CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

"Your Highness, Your Highness." Hinote said as he hurriedly made his way into the study where the Empress was.

"What is it Hinote?" The Empress asked.

"Your Highness, the Princess." Hinote replied.

"What's wrong with the Princess?" The Empress asked.

Stretching out his hands, he handed over an envelope to the Empress.

Taking it into her possession, she opened it and pulled out the piece of paper that was inside.

"What's this?" The Empress asked as her eyes perused through the sheet of paper.

"Your Highness." The doors of the study were going open and at once the High Priestess walked in.

"Your Highness." She called again as she walked up to the Empress who raised her right hand and halted her.

"Save it." The Empress said. "I already know why you are here." She added.

"You've heard about the Princess?" The High Priestess asked as The Empress took the piece of paper that she had read and handed it over to the High Priestess.

The High Priestess looking at it instantly lost all her morale and her hands hanging limp she let go of the paper that was in her grip.

"It seems that the rumours are true." The High Priestess said.

"In deed." The Empress replied.

"Your Highness, the news is everywhere in the capital, worse there were witnesses that came to the Capital and started them.

It has now spread about the whole Capital like a wild fire, everyone even those that had not known the Imperial Princess before certainly know her now." Hinote said.

"It's quite easy to get ants to exist in a particular formation, as long as there was syrup it must have been very easy." The Empress said.

"What am I still doing, the actions of the Imperial Princess in the letter have made me a joke and a laughing stock." The High Priestess said.

"You couldn't be more troubled than I am, I fail to understand the Princess Toyomike and the result of that is that each and every time she keeps surprising me in a number of ways.

It always feels like she grows more and more mature each and every time it's hard to tell what she is after." The Empress said.

"She is smart and conniving, she also knows how to use her wits very well." The High Priestess said as she clenched her fists.

"What's the reaction of everyone in the Capital?" The Empress asked Hinote.

"Too bad Your Highness." Hinote replied. "The people worship her as a demigoddess and others claim that she can attract the wrath of heaven." He added.

"Who can not fear one who can cause the stars to fall from the sky and the messenger of heaven, this Newfound power of hers is an advancement to the power which I already had in my possession." The Empress said.

"She's drawn the line." The High Priestess said.

"She knows that we can not tolerate this humiliation so she pulled up a long lasting effect, even some of the courtiers could end up swayed by her actions and of course it's now clear what she was after going to the Kii mountains so willingly." The Empress said.

"What was it Your Highness?" The High Priestess asked.

"She has shown more determination now than ever before that she intends to challenge you Saio." The Empress replied.

"What?" The High Priestess said in shock.

"Yes." The Empress replied.

"The Princess does understand very well that people fear what they can not control, if you can control what the people fear then you become something that the people fear yourself.

If the Princess could get people to fear her she can easily manipulate them into doing what she wants and since no one can control the will of heaven, she has decided to use it and make it her own." She added.

"What shall we do Your Highness?" Hinote asked.

"Saio, you are beyond redemption." The Empress replied.

"Why are you saying that Your Highness?" The High Priestess asked.

"The Princess has done something that you have never been in the position to do before, very soon when you speak up on the behalf of heaven rest assured that she shall rise up in opposition against you.

Since she has additionally proven that the power of the heavens can be wielded by anyone who isn't necessarily the High Priestess then she's set a standard that you can never reach.

Even if you were able to divine something and it came to pass, no one would be surprised as you are the High Priestess.

She is merely a young girl without any knowledge on the way of heaven and the language of the stars so that is an advantage that she can use to surprise everyone and leave them with a greater impact than you." The Empress replied.

"There must be something that we must do." The High Priestess said.

"Of course there is something that we can do." The Empress replied.

"What is it Your Highness?" The High Priestess asked.

"At this rate if we can not reach the Princess' standard then we must ensure that she falls from it." The Empress replied.

"Could it change her impact?" The High Priestess asked.

"Of course, people are quite predictable, sometimes you can dedicate any effort to rise and it yields as long as you are lucky, but when luck abandons your embrace, all it takes is one simple strike or transition to alter and bring down everything that you have built." The Empress replied as she smirked.

"Your Majesty." Sato said as he hurriedly walked over to Emperor Kinmei and handed over an envelope to him.

"What is it?" The Emperor asked.

"Your Highness, I can't tell you anything in words." Sato replied as the Emperor opened the envelope and then he pulled out its contents.

It was a simple piece of paper which he unfolded and he decided to read through.

Sato looking anxiously at the Emperor eventually beheld the sight that he was waiting for and that was the surprise and shock that filled his eyes.

The Emperor's hands trembled at once as the paper in his possession fell from his grip and landed on the table below.

"Are you certain that the Princess did this?" The Emperor asked stutteringly.

"Yes Your Majesty." Sato replied. "The news has already spread about the capital and has reached every man woman and child's ears, to make matters worse, there were eyewitnesses from the Kii mountains who came to trade that started the rumour and confirmed it." Sato replied.

The Emperor raising his right hand he stood up furiously and at once Sato fell down to his knees and pleaded to him.

"Please contain Your rage Your Majesty." Sato said and the Emperor seemed to lose all his energy at once that Sato noticed and hurriedly stood up and held him to prevent him from falling.

"Your Majesty." He said as he helped him down while the Emperor lowered his hand and then massaged his head as he looked at the sheet if paper.

"This report only seems to have done more harm than good." Sato said.

"I have tried to confine Her Highness but it looks like every time that I have locked her behind bars, I have only given her an opportunity to grow her wings larger." The Emperor said.

"It's without a doubt now Your Majesty." Sato said. "The Princess is in deed a plausible threat to the Crown unless it immediately allies with her." Sato said.

"I have done everything I possibly could to protect her from the public eye and that immense burden of the court, does she notice how many does she has made for herself?" The Emperor asked. "Does she even realize the type of immense power she has come to wield in her hands?" He added.

"Your Majesty, given that she was able to go this far to achieve it is a clear indicator that she knows it's significance and that means that she most certainly knows how effectively she can wield it and use it to her advantage." Sato replied.

"But she is merely a girl." The Emperor said.

"Having reached this far Your Majesty, The Imperial Princess can not be underestimated." Sato replied.

Iname in his manor received the news and he was seated with his son in his study.

"I suppose now we know how far the Imperial Princess can stretch." Iname said

"She worries me father." Umako said.

"Because she is your niece?" Iname asked.

"I am not sure." Umako said.

"Because with such intelligence if you could not ally with her then she would be a plausible threat to us all." Iname replied.

"I suppose so father." Umako said.

"Women are known to be weak willed and not that smart, there is no use for her to hold on when her will is being broken.

They are thought to be submissive throughout their life as ours as men is only about strife and hustling, there's is about perseverance and tolerance.

In all the quality you would expect a woman to have, the Princess is contrary that it even makes her stronger than a number of men." Iname said.

"Should we lean onto the possibility that she'll always be on our side?" Umako asked

"Blood itself is thicker than water you've hard." Iname replied.

"Sadly even tigers and lions at a certain age abandon their young ones." Umako said.

"You're starting to think like a man." Iname said.

"Is there any permanent power for us at all?" Umako asked. "we lean on the comfort, the mercy, the grace and the care of the Crown, we entrust all power to the hands of the people we trust shall protect us.

In the end of we are unlucky and unloved, we fly forgotten as a dream and abandoned even once there is no chance of survival." Umako said.

"Your search is never complete." Iname said.

"Then tell me father, even you know this very well that you might sow where your seeds could be scattered, you know it that as long as someone is powerful and your ally is weak it's about taking a side that shall save your neck.

Why then do you wish to yield and aid the Princess despite knowing the fact that with such immense power she is coming to wield each and every day that goes by, she'd be so invincible and she'll prevail if it's against us that she'll go to war?" Umako asked.

"She is the biggest bet that I have ever made in my entire life and on the other hand I am the strongest shield that she's ever had before.

You'd question my judgment as a human and I understand that it can never be very perfect yet I still remember that dream all those years ago and the words of that Priest about our Glorious Revelation." Iname said.

"For all that we know Father, it could not be her." Umako said.

"I know very well my son but she was born under auspicious signs of heaven and this time around she even at a disadvantage has used them all to her own advantage." Iname replied.

"Yet she is but a girl, even if she wielded immense power of what use would it be to her?" Umako asked. "All she'd be is a splendid female politician that History itself shall remember, what more than that?" He added.

"In life you can not always be certain and it's not something that is predictable, it's the reason why no one can tell whether you're coming or going and also when something is a surprise and when it's not." Iname replied as he stood up from the table and walked about.

"I used to think the very same way when I was young and of course, youth itself is something sweet and at the same time, that sweetness is blinding it later evolves into something bitter.

I might hold a very great position in the Imperial court but my influence is quite limited and so is the influence of our clan.

We're envied from every direction and as they join forces to oust us should there be an Emperor to rise that is not in our favour the first thing that he'd possibly do is to clean the whole court and rid it of us." He added.

He turned around and looked at his son before turning around and looking back at the window.

"I am smart not because I choose to be but because I have very many worries and fears that have exhausted me so much over the years and I know that where the ground is firm enough, in order to survive the best policy is always to consider a fruitful alliance which has become my cause." Iname said.

"Father, are you confident that Heaven has chosen and commissioned the Princess to be our aid?" Umako asked.

"The fact that she does things extraordinarily and that her will has proven so strong and steadfast it has been unbroken and unwavered, my conscience is clear that she in deed is followed around by greatness that is quite unpredictable and attractive to the eye." Iname replied.

The Crown Prince walked through the gates of the Office of Finances and she walked up to the main building which marked the entrance of the Crown Prince's office.

She halted when she saw the guards present and there was a lock on it.

"Is the Crown Prince inside or has he gone any where early this morning?" The Crown Princess asked.

"No Your Highness." One of the guards replied as they all bowed their heads to her. "He still hasn't yet returned." He added.

"What?" The Crown Princess asked.

"Yes Your Highness, no one has even come to pass on any word to him even his retainer is not around either." The guard said.

"Do you have any idea where the Crown Prince is?" The Crown Princess asked.

"To tell you that I know it would be a lie Your Highness." The guard replied.

"What?" The Crown Princess asked. "How can you not know the whereabouts of his Highness, what if something awful were to happen to him, would you be held commensurate?" She added.

"Pardon me Your Highness but my job is only to guard the Office of Finances, even if the Crown Prince were to leave or come in I have no right to even try inquiring his whereabouts.

I would be prying into my Master's business and I along with my family would ultimately lose our heads and yet as his is the freedom to do whatever he wants without question, mine is to do as I am ordered without reason." The guard replied.

The Crown Princess forcefully contained her rage.

"Your Highness." Hotaru said. "He isn't responsible if the Crown Prince left without a word." She added that the Crown Princess clenched her fist.

She turned around at once and descended the stairs while she was being followed by her maids.

"Where could His Highness have vanished to without a word?" The Crown Princess asked.

"I don't know Your Highness but he has always had that habit for a very long time." Hotaru said.

"I know that as long as both you and I have known him, he has still held onto that character, I would say that his retainer is even a better confidant than me, his most legal wife.

I can not help it but feel so bothered at this time, I'd expect him to be tied down by the responsibilities of the Crown Prince and the weight of the Crown that he shall soon come to bear.

It creates a rather bad image if he disappears like this and that could entirely jeopardize his position as the Crown Prince as it'd be an indicator to the Courtiers that he could be the Emperor's choice but he is not fit to bear the weight of the Crown." The Crown Princess said.

"Your Highness is in deed concerned that I shall have men look into it." Hotaru said.

"Good." The Crown Princess replied.

"Your Highness?" Hotaru called before she would step into the Palanquin.

"What is it?" The Crown Princess asked.

"Haven't you heard it all Your Highness?" Hotaru asked, "There is a rumour that's going around concerning the Imperial Princess." She added.

"It seems to be a very long story, can it not wait until we arrive at the palace?" The Crown Princess asked.

"I don't mean to burden you Your Highness and if it is your wish then I believe it can wait." Hotaru replied.

"Alright." The Crown Princess replied as she was helped into her Palanquin and it's carriers lifted it and led it away to the palace while her servants followed it closely from behind.

Princess Toyomike was seated with Kabane and Sina in her room and she was reading a large sheet of paper.

She smiled seemingly overwhelmed by joy from what she had read and she folded the sheet of paper and put it down.

"What's wrong Your Highness?" Kabane asked.

"Word has already spread about and everyone is now caught up in a daze just like I had expected." Princess Toyomike replied.

"Who wouldn't be Your Highness?" Sina asked. "It's quite abnormal for any ordinary person to possess that immense power that can shake the heavens and cause the stars to fall." She added.

"You can imagine they have already given me names." Princess Toyomike said.

"By now even the Courtiers themselves must be aware as the rumours must have reached their ears." Kabane said.

"Surely." Princess Toyomike replied. "The actions of any Royal Princess cease to be very private and they are a state affair." she added.

"But Your Highness, with such power some of them shall come to fear you." Sina said.

"I'm aware of that." Princess Toyomike replied.

"Aren't you worried your Highness that you could be putting your life in jeopardy rising up against all those vicious men?" Kabane asked.

"It's the very reason that I was lenient in the first place and did this just to show them a glance of what I can do, if I willed it, I would turn the whole of heaven against them but I still cling on the hope that for some of them there is still redemption in which they can serve this our country very well." Princess Toyomike replied.

"Your Highness, this is an ordurous path." Sina said.

"I knew it from the start that had I set a foot on this road for me there was no turning back, because I was willful enough to do it I am willful to walk it even if it means for the rest of my entire life." Princess Toyomike replied.

She noticed that they had become silly.

"What?" The Princess Toyomike asked. "Are you afraid to walk this path with me?" She added.

"We would forsake you not Your Highness." Kabane replied.

"Our whole life is in your service." Sina added.

"Yet as yours is in the service of mine I have devoted my all to the service of Nippon, of you are willing to protect me and walk with me even until the very day that death shall do us part then you must be willing to love Nippon just as I do." Princess Toyomike replied.

"I'll be frank Your Highness and I am certain that you know this very well." Sina said. "You saved my life back then when I was a stranger and a poor young girl that made her way into the palace and for that I am grateful.

For you I am willing to give up my love and fight for the Nippon that you love, but should it happen at any one point that either Nippon has abandoned you or I have to make a choice, whether you are a rebel or not, I'd certainly go with you." She added.

"You are courageous and I laud your loyalty, it's because of people like you that I am confident to survive in the political arena that is lying ahead of me." Princess Toyomike replied.

"Your Highness." Kabane said. "Now that what you have wanted has come to pass what are we going to do now?" He asked.

"The way has already been paved and tomorrow we return to Nara at once." Princess Toyomike replied.

"Yes Your Highness." Kabane said.

"We'll go and make the necessary arrangements as soon as possible." Sina added as both of them stood up.

"Your Highness." They said as they bowed their heads before walking out and leaving the Princess seated alone inside.

She stared at the piece of paper that had been put in front of her and then she smiled.

The Crown Princess entered her Chambers and Hotaru followed her in as she sat down.

"What is it that you wished to tell me earlier on?" The Crown Princess asked.

"Your Highness, it's about the Imperial Princess Toyomike." Hotaru replied.

"What about her?" The Crown Princess asked.

"Have you not heard the rumours that gave turned the whole capital upside down?" Hotaru asked.

"What are you trying to say?" The Crown Princess asked.

"Her Highness while on top of the Kii mountain ranges conducted the prayers yesterday and alarmingly, when she concluded, the third star that was hanging up in the sky fell which was an indicator that the third contender for the Throne was vanquished.

Shortly after that, the ants on one of the oldest and the most sacred trees in the shrine forged a word 'PEACE' so everyone is now saying that heaven concurred with her and gave her the power to cause the star to fall.

Right now, they are asking themselves what the High Priestess is doing when all her life she was never able to perform a miracle that great the Princess has become both feared and endeared to the people." Hotaru replied.

"She is so full of schemes I can now see why it was easy for my husband to fall for her in the first place." The Crown Princess said.

"Your Highness, I fear that if she returns to the palace it shall be with utmost welcome and praise and everyone will herald her with greatness." Hotaru replied.

"It won't have to happen as long as the assassins we hired dealt with her then it wouldn't be hard for is to get what we want in the end." The Crown Princess replied as she smiled ghastly.

Princess Toyomike walked out of her room and she stood at the balcony and watched as the hermits walked by while bowing their heads to look at her.

She bowed has in return and looking around she saw someone quickly walking out of the gates of the Shrine but was unable to see his face.

Princess Toyomike became curious and she decided to follow the person as she walked out as well looking at the similar figure but she was not quick to tell fearing that she could have mistaken the man for someone else.

He kept on looking around from side to side and that attracted her curiosity the more that she decided to follow him while maintaining a distance she eventually went further into the ranges until she came across a series of rocks in a certain place.

It was quiet and abandoned and the only thing that she could feel was the mild howl of the wind.

She looked around but she could see the man no more as the sky was already darkened she'd walked and wandered so far for an hour she did not know the way back to the shrine.

While she stood there and wondered what to do, she was surprised when she heard some movements coming from behind and looking at a puddle of water that was nearby, she saw someone behind her dressed in black and swinging his sword to cut her.

Instantly she moved to the side and stood up while the man missed that he turned around to attack her a second time.

The Princess looked and she was unable to do anything.

A group of men close to twenty dressed up in a similar attire with black conical hats on their heads stepped into the vicinity and surrounded the Princess with their swords out it was clear that they were hungry to shed some blood.

The Princess was still there thinking about what to do when all of a sudden as the assassins closed in on her, she heard another alarming sound in the vicinity.

She saw a group of arrows flying and shooting a few of the men that surrounded her that she was forced to look around and see who her savior was.

The surviving assassins launched themselves towards the Princess and in a nick of time she saw someone flying above her head and landing there in between herself and them.

He was dressed in a white robe and he held within his hands a very long and beauty sword.

That face was the very last that she had ever imagined and he looked so pure and innocent and nonetheless the most handsome that she ever seen.

"Stay behind me." The Crown Prince said to Princess Toyomike who was already startled and amazed at the care with which the Crown Prince was protecting her.

He attacked the assassins and slew them mercilessly while she watched, herself still lost in so much thought as he swung from one extreme to another.

She danced with grace but with the sword at hand, in all his movements the Crown Prince was more gracious than she had ever been.

One of the Assassins sprang at him from behind but he bent over and pushed himself a little bit behind while the assassin passed and his sword landed in his fellow the Crown Prince span and landed on him a kick which sent them both on the ground.

He took the opportunity and ceased another sword which belonged to one of his fallen victims and with two at hand he was more and more determined that he fought his way through.

Princess Toyomike noticed that the assassins were perhaps too many but her skills weren't that great when it came to combat she could only do a little.

"No, I can not let him risk his life and fight on his own while I am watching." Princess Toyomike thought to herself and looking around to the very place where one of her assassins had fallen, she rushed over to him and then she picked up his sword.

She looked at it and then she stood up and swung it around.

The Crown Prince while fighting saw a group of assassins making their attack on the Princess from behind, at that point in time nearly half of them slain, he jumped back until he was back to back with the Princess.

"Your Highness." Princess Toyomike said.

"Drop that sword." The Crown Prince said as he watched the assassins and two of them launching themselves towards him he mercilessly slew them and retained his position.

"You are putting your life on the line, I can't just stand and watch while doing nothing to help you." Princess Toyomike said as she swang her sword with the intention of warding off her Assassins away for a while while the Crown Prince did most of the killing.

A few of them launched themselves towards the Princess and ceaselessly remembering the little knowledge of the sword and the skill she had, it was awakened that she was able to land the blade on her attackers and cut them a little that they halted in their attack.

The Crown Prince turning around cease that opportunity to slit their throats and the Princess looked the other way as he did it.

The fight persisted for a while and eventually, it wound up when the Crown Prince and the Imperial Princess Toyomike were standing amidst a large number of corpses.

"Your Highness." Princess Toyomike called as she turned to him.

"I am alright." The Crown Prince replied as she looked at him and noticed that he had a wound on his left upper arm.

"No." Princess Toyomike said as she tore part of her kimono and then tied it around the Crown Prince's hands while he watched the both of them in a very close range to one another he could barely keep his eyes off of her.

"It's a small wound." The Crown Prince said.

"It certainly isn't." Princess Toyomike replied. "You are the Crown Prince of this country, even the slightest wound is not such a small matter." She added as she continued to tighten the fabric around the Crown Prince's arm.

He still watched her dearly until she appeared to be winding up.

"If I could grasp your care like this even with a wound so simple, I'd be more than willing to go back in time to get a hundred more or even a thousand worse ones to get your care for the rest of my life." The Crown Prince said.

"You're out of Your mind Your Highness." Princess Toyomike said.

"Yes I am." The Crown Prince replied. "Ever since I saw you, ever since I noticed that you had been the one person I had searched for all my life to make me feel complete, I stopped thinking straight like I used to be." The Crown Prince replied.

"It's useless." Princess Toyomike said.

"For you every effort is worth it." The Crown Prince replied.

"How can you joke with such issues like your life Your Highness?" Princess Toyomike exploded with fury as she scolded him. "Have you any idea that you would have perished this night because of me?" she added.

"I don't care if you are angry about what I did, I don't care if you choose to hate me for putting my life on the line for you.

Even if I would turn back time I would do the same thing over and over again and even if it meant that I had to die then thousand more and more painful deaths I'd still care less if I were doing it for you." The Crown Prince replied.

"How can you let your passion for me ruin you?" Princess Toyomike asked as she turned around and she walked towards one of the nearby rocks.

"It's my passion towards you Your Highness that gives me purpose in life." The Crown Prince replied.

"No." Princess Toyomike said. "You are obsessed." She added.

"Then it's the best obsession that I have ever had and I do not have any intention of withholding it, I'd rather embrace it than painfully lock it away deep down inside." The Crown Prince replied.

"You are the Crown Prince of Nippon." Princess Toyomike said.

"And I said that it's plausible for you to become Nippon for me." The Crown Prince replied.

"But Your Highness, you do not understand." Princess Toyomike said. "I have devoted my entire life to the service of this country and I have devoted my life to loving Nippon so dearly." She added.

"Then don't you remember what I told you last time, can't I become Nippon for you?" The Crown Prince said as he drew closer to the Princess and she placed her hands on his chest and felt the warmth and the sincerity that was in his heartbeat.

His dark eyes were undeniably innocent and teary and yet even if it was the second time that he'd asked him that question, her heart louder than before and melting in his presence ceaselessly skipped a beat.