The Tardy King

King Hao Asakura peered through the throne room. Nobody was there so that meant the wedding ceremony was finished. The two palace guards stationed at the door were discussing about the events that had transpired earlier. It sounded like the wedding did not happen after all.

"I should have been here, you know. That would have been too awesome to let pass." He told the blond medicine man accompanying him.

"I had a lot to report, Your Highness. Surely, you would be interested about our exploits for almost a year long." Faust had detailed what happened to their mission to the king the whole morning. King Hao was about to leave the Kasai palace for Kaminari when his right hand man showed up at the front door.

"You could have sent a telegram that you would be going home." The monarch told him as they strolled down the hallway to the grand ballroom.

"My apologies. I was just excited to come back for a vacation..."

"Without my brother? That seems odd though... You don't have to lie to me, Faust. I know that was just a delaying tactic so Yoh can sneak into the Kaminari palace." King Hao grinned at him.

The medicine man dropped his jaw. "Are you spying on us in Morphia?"

"No, it's just that my brain's far superior than yours. I knew about Jeanne being pregnant with the Tao's child. I may have told Marco about it..."

"What?!"

Flashback

King Hao laid down on the mat while Kanna, Marion and Matilda were setting up the food on the table. It was the first time he had been this carefree ever since he became king. He needed to relax from all the royal responsibilities thrown at him. That was one of the many differences between him and Yoh. His brother was as lazy as him but he was that twin who takes up responsibility more seriously. Yoh was so uptight and relentless in making Kasai a better kingdom that he did not know how to slow down or make compromises.

"I hope you are satisfied with the accommodation?" Tamao appeared from the door. She reserved for him this private villa that was especially built for high-profile guests.

"Horo Horo wanted to book this but I told him it's still being renovated."

"Well, it's my brother's house after all. I get first dibs on any room in this inn."

"Of course, anything for my king although Horo Horo would have brought in more income. Anyway, I will leave you now. That goofball might start exploring the inn. We wouldn't want him to disturb your peace, would we?" Tamao beckoned her employees to follow her out and leave their distinguished guest.

A few minutes after the staff had left, King Hao heard familiar voices conversing in front of the private villa. He peered outside the window and saw silhouettes of what seemed like two girls. They were seated on the chairs in the front porch. When his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he realized that it was Pirika with his ex-fiancée's cousin called... Never mind... He cannot remember something unimportant.

"This place is huge! Tamao even had an exclusive villa built. I'm really glad she's doing well." Pirika gazed at the hotspring in front of her. "Hey, Lyserg... I've been meaning to tell you this earlier..."

"What is it, my dear?" The future Duke of Morphia lovingly asked his girlfriend.

"I don't want you keeping secrets from me."

The boy was clearly startled. "I'm not.. I swear Pirika!"

"Then what about Jeanne? You've been keeping mum about what happened to her..."

Yeah... What about your cousin? Hao thought from behind the wall. He had known that she had been taking medicines because she got the same disease as her father. It was hereditary they said. Had it progressed?

Lyserg sighed. "Don't tell this to anyone especially your brother... Jeanne is pregnant..."

Pirika covered her mouth. "Who is the father? Is it Hao?"

"No!" Lyserg exclaimed.

No! The Kasai king screamed silently at them. He may be a pervert but he had never laid a finger on Jeanne. She was more like a sister to him - - - a sister who was always confined to a room that he would often forget she existed.

"She wouldn't tell..." Lyserg whispered. "But I think it's Ren..."

The Kouri princess gasped.

Interesting... King Hao grinned to himself.

"I think something happened between them the night of the Friendship Ball... I wanted to ask Ren but I don't want to ruin his chances at happiness. He was elated to find, Anna. I saw it with my own two eyes. On the other hand, I feel guilty because Jeanne is family. I should have been looking out for her especially now that she is carrying a child in spite of her sickness..."

"Ohhh Lyserg..." Pirika hugged him tight. "I know you're torn but Ren has to know. What if he finds out from someone else? He would think that you have betrayed his trust once more. I am sorry to hear about Jeanne... I was hoping that her medications were working well for her..."

Ohhh? The girlfriend knows about the disease? That was a secret within the clan. Good for you. You're now part of the family. And thank you, Lizard. This is some information I could use. King Hao snickered and gave a thumbs up to Lyserg from behind the window.

End of flashback

"So what did you do to that information?" Faust inquired.

"I've been writing letters about the trade deal to Jeanne before. Like I mentioned in my telegram to you, she wasn't replying. That time I sent one to Marco. The guy loathes me so much so he would immediately notice if I've sent him one that's addressed to him and not to his mistress. I knew that he is desperate given the duchess' condition. I told him that I had information about the real father of Jeanne's baby. I would gladly disclose it to him in exchange for his assistance in convincing the Kasai clans to come back."

"So how did he do it?" Faust asked with extreme curiosity.

"I instructed him to bring a copy of the trade agreement to the Tamamura and Sugimoto clan heads. There's an existing one, you know. Father had been friends with the Duke for years but they were both dead so there was an opportunity to update the terms and conditions. I specified there that the Dukedom of Mont St. Michel would only do trade with businesses located in Kasai."

"Oh... You sneaky bastard." Faust chuckled. "That would mean the Kasai clans can no longer continue their newly established businesses in Mont St. Michel."

"And in Morphia, Comedia, and the Royal Patch Academy. Those four are a trade bloc. One agreement applies to all." Hao waved a finger. "So Marco made it sure that the clans were present during the signing at the mansion so they would know they had no other place to go but home. Those two clans have no network outside Kasai and Mont St. Michel so it was too risky and costly to establish a new business again in another land."

"I had to give it to you, Hao but not entirely... I think they were also moved by Jeanne's speech and Yoh's persistence."

"You think highly of people, Faust. That's why you're friends with my brother. But no, I don't think they were moved at all. To continue with my story, after receiving your telegram about the clans' decision to go back to Kasai, I sent one to Marco right away. I told him the truth."

"What if you were wrong and it wasn't Ren Tao all along?"

"Then I destroyed someone's life but saved my brother's. That's all that matters to me."