The Nightingale

Chapter 94: Meetings for the Future

Spring — x494 / May 9

Ichigo looked at the doors allowing entry to his mother's room and clenched his fist for a second before allowing the maid at the entrance to announce his presence appropriately.

It was the first time he had set foot in the queen's zone since Rukia was the recipient of the queen's punishment for Nelliel's death and the sensations were overwhelming. There was anger, resentment and disappointment, not to mention sadness at her mother's betrayal.

If she wanted to punish someone, it should have been him and not Rukia, but his mother preferred to make the most painful decision possible in order to make them remember that she is the queen.

The Queen. The king.

Ichigo loved his mother and that made that betrayal feel stronger than any other he had experienced before; even bigger than the disappointment he felt for his aunt Kirio after all of his plots to hurt his wife. It was something that left too big a mark.

His mother would always be his mother, but at that moment she was the queen and, like the king, he preferred to take what came from her with a grain of salt. He didn't trust her, not to the level he had before, and he doubted he would ever do it again.

― Your majesty, your commander salutes you. ― Ichigo bowed politely to the queen, placing his right hand over her heart so she could see again the commander's ring that he was forced to wear since returning from Vayalat, and kept control of his emotions. ― What commands do you have for me today?

The queen, who was sitting in a loveseat and had a cup of coffee in one hand, stared at him for an eternal second. Ichigo remained silent, like he was supposed to, and waited for her to speak.

― Will you ever say "mom" to me again? ― The queen asked as she placed the cup on the coffee table in front of her. Her voice, which began with a claim, became something similar to a plea. ― How long are you going to punish me like this? You know I did what I did to save the lives of you two, because I didn't want you to be accused and persecuted for treason. Your escape would have sparked a conflict and I didn't want the endless story of the Kuchiki girl and the Second Prince to repeat itself again.

Ichigo knew what story his mother was referring to and that made him angry.

Endless, she said, but it had only been in the previous generation because someone opened their mouth at the wrong time. The queen's words made the ancestral relationship between the Second Prince and the Kuchiki girl sound like a spell or a curse.

― And yet, history repeated itself. ― Ichigo looked at his mother, undoing his bow and standing in front of her. ― I know the details and I know for a fact that the only thing that differed between then and now is the fact that my wife and I are still alive.

― That you are alive is the only thing that matters to me. ― The queen spoke in a way that erased the pleading tone. ― It's always been like this.

― I was under the impression that punishing us was the only thing that mattered to you, your majesty. ― Ichigo felt his jaw tighten and speaking became difficult. ― I remember perfectly how Your Majesty walked past me and reminded me that everything that happened was our punishment for killing my sister. I misunderstood, my bad.

― Ichigo!

― Mother.

The silence at that moment was heavy. That situation was the reason why he had put off that talk with the queen for all that time.

The queen had called his name in a dangerous hiss, but Ichigo still had too much resentment on the matter, especially because of his mother's cruelty in not hiding her intentions and letting them know that it was what they deserved for killing Nelliel.

However, Nelliel had a death sentence since Kaien summoned her to the castle and what they did with Nelliel was almost merciful compared to what Kaien planned to do to her.

The only way Nelliel would have survived that internal war was if she had stayed out of the whole situation, but she didn't. She believed she could do what she wanted and get away with it, and she paid for her own actions. Everyone protected her and Kaien, but only he protected his wife, who was hopelessly dragged into an arranged marriage from birth and whose father treated her as a bargaining chip to finance a failed war.

The queen took her cup of coffee and took a sip before speaking again. Ichigo knew that he couldn't leave there or he would be accused of disobedience, and rather than receiving military punishment, he could receive personal punishment.

― Your wife asked my permission for you to return to the queen's area. ― The queen commented, she was still upset but she moderated her voice and changed the subject. ― I thought you would also come to ask to return to this area, but you didn't. Don't you want to go back to her?

― If your majesty was truly willing to allow me to return to this area, then there would be no need for either of us to ask permission. ― Ichigo replied, trying to stay calm and not let his anger get any bigger. ― However, my wife asked for permission and was denied. Would anything change if I asked permission to return to this area?

The situation was easy to understand. Ichigo understood it from the moment Rukia told him that she had asked for permission and that the queen had denied it. The queen was conditioning that permission on something he had and that she wanted, so eventually he would have to come to her.

― I want the truth about Nelliel's death. ― The queen responded without hesitation. ― If you tell me what really happened that time, you can go back to the queen area.

Ichigo felt like laughing at that moment, but he didn't. The truth. What would the queen do with the truth? Nelliel was not going to revive and even if she did, that life would be fleeting because Nelliel belonged to the Shadow.

― I don't think you like the truth, your majesty.

Ichigo kept a serious expression on his face, but the queen seemed to have run out of patience because she stood up from her seat and almost knocked over the cup in her hand.

― Tell me who killed her, Ichigo!

Ichigo looked at his mother in silence for a minute and then opened his mouth only to place an invisible dagger to his own neck.

Exposing the culprit of Nelliel's death would be an easy thing to do because there was only one person responsible: Nelliel, but Ichigo would give his mother what she was looking for.

― I killed her, your majesty.

―

After Ichigo left that room, Masaki froze in her seat.

She tried to assimilate what Ichigo had confessed to her, but she couldn't because her brain refused to believe that her child had done something so cruel to Nelliel. It was simply impossible, he must be lying but at the same time, she didn't doubt that he was capable of killing anyone who hurt Rukia.

Ichigo loved Rukia in an almost devoted way and he had made it clear many times with his actions. What made her think that he would be calm knowing that Nelliel was responsible for the attack on Rukia? What made her think she could protect Nelliel by sending her to the Palace of the Sun?

Ichigo's cruelty, the one she had seen when she went to settle matters in Vayalat, was visible in his eyes as he recounted in great detail every action that led to Nelliel's suicide while Rukia was with her.

Masaki blinked a couple of times, her eyes were burning and her throat felt closed from the nausea she felt at that moment, but she did not allow herself to break down because of something she had caused herself.

Again, as she stared at the empty coffee cup, the words the queen mother said to her outside Karin's room echoed in her mind: she was just like Isshin.

―

Rukia saw herself as a slave, and although she was scared, something inside her told her that she should go calmly and not protest the rough treatment she received. The bindings on her wrists hurt and caused wounds, but her skin healed almost as soon as the wound was made. She wasn't barefoot, but she was dirty and disheveled.

The slaver took her along the coast and she obediently followed him to the slave market along with others.

It had rained and the street had puddles of water where she could be reflected. Rukia recognized her own black hair but not her yellow eyes, which were like the sun.

Rukia heard how the slaves who were with her were sold one by one, from children to adults who were still useful to work in the fields, and then she heard how they offered her to the crowd dressed in colorful clothes.

"From across the dawn, a pure-blooded daughter of the morning." The slaver said along with other qualities that simply raised her price.

Many offered pieces of gold almost as big as their hands, but it was a man dressed as a merchant who bought her.

Rukia saw the man who bought her and had the feeling that she had seen him before, it was a familiar feeling, like being home. Then she remembered her house, the one she had left at dawn and where she had lived three lives, and she looked down. She felt sad.

"Your majesty, the 33 have blessed our kingdom this day. Your dream comes true, a woman with sunshine eyes has come to you." The merchant said as he made Rukia kneel in front of a man with a crown of golden laurels.

Rukia felt her knees hurt and it was that same pain that woke her up from that strange dream.

Her body felt heavy and sore, as if she had slept more than necessary in the same position, and she preferred to stay lying in bed while that strange dream slowly faded from her memory.

Opening her eyes, after deciding that she couldn't continue sleeping that day, she saw the book that was on the bed next to her.

Her brother had sent her a series of books that talked about economics and its importance on the continent and, during her free time, she had been reading them. She knew about economics, she had been reading it for a while, but her brother wanted her to be prepared for any possible economic event in the kingdom.

The book next to her talked about the Unification, which was the moment when the Cult of Deities was established as the official religion over the kingdoms and a unique value was given to the gold coin.

The representatives of the Deities like gold and at that time, when the Unification occurred, they were sitting behind the thrones of the kings, so the transition took place without much problem.

The idea was originally good for the Representatives of the Deities, as it meant that tributes to the temples would be in gold, but the common people did not have gold. Common people gave their tribute with what they had, so each kingdom minted a series of its own coins so that the economy did not collapse. Only noble families could pay tribute in gold.

Almost 500 years had passed since Unification until that moment.

Avanta was no exception and minted three of its own commonly used coins and a gold coin that followed the Unification standards. One half iron, one iron, one golden feather and one golden eagle. Common people rarely managed to hold a gold coin in their hands because they preferred payments in golden feathers, a currency that was an alloy of iron and gold.

Perhaps because she had been reading about those topics, she had that strange dream, since the last chapter she read was about the relationship between the slave trade in ancient times and the 33 gods that were prior to the arrival of the Shadow and the Deities.

She took a look at the room and noticed that she was alone, even Haru was gone. Most likely, one of her maids had taken the bunny to the garden to play and let her sleep, and the other one was running their respective morning errands.

The room was silent and that gave her peace, but that peace did not last long as Tatsuki entered the room with a huge smile on her face.

― Your highness, hurry up! ― Tatsuki ran towards the cloakroom and got lost behind the door. ― You need to change your clothes. Prince Ichigo is coming this way and…

― Ichigo is coming?! ― Rukia, who had been wondering what was wrong with Tatsuki, got out of bed so quickly that she almost fell. Hearing that Ichigo was on his way was something she didn't expect to hear at that moment. ― Did the queen free him from punishment? When? How?

― It looks like it is. In the morning he had a private meeting with the queen.

― A private meeting?

Rukia followed Tatsuki to her wardrobe. Tatsuki brought out a blue dress with white flowers and a peacock-colored one as options for Rukia to change out of the dress she was wearing.

― Yup. I was on my way back when I heard the court ladies talking about how handsome Prince Ichigo looked in the morning. I asked a few questions and a moment later, one of the prince's servants approached me to tell me that I had to prepare you for his arrival.

Rukia stopped listening to Tatsuki's explanation after hearing that the court ladies were talking about Ichigo. She didn't need to think much to know which of them was the one making those kinds of comments, which made her angry because they weren't supposed to be there anymore.

Kaien had chosen Mila, it was not official yet but she would be the crown princess, so the other girls had to return home or at least had to be presented with potential suitors for them to marry. That they were wandering around the castle was only a mere formality of the queen because she did not want to send them back home.

When Ichigo becomes king, she would make several reforms to the queen's court.

― Kia… ― Tatsuki called her name and Rukia snapped out of her thoughts regarding the queen's court. ― Which one do you like?

Rukia considered her options for a moment. The dresses were pretty but she liked the one she was wearing better. She looked in the mirror and noticed that her dress was wrinkled from having slept for the last two hours, and she changed her mind. She didn't want to look like a crumpled sheet when Ichigo arrived in the room.

― Blue.

She still got excited about Ichigo's visits and attributed it to the fact that they didn't sleep together, as well as the fact that they both had independent activities to do and be responsible for. Also influencing was the fact that Ichigo often took long trips that took him out of the castle indefinitely and she couldn't accompany him.

She liked being with her husband, even when they weren't talking, she liked being with him sharing space.

She also liked when they talked, like the night before where they clarified many things regarding the small crisis they were having and proposed methods to try to resolve it.

It wasn't an easy talk, but it was necessary because there were a lot of feelings behind Ichigo's refusals, just as there were a lot of feelings behind all of her advances. Each of them was desperate in their own way and did not know how to convey their feelings to the other person.

―

After the talk with the queen, Ichigo preferred to return to his office to finish some pending matters before going to see his wife, although he wanted to go to her immediately.

He was sure that Rukia was going to ask him why he hadn't come with her as soon as he got permission, and he was prepared with an answer so forceful that it would make Rukia forget about her anger in a second.

― You're going to be good to them, right? ― Ichigo spoke to the small black bunny he was carrying in a basket. ― You have to be a good boy.

The bunny just stared at him with his little red eyes, with his ears up and his little nose sniffing the environment. Ichigo had asked Tatsuki to give him one of his wife's dirty nightgowns, with which he made a nest for the little bunny, so that he would get used to her smell and Haru would not become aggressive.

― Yes, you will be a good boy.

Ichigo gave the bunny little pets on its head and it closed its eyes for a moment. He had been taking care of that bunny when Rukia wasn't around, so he was used to it and didn't try to run away.

He was happy and he hoped Rukia would be too when he entered the room.

―

Karin knew that each kingdom was different, from the people who inhabited it to the customs they had, and Jetaiya was no exception. Since she set foot in her new home she could tell that the buildings were different, the way of speaking was different, the food was different and of course, the clothes were different.

Additionally, clothing within the harem was a symbol of status among concubines and court ladies.

It was said that once, when the kingdom was still young and the Deities had not yet reached the continent, there was a king who had taken the most beautiful woman in the kingdom as his queen. Everyone admired the beauty of that queen, but over time the king grew tired of her.

The queen was beautiful but the king could not share his thoughts with her.

That queen was a cold woman who did not consider it necessary to talk to the king about anything other than that related to her children, so the comfort that the king was looking for was found in one of the queen's maids.

The king was fascinated with the mind of that maid, who showed herself in front of him with boldness and joy, and shared her own thoughts when the king went to visit her. The girl was not as beautiful as the queen, but the beauty of her mind captured the heart and passions of the king.

When the queen found out about this, fearful that the king would replace her and take away everything she had at that time, she punished the girl. She had her flogged and made her walk down the main street of the city with her clothes torn and dirty, humiliating her for daring to seduce the king.

However, the king stopped that cruelty and covered the girl with his cloak, declared her his concubine and gave her a palace so she could live away from the queen's hand.

He gave her maids, precious jewelry and beautiful dresses made with the most beautiful silk in the region, but the queen, who could not accept not being the only one in the king's eyes, tore all those dresses before they were given to the concubine.

The concubine, who had a privileged mind, instead of suffering for the queen's actions, took every piece of cloth available and made a new dress.

The new dress was something that no noble lady would wear because it was missing a sleeve and the skirt was made of different fabrics, but she was not a noble lady and she did not mind having to appear dressed like that in front of the king in the throne room.

The queen mocked the concubine for the clothes she was wearing, but the king got down from his throne, approached his concubine, kissed her cheeks, and placed a gold-embroidered shawl on her in such a way that it replaced the missing sleeve.

This is how the style of clothing worn by concubines was born. Incomplete clothes that reflected the queen's anger towards the king's lovers, but that kept reminding the queen that those who wore them attracted the king's eyes.

Karin knew she could get used to the clothes and most of Jetaiya's traditions, but the idea of running Toshiro's harem was something that gave her pause.

Her grandmother was right. Hinamori would be Toshiro's only concubine and if everything went wrong and she couldn't give him a son, despite what Toshiro said about his preference for having daughters, the members of the king's council would put pressure on him as the second prince.

One of the concubines of Koga, Toshiro's older brother and heir to the throne, had recently given birth to a baby girl and that was not good in any way for the inheritance of the kingdom because she was his third daughter.

Toshiro had explained to Karin that if Koga died without having a male heir, the throne would automatically pass to him and all responsibility for giving the heir to the throne would fall on his wife, or in his case, on the concubine.

At that time it did not matter that King Aizen had more children with his concubines, only Koga and Toshiro were the only princes born to concubines who were legitimized by the king to inherit the kingdom.

Hisana's son was not a prince, he was a Kuchiki, and the only way he could inherit the kingdom would be if the king made an official recognition and adopted him as his own, and that wasn't going to happen because Aizen knew the queen's family and was trying to avoid unnecessary fights for the throne.

What happened during the Kuchiki Case bothered Karin, but she could do nothing but accept that all of it prevented unnecessary bloodshed.

A lie for peace.

Karin felt like traditions were breathing down her neck, but she had to start dealing with them before traditions swallowed her up and she became one of the harem.

― Your highness, Miss Hinamori is here. ― Announced one of the maids assigned to her temporarily while they trained the ones she had brought with her.

Karin took one last look at the large screen that separated the room into two sections, the bed area and a small living room that Toshiro set up so she could talk privately with her grandmother, and allowed the girl to enter.

Karin sat in a high-backed chair set up especially for her and waited. She was nervous about how this talk would develop, but she was hopeful that she could reach an agreement with the concubine.

Hinamori entered the room and stood in the middle of the small living room, wearing the concubines' clothes and the shawl tied like a belt. She wasn't wearing any decorations in her hair, which meant she wasn't sharing a bed with Toshiro yet, and that made Karin feel safe.

The rules of the harem in that sense were quite clear and disobeying them would only bring suffering for the offender.

― Good afternoon. ― Hinamori spoke, without making any kind of bow towards Karin. It was obvious that the girl was upset about being banished from the harem building, but that was the queen's fault for trying to favor her own family. ― What did you call me for? Tonight Prince Toshiro will visit me for the first time and I'm busy getting things ready.

Karin nodded upon hearing those words, hiding the anger that the girl's arrogance caused her and forcing herself to remain calm before killing the girl with her own hands.

Doing that, killing the girl with her bare hands, was not appropriate for a princess and her grandmother, Queen Mother Aiko, would scold her for her lack of killing manners, not to mention her mother and aunt Kirio who had taught her how to send tributes to the Shadow properly.

― Oh, really? ― Karin asked with mock curiosity. ― Toshiro told me that it was the wife who scheduled the nights with the concubines and as far as I know, I haven't scheduled anything. Whoever told you that he would spend this night with you misinformed you. I will have to punish that servant.

Hinamori turned completely red in a mixture of embarrassment and anger, and Karin enjoyed that reaction but tried not to show it. The idea of reaching an agreement with her had gone out the window.

― It is the prince's duty to spend the nights with his concubines to secure an heir. ― Hinamori responded with her fists clenched and trying not to raise her voice. ― The prince has already spent a full month at your side, it is only fair that he also spends a month at my side. The nights must be equal between the concubines, the rules of the harem dictate it.

― Among the concubines. ― Karin murmured carefully, noticing that the girl was referring to her as if she were just another concubine and not Toshiro's wife. ― I had no idea about that detail, but now I will take it into account when I divide my husband's nights off between you and the other girls.

― Other girls? ― Hinamori asked, raising her voice slightly in surprise. ― Toshiro said that he would close his harem and that I would be the only concubine he would have, how dare you bring in other women against Toshiro's wishes?

Karin should have been angry at the haughty way Hinamori spoke, but it only made her laugh. Her grandmother was right, Hinamori was fantasizing about being Toshiro's only concubine and breaking her illusion was too satisfying.

― But he hasn't made the official statement yet, hasn't he? ― Karin asked, sitting in her chair. ― Therefore the harem is still open and I, as his wife, am free to give him any concubines I want, or am I wrong?

Hinamori's pretty face was distorted first into a grimace of disbelief and then into one of anger because of Karin's words.

― I will speak to the queen about this so that she bans this ridiculousness. ― Hinamori threatened. Karin expected something like that but decided to let her speak. ― You can't put just any woman in the prince's harem. You are just a foreigner who doesn't understand our traditions and who will ruin the stability of the kingdom!

― And you are a concubine who doesn't know her own place! ― Karin stood up from her seat so quickly that Hinamori, who had approached her in that outburst of anger, took a step back and fell on her buttocks on the floor. ― I called you because I wanted to meet you privately and try to establish a moderately healthy relationship with you since you will be living with us, but from what I see, you still don't understand your place and you don't have even a hint of respect for me.

― The one who doesn't understand how things are here is you. My aunt will find out about this. ― Hinamori threatened again from her place on the floor. ― She will know that you mistreated me and humiliated me, and then she...

― She what? What can your aunt do about a marriage that the king authorized? ― Karin asked while still looking down at her. ― Is it because she is more powerful than the king? Do you think you can do whatever you want just because you're the queen's niece?

― I will have you thrown out of the palace. ― Hinamori got up from the floor and brushed off her clothes. ― And if I can't, I will make your life miserable. Get those other concubines into the harem and I'll make them my allies. You will not have a single day of peace. I will completely ruin you until you are the one who regrets coming here.

― Then go and try to get me kicked out of this place! ― Karin yelled at her, annoyed by the way Hinamori spoke and her audacity in threatening her. ― But if you don't make it, the one who will make your life miserable will be me. Don't forget that, Hinamori.

Hinamori turned around and left that room as quickly as she could, annoyed and determined to carry out her threats.

Karin slumped in her chair and tried to make her heart, which was beating so hard it hurt, calm down a little. She had never felt so upset with someone like that day and she felt the gift fluttering around her fingers, threatening to get out of control.

― Are you okay?

Toshiro's voice was heard next to her, making her relax a little more. He had been behind the screen, listening to everything at her request because she felt she needed a witness in case this conversation went wrong.

― I feel like this whole situation is too much. ― She stood up from her chair and addressed her husband. ― I didn't think I would spend my honeymoon this way.

― I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to put you through all this. ― Toshiro poured a glass with the golden liquor that Ichigo had given them on their wedding day and handed it to her. He looked really sorry about it. ― It seems like someone is feeding Hinamori's mind with wrong ideas.

― If I had to guess, I would say that the queen has something to do with Hinamori's behavior. ― Karin ventured before drinking some of that liquor.

Her brother used to say that this was the liquor of business and that it should only be drunk when doing business.

After taking the first drink, Karin understood the reason for that instruction. The liquor was so strong that it seemed to reset her mind.

― There is a rumor about Queen Ravna that my mother told me about a long time ago. It is said that she wants to keep the power of the kingdom for herself and her family, but Koga interrupts her plans. ― Toshiro muttered with a glass of that same golden liquor in his hand. Karin was still recovering from that first drink. ― Queen Ravna and Koga's mother cannot tolerate each other. Since the king declared Koga as the heir to the throne, his mother gained more power and influence within the harem and court. When Koga takes the throne, even though his mother does not have the title of Queen Mother, she will have the power of one and Queen Ravna will be slowly displaced.

― I guess killing Koga's mother is not something Queen Ravna can do because it will be obvious that she was the one who decided it. ― Karin muttered after recovering from her second drink. Alcohol vapor flowed from her nostrils. ― And Koga is strong enough not to give in to the queen's wishes and threats, but... You're afraid that she'll do something to your mother, aren't you?

Toshiro nodded.

― All of us, the children of concubines, are afraid that the queen will do something against our mothers. ― Karin could see the concern on Toshiro's face, as well as a blurry vision of Queen Ravna's possible plans for him and his mother. ― Koga is my older brother, he is quite strong as is his mother, but I don't want them to be harmed because of the queen's ambition. He has always been very good to me and when I was made Second Prince, Koga joked that I would be his heir if he didn't have children, but I don't want the throne. He deserves to have a long reign and have many children.

― What if one day you have to take the throne?

Karin's question was a legitimate doubt. What would happen if Koga was killed? Although she had a clear idea of the succession rules, she needed to confirm it. There were many things at stake besides the crown.

Toshiro was silent for a moment before answering.

― Then I would have to follow the rules. The harem of princes is made up of the daughters of lords and public officials. The harem of the heir to the throne has daughters of noble lords, whose lineage is unquestionable because from among them a wife can be chosen to be the queen. The same applies for the second prince. The king's harem contains at least one concubine from each city in the kingdom, regardless of which ones he already has, and it is tradition that at the coronation the girls are received and given a shawl. It is a great ceremony.

Karin didn't like the idea of Toshiro opening the harem if he became king.

If Toshiro's only concubine was bringing her all that kind of trouble, she didn't want to imagine all the problems she would have when those other girls arrived with their own agendas to be the mother of the heir to the throne.

She definitely had to do something about it. The peace of her marriage depended on Koga becoming king and Queen Ravna disappearing from the map.

Perhaps the idea of not making the same mistakes as her mother was pretentious, but Karin would not waste everything her grandmother and mother had taught her.

It was time to talk business.

Spring — x494 / May 12

Kaien knew that he had to take advantage of every opportunity that came his way if he wanted to win that power game against Ichigo, and that no matter how small that opportunity was, he had to take it to try to get as much benefit out of it as possible.

The big plays, those that caused a big impact on the game board, required months of planning and not just being a random move given by a good feeling.

It was like composing music, where each note was written, rewritten and tested until the result was obtained that satisfied its creator, and that was what Kaien had been doing since the previous year: composing the masterpiece that would sound on the day of his coronation.

And it was all thanks to Ichigo and his love affair with the princess of Gardelia.

Kaien admitted that it all started as curiosity, a mere pleasure to make Ichigo angry, but the more he discovered a little of his brother's secret history, the more interesting it seemed to him. Furthermore, it was only fair that he knew about his brother's past, since Ichigo had read Miyako's diary and had learned of his, even using it to his advantage to kill Nelliel.

A play that had to be responded to in the same way it was made: stealthily.

The twins had also contributed to that symphony although they did not know it, because while they were in Vayalat, they sent him a letter telling him about the coronation of Prince Kisuke, about the presence of the Gardelia entourage and about the death of the Gardelia king.

Yuzu was the one who mourned that death, as she had met him during the events around Ichigo's birthday and seemed to have a good impression of him, although immediately afterwards she added "he deserves it for hitting a woman."

His little sisters had a cruel streak that he liked.

Kaien knew that Ichigo had threatened to kill the king of Gardelia, thanks to his informant in the delegation that accompanied them to Vayalat on that trip and from that small meeting with his father the day Ichigo returned to the castle; so when he read in the twins' letter the news that King Yushiru was dead, Kaien immediately became suspicious of Ichigo and his strange magic.

For days he considered the situation and in the end he decided to send one of his most loyal men to Gardelia so that his spy could send him reports about that kingdom and about the Desert Road.

Kaien had no written plan and did not know how he could use his brother's former lover for his own benefit, but when reports of the internal situation of the kingdom reached him, the idea came to him.

He knew that attacking Gardelia at that moment was a suicidal act, he did not need Ichigo's words about the inclement weather in the desert, and he also knew that the most prudent thing was to prepare the men well if they wanted to be successful in that campaign, but that meeting served to plant the idea in the king and leave it there to mature properly.

It also served to keep Ichigo's attention elsewhere, as the king ordered a spy to be sent to confirm the "rumors" he presented at that meeting. Kaien needed Ichigo to look elsewhere and not see what he was about to do at that moment under the cover of night.

― Your highness, the girl is here. ― Aaroniero reported from outside his private office.

Kaien stopped reading the latest report from his spy in Gardelia, the one he used in the meeting with his father, and allowed his guest to enter. The queen had not lifted his punishment and he could not freely enter the queen's area, but that did not matter much at that moment because he did not need to enter that place.

Maru entered the office and gave him a full bow, although Kaien could tell that the girl was nervous and scared. It was understandable that Maru was like this, she had been Yuki's maid and must have had great memories of those events, but that did not matter because soon she would forget them and would only live for him.

― This maid is at your service, your highness. ― The girl murmured without looking up, even her voice sounded fearful.

Kaien took out the vial containing the love filter he had prepared, which had finally proven successful, and handed it to the girl.

― I need you to drink this for me, Miss Maru. ― Kaien spoke with that charming smile that he always carried with him at those moments while Aaroniero stood behind the girl. ― Or your little brother is going to do it for you.

The girl started to cry, but Kaien waved a finger in front of her to make her stop and hurry up to drink the green liquid. He hated it when people cried in front of him because they seemed weak to him, but he needed that girl because she worked in the queen's area and had Rukia's sympathy.

The golden hairpin in her hair was proof of that.

Kaien knew he would lose Rukia, but he also knew that with that filter he could get her back. Having his brother's wife was an indelible point on his agenda. He wanted Rukia and every day he wanted her a little more.

It was as if something invisible was pushing him towards her.

Spring — x494 / May 14

Vayalat was the only kingdom that attacked its enemies at night. Whether it was a frontal attack or a sneak attack, the start of the attack was always at dusk.

Having Vayalat as an enemy meant having to change the attack and defense strategy because Vayalat had his own fighting rules and made everyone adapt to them.

However, Kisuke was not carrying the flag of Vayalat but Cikram, his ships were no larger than a merchant ship and his men were mostly soldiers trained in his daughter's kingdom. Kisuke was excited by the idea of fighting like this, where they were at an obvious disadvantage, because it meant he had to try harder and victory would taste better.

During the time he had been in Cikram, Kisuke had agreed with his daughter to plan the joint attack on the ports of Gardelia. During planning, they had taken into account the time taken from one port to another and the speed with which news could arrive so as not to give the Gardelia lords too much response time.

It was difficult to coordinate such an attack, but not impossible.

― We will arrive at the port before dawn and wait for them to authorize us to anchor at a dock. Once there, the objective is simple: conquer the port. ― Kisuke spoke to his soldiers as he stood on the steps of the ship's deck and the dawn was seen on the horizon, over the mainland.

Kisuke's orders were repeated to the two ships that were with him along with the signal for them to be ready. He couldn't deny that he was excited about what would happen when he disembarked at the port.

The ships moved gently through the water until smaller ships approached them. Kisuke had already changed his clothes and was dressing as Cikram merchants usually dressed, including a little straw hat that he tied under his chin.

― Where do they come from and what do they sell, sir? ― Asked a little man who was in the little boat while holding a wooden board in one hand, a piece of graphite in the other and making efforts to maintain his balance on the bow.

― We bring fabrics and cherries! ― Kisuke shouted as he leaned over the side of the ship to hear the customs man better. ― We are from the kingdom of Cikram! We just need supplies to continue our way south!

The little man from customs wrote something down in his record, gave Kisuke a scroll and told him where they had to go since it was a passing ship. Kisuke took out his fan and began to play with it while he thanked the man for his kind gesture and repeated the order to the helmsman.

― Before loading supplies, you must go through Registry Office 4. ― The little man from customs spoke again before leaving towards another ship that seemed to be approaching.

Not much happened between that little talk and the anchorage, so Kisuke gave a few last orders to his men before they lowered the bridge so he could leave.

Kisuke came down first, dressed as a merchant, followed by three young men dressed as dockers who possessed the blood of Vayalat and who were proud to go to war for the first time. The soldiers would come down later, following Kisuke's previous orders.

Despite it being very early in the morning, the port was full of people coming and going with boxes full of goods and barrels of what was possibly wine or some type of pickle. Some would be taken through the Desert Road and shipped at the next port to go to the Dawnlands and others would stay there for local trade.

There was a second port a little further north where the ships that collected the goods that came from the Port of Dawn and left for the Dusklands docked.

Everything was very well organized, it had been an ambitious project when it was beginning to take shape but it had become something large and monstrous that had a gigantic reach within the kingdoms.

The Lords of the Desert could charge whatever they wanted to anchor ships there and to use the road, and the merchants paid it because it saved them several months of sea travel and eliminated the danger of pirates ambushing them when they passed through the Broken Lands.

Kisuke wanted it and there was only one way to get it.

― Oh! I think this is the place. ― Kisuke pointed to a place that at the top had a huge sign announcing that it was Registry Office 4. ― Let's go in and say hello.

Kisuke was aware that there were a considerable number of soldiers around the place and that several of them were watching him and his ship as they moved through the port, so he wanted to do things in the most civilized way possible before unleashing the massacre.

Inside the office was a big, bald, dark-skinned guy with an earring in his ear that ended in a colorful feather.

Everything about the guy screamed that he was a simple man from Gardelia who worked in the bureaucracy, but the earring with that colorful feather meant that he belonged to the Yuruk, a desert tribe that lived lost among the dunes.

Kisuke thought it curious that a man from the dunes had left his home to live and work in the port, but he didn't comment on it. Maybe the guy didn't even belong to that tribe and was just wearing the earring because it looked pretty.

Behind that man stood a man who wore the black uniform of the Shadows of Vayalat and had almost his entire face covered by a black cloth, leaving only his eyes free.

The soldier's solemn attitude told Kisuke that his men were not used entirely to guard the goods but rather as private bodyguards for high officials and bureaucrats, which made things easier for him because the port lord's house had to be guarded by more Shadows.

― Hello! They told me I should come to this place to do paperwork.

Kisuke greeted the man with a huge smile as he took off his hat and lowered his fan, revealing his face and hair. He had been the Commander of Vayalat before becoming king and all the elite soldiers had been under his direct command at some point, so the Shadow standing behind the official recognized him immediately and knelt on the ground as a sign of respect.

― The Shadow save the King! ― The elite soldier spoke while he was with his knee on the ground and his gaze lowered as a sign of respect.

Kisuke felt proud that his soldiers had not forgotten him.

― What's going on here?!

The official stood up at that very moment, because the quick movement of his bodyguard, followed by that formal greeting, caught him off guard.

― Oh, nothing, nothing! ― Kisuke caught the official's gaze and was all he needed for the man to fall into hypnosis. ― You will go to your lord and tell him to surrender Duskport to the kingdom of Cikram or all of you people will face the consequences.

― Yes my lord.

The official's pupils were dilated and his voice came out in a flat tone that pleased Kisuke. Only people with weak minds fell so quickly into hypnosis, although he was quite good at it and few had presented a challenge.

― Very good! Now go before I kill you.

The official left the office followed by one of the gift bearers who was with Kisuke, and got lost among the people coming and going.

Kisuke's eyes, which until then had been glowing an intense yellow, returned to normal and he focused his attention on his soldier, who was still with his knee on the ground.

― Stand up. ― Kisuke ordered and the soldier stood up from the floor. ― I want you to go to everyone in your squad and tell them to kill as many Gardelian soldiers as possible. We have come to take the port with the help of Cikram's soldiers, so close all exits. Nobody leaves this place.

― Yes my commander!

The soldier came out along with one of the gift bearers and Kisuke sat in the chair behind the desk that had been left empty.

Kisuke loved war, but he loved watching it unfold when he moved a piece or two. He just had to wait and let everything take its course.

Hello everyone!

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