The Nightingale

Chapter 89: The King from Jetaiya.

Winter — x494 / March 20

It was around noon when Aizen got off the carriage and was able to see Avanta's castle for the first time. The place was huge and seemed to be anything but a castle, but that didn't really matter to him.

What Aizen wanted was to see Queen Masaki.

The last time they had met, he had used another name, they were younger and on the battlefield. She in the group of archers, and he with the soldiers who were trying to break down the island's defenses. A great friendship, they said, but if the two had stayed together, Masaki would be the queen of Jetaiya and her children would be his.

Aizen smiled at that last thought, because it was interesting how history seemed to repeat itself: Karin was the youngest of the king's children as Masaki once was, Toshiro was a second prince as he once was himself, and there was a war in the north that everyone was involved in one way or another.

He was looking forward to seeing her face when she found out that the Second Prince of Jetaiya had become king, but he forced himself to bury those thoughts in the back of his mind because this trip had reasons other than his own passionate desires.

Toshiro came down right behind him and stood beside him, looking at the garlands of colored paper flowers that had been hung on the walls for the spring celebrations. The entire city was similarly decorated, with colorful flowers and hand-painted bunting, giving the impression that Avanta took spring celebrations seriously.

— I think next year we will do something similar. — Aizen commented, knowing that Toshiro was listening to him even though he was silent.

— A week long party? — Toshiro adjusted his coat and looked at his father for those crazy words he never expected to hear from him. — I was here for the Celebrations of Souls, it was also a huge party. It is seen that money is not a problem for them.

Aizen avoided commenting on Avanta's prosperity because it was no secret that a large part of the economy came from the lands that were once part of Maran Khan's realm.

— My son, you know that the Celebrations of Souls must be done properly, but I think it wouldn't hurt to do something like that sometime. — Aizen pointed to the paper flower garlands and smiled a little. — Do it for your future wife, so she doesn't feel so alone in her new home. I give you my permission.

Toshiro stared at him for a brief moment, as if he couldn't believe he had said that, then nodded.

Aizen knew that his son rarely showed affection in public, he even doubted that he would show it in private, so he hoped that his son would be more affectionate with his wife than with his concubine or they would have problems.

Toshiro's position within the line of succession forces him to have a son as soon as possible to ensure the stability of the kingdom should Toshiro ascend to the throne, but he doesn't even have a daughter. Sometimes Aizen thought that his son would never make it a grandfather.

The two walked to the entrance of Adelaar Castle, where a woman was waiting for them along with a group of servants who bowed before going to help with the luggage, and Aizen felt a small pang of disappointment that Masaki wasn't there.

— Welcome, your majesty. His highness. I'm the Kahya of the castle. — The woman gave them a polite curtsy before gesturing down the inner hallway. — King Isshin requested that I take both of you with him as soon as they arrived.

Aizen nodded his head slightly, still with a kind smile on his lips, and followed the Kahya through the corridors of the castle in the company of his son. He was curious about the man who sat on the Throne of Eagles and how the relationship between them would be after what happened with the Kuchiki family.

Koga had told him in every detail what had happened in that meeting in the Dome, from Ichigo's tacit threat to King Isshin when talking about the Triad to the sovereign lie about the heirs to the throne that he had to fabricate. Aizen couldn't stop laughing during the rest of the afternoon because of the whole situation that in his eyes was hilarious.

Half-truths and lies, all because of the youngest daughter of the Kuchiki family. The girl who had been promised to Koga by Soujun Kuchiki, the one who had married the Second Prince of Avanta and who Koga seemed to have a crush on, which Aizen didn't like.

Aizen also wanted to meet the woman responsible for the failure of the invasion and for Koga taking one of the Queen Mother's necklaces from the vault.

—

Isshin was standing in front of the conference table in the Dome, looking at the huge map that the cartographers had just given him, which detailed with fairly good accuracy the five kingdoms below the Red Desert, the desert itself, and the kingdom of Cikram along with Trinity Island.

He had asked that this map be made after what happened in the Kuchiki Case and the cartographers had taken their time doing it since it required precision and many trips to collate the information. The cartographers said it was the most accurate map they had ever made and they were proud of the work they had done.

Isshin liked the map, he liked the colors and markings, and he liked the way Avanta was shown to be the second largest kingdom out of the five kingdoms. The first was Kuvar, his eternal rival and his permanent headache, but that was soon to change.

Isshin took a couple of fingers towards the point that marked the city of Maranni and the Great House, and the memory of everything that happened in that place two years ago made his mouth sour.

They were the second largest kingdom on that side of the continent and had a powerful army that could take down any enemy that came their way, but Ichigo had interfered and everything that happened after made them look like a scared little bunny.

This was embarrassing and humiliating.

Ichigo manipulated everything to his whim and convenience, and everyone danced to the beat of his wishes.

— King Isshin. His Majesty, the King of Jetaiya is here. The Kahya takes him to the room you ordered.

A servant's voice snapped him out of his own thoughts and he took one last look at the map, seeing the capital of Jetaiya this time. The journey from Verihan to Maranni takes two weeks, and from Maranni to Adelaar adds another week, but Isshin knew that the King of Jetaiya had been in the kingdom for longer than it seemed.

The spies inside the Great House, Maranni and Tenjira, kept him informed of any situation that was happening around anyone with the last name Kuchiki. Isshin was not going to risk another attempt to stab him in the back with a dagger. He would first exterminate all the Kuchiki than allow an uprising and a new betrayal attempt.

Isshin left the Dome and went to the room that had been prepared for the visit of the King of Jetaiya while thinking about what that relationship would be like, if they ever reached one. He wanted to get a closer look at the man who had sided with the Kuchiki, who had sent his heir with the ridiculous explanation that Princess Hisana's son was the next heir to the throne of Jetaiya, and who appeared behind an excuse of sudden romance between the children of each one.

The situation they were in was not strange, going from being enemies to allies due to a marriage was something common between kingdoms; but Isshin never thought that something like this would happen to one of his daughters, until he received Toshiro's letter talking about his intentions with Karin.

That romance was something Isshin didn't buy but he decided to give it the benefit of the doubt because Karin seemed excited about her relationship with the Second Prince of Jetaiya.

— King Isshin, before things go the way we have planned, I would like to make a point with you. — Aizen spoke after the introductions and a few words of cordial camaraderie necessary for good relations.

Isshin tensed in his seat, knowing in advance what the point the King of Jetaiya was referring to was about, but not surprised that it was the first point to be discussed at this welcome meeting. That same issue was what Isshin wanted to discuss before the wedding arrangements were made.

— It's a very important topic we need to talk about, and I'm glad you were the first to mention it, King Aizen.

Aizen settled back in his seat, with a kind smile and confident look, and cleared his throat a bit. Isshin, for his part, was somewhat tense but didn't show it because he didn't want Aizen to see any kind of weakness in him. He had seen enough weakness when the Kuchiki case happened.

— King Isshin, I hope that little misunderstanding a couple of years ago is not the thorn in this relationship that we are about to start between our kingdoms.

— Supporting a traitor and threatening the peace of a kingdom are more than just a little misunderstanding. — Isshin added with a serious and firm voice, without relaxing the posture he had at that moment.

Aizen, on the other hand, seemed calm and relaxed, as if this was a common conversation.

— An ancestral debt that had to be paid and that we tried to do. I do not mean to lie, we coveted your land and we did not hesitate to take the opportunity as soon as it presented itself on our doorstep.

— Did they covet? Does that mean they don't do it anymore? — Isshin asked, hiding the tension caused by the light way Aizen spoke.

In a way, Aizen reminded Kisuke because the talk wasn't flowing as he had hoped. Aizen wasn't justifying his actions, he was blatantly saying what he intended to do.

— We have changed our minds in pursuit of good relations. We took that failure as a sign from the Deities not to raise arms, and we verified the design of peace when my son confessed to having fallen in love with your daughter.

— Are you saying you changed your mind because of my daughter? — Isshin asked with a slight note of disbelief in his voice, making Aizen smile. — Is invading us no longer to your liking?

— Invading would be easy, a call to the Triad and we would have the kingdom in less than a month. — Aizen crossed his legs and Isshin remembered that Ichigo is also a member of the Triad. Isshin had to swallow the insult that was born in his throat because of that threat. — But we don't want to offend the Deities and we have bigger plans that are more beneficial in an alliance.

— What kind of plans are those?

— We should discuss them after the alliance is signed, but I'll tell you as a show of goodwill. — Aizen seemed happy and calm, and Isshin was starting to get annoyed by that smile. — We intend to unify the kingdoms by making the currency as common as the language.

The "we intend" did not go unnoticed by Isshin but he did not mention anything about it. It was obvious that Vayalat was involved in that negotiation, as possibly the Gardelia kingdom was, as it was an ally of Vayalat, only Avanta and Kuvar were missing.

Isshin wondered what they planned to do to get Kuvar to join the currency unification and, as Aizen spoke in broad strokes about what they planned to do, the answer came back to Isshin quite clearly. Aizen had said it before, one call to the Triad and the kingdom would fall in less than a month.

—

The bells of the Deity Temple rang, announcing that the sun had set completely, and Masaki rose from her seat in front of the vanity mirror after the War Crown was placed on her. The maids arranged her clothes, made sure there were no extra wrinkles, and checked that the jewelry was in place.

As her maid assured her that everything was perfect, Masaki took a deep breath and put a smile on her lips before leaving her room.

Isshin had told her what had been discussed at that welcome meeting, and Masaki could see that what the Triad was planning was something big. Changing the currency so that the kingdoms would unite in a single economy is a big step that could only be the precedent for another big step.

Masaki knew that it didn't matter which side of the Triad they were on because as long as Avanta was with them, they would have some kind of protection. Besides, seeing her own daughter marry the Second Prince of Jetaiya and create an alliance was better than allowing Kisuke to steal her son under the guise of renewing the alliance.

However, Masaki hated that thought because she felt like she was selling out her daughter.

— You look beautiful, my queen.

Isshin's voice brought her out of those thoughts and made her focus her eyes on her husband, who was dressed with all the honors that a dinner like the one they were going to have deserved. Masaki smiled when she saw him and approached him to give him a soft caress on the face, which Isshin received with his eyes closed and a smile that showed how happy he was at that moment.

She often wondered how everything would have been if there had been no Kala, and longed for the past where she and Isshin were happy while dreaming of a future that never came.

Masaki wished that her daughter would not have the same fate as her, because in Jetaiya concubines were something given as gifts to princes and Karin seemed quite in love with Toshiro, according to Yuzu's letters.

Isshin took her hand and kissed her palm, giving her a smile that reached his eyes and formed small wrinkles in them. Isshin was aging like normal people did, reminding her once again that he would die before her and there was nothing she could do about it.

— I have to look beautiful. A queen is always the reflection of her king.

Isshin smiled at that sentence and offered his arm for her to hold on to as they walked into the dining room. The place was decorated as she had ordered, with the spring tones according to the season they were in, and she was satisfied with the result even though they had little time to organize it.

Isshin was leading her by the arm to introduce her to the King of Jetaiya but Masaki only took a couple of steps before she was frozen in place, stopping Isshin's advance who immediately turned to her.

— My queen, what's wrong?

Isshin's voice sounded so worried that Masaki had to quickly recover from the shock of seeing that man who smiled kindly at her. She would never, ever have guessed that Sousuke was the king of Jetaiya. Not even in her wildest dreams would she have imagined it.

— I'm fine, my king. Don't worry, just the shoes that are new. — She lied as matter-of-factly as she could. — I didn't adjust them properly.

Masaki patted Isshin's hand a couple of times to try and reassure him, but her husband wasn't calm until she reassured him that she was fine a few more times. Everyone was watching them, so they had to move or the guests would start talking about that little pause.

Upon reaching Sousuke, Masaki saw that Ichigo and Rukia were with the King of Jetaiya. She hadn't realized it because Sousuke's presence had overshadowed all the others and she cursed him for it, because he couldn't just show up and upset her life and memories in that easy way.

It had been many years since they last saw each other, but more than wanting to talk to him about that past that united them, she wanted to ask him why he never told her that he was the king of Jetaiya. Questions formed in her mind with each step she got closer to him, because something inside of her told her that Sousuke's alliance with the Kuchiki had not been just because of an ancestral agreement.

— King Aizen, this is the woman sitting next to me. Queen Masaki.

Isshin introduced her, completely unaware of everything that was going through her mind, and Masaki simply followed protocol for the sake of all that was held sacred. If she opened her mouth at that moment and said that she already knew him, terrible things could happen that night.

Sousuke seemed calm, but the smile he gave her at that moment went beyond showing kindness and courtesy, it showed a dark emotion that Masaki thought she would never see again in her life. The whiplash on her spine from that smile made her feel all her skin crawl like when she was young, and she mentally cursed him.

That couldn't be happening to her at that moment, not when she was holding onto her husband's arm and he could see the involuntary change in her, all because twenty years of marriage hadn't passed in vain.

— Now I understand why my son fell in love with your daughter, Queen Masaki. I never imagined that the queen of Avanta was such a beautiful woman.

— That's very kind of you, King Aizen. — Masaki was surprised by how calm and cordial her voice sounded, because the emotions inside her were a gale that threatened to sweep everything away. — I hope that this dinner and the stay inside Adelaar are to your liking.

— So far, everything I've seen has left me speechless. — Sousuke added calmly, however Masaki had this feeling that the words were entirely directed at her. — I'm sure that the stay inside your castle will be something unforgettable.

At that moment, Masaki was afraid that Isshin had noticed the way Aizen's eyes sparkled at the sight of her. She tried to seek help from Ichigo or Rukia, come up with some topic of conversation that would ease the pressure she was feeling, but neither her son nor his wife were there. They had left there at some point that she didn't even notice.

— I hope you also enjoy the spring celebrations.

Isshin's voice sounded close to her ear, with that tone that was meant to be kind but concealed a low growl that only she could hear.

Masaki knew that Isshin was not a man who was jealous of whoever was around her, in fact he seemed proud that she was admired by people and praised her beauty; but she had the impression that Aizen's praise for her was something that Isshin didn't like at all because after that introduction, he didn't leave her alone during the whole dinner.

Isshin had never behaved like this with her in public, not to such a degree, and that caused Masaki a little conflict. On one hand, she wanted to push him away a bit because she felt strange, and on the other hand, she wanted him not to pull away from her because she was afraid of being accosted by Aizen that night.

Dinner was uncomfortable for her and as soon as the necessary time had passed so that her leaving there would not be taken as impolite, she made up an excuse and left the dining room. She needed to get away from Isshin, who looked like a hound watching over his owner, and from Aizen's gaze, which seemed to find her every time she looked anywhere.

Masaki wanted to scream because she never imagined something like this could happen to her. Not even in the worst scenarios did she think that her husband and her ex-lover would be together under the same roof, much less that a wedding was about to take place between their children.

As her maid helped her change from her dress to her nightgown, there was a knock on the door of her room and the maid announced Isshin's presence outside. Masaki immediately put on her sleeping robe and calmed down her nerves a bit, which shot up the moment she heard that Isshin was outside.

Isshin didn't know that she knew Aizen, so he couldn't complain to her about that, but at that moment Masaki had no idea why Isshin would have to be outside her room asking to see her.

As soon as she calmed down, she asked the maid to let the king pass and leave them alone. Masaki just entrusted herself to the Shadow and waited patiently for her husband to enter the room, wishing he were there for any reason but Aizen.

Isshin walked in calmly, with a serious look and his eyes fixed on her. He didn't say a single word. He simply reached out to her, grabbed her around the waist, and kissed her with what Masaki described as violence and possession.

—

The dinner was calm, the music was still playing in the distance and there was enough wine for the guests to stay until dawn if they wanted, as well as small plates of finger food. Rukia had been present at the planning of that dinner and had turned to Hisana to help her plan the meal. In the end, everything had turned out as well as a small celebration that was planned three days in advance could.

— She didn't even notice the necklace. — Commented Ichigo, who was standing next to her with a glass of wine in hand. — I thought it would be the first thing the queen would notice, but the presence of the King of Jetaiya was all that held her attention.

— I had never seen her so uncomfortable. — Rukia muttered, who was holding a stick with a stuffed fried dumpling and watched as the King of Jetaiya spoke to Hisana. — Do you think Queen Masaki and the King of Jetaiya knew each other from before?

— I have no way of knowing, but if they knew each other, then it must have been around the time of the conquest of Trinity Island. — Ichigo ate Rukia's fried dumpling and she took another from the plate she was holding in her other hand. — They must have both been around our age at that time, more or less.

— Possibly a friendship that ended badly. — She murmured before eating the dumpling she had taken and chopping another one to offer to her husband. — I still think Karin's wedding is a bit weird, plus Kaien keeps thinking that we orchestrated everything because we have an evil plan to take over the throne. I mean, we do have it but we didn't sell Karin for that.

Ichigo laughed at that comment and placed a soft kiss on her head. Rukia took Ichigo's glass of wine to drink some, remembering the talk they had with Kaien the day before and the way he had made his position clear regarding his sister's wedding. No matter how Ichigo tried to make him understand that he hadn't sold Karin to Jetaiya, Kaien didn't believe it and the alliance between them ended.

— I guess we've traumatized Kaien enough for him to think I'm capable of selling out my own sister. — Ichigo grabbed a fresh glass from a passing servant. — Toshiro assures that his intentions with Karin go beyond an alliance. He claims that he has feelings for her and that his interest is genuine.

— Do you trust him? — Rukia asked after drinking the last of her wine glass. — You know… do you trust that Toshiro won't break her heart?

Ichigo also drank what was in his wine glass before answering.

— I have to do it. — He took both empty glasses and handed them to a servant. — Let's get out of here, the welcome dinner is over for us.

Rukia ate the last bite that was left on her plate before saying goodbye to her brother, Hisana, Toshiro and King Aizen, who were chatting between laughs about something she couldn't hear.

The queen hadn't noticed the necklace, but King Aizen had, and had dedicated a few words to her about how well that jewel suited her, as well as the origin of that necklace and how it was given as a gift by his grandfather to his grandmother.

It was a jewel with history that added more weight and value to it than it already had.

When they left the place where that dinner was held, Rukia realized that the moon was just a small line that was about to disappear and that if it weren't for the torches that were lit everywhere, the darkness in the corridors and castle gardens would be absolute.

They walked in silence, holding hands until she hugged him for warmth. The night was beautiful and cool, and although she liked the cold, she liked more to feel the warmth of her husband who made her feel protected and comfortable.

By the time they entered the Marble Garden, which seemed to be the destination Ichigo had planned for this walk, Rukia had his coat around her shoulders.

In that garden there were some small white flowers that only opened at night and whose aroma was so soft and intoxicating that it was a delight to smell it. On nights when there was a full moon, those little flowers seemed to catch the light and shine, looking much more beautiful to the eye. Rukia liked to look at them, although she only did it when she was with Ichigo.

— Would you like to have your own garden? — Ichigo's question made Rukia pause before picking off one of the blooming flowers.

By that time, thanks to the fact that her eyes had become accustomed to the dimness given by the dim light from the torches that illuminated the garden, she could see her husband's face, who was looking at her curiously, waiting for an answer.

— A private garden? — She asked excited by the idea of having something that was uniquely hers.

Rukia had an orchard and a private garden in Maranni, which she hadn't seen since she left there to marry Ichigo, and she couldn't deny that there were times when she missed enjoying the solitude in the company of her plants.

The queen's private garden was beautiful, but the gardeners were the ones in charge of taking care of it so that it always looked impeccable, besides, that place was only to admire and Rukia missed putting her hands among the mint plants, the coldness of the earth when she removed the weeds and the tranquility that those moments caused her when it was just her and nothing else.

She missed a little that Rukia who grew up in Maranni and who stayed there, among the rose bushes and the mint.

— One that will be only yours, like the queen's. — Ichigo replied, cutting off the flower she intended to cut and carefully placing it in her hair. — The forest of the grove is a good place, also near the cliff gate and there is a space available between the inner gardens. Which one would you like?

Rukia felt her heart beating with true emotion and happiness, and her mind began to imagine that garden and the plants she could plant in it. The thought that in the spring of next year her garden could be full of colorful flowers made her smile.

— Can I see the places first? — She asked with her eyes shining with the emotion of receiving that gift that seemed incredible to her.

Ichigo nodded, taking one of her hands and placing a kiss on the palm.

— Of course you can. In the one you like the most, there it will be.

Rukia could see the smile on her husband's lips and she brought her hand up to his face to attract him to her. The kiss that followed was sweet and slow, the same kind of kiss that told her how much he loved her and how guilty he still felt about everything that happened on the day of the roses.

A few days ago, they had a talk similar to the one they had when they were on their honeymoon, but this time Ichigo didn't give in and blamed himself for not being able to protect her and for having put her in such danger.

Those days still weighed heavily on both of their hearts and she couldn't blame him for feeling that way, so she didn't insist on that topic again.

Not until that wound has healed a little more.

Spring — x494 / March 23

Cikram's throne room was just as Kisuke remembered it: imposing, majestic, and with that huge chandelier crowning the vaulted ceiling. Perhaps it had changed a bit in all that time, a new tapestry here or a new statue there, but nothing that diminished the majesty of the place.

When Kisuke stood in front of Cikram's huge throne, which was a monumental work of wood and precious jewels, he remembered the night he had crowned himself king of that kingdom.

That night, the marble floor of that throne room had been stained with the blood of members of the royal family and the walls resounded with the laden shouts of curses against him. If he closed his eyes, he could swear he was transported to that past where he had thrown the severed head of the former king of Cikram at the feet of his heir.

It had been a glorious night.

— Your Majesty!

The animated voice of a woman made him stop remembering those times of blood and conquest, and he fixed his attention towards the place where that call came from. Kisuke hadn't seen her since he made her queen of Cikram but she was still as beautiful as ever, with that black hair and clear eyes that enchanted like two precious stones.

The woman came up to him and kissed his hands in a gesture of respect and affection, but Kisuke hugged her with the same emotion as when she was a child. It was a long hug that ended when Kisuke kissed his daughter on the head.

His firstborn, the one he had with his beloved Shadow.

The one he made queen of Cikram.

— Where are my granddaughters? I want to see them. — Kisuke spoke, fully encouraged to see his daughter after such a long time and eager to meet his granddaughters that she had told him so much about in her letters.

— They are with their father. They are playing in the king's garden. — The queen of Cikram hung on Kisuke's arm to guide him through the corridors of that place while she showed him a huge smile.

— Come on, I'll take you. They are anxious to meet you, father.

—

Chika saw the mercenary sitting outside his own tent, with a bottle of rum and a couple of his generals sitting with him, laughing at some nonsense that Chika didn't care about. The only thing he expected, and what he was paying for, was that they do their job well.

He would have preferred to hire the mercenaries of the Triad, but the last word he heard of them was that they were in the north of the Dusklands, so he had to hire the second best company of mercenaries at hand: The Tirnoq Company.

And for what they were charging, they had to be pretty good.

Chika took his own horse and decided to start touring the periphery of the city, as he had done every day since the Malthai ordered the city closed to "protect" the citizens from the invaders. If the Malthai had thought he was alone with a small group of soldiers, then she was naive.

Of all the men who accompanied him to the throne room that time, only the one who had the mission to infiltrate the harem had not returned. Chika knew that this man would not return but it was still a regrettable loss because he was quite good with a sword.

Arriving at the South Gate, Chika saw a group of merchants trying to get into the city, but the mercenaries forbade them. The order had been clear: the merchants were to leave some of the merchandise for the soldiers and then go elsewhere, and they all had to do it no matter what.

Sieges used to be slow and what Chika was looking for was for the people locked up inside the city to turn against the Malthai.

He just had to wait a little longer and then he would present himself as the savior of the city because people, when they're hungry, swallow anything.

And that includes the lies.

—

Her maid finished putting perfume on her neck, nape, wrists, and between her breasts, and presented her shoes for her to wear. Her hair was loose, only secured with the brooch that Isshin sent in the afternoon along with the message: "A gift from King Isshin to her majesty, Queen Masaki. Ask that you use it at dinner tonight."

Masaki wondered if Isshin intended to take her to bed that night as well, because it had been many days in a row and she was beginning to worry that Isshin's heart was agitating too much. She still didn't want to be a widow.

After Isshin entered her room that night, he cornered her and fucked her. He didn't ask any kind of question or claim, the only thing that came out of Isshin's mouth were gasps and the word "mine" every time he broke a kiss to start another.

They had years without doing it like they did that night.

Isshin was demanding and knew where to touch her so that she would simply say "yes" to all his wishes.

Her screams and moans had been so loud that the maids entered her room because they thought the king was hurting her, when the opposite was true. The poor girls had to get out of there as fast as they came in while apologizing and covering their faces in shame for finding their king and queen in such a situation.

The next day, Masaki had to use the gift to be able to erase the bite marks and hickeys that Isshin had left all over her body; even she had bites on her thighs and she didn't realize when Isshin had done them. When she offered to treat her husband's wounds, Isshin simply refused, saying that they were his war trophy.

They were together all day, attending the start of the spring celebrations in the capital, and when they returned to the castle, Isshin asked her to bathe together in the king's private baths. They spent the night together again and Isshin once again left marks all over her body, wherever his lips managed to reach.

If that wasn't a display of jealousy and possession, then Masaki didn't know what was but she was enjoying it.

—

The night on the cliff was cool, cooler than Aizen would have imagined and he liked it. His solo evening walks were a time to relax his mind from the pressures of the corona, allowing himself to focus on more mundane and familiar things, like his daughter and grandson.

The boy was practically a small version of Byakuya but with Hisana's eyes, and Aizen found that curious because Hisana didn't resemble her mother beyond her blue eyes. They were eyes that were destined to follow him wherever he went because that color was unique.

His grandson was adorable and he quickly became attached to him as soon as Hisana introduced him to him, causing Aizen to quickly become fond of the boy for being his first male grandchild. Perhaps, when the boy was older, he would send for him to be educated by Jetaiya's private teachers as befitted his birth.

He was about to enter the building where the rooms they had assigned him were, when he saw Masaki walking towards him. She was dressed in something that looked like a cross between a dress and nightwear, too suggestive for daytime wear but perfect for a late-night visit to someone else's bed.

Aizen didn't have to think too hard to know that the queen was going to visit the king's bed that night, causing a very small part inside him, the same one that woke up on the night of dinner while King Isshin was holding Masaki by the waist, grunted with some annoyance at that idea.

He stood where he was, waiting for her and her maid to pass him, and he nodded slightly in greeting. This was the chance encounter he was waiting for to happen and he had to hide a smile as Masaki stopped in front of him.

It didn't matter that the queen had stopped at a prudent distance from him, Aizen was able to appreciate the queen's figure in all the detail that the lights from the torches that illuminated the corridors allowed. She had changed so much since they last met, and yet she retained that unnatural beauty and youth that Vayalat royalty possessed because of the gift of war.

He couldn't deny that the desire to touch her burned his hands and other parts of his body. He wanted to corner her, kiss her, and savor her as had happened many times on the island, but he held back because she was accompanied.

Masaki moved her hand and the maiden next to her immediately stepped back, lowering her gaze as much as possible and falling silent. Aizen appreciated that gesture as a show of absolute power, as it should be in a queen, and he regretted not having looked for her as soon as he returned from the battle.

The silence between them was heavy but neither of them looked down. Aizen could see in Masaki's eyes an anger too palpable to miss, but he couldn't help but smile at the sight of the queen. He took a step towards her, intending to close the distance so he could finally touch her, but Masaki raised her hand and stopped him with that simple gesture.

— Just because the maid behind me doesn't speak, doesn't see, and doesn't listen, doesn't mean there aren't more eyes watching us. — Masaki lowered her hand and Aizen backed up the step he had taken, remembering that this was not his palace and these were not his soldiers. — Be thankful that it's because of those eyes that I don't give you the blow to the face that you deserve.

Aizen let out a small laugh, too soft and subtle for anyone other than Masaki to hear, and he enjoyed seeing her draw her eyebrows together in a very cute angry gesture.

— You can use that old magic that runs through your veins to punish me for my silence all these years, but you still prefer skin contact. — Aizen placed a hand over his heart. — I missed you too, Masaki.

— Who said I miss you?

The question was defiant and defensive but without any hesitation in her voice, which caused silence between them again. Maybe she didn't miss him but Aizen was sure that he still caused something in her. He saw it the night of dinner and he could feel it under his skin.

— Where is the bloodthirsty princess I met on the battlefield?

— She stayed on the battlefield. Enjoy your stay in the castle, King Aizen.

Masaki said his name and title with that anger mixed with claims, and signaled to her maid to continue on their way. She had only taken a couple of steps, when Aizen spoke again. He didn't want her to leave, he wanted to keep seeing her and admiring the woman she had become, but Masaki didn't turn to look at him.

That part of her hadn't changed at all. Temperamental, willful and demanding. She was still a pampered princess hiding under a queen's mask.

— Your Majesty, I would like to discuss our children's wedding. — Aizen knew exactly what that sentence sounded like, and from Masaki's slight shrug, she did too. — The marble garden in the evenings is beautiful, I would like the ceremony to be in that place.

— Tomorrow we will talk about those matters. Now I have to visit my king.

Aizen watched Masaki follow her path, watching her until she was out of sight in the darkness, and then he made his own way to the building where he was staying. He couldn't deny that a small part of him stirred in annoyance as soon as Masaki confirmed that she would be spending the night with her king.

A part of him, the one that was temperamental and wild, still considered Masaki as his own.

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Hi! Sorry for the delay, but here is the new chapter. I hope you enjoy it.