The day for our vacation had finally come. Prince Shiro would be arriving here in our Manor using the carriage that the Emperor specifically prepared for us. All of my stuff was ready when he arrived. The servants loaded them all up on the back of the carriage and Prince Shiro helped me to get inside. We didn't say anything to each other when he arrived. I just got inside the carriage, waited until everything was loaded up and we finally were on our way to our estate. I looked over at Prince Shiro and he was just being quiet. His eyes were close and he just seemed to be peacefully enjoying the ride. I, on the other hand, have a lot of things on my mind. I don't even know where to begin.
As I was hugging Prince Shiro from behind, I could feel his breathing getting heavier and his heart started to beat faster. I'm not sure if he's nervous or scared or somewhere in between. I have to tell him what I had uncovered."Your mother wasn't in an accident." I said. I could feel Prince Shiro's hand on mine. He was trying to make me let go of him. I loosened my hold on him and he turned around and faced me. Our eyes met and I could tell he re
During our stay at the estate, Prince Shiro and I have grown closer to each other. We spent most of our time talking about the things we both had in common. It turns out we have a lot in common and I'm happy that I was able to get to know him more. I am engaged to him so it makes sense that I want to know who he truly is. However, we weren't here just to kindle the fire of love. We're here to plan ahead.
Our vacation was short but it wasn’t fruitless. We had devised a plan for when we came back to the Empire. We had also spent this time getting to know each other more. We needed to pretend that we had become distant when we came back to the Empire. We can’t let our enemies know that we were on good terms. We have to make them think that I’m on their side. It’s easier to get information from the First Prince so I decided to go down that path.We arrived back at the Empire. The carriage stopped outside my house. Before I left the carriage, I told Prince Shiro to be careful and to be wary when he gets back home. He kissed me before I left the carriage. I stood outside my house and I looked as the carriage left my view. I went in where my father was waiting for me.“Welcome back, Hima.” He greeted me. I ran to him and gave him a hug. I spent the rest of the day talking to my father about what happened at the estate. Of course I left out a few details but he was m
I asked all of the servants when the last time they saw my father and they told me that they all saw him leave for court this morning. He never came back after that. Usually, he would come home before me but this time he's not even here yet. Could there be something wrong? I started overthinking about my father's whereabouts. Could it be that something happened to him? If so, who would target him and why? Could it have something to do with the Royal family? All of these thoughts ran amok in my head. I couldn't sit still and I paced the room."My lady, please calm down." The servants tried to calm me down but it wasn't working. I needed to know if the bad feeling I have in the pit of my stomach is related to my father. Although he's not my real father, I've treated him as if he was my real father. Just when I was starting to fully panic, there was loud banging on our gate. I came out with the servants and some guards. I asked them to open the gate and there I saw my fathe
I let my father rest before I decided to ask him questions about the night of his ambush. I made sure that he was well taken cared of and that he was in a calm state of mind so he could remember everything clearly."Father, how are you feeling?" I asked. He looked at me and smiled."I'm feeling better now, my dear. Stop worrying." He said to me. I couldn't stop thinking about what happened to him. They could've gone for me but why did they have to bring my father into this. I could feel my anger boiling up but I tried to stay calm. Nothing right can be done if I were to be angry. I calmed myself down and tried asking my father some questions."Do you remember what happened that night?" I asked. My father took a sip of his tea and nodded."Yes, I remember clearly although I will say this, I have no idea who those men worked for nor where they came from. I believe they were there to truly harm me. It wasn't just a group of bandits decidi
My father has been recovering nicely. As planned, Prince Shiro and I spread the rumors that my father was robbed on his way home from his duties and he got injured because of this. We made sure that the whole capital knew of what happened to my father. No one else apart from close family servants and Prince Shiro of what truly happened to my father. We did this to try and sound out the real culprits. They were after something and I need to find out what it was. 
After tea time with the Emperor, I went back home to check on my father. To my surprise, I saw the first prince waiting for me by the entrance of our manor. I quickly got out of my carriage and greeted him.“Greetings, your highness, the First Prince. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” I gre
The following day, I decided to meet with the First Prince. I needed more information about him and I needed to know what he knew. It was risky but as for now, this is the only way I could investigate without having to sneak around. I didn't inform him of my visit but I know that the First Prince will be delighted to find out that I am willingly coming to him. When I arrived at the Palace, one fo the servants offered to take me to the First Prince's room but I declined. I told them that I was familiar with the Palace and I know where I'm going. To be honest, I wasn't as familiar with the Palace as I thought I was. I only said that so the servants wouldn't follow me around. Maybe I could pass by the Emperor's study and see where the Empress hides the incense sticks she uses to poison him.As I was walking, I noticed that I was in a familiar part of the Palace. This was on the way to the First prince's room. There were no servants around but I could hear something in the d
“Miss, here are the papers that need your signature for the finalization of the Spring Collection that will be featured in our fashion show.” My assistant came into my office and handed me a stack of papers. My name is Nagatsuka Akina, I’m the Founder and CEO of Hanazu Couture. Although my company hasn’t been around for as long as the other famous brands out there, we’ve become a household name in the fashion industry. I’ve worked tirelessly for the last 15 years to make this company what it is today.“Miss, I’ve received a call from...your father.” My assistant reluctantly told me. I had instructed her before that any business with regards to my family, I will not accept. I’ve told her that if anyone called saying they were my immediate family, disregard what they say and blacklist their number so they won’t be able to call again. She
I walked towards the shadow guard who called for me. When I was finally in front of him, he slowly lowered his mask, revealing his face. This was considered taboo for a shadow guard. No one, not even their master should see their faces. That was the only secret they were allowed to keep from their masters. I was surprised when he pulled down his mask."What are you doing?" I asked him frantically. I didn't want him to get into trouble. He shook his head and sat down on the windowsill. He was calm and it didn't seem like he was going to cause trouble. I relaxed my shoulders a bit and I took a step back from him."Why did you do that?" I asked. He was looking down on the floor when I asked that question. He turned his head towards me and shrugged."All this time, I believed that the master that I was serving was a good person. I knew of his story yet I couldn't understand the decision he made." He answered. I wasn't able to recall any memories fr
“Miss, here are the papers that need your signature for the finalization of the Spring Collection that will be featured in our fashion show.” My assistant came into my office and handed me a stack of papers. My name is Nagatsuka Akina, I’m the Founder and CEO of Hanazu Couture. Although my company hasn’t been around for as long as the other famous brands out there, we’ve become a household name in the fashion industry. I’ve worked tirelessly for the last 15 years to make this company what it is today.“Miss, I’ve received a call from...your father.” My assistant reluctantly told me. I had instructed her before that any business with regards to my family, I will not accept. I’ve told her that if anyone called saying they were my immediate family, disregard what they say and blacklist their number so they won’t be able to call again. She
We arrived at the Imperial Palace and all of the guards weren't present outside. This was really unusual since guards were supposed to be stationed all over the Palace to ensure the safety of his Majesty. Whatever is happening must be big for all of these changes to happen. Prince Shiro held my hand as we ran towards the audience chamber of the Palace. There were guards sprawled all over the place, thankfully there was no blood which means the guards are only unconscious and not dead. When we arrived at the audience chamber, I was shocked to see the chancellor, on his knees in front of the Emperor. Imperial guards and Shadow guards were scattered all over the whole room, all of them were unconscious. "Father!" I instinctively called out.
"The Emperor knew of the Empress' schemes however he was unable to stop her. The fight for the throne was a battle that your mother shouldn't have been a part of yet she was killed because of it. The Chancellor was blinded by his grief and anger over the loss of your mother. Ever since then, in his heart, he blamed the Emperor for the death of his wife." The shadow guard finished his story. I couldn't believe what I heard. How could something like this happen to Himawari's family? Is this the price the chancellor had to pay by being so close to the Imperial Family? "But it wasn't because the Emperor didn't do anything for the Chancellor, he was unable to do anything for fear of the people's reaction towards the Imperial Family. He had to keep everything in secret and so the crimes of the Empress were never investigated and she was never found guilty for all the people she killed and all the crimes she committed. Until recently, when you exposed her crimes for the whole
I walked towards the shadow guard who called for me. When I was finally in front of him, he slowly lowered his mask, revealing his face. This was considered taboo for a shadow guard. No one, not even their master should see their faces. That was the only secret they were allowed to keep from their masters. I was surprised when he pulled down his mask. "What are you doing?" I asked him frantically. I didn't want him to get into trouble. He shook his head and sat down on the windowsill. He was calm and it didn't seem like he was going to cause trouble. I relaxed my shoulders a bit and I took a step back from him. "Why did you do that?" I asked. He was looking down on the floor when I asked that question. He turned his head towards me and shrugged. "All this time, I believed that the master that I was serving was a good person. I knew of his story yet I couldn't understand the decision he made." He answered. I wasn't able to recall any memories
I didn't know how long I was trapped in my room but it felt like forever. The shadow guards would put water and food down by my door during meal time. I tried talking to them but they were silent as usual. The maids never came around to my room either. Even Mei, who would usually be with me, never came to visit. Did father do something to her? DId she leave or is she just following my father's orders? Either way, I really have to get out of here. All my windows had shadow guards under them. I couldn't even try to escape through them. There was no other way for me to contact the outside world. I was locked up and trapped inside my room. It's been a few days and maybe Prince Shiro will figure something out. Unless my father talked to him about my whereabouts, he would surely try to look for me. "Hima..." I heard father's voice on the other side of the door. I walked closer hoping to hear what he had to say. "I hope you're not putting your fait
I was in front of the door to my father's office. My heart was pounding in my chest and I was unsure of whether or not I should confront him directly or investigate further before I jump to conclusions. I trust my father but it was just too suspicious of him to be in contact with the First Prince all this time. My gut is telling me that I should get to the bottom of it. After all, I know he wouldn't hurt me. If he really wanted to hurt me, he could've done so long ago. I took a deep breath before I knocked on my father's door. I slid it open when I heard his voice calling for me. He was standing by his desk, a cup of tea in his hand. He was looking out the window when I came in. He turned his head towards me and smiled. When I saw my father like that, I felt guilty for concluding that he was a bad guy when I haven't even heard of his side yet. Maybe it was all just my own misunderstanding. "You called for me, father?" I asked. He nodded and pointed towards the
I had to know more. I had to be sure that my father was innocent and that he wasn't involved in any way. There was an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach and I didn't like it. I didn't know how to go about with my day knowing that my father could be an accomplice. But I couldn't understand anything. If it was true, why would he do that? Why would he work with the first prince to kill the Emperor? If I was right that the First Prince was the one behind the assassination attempt on me and Prince Shiro, that wouldn't make any sense. He's my father, he wouldn't do anything to hurt me. "Miss? Are you still awake?" Mei knocked on my door. I quickly composed myself as to not seem too suspicious. I told her that I was still awake and she slowly opened the door and peeked her head through. "The master is calling for you." She said. I felt my heart drop to my stomach. This is such a coincidence. My father calling me right when I was being suspicious of him.