands, her wrists, her elbows, her neck, her torso and any part of her body that could be tied had those threads. She couldn't see where those threads came from, she could only see that they were tied to the woman on the throne and were completely taut, so much so that they seemed to shimmer in such a strange way that it was mesmerizing.

Rukia carefully touched one of those threads and a thin and delicate sound echoed, a second later, the woman opened her eyes and Rukia saw the golden eyes of that queen that looked at her in a way that made her feel a chill.

— Cut the threads. — The queen said as she tried to move her fingers from where some really long nails came out. — You woke me up, now cut the threads.

The queen's voice sounded like a hiss, her gaze was so terrifying that Rukia unconsciously took a step back, and her smile only showed the evil in her. Rukia tried to remember where she had seen that expression, those eyes and that smile, and it took her a little longer to remember who she had seen it on.

Ichigo had that expression, the same as the queen on the throne, the night he let the gift control him and threw the shadows at the king of Gardelia.

The queen was the ankh assuming a shape for her.

Rukia didn't respond to that request but approached the queen who didn't stop looking at her; it seemed strange and fascinating at the same time. The threads seemed to be holding her in place and the throne seemed to be in the middle of something, so Rukia was able to walk around the queen and the throne, noting that there were even strings that seemed to come out of the queen's back.

— If the threads are the doors, what is it that flows naturally? — That question was more for her than for the queen on the throne.

Rukia was making the associations of what she saw with what Ichigo had explained to her: the door always open, the doors that are learned to open and the great final door that contains the locked ankh and that at the same time, when it is opened, opens all the others.

The queen smiled.

Rukia guessed that the queen knew the answer and probably wouldn't tell her. The bearers of the gift had to learn to master the gift within them or they would end up being its slaves, and the woman in front of her, despite being bound by those threads, looked dangerous and lethal. Rukia walked in front of the queen, whose eyes kept following her like a predator, and Rukia stopped in front of her when she got to the answer to her own question.

— It's you. You're awake, so it must be you.

The queen shook her head slowly, as much as the strings in her throat would allow, without taking her eyes off Rukia.

— You know it and you don't know it. — The queen replied without losing that smile that gave Rukia the shivers. — But if you wear the crown, you will know. You will know everything. Everything will be at your feet.

Rukia looked up at the Sun Crown the queen was wearing and considered for a moment whether to do as the queen said or not. The queen's words were tempting, it was too nice an invitation that sent a shiver down Rukia's spine because something inside her told her that she shouldn't trust those words; but at the same time it was the way to know what she did not know about the gift that was awake in her.

Ichigo had told her that he would take care of her while she was in meditation and that if he saw something strange, he would bring her out of that state the same way Uncle Kisuke did with him: with a couple of blows to specific points on the body.

She really wanted to know, she wanted to know everything that Ichigo couldn't explain to her, so after considering how dangerous it would be to approach the queen tied to the throne, she approached her carefully. With every step Rukia took, the queen's smile grew bigger. With each step Rukia took, the queen lowered her head little by little, as if she was willingly handing over the Sun Crown she was wearing at that moment.

Rukia took the crown in her hands and contemplated it in silence. The crown was beautiful, it seemed that rays of sun came out of it and it was golden; there were even small stones that enhanced its beauty.

— You have to put it on. — The queen whispered on the throne, who did not stop smiling, making Rukia hesitate for a moment.

She shifted her gaze from the crown to the queen, and back to the crown again, closed her eyes and placed it on her head hoping she would feel different but she felt no change.

— Thank you. — The queen hissed and that made Rukia open her eyes only to realize that the threads that held the queen bound were beginning to cut one by one making her feel something she never imagined feeling in her life.

With each thread that was cut, the feeling of power increased within Rukia and, although she had to remove her crown so that no more threads would be broken, she didn't want to. The feeling was just as Ichigo had described it, it was like tasting the best food in the world, drinking the best wine in the world and although she had never used drugs, the sensation was so intoxicating that she thought it must feel that way when using them.

Rukia didn't want it to stop, she wanted all the threads to be cut and to feel how the gift ran through her completely; she wanted to make it hers. She wanted all that power.

— Rukia! Stop!

Ichigo's scream came to her from a place she couldn't identify. She was not doing anything, she was just standing, waiting for the threads that held the queen to finish breaking so that she could take on all that power that felt so good that it made her smile.

— Rukia! I'm sorry!

Rukia didn't understand those words and for a moment she didn't know what Ichigo meant, until she felt as if a wave hit her with such force that the crown she was wearing fell to the ground along with her. The queen cried out in frustration and, as if an invisible force moved everything there, the crown returned to the queen's head and the threads that had been broken returned to their original form.

The queen cried out again, fully bound to her throne and with the crown on her head, as Rukia lay on the ground, dazed and confused. Again, she heard Ichigo's voice but although she wanted to answer, she couldn't; she couldn't get up either and she felt so tired that she didn't realize when she fell unconscious.

—

Ichigo was panting, he had several wounds on his body because Rukia had attacked him with the shadows and he couldn't dodge them fast enough. He didn't want to hurt her even though she seemed ready to kill him, she was like a wild beast just released and Ichigo was aware that it was the ankh inside her that was taking possession of Rukia's mind.

The way she looked, the smile, the killing intent, everything told him that it wasn't Rukia who was attacking him and even so, it was Rukia and he couldn't hurt her. He would never forgive himself for doing any kind of damage to his light.

The shadow fight had caused several stones from those ruins to fall to the ground, the palace to tremble and the nightingales to fly quickly to flee from there. The fight had also caught the attention of the guards, who Ichigo had to prevent from approaching them or they would end up injured, or in the worst case, dead; he had noticed the change in Rukia's gaze that had fixed her eyes on one of those soldiers.

— I'm sorry, my Moon. — Ichigo whispered as he approached her to pick her up from the floor, where she lay unconscious from the blow he gave her. — You look lovely when you attack, but you almost killed me. You're a cheat, you're definitely Queen Vayalat's Favorite.

Ichigo came out of the ruins, his clothes torn, dirty and bloody, as well as Rukia's clothes who was lying unconscious in his arms, and ordered them to prepare everything to start the trip back to Adelaar.

It was time to go home.

Summer — x493 / July 24

Yuki looked at the cliff from the window of the shared room and the movement near the temple of the Deities caught her attention because she thought she saw Prince Kaien coming out of that place holding something in his hand. She stared at him for a moment and watched him enter the Grove Path, the one that led to the cemetery.

This seemed curious to her because she had never seen the prince go to the cemetery.

A month had passed since the incident at the ball, the wounds on her back had already healed and only small scars remained that would fade with time, so it was time to go back to haunt the prince to attract his attention. He had looked for her only once after he asked to see the wounds, but she had treated him coldly and since then, the prince had not looked for her again; besides, every time she saw him, the prince seemed too busy or too upset.

That wouldn't make Rukia happy when she came back from her trip because Yuki was supposed to keep the prince interested, make him fall in love and then everything else, but obviously that wasn't happening; although Yuki was sure that the prince was still interested in her because her soldier, the young man she got and passed off as her boyfriend, was removed from his post after Prince Kaien had seen her laughing and chatting with him.

Yuki adjusted her dress, put on some perfume and some of the lip balm, and left the queen's area ready to talk to Prince Kaien. She told the guards that she would go to the temple to pray for a moment and calmly walked to the grove to follow the path to the cemetery. The queen was at lunch with the charity ladies along with Mila and the other girls were spending the day in the Marble Garden, and no one would notice or chase her.

As she walked, the wind carried the sound of a violin to her and that made her stop for a moment just to appreciate the music that seemed beautiful at first, but the more she listened, the more it seemed sad and lonely. Yuki felt something within her heart stir, as if it was a sad feeling that made her feel lonely and helpless at that moment.

For a moment, she considered going back to the room but dismissed that idea for two reasons: the first was because she had to talk to the prince and that moment might never happen again, and the second was because no one had heard the prince play the violin and she really wanted to keep listening to that melody.

It wasn't hard for her to find the violinist, he was the only person there besides her, and he was standing in front of a grave while he played that beautiful and sad piece. Yuki was silent for the rest of the melody and had to hold back the urge to clap when the prince finished playing the violin.

— Didn't they tell you that spying is rude, Miss Kuchiki?

Prince Kaien's voice had that annoyed tone that Yuki had heard the day he asked her who had hurt her and she knew she had to answer carefully though she was taken aback that he knew it was her and not someone else.

— I wasn't trying to spy on you, your highness. — Yuki responded by taking a step closer to him, who kept his back to her. — I was following you.

Yuki heard the prince let out a very soft laugh and that made her smile. Kaien cocked his head to look at her out of the corner of his eye and Yuki remembered how handsome the prince looked in profile. It was inevitable not to fantasize about him and she had been the only lucky one to taste his kisses and feel the strong grip of his hands on her body.

— Were you following me? — The question carried a dose of humor. Kaien turned completely and was facing her. — First you reject me and then you follow me. Do you like me to treat you with indifference or is it that your soldier went away and left you alone and now you are looking for me?

— You sent him away, didn't you, your highness? — Yuki asked as she approached him with narrowed eyes although she was certain of that.

The prince smiled confirming that accusation.

— You don't want to be with me, I won't let you be with anyone. — The prince shrugged nonchalantly. — It's your punishment for refusing to be my friend. Until you are my friend again, I will allow you to have a boyfriend, and I will choose him. He has to meet my standards.

She was almost sure that it had nothing to do with being friends with him or not, it was the threat he made to her on the night of the presentation dance. Kaien had gotten rid of her "boyfriend" just so he could kiss her freely. Yuki approached him until they were face to face, the prince was taller than her so she had to look up to see him better; she also drew her eyebrows together in a gesture that simulated anger.

That was her last card in her hand and she was risking it was game over for her at that point. No man likes to be rejected and the prince had tolerated her rejections well, but nothing assured her that he would not unleash his wrath if she rejected him again.

— No, your highness is not punishing me for having a boyfriend and not being your friend, your highness is punishing me for this. — Yuki declared before taking the prince's free hand and giving him a kiss on the palm, so soft and delicate, that only a small stain of the balm remained on the skin.

— Yuki, you are playing with fire.

The prince's voice was no longer animated or amused, it was serious with a hint of menace. Yuki looked up and smiled at the prince in a defiant way before making that same hand hold her waist. Yuki immediately felt the prince's strong hold on her.

— No, your highness started playing with me. Now I want to play with your highness. — Yuki placed one of her hands on the prince's chest, lightly squeezing his shirt. — You got rid of my soldier so you could kiss me, well, here I am. Kiss me.

— No. It's not when you want, it's when I want.

— Oh! Now your highness doesn't want to. — Yuki moved away from Kaien causing him to release her, although she noticed that he was reluctant to do so as well as the intense way he was looking at her. — Then when I get out of here I won't want anything more than to be your friend. And as your friend, I'm not going to kiss you. I'll kiss as many soldiers as I want, but not once you, Your Highness. So I'll wait for my bracelet and ring, if your highness still wants me as a friend.

Yuki bowed slowly to him, lowered her eyes and turned around ready to leave, but the prince grabbed her by one of her arms and pulled her tightly to him, holding her by the waist; the violin was on the grave where he played before. Yuki could see the anger flash in those beautiful green eyes but she didn't smile or complain about such aggressive treatment, she just held his gaze in silence.

— Who do you think you are to threaten me like that? — Kaien asked without taking his eyes off her with anger vibrating in his voice. — What makes you think that you can set the rules of this relationship?

— We have a relationship? — Yuki asked putting one of her hands on the prince's chest, as if she wanted to push him away that way but the prince pulled her closer to him.

Yuki closed her eyes at that movement and gasped because the squeeze hurt her.

The prince was really upset.

— You like me being mean to you, don't you? You like to tease me, don't you? — The prince's voice did not lose the anger that was impregnated and Yuki opened her eyes at that moment.

The prince's face was close to hers and she could feel his hot breath on her skin as if it were an invitation to kiss him. Yuki looked at the prince's lips and then looked up into those green eyes that seemed beautiful to her.

— I like your kisses. — Yuki whispered before closing the distance between them and kissing him in a way that could be considered a bit clumsy, risking the prince rejecting her at the time but it was the only way to know if her card would work in that play.

The prince returned the kiss immediately, as if that had been his intention by holding her in that position, and Yuki felt how he held her tightly by the waist while she tangled her fingers in his hair just to deepen the kiss. The taste of Kaien's saliva and his tongue invading her mouth made her break the kiss in the middle of a gasp that could be obscene.

They stared at each other for a moment, both shaken by that kiss, and they kissed again with the same intensity. Yuki let herself be carried away by him until she felt that the prince sat on a vault and made her sit on him between kisses while he lifted the skirt of her dress to caress her legs.

The prince's kisses burned her skin in a way she had only fantasized about and made her want more. Yuki sent Rukia's plans and conspiracies to hell just to enjoy those kisses and those hands that caressed her in a way that made her skin feel as hot as those kisses.

— I like your perfume. — She heard Kaien's voice, which was hoarse as he kissed her neck and his hands tried to loosen her dress.

— I will use it more often. — Yuki replied as she tried to undress him in a clumsy way, revealing her inexperience in such matters. She was nervous and anxious at the same time because she had waited so long for this moment.

— Have you done this before? — The prince asked her in a whisper without taking his eyes off her, still caressing her legs but refraining from going any further. Yuki shook her head slightly, feeling her cheeks completely hot and her heart racing. — This is not the right place to do it. Let's go to my room.

Yuki nodded to what the prince said, completely flustered and flushed, knowing that the game was still going on for her.

Summer — x493 / July 25

Yuki woke up in Prince Kaien's bed, wrapped in the sheets and completely naked beneath them. Next to her the prince slept peacefully and quietly, as if he hadn't fucked her all afternoon and part of the night; as if the prince had not marked every part of her body while he told her that only he could be the only one to take her and that he would not let anyone else touch her.

Yuki didn't know that the prince felt so much desire for her or that he was so possessive at the moment, but it made her happy because it would definitely be easier to enter his heart and then put on the crown of the crown princess herself.

The prince took her in so many different ways that Yuki still couldn't believe it had been real; she had gotten into the prince's bed and now she had to make sure she stayed there.

She sat up in bed with her whole body protesting the pain she felt at that moment, as if each of her joints had been dislocated and put back together. Her body ached but when she closed her eyes she could only remember the way the prince bit her lips when kissing her and the way he took her and told her how good it felt to be with her and inside her.

Yuki had seen him naked, just the way the other girls in the queen's court had fantasized about, and the prince's body was truly incredible. Especially what he had between his legs.

— Are you leaving? — The prince's voice behind her, before feeling the kiss on her shoulder, made her skin crawl. The prince's hands began to caress her again, causing her entire body to react to the memories that those caresses brought back.

— Your Highness, I think I should go back to the area of the…

Yuki didn't finish speaking.

The prince's lips claimed hers to the point of making her lie on the bed while he took off the sheets only to settle back between her legs with the clear intention of taking her right there.

— By now everyone should know you're here. — The prince whispered as he kissed her chest and one of his hands stimulated her so that she could receive it.

Yuki was in pain and that part of her body was really so sensitive that feeling the prince's fingers made her close her eyes. She was about to say something but the invasion of the prince inside her made her forget everything she could say or do and she kept her eyes closed trying to ignore the initial pain before she could enjoy it again.

The prince seemed never to tire of doing it, as if he hadn't been with a woman in a long time.

—

Kaien had made it, he had taken Yuki to bed and it had been pretty good. The girl was moaning in a charming way although it wasn't the moans he wanted to hear, still, as he had told Ichigo once, if he closed his eyes he might think the girl was Rukia.

Yuki was a pleasure that he had given himself and that he had satisfied that night; however, he could go on enjoying her for a while longer before he had to choose his future wife from among the girls in the Queen's Court, which was why the girls were there.

Yuki was not an option for a wife and that was something that both the king and queen knew. Yuki was basically a king's gift to him.

— My dear Yuki. — Kaien approached the girl with the wooden box containing the black bracelet and the ring. They had both bathed, they had both eaten, and the Kahya had brought Yuki clean clothes so she could change out of her dirty clothes. — My friend and my lover.

Kaien carefully put the ring and bracelet on her. Yuki looked happy at those words. He knew how to keep a girl happy and he knew it wouldn't be hard for him to keep Yuki happy.

— Your Inamorata? — She asked with slight doubt in her voice.

— No, my lover. — Kaien replied, noticing the disappointment in the girl when she said that. Carefully he caressed her face and made her look at him. — You can't sleep in the room of the Inamoratas, you are a Kuchiki and the king still hasn't completely forgiven your family. He will not allow a Kuchiki to sleep in the king's area.

— But Rukia sleeps here whenever she wants.

— She is a princess and a hostage. A sword hangs above her head so don't believe in the power she projects, because without the queen and without Ichigo, Rukia is nobody. — Kaien gave her a kiss on the lips. — Rukia lives in a fantasy. I'm giving you reality and reality is sometimes much better than a fantasy.

Yuki nodded and looked away with something Kaien could identify as fear. He didn't know if that expression was real or not, but it made him curious because the day before she had come to him with a lot of courage, but at that moment it seemed that the courage had evaporated.

— What is it, my dear Yuki? Did you also want to live that fantasy?

The girl slowly shook her head with a very soft smile.

— No, your highness. I accept the reality that you give me, I have always been aware of what I do and what happens around me, I was only thinking about what they could do to me in the room of the Ladies of the Queen's Court when I return. For kissing you they have hurt me, now that we sleep together, I don't know what they could do to me.

Kaien nodded conceding that the girl was right, first Nelliel breaks her hand for a kiss, and on the night of the dance one of the Cifer girls hurts her for the same reason. Nelliel's actions were relatively justified because they were married, but the Cifer girls had gone too far and he didn't doubt they could do it again.

— I'll assign you a personal maid. — Kaien commented after a moment. — And I'll take you to the room, let's make it clear how important you are to me even if you can't sleep in the king's area.

The girl smiled in a charming way and that made Kaien happy, because as long as the girl believed that she was important to him, she would do what he wanted; he just had to make sure she was safe and well.

They walked in silence through the halls and gardens until they reached the queen's area. The maids guarding the door of the Queen's Court Ladies' bedroom bowed to him and opened the door before announcing him for all to pay their respects. Kaien this time did not put on his charming expression, but one of complete seriousness before speaking to the girls who were there with their eyes lowered in respect.

— It is no secret that all of you are here because they hope that I will choose one of you to be my wife. — Kaien spoke putting a hand on one of Yuki's shoulders in a gesture of possession and protection. — It's also no secret what happened in this room on the night of the court presentation ball. I know who it was that hurt Miss Kuchiki and it is because of her kindness that the offender is still here. Miss Kuchiki is a great friend of mine and from today she is under my protection, so any offense against her, no matter how small, is an offense against me and the person responsible will return home. Have I been clear?

— Yes, your Highness. — The girls answered at the same time.

— I value kindness and good feelings, and I hope that these are among the qualities of my future wife. She will not only be my partner for life, but the queen of Avanta and the Blue Mountains and mother of the future king, so I hope all of you are aware of what it is to be the Crown Princess and the rules of the castle.

The girls agreed to Kaien's words again and he said goodbye to Yuki giving her a kiss on the hand before leaving that room. Outside was Queen Masaki, who evidently heard what he said inside that room. They both stared at each other in silence for a moment before the queen made a sign and they both began to walk towards the exit of that place.

— You could have made her your Inamorata and saved yourself the speech, dear son. — The queen commented calmly, as if there was no declared war between them or as if peace at that time was something so fragile that it should be treated with care.

— An Inamorata is a lot of responsibility, dear mother. — Kaien replied simply. — In addition, we both know that the girl I will marry will be only for commitment and service to the kingdom, not because a feeling binds me to her.

— So you have feelings for the Kuchiki girl?

— Only the feelings that wake up at night. When I get bored of her I'll marry her off to some important man or a General and the fantasy will be over. In the meantime, I will use the Queen's Court for what it was created.

— Will you abide by the illegitimate child rules if the girl gives you a child? — That question made Kaien stop in his tracks.

The queen stopped in front of him, looking at him with a questioning expression. Kaien thought about that possibility for a moment and then smiled looking at the queen.

— Dear mother, will you let a child of mine be born? — The queen's expression was invaluable, the surprise and indignation together at that question was something Kaien rarely saw in the queen. — Let the girl drink the tea, I do not want children with her, although the king would be happy with a grandson running through the castle halls and gardens. I think I'll leave it to your consideration, dear mother.

Kaien kissed the queen's hand in farewell and left to attend to his own business for the day.

Thanks to everyone who continues to read this story and I hope you are prepared for this season, because if I am good at something, it is in tragedies.

LunaticR