CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

Minako was locked inside a very dark room and it had been a couple of days all she could see was a very small ray of sunlight that shit through the roof.

She was an isolated soul and she could barely find the courage to continue living and at the same time she wasn't strong enough to take her own life.

It had been more than twenty four hours of confinement but she was already thin and trapped like a mole within an underground pit.

There was no way that she'd even start to move as the sty like area was drenched, her body was covered in so many cuts and open wounds and she had but two meals a day which was nothing more than a simple piece of bread.

She'd regretted everything as Umako had said, she was haunted by the mallet and the death of someone that she had truly loved.

There wasn't a difference between the devil and her punisher, he was the very monster that she herself she had created.

She could hear those screams before he'd perished, she was so afraid that she tried to cover her ears hoping that the noises would quieten down but to no avail.

Umako had torn out the last thing to render her human she had completely gone insane.

She screamed but her scream died out with nothing but a mild sound coming outside into Umako's ears.

"Everyone could call this manor haunted." Shizu said.

"Don't worry, in her while we shall feel her permanent silence." Umako said.

"She must already be regretting why she tried to kill your father." Shizu said.

"But despite everything that I have strived to do, my heart can not seem to find satiety until I shall have vanquished the real mastermind." Umako said.

At that moment, one of the servants of the manor walked up to him.

"Your Excellency." He said as he bowed his head.

"Tell me, what could it be?" Umako asked.

"His Majesty the Emperor is here to see your father." The servant replied.

"I'm coming to see him." Umako said.

"Yes Your Excellency." The servant replied as he withdrew from Umako's sight.

"The Imperial household is emptying itself regularly to see your father off before he traverses into the netherworld." Shizu said.

"They all preyed off his intelligence and additionally they survived on his own brain." Umako replied.

"How hypocritic." Shizu said.

"As politicians we all are." Umako replied as he turned around and then walked towards his father's Chambers.

He had just approached the doors when the Emperor himself turned up on the opposite end with his sister Consort Katashishime.

"Your Majesty." Umako said as he bowed his head.

"My sincere apologies for what happened to your father." The Emperor said as Consort Katashishime bowed her head as well.

"You needn't apologize for anything your Majesty, I am entirely grateful that at least my father had the opportunity of serving you." Umako said as he opened the doors to his father's room and showed the Emperor and his sister inside.

"Father." Consort Katashishime said as she fell by Iname's side.

Hearing the voice of his daughter he was aroused to sit up as she helped him gently until be was feeling comfortable.

"My dear." Iname said as he caressed the right cheek of his daughter.

"I am so sorry that I didn't happen to know that you were terribly this ill." Consort Katashishime said.

"You needn't apologize my dear, it's just that my time in this world is coming to an end and very soon even I shall become one of the paragraphs withing the pages of History." Iname said.

The Emperor sat down right by his bedside.

"Iname." He called.

"Yes Your Majesty." Iname replied.

"You too have forsaken me?" The Emperor asked.

"I know that this wasn't your deepest desire but neither was it mine." Iname said.

"We still had more to do together." The Emperor said.

"It has been thirty years already Your Majesty, pardon me if I might sound disrespectful but we could still feel as able as we were in our youth yet now it has happened to Dawn on me that we are in deed to old." Iname said.

"We have come from far." The Emperor said.

"I don't recall the both of us being very good friends in our childhood." Iname said as the Emperor laughed.

"But here we are now in our old age, O finally feel that now of all those moments did you speak out your true heart to me." The Emperor said.

"None of those days did you seem to be so carefree like you are today your Majesty." Iname said as well.

"Time really does fly very fast." The Emperor said.

"In deed it does." Iname replied as the two looked at each other in the eye.

"There is nothing that I find more sombre than having to say goodbye, perhaps thanks to me, you being in my service granted you more enemies than allies eventually you have to leave this world in the most painful way." The Emperor said.

"We are all human, it's also human to have enemies, one might be successful throughout life, but even in that prime of popularity one's foes accumulate in number." Iname said.

"I wonder how it must feel to be forsaken by the Kami." The Emperor said.

"It is the reward of this life afterall, may be the bodies that I have buried and the blood that I have shed over the decades has turned on me the same." Iname said.

"You were protecting the country." The Emperor consoled.

"And my foes were only protecting themselves and their interests." Iname defended.

"And I couldn't be more surprised." The Emperor said.

"No one would be." Iname said.

"If I could hold onto you longer." The Emperor said.

"Same here Your Majesty, it's just that in the eyes of death every living thing once encountering they must submit if it's their last fate." Iname said.

"Do you have any wish that I can fulfill for you before you perish?" The Emperor asked.

"Her Highness the Princess Toyomike." Iname replied.

"What shall I do for her?" The Emperor asked.

"I understand her condition and I do not wish to make things more difficult for her than they already are.

All that I am willing to ask however, is at least once to be granted the opportunity to speak to her before I can breathe my last." Iname replied.

The Emperor and Consort Katashishime looked at each other for a while before they would reply.

"Though if Your Majesty doesn't wish for me to do so, I shall understand and comply without having to reason why." Iname added.

"You have done so much for me through the years, you can as well consider this the last token of my gratitude and being a man of my word it is something that to you I shall grant." The Emperor said.

"Thank you Your Majesty." Iname said. "My heart is at peace." He added.

"Thank you so much Iname." The Emperor replied. "If only I would rewind the time and go back to the very moment that we first met, I would have made you my best friend that very instant." He added.

"With all the time that's gone let us not live in the past, let's just cherish this present moment however short it is because it shall define the greatest phase of our lives." Iname said.

"As Heroes or villains?" The Emperor asked.

"Before us all, the pages of history shall pick a side where the both of us shall fall." Iname said as he started coughing harder and harder and holding a handkerchief to his mouth, he pulled it away only to see it soaked with blood as well as everyone else that was around.

"Father." Consort Katashishime said.

"I have a very little time left and I wish to use it well." Iname replied as he lowered himself into his bed and then lay and closed his eyes while Consort Katashishime and the Emperor stood up and they looked at each other.

They walked out of the room a while later certain that Iname was asleep and Consort Katashishime halted in her footsteps and the Emperor noticed.

"Is everything alright Milady?" The Emperor asked.

"If Your Majesty doesn't mind, I wish to stay behind for a while and talk to my brother." Consort Katashishime replied.

"You can stay as long as you wish." The Emperor affirmed. "I understand more than anyone else how it feels like when it's your father that is lying on that bed before the face of death." He added.

"Thank you Your Majesty." Consort Katashishime said as she bowed her head.

"There is no need after all your family is my family." The Emperor said.

Consort Katashishime nodded her head.

"I'll return to the Palace first." The Emperor added as he kissed his wife on her forehead and then he turned around with Sato and they walked away with all the other Imperial guards leaving Consort Katashishime behind with her maid servants.

She turned around and looked at her brother Umako who looked just as depressed as she was.

She walked up to him and then she embraced him in a hug.

"Sister." Umako called as he caressed her back.

"I am sorry that I ignored father especially now that I was ignorant." Consort Katashishime said.

"Do not blame yourself, you aren't the one that wanted your father dead in the first place, it's a pity that it was the woman he loved the most in the world that did this to him." Umako consoled her.

The two pulled apart and at that moment Consort Katashishime looked at her brother.

"What is there for us to do?" She asked.

"Honestly, I don't know." Umako replied as he turned around and faced the balcony.

"I gave father my word that I would protect you and the Imperial Princess, and also as a Filial son the moment that he is led to the grave shall be the very moment that I shall rise up and Avenge his death." Umako replied.

"I had never understood my daughter's plea, now I realise that with the Empress still mastering as much power as possible, we are all bound to share the same fate just like our father along with all our children." Consort Katashishime said.

"Now you see." Umako said.

"The Palace has always worn the most beautiful illusion of heaven on Earth but no one knew that deep inside within each and everyone of it's walls is a bloody struggle.

Just like a the depths of hell quite a number make it in, but in a place so large and wide, when you are a nobody and you are buried no one ever notices." Consort Katashishime said.

"Sister, now that you have seen for yourself I am certain you have heard everything for yourself." Umako said.

"Father has hopes in my daughter and I have no intentions of suppressing them anymore, rather, I am going to embrace each one of her personalities because I am most confident that she'll be the one who shall lead us all in extinguishing the flame of the Empress' tyranny." Consort Katashishime said.

"You let her know Sister that should that be her cause then I am more than willing to offer the very best of my support." Umako said.

"I certainly will." Consort Katashishime said.

"I'll look forward to hearing from her soon." Umako said.

"Even with father not feeling well please don't forget to take good care of yourself." Consort Katashishime said as she turned around and then slowly while joined by her maids she walked away.

Princess Toyomike was seated in her room and as usual, General Fujiyaro had sneaked in again under the guise of Kabane and he along with Sina talked to the Princess.

"How are all the preparations?" Princess Toyomike asked in a very lowly tone.

"Everything is ready Your Highness." Fujiyaro replied.

"Alright." Princess Toyomike replied with a smile on her face as she got a piece of paper and then she wrote down something on it, she slid it on the table and then handed it over to General Fujiyaro who upon opening it read it.

"Your Highness, you wouldn't dare." General Fujiyaro said.

"I certainly shall." Princess Toyomike replied.

"But Your Highness." Fujiyaro said. "What you are doing could put both you and your child's life at stake.

Are you willing to bear that burden as well because should the Empress learn about it I doubt that you shall be safe from her or you won't land in trouble with His Majesty." he added.

"It is said that it's impossible for humans to exist in more than one place at the same time." Princess Toyomike said.

"Only the gods are worthy of that favour." Fujiyaro said.

"What if I told you that I could prove you wrong?" Princess Toyomike asked.

"Your Highness, please don't joke around." Fujiyaro said.

"This is not a joke Your Excellency band as far as I can remember I told you that if you wished to embrace me then you must as well be willing tolerate beach and everyone of my flaws and actions." Princess Toyomike said.

"Yes Your Highness." General Fujiyaro replied.

"Then listen to my demands and have everything set just as I have ordered you and you can have my assurance that nothing shall possibly go wrong." Princess Toyomike said.

"Yes Your Highness." General Fujiyaro replied which left Princess Toyomike satisfied with a smile on her face.

At that very moment, Sina saw General Fujiyaro out of the Princess's Chambers while she was left all alone and she stood up and walked up to her bed where she sat down and caressed her abdomen.

"My dear." She whispered to her daughter. "Forgive your mother that I have to keep working hard so that I can protect both you and myself." She added.

"This Palace is bloody and in nearly every direction I am entirely surrounded by enemies I can not just give in to their demands, rather I'll see to it that they are the ones going to submit to mine, that's the only way that we can survive in this cruel world." Princess Toyomike said in a very determined manner.

General Fujiyaro having reached a very safe distance from the Imperial Princess' palace he looked back at the roof of it in a distance, at that point isolated he unfolded the piece of paper and then he read it again.

"GATHER ALL MY PEOPLE AND AWAIT NY COMMAND, WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT I'LL PERSONALLY JOIN YOU AND LEAD YOU TO THE ISLE THAT IS MOST FERTILE AND THE POWER BEYOND YOUR SATIETY."

He could still not understand what the Princess had implied by that statement but one thing was clear that it was time that the people he had recruited learnt who their true leader was.

He folded the paper within his grip and pushing it into his clothes he continued his way.

Empress Ishi Hime was seated in her room alone gazing at a small stem motif candle stand that was quite ugly as she recalled the words that Umako had told her himself

"He is quite pitiful, even in that state he couldn't look at his children and his wife he chose to see you." Umako had said.

"What are you trying to say?" Empress Ishi Hime had asked.

"Before he can sail to the afterlife he asked me to come to you and request that at least one last time you see him before he perishes." Umako had replied.

"Benevolence?" Empress Ishi Hime had asked. "I only donated the grim reaper to your household." She had coldly added.

"And I won't give up my will to fight either, just as I believe that you should grant my old dying man his final wish and redeem his lustful soul from this world." Umako she'd recall how Umako had promised.

"I'd never thought that was the great saint your father was in your eyes, as much as I recall, like me he has buried enough bodies I suppose that Minako is one of them." Empress Ishi Hime she remarked.

"Is this how it feels like?" The Empress said.

"Sakae?" She summoned her as she walked into the room.

"Yes Your Highness?" Sakae replied as she bowed her head.

"Is there anything that is going on in the Soga Manor?" Empress Ishi Hime asked.

"There's nothing more than grief, a number of people have very much paid the sick Soga no Iname visits considering that he's bound to perish.

The Emperor himself and Consort Katashishime returned from his residence today in the morning." Sakae replied.

"Alright." Empress Ishi Hime said as she looked quiet bothered at the small candle stand that was stationed in her room.

"Your Highness, if I may ask?" Sakae said.

"What is it?" Empress Ishi Hime asked with a mild smile on her face.

"Your Highness, there are many precious and more beautiful candle stands and lamps within the palace, why is it that this one which is ugly seems to have the best of your attention?" Sakae asked.

"Whereas all the candle stands that reside in the palace were made with perfect and flawless skill, it was the only one that was made with love." Empress Ishi Hime replied.

Sakae looked puzzled.

"Gone are the days of youth, you'd hardly believe that as your Mistress there's anyone that would fall for me." Empress Ishi Hime said as she smiles at Sakae.

"I dare not Your Highness." Sakae said as she bowed her head. "To me I can see that despite everything else you are still fair and beautiful." Sakae replied.

"You are right." Empress Ishi Hime. "I am still fair and beautiful that old age is close to nothing, one could think I were immortal and another that I were a goddess." Empress Ishi Hime said.

"Does what the rest of the world see Your Highness to be matter?" Sakae asked.

"I don't care." Empress Ishi Hime replied. "To many I could be but and oppressor and the others an aggressor, so greedy for power and yes even I am heartless I know that myself.

The Emperor is either blinded by my simple acts of Kindness and benevolence or he chooses to rather turn a blind eye but this candle has remained and never deserted me even once just like he hasn't." Empress Ishi Hime added as she replied to Iname.

"I can not lie to Your Highness and say that I understand what's in your heart." Sakae said.

"No matter what it was, where or when I did something, it is easy for many to resent me and perhaps compared to all men they gave me just as much expecting greater or equally the same in return.

For his case, he is but the only one that kept on giving me wholeheartedly whether it was love or hate without expecting anything bin return." Empress Ishi Hime replied.

"Do not grieve Your Highness, you shall always have what you can." Sakae said.

"I am perhaps touched at this moment to mourn my greatest foe, unlike others that stood up against me in this tumultuous world, Iname was the only one that gave up more than anything to make me the best that I could become." Empress Ishi Hime said in a very sombre tone.

Sakae looked down.

"Is there anything that you wish I should do for you Your Highness?" Sakae asked.

"I shall go tomorrow and see him one last time." Empress Ishi Hime replied.

"I shall make all the necessary preparations." Sakae replied as she bowed her head while slowly withdrawing from the presence of her Mistress she left her alone inside again.

Empress Ishi Hime got a hold of the ugly candle stand and then running her fingers around it, she seemed to recall the very many years back when Iname had gifted it to her.

"For you Your Highness." Iname had said by then still quite young and handsome while the Empress then a Princess was still in the twilight years of her teenagehood.

"There are very many valuable and expensive candle stands in my father's palace that I find to be more beautiful than this one, tell me now, what is your reason for me to take it?" The Empress Ishi Hime asked.

"Compared to all those candle stands in the palace, each and everyone of them was a Ade with a very Excellent skill but this is the only one amongst them all that was made with love." Iname had replied.

The memory still felt fresh and eventually Empress Ishi Hime placed the candle stand on the table as she looked at it coldly.

"Why should I mourn with regret and let my heart be flooded with sorrow, for us fate was unlucky that in this life we had to me contenders rather than lovers." Empress Ishi Hime said.

"If hurts that I couldn't have killed you much earlier before, nevertheless, seeing you off is an inexpressible joy on my side." Empress Ishi Hime added.

The Crown Princess was seated in her quarters when Hotaru walked in and bowed her head.

"Your Highness." Hotaru said.

"Rise up." The Crown Princess said and Hotaru complied.

"What should I do Your Highness?" Hotaru asked.

"I have heard that Soga no Iname who happens to be Princess Toyomike's grandfather is terminally ill a d he is far beyond redemption?" The Crown Princess said.

"Yes Your Highness." Hotaru replied.

"Secondly I learnt that the Imperial physician said that she is alright but she shouldn't be stressed out because it could have a toll on both her health and the baby's?" The Crown Princess said.

"Yes Your Highness." Hotaru replied.

The Crown Princess replied. "Then it gives me peace in my heart." She said.

"Why Your Highness?" Hotaru asked.

"At last after a while the Imperial Princess is vulnerable and all that is left is for us to strike first." The Crown Princess replied.

"What should I do for you Your Highness?" Hotaru asked as she bowed her head.

"What I require of you is something that isn't too complicated but a task that I know isn't hard for you either." The Crown Princess said.

"Name it your Highness, your loyal servant is listening." Hotaru said.

"Perhaps the Emperor and the others in the Palace were cautioned and are unwilling to tell the Imperial Princess Toyomike the truth so we shall use that to our advantage and tell her that her Grandfather is on the brink of death." The Crown Princess said with a ghastly smile in her face.

"Yes Your Highness." Hotaru replied.

"See to it that this is kept confidential and between the both of us as well." The Crown Princess said.

"Yes Your Highness." Hotaru replied. "But what if the Imperial Princess doesn't really take it to heart." She asked.

"It doesn't matter whether she does or she doesn't, just like you can not always predict the future with certainty a great deal of doubt overwhelms us all.

We can hope for the best but even better she'll feel so betrayed by everyone else, naturally, he was one of her favorites and perhaps she would have made him another of her people but her life is quite sad that even that one hope itself was taken away from her." The Crown Princess replied.

"Yes Your Highness." Hotaru replied as she withdrew from the Crown Princess' room.

"Your Majesty." Consort Katashishime said as she faced her husband.

"What is it?" The Emperor asked.

"You might have said yes desperately to my. father but for the sake of our daughter J myself I am worried." Consort Katashishime replied.

"It's natural that you are because so am I." The Emperor said.

"I don't know how our daughter will feel but I can't stop thinking that in her state the pain could be very much unbearable." Consort Katashishime said.

"He was her only known surviving Grandfather that she dearly loved and cherished, hearing about his death shall certainly break her heart." The Emperor said.

"Nevertheless Your Majesty." Consort Katashishime said. "There are other questions that need to be asked like who is the orchestrator of My father's soon to be demise?" Consort Katashishime said.

"I'll be frank to tell you this myself that even I don't know." The Emperor said.

"Worse is all things being considered the Courtiers could be humble for the time being but now there is absolute need to choose an Imperial Chieftain afterwards and they are all waiting for you." Consort Katashishime said.

"They are politicians after all, it's natural to loathe over such a powerful position." The Emperor said.

"I do not wish to pry into your own politics Your Majesty, but it is clear that all the clans are putting themselves at their disposal since it is known that you can not have a favorite." Consort Katashishime said.

"And what is your suggestion?" The Emperor asked.

"I may not be the Crown Prince's blood mother but if he is your son then I take him to be like mine." Consort Katashishime replied. "In my view, the best choice would be someone who like Iname could find devotion in serving him." She added.

"For all men, devotion is but wishful thinking." The Emperor said. "Especially for us monarchs, people only offer allegiance because it is priced with the expectation of something else in return." He added.

"I am certain that no one understands their people better than the Crown Prince, should he at least lose an Imperial Chieftain that he trusts through the vote of the Courtiers, let him not lose a Chieftain that is to his aid." Consort Katashishime replied.

"I understand Your Highness." The Emperor said.

"I'll try to see if I can find a way of trying to convince Her Highness the Imperial Princess about her Grandfather's situation." Consort Katashishime said.

"Alright." The Emperor said as Consider Katashishime stood up from where she was seated and she walked out of the room leaving the Emperor behind.

Sato walked in a while later.

"Your Majesty." He said as he bowed his head.

"I need you to do something for me." The Emperor replied.

"What should I do Your Majesty?" Sato asked.

"I wanted you to get someone to dig up as much information concerning Soga no Umako and his father's allies.

I also want to know the privileged castes and Officials at the lower administrative levels that are connected to them." The Emperor said.

"Yes Your Majesty." Sato replied as he withdrew from the Emperor's presence as well.

Princess Toyomike was seated inside her Chambers when a servant walked in and in her hands she was holding a tray that was containing a bowl of medicine.

She was massaging her forehead when she heard her speaking up to her.

"Your Highness." She said. "It is time for your medicine." She added.

"Leave it there." Princess Toyomike said and the maid certain that Princess Toyomike was not watching, she slipped a cream paper and place it right under the bowl with most of it visible.

"Yes Your Highness." The maid replied as she bowed her head and placing it on the table that was only a couple of feet from where Princess Toyomike was sleeping, she turned around to walk away.

Princess Toyomike being absent minded couldn't have noticed at all that the maid that had turned up was Hotaru who was smiling at herself.

She walked out of the Princess's Chambers and just as she had vanished Princess Toyomike recalled that it was very late in the night and she knew better than anyone else the times at which she had her medicines.

Alarmed she stood up worried that she might have been nearly poisoned and looking at the bowl she noticed that there was a piece of paper that was attached to it's bottom.

Princess Toyomike was curious to know what was written in it but at the same time she was hesitant fearing that it could have been another of the Empress' schemes.

After debating with herself for a very long time, she eventually surrendered and gave in to the temptation and standing up she walked over to the table and got the piece of paper.

She looked at it as she returned to her bed so that she couldn't collapse on the floor and unfolded the piece of paper to read it's contents.

She was alarmed after perusing through the words the first time she was forced to look through it the second and this time much clearer than before the message sipped deep into her brain.

"HIS EXCELLENCY THE GREAT IMPERIAL CHIEFTAIN YOUR GRANDFATHER SOGA NO INAME WAS POISONED AND COUNTABLE ARE HIS DAYS ON THIS EARTH BEFORE HE CAN DEPART FROM US ALL."

"No." Princess Toyomike said as she crumpled the piece of paper. "It can not be." She tried to convince herself but it was hard when she remembered how her mother and father had reacted the last time that she had talked about her Grandfather and her uncle.

"It's another ploy to hurt you my baby." Princess Toyomike said as she tried to calm herself down while caressing her abdomen.

"But what if it is true?" She thought in her head.

"I shall be strong my dear for us both." She added as she took a series of deep breaths she eventually recalled to go after the maid.

She stood up from where she was seated and then supporting herself on some of the pillars inside she made it towards the doors of her room.

Opening them, she was surprised when she stared outside and found nearly all the guards there asleep and not even one budged.