The Duchess' Secret

Prince Yoh found himself walking into a majestic tea room by the request of the owner of the house.

"Yoh Asakura, please make yourself comfortable," Jeanne greeted the Kasai prince as he took the seat across her.

"Thank you for taking time to consider our kingdom's offer, My Lady."

The duchess poured him a steaming hot cup of tea. "Hao maybe the most obnoxious person I've ever known but he made a smart decision by sending his brother. I can see that the resemblance is uncanny but you've got a kinder face..."

The Kasai prince blushed while the Duchess gazed at him with her soulful eyes. Jeanne of Mont St. Michel was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in that part of the land.

"My brother isn't the best of character but I assure you, he would always prioritize what's best for the kingdom." Prince Yoh's eyes fell on Jeanne's belly which was more pronounced now that they were near each other. "By creating a trade relationship with us, he would ensure the success of your partnership with Kasai as long as he seats on the throne. The king would - - -"

"Is there something you wish to ask, Your Highness?" Jeanne interrupted him before sipping her drink.

"I---" The prince hesitated. "I am sorry for my boldness and my lack of sensitivity to ask you this... but it's important for the continuity of the Asakura lineage. Is that my brother's child?"

"No." The Duchess told him outright.

Prince Yoh felt guilty for being nosy. "Apologies, My Lady... I should not have inquired about your private life..."

"No offense taken... I knew that it would cross your mind. Hao and I were never lovers nor friends. He was just a guest of this house who my father picked to be my future husband. He eventually chose to take a different path."

"I'm happy that you're freed from an unwanted engagement. You can be with the father of your child." The prince grinned at her although deep down he was a bit saddened. A royal baby could bring back joy to the dismal Kasai palace.

"Unfortunately, the father of my child is getting married to someone else..."

"Ohh... Did you tell him that you're carrying his offspring?"

"I couldn't... He wasn't in the right state when we did it.. I... took advantage of the situation..." The pregnant girl grew red with embarrassment.

"Still... He deserves to know... It's his child after all.."

Jeanne responded with downcast eyes. "I just couldn't take away his happiness... He had searched hard for his fiancée whom people thought was dead. Now that he had found her, I refuse to become the catalyst for breaking them apart. His heart was already broken over his father's involvement in the murder of his fiancée's family... I don't want to be the cause of another heartache..."

The Kasai prince grew silent as realization dawned on him. "Is Ren Tao the father of your child?"

"Yes..." Jeanne covered her mouth as hot tears fell down her cheeks. She had been keeping this secret for months even to people who were close to her. She felt relieved that someone else knew of her predicament.

The Kasai royal reached out to hold her other hand in order to comfort her. He sat in silence until the Duchess had cried her eyes out.

"Lyserg told me that Ren thought Anna was going to break the engagement off... because she was in love with you..."

Prince Yoh was stunned by this revelation. The Kouku queen had never said anything of that sort to him especially when they last saw each other. She did not say those three words back after his confession.

"If you were Ren, what will you do? Will you give up the girl that you love for some responsibility that you never wanted?" Jeanne asked between sniffles.

The Kasai royal sighed. "I already did... My parents, my friends, Anna... They all taught me to man up and accept my responsibilities but in the end, it was me who made the choice. I'm sure the king of Kaminari will gladly face the consequences of his actions."

Prince Yoh handed her a white napkin. "Jeanne... Maybe I'm not the right person to give you advice. My decision was based on me being bound by my duty to the kingdom but this... This is different... Please give your child a chance to know his father. Ren is a good man. Anna wouldn't be friends with him if he wasn't..."

The Duchess wailed even more. The prince handed over his napkin in case hers wasn't enough. Beads of sweat started to form on his forehead as guilt filled him. He was supposed to be closing a trade deal not making a pregnant woman cry.

"My Lady... I have no right to tell you what you should do and I will respect whatever your decision will be. I do have one request though... Smile, Jeanne... You will have your little bundle of joy soon..." Prince Yoh squeezed her hand.

"I will try..." The girl wiped her eyes dry. "Please don't tell Marco. He doesn't know who the real father of my child is... I have told him countless of times that it isn't your brother's but he doesn't want to believe."

"I won't tell. Faust would be so disappointed though. I think he's drafting his message to my brother at this very moment." The prince scratched his cheek.

"I couldn't even imagine Hao cuddling a baby..." Jeanne chuckled.

"Yeah... He would throw him out of the window straight away..."

At the Kasai palace mini library...

"Achooo! Achooo!"

King Hao scratched his nose. He should be calling it a day soon. He had to summon the servants in a few minutes since the mini library might need a bit of dusting. He finished off the letter he was writing to send along with the freshly picked red roses to Kouku. He read it once more while waiting for the ink to dry up.

"My lovely Anna,

I do apologize for Yoh's incompetence. Clearly he is still an amateur when it comes to negotiation. He should have convinced you to wait for him. Please don't make the biggest mistake of your life by marrying the Tao king. That man had such a bad taste in hairstyle. As before, I'm sending you these roses to remind you of my weak-hearted brother. I know you've got a strong will but mine is stronger. I will do for now what he can't do for you. Do remember that our clan has a track record of producing better-looking offsprings. Just look at yours truly.

Your future brother-in-law,

Hao Asakura."