The Tao Princess

"It's so sweet of you to visit me, little Ren!" a woman with green tresses beamed at the Kaminari royal from across a long wooden table.

"Stop calling me little. I'm already seventeen years old," the Tao prince glared at his older sister, Jun. His journey at sea had ended earlier than expected so he decided to drop by his older sister's mansion which was in the same town as the port where the ship had docked. He would be taking a carriage to the Royal Patch Academy from there.

"Time does fly so fast, doesn't it? You're all grown up and then you'll soon be married off just like me."

Prince Ren noted a tinge of bitterness in his sister's voice despite the grin that she gave him. He was quite aware of her unhappy married life although she had not openly told him about it. His sister was thrown into an arranged marriage with a foreign duke by their father. The king of Kaminari had vehemently opposed her relationship with one of his lieutenants. Her father had demoted her lover to a foot soldier as a retaliation to her disobedience. Princess Jun eventually consented to her father's wishes in order to prevent him from further punishing her ex-lover but the forced marriage had severed ties between father and daughter. She had not written to her family nor visited Kaminari ever since the wedding.

"Your husband is away I presume?"

"Oh yes, he has some business to attend to so he is not always here."

Aside from a few servants standing by the door, they were the only ones sharing a sumptuous lunch. Prince Ren couldn't imagine how lonely his sister must have been eating meals all by herself. Her marriage with the duke had not produced any offspring to whom she can divert all her love and attention.

"Ren, I'm sorry for not attending your engagement ball… I received a telegram from Mother but I couldn't bear to see the king. I still haven't forgiven Father for what he did. Do accept my congratulations though." The duchess lightened her mood, "I'm glad you are to marry Princess Anna, the girl you have always loved since you were a little boy."

The prince almost choked on the steak he was eating. His father, Bason and now his sister… Just how many people could have known about his secret love towards his best friend? Nevertheless, the mention of his fiancée's name had brought back heartbreaking memories to him. He did not feel like enjoying his lunch anymore.

Jun noticed the sudden change in her little brother's demeanor. "What's wrong Ren? Don't you like the food? I'll ask the cook to prepare a different dish for you."

"I guess they haven't told you…"

"Told me about what?"

"The Kouku royal family was murdered…"

The duchess dropped her fork and knife and immediately rose from her seat. She rushed over to her little brother and hugged him. "Oh Ren, I did not know. I'm sorry… Who could have done such atrocity?"

The prince spent the next few minutes narrating to his sister what had transpired in Kouku.

"We buried the king and queen before I left for the Royal Patch Academy but we were not able to find Anna's body. Tell me, Jun, am I at my wit's end for believing that she is still alive despite everyone urging me to move on?"

His sister knelt down before him and patted his head just like when they were kids. If he had not been so depressed, Prince Ren could have slapped her hand away in embarrassment. He was already a teenager and she was treating him like a child.

"Why do you think she's still alive?" Jun gazed at him pitifully.

"I just know that she is. Besides we have only searched within the territories of Kouku and Kaminari."

"What are you implying?" The duchess stood up and placed her hands on her hips. She could sense that her brother was up to something.

"We haven't looked for her at the other side of the Great Spirit's River. I heard two sailors talking about searching for a missing person in Kasai and Kouri. Even though they meant it as a joke, I couldn't help but think that they may have a point. It is worth a try."

"That is dangerous Ren! Do you know you can lose your head for trespassing? How are you going to carry out your plan?"

"I'll find a way. If I don't find her there, then that's the time I'll accept that she's dead."

"You're strong-headed as always," the duchess sighed and went back to her seat. "Even if I tell you to give it all up, I know that you won't. Go find her if it would soothe your aching heart but just in case your search is fruitless, I want you to promise me that you would continue to live your life and just be thankful that Anna was a part of it."

The Tao heir nodded and took another bite of steak. He was grateful for having a sister like Jun.