Chapter 19 - Secrets Unravelled

This chapter is dedicated to FTEmperial for being the first to vote on Chapter 18! Happy reading :3

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Izumi pov:

"So are we going to see you again anytime soon?" Haruko asked as we walked to the front door.

"I don't know, Haruko. There's a lot to be done and I can't tell how long it will take. Besides, there's also the travel plan...." I mumbled with a sigh.

"C'mon, Sweetheart. We have to be back in the palace in a few hours. The Blood Emperor will be mighty angry at me if we're even a few minutes late and you won't be the one to be blamed for it. I'd really like to keep my head on my shoulders." Haji san said. Prince Shichiro was waiting patiently next to him and gave me a smile when I met his gaze.

"I'll be right there." I responded and turned to face Haruko, Kanzaki san and Mira san. "Well, I guess I'll see you around. It was really nice staying here for a few days - I enjoyed the change of pace and environment."

"We're glad to hear that, Izumi dear. But....will you really be alright? I know you're the acting Empress but will you really be alright being in such close proximity to the Blood Emperor? I'm quite certain that he must be a frightful man." Mira san said and reached out to cup my cheek with one hand.

"You have nothing to worry, Mira san. The Blood Emperor isn't as bad as you think he is and I can take care of myself." I said with a chuckle. "Besides, there's a lot more than what meets the eye."

"What is that supposed to mean??" Haruko asked with a frown but I was quite certain that Mira san understood what I meant. She held back a knowing smile and merely nodded.

"Anyway, I'll see you later then. Take care of yourselves and don't worry about the shady people going around. I'll make sure that the Blood Emperor takes care of it before it gets out of hand." I said.

"Alright. You take care too. Be safe and don't go looking for trouble." Kanzaki san said sternly.

"Of course, Kanzaki san. Shall we head out now, Haji san?"

"Yes please. Before I end up having my butt handed to me." Haji san responded making several of us laugh.

With words of gratitude for the hospitality we had received, the three is us set out back to the palace. It was a pleasant day and the streets were filled with people as it was on any other typical afternoon. There were even some faces I recognized and we exchanged greetings as we passed each other. Some of them knew me well enough to ask where I had disappeared to in the past few months. Haji san saved me by lying - he said we were married and we lived in a different village. As expected, the gullible and naive civilians believed us and wished us a happy future together as well as telling us to visit Sei'an often so they could see how we were doing.

"Husband and wife....of all the possible things you could have given as an excuse, you had to give this one." I muttered in annoyance when we were away from another bunch of old ladies giggling about how good a couple we were. "Couldn't you have said something like us being long lost siblings or something? These people are gullible enough to believe that too."

"Not a chance, Sweetheart. We don't have the slightest resemblance in looks. There's no way people are stupid enough to believe something so farfetched." Haji san answered.

"Fine. Half siblings. That would have worked, right?"

"Aww, c'mon! It's not every day I get to do something fun like this!" He said with a grin. "Let a guy have some fun while he can, alright Sweetheart?"

"Ha ha, very funny." I snapped in return and looked ahead with a huff.

"Um...." Prince Shichiro spoke up hesitantly and Haji san and I looked his way. "I know Haji san only said that to help but it won't be good if Onii sama hears about it, will it? Onee san is the Empress, after all...."

Haji san paled for a moment, realizing just how dangerous a move he had made just now. Ryuusei sama's assassin samurai were always on the lookout in the village and there was a very high possibility that they were watching us right now too - after all, Ryuusei sama did seem very serious on ensuring my safety at all times. But as far as I had seen since we left the palace for this so called tour, his assassin samurai were not enough anymore. What he believed to be a powerful force to keep troublemakers in check wasn't powerful enough with all the development that was happening in the Capital. Security and domination had to be taken to the next level if he wanted to remain on the throne and keep Prince Taheji at bay. And for the time being, the only person who was aware of this was me.

"Hey Izumi?" Haji san interrupted my train of thought and I looked at him. "What's on your mind? You look like you're thinking really seriously about something."

"It's nothing important." I said with a smile while sneaking a glance at Prince Shichiro. Haji san got the message and smiled in return, keeping any other questions for later.

"Or maybe you're thinking of His Highness, lost in love since Prince SHichiro just mentioned him." He teased, trying to further our acting and make sure Prince Shichiro didn't get a chance to get suspicious.

"You say one more thing, Haji san, and you're really going to get it from me." I threatened and he held his hands up in defence with a chuckle.

"I was just teasing, Sweetheart. No need to get so hostile."

"Izumi Onee san?" Prince Shichiro said softly, showing no sign of suspicion on our conversation. "Would it be alright if we could stop by the market for some sweets? It's been very long since I ate any....and if we happen to return late, I'll be sure to tell Onii sama that I was the reason for it."

"Of course we can stop by the market, Prince Shichiro. And don't worry about speaking to Ryuusei sama about being late - I'll handle that." I responded with a smile.

I looked at Haji san and nodded. He seemed hesitant because he didn't want to get on the bad side of Ryuusei sama. He had been instructed that we were not to get sidetracked and we had to be back well within the curfew he had set. But since Prince Shichiro was the one requesting the short stop in the market place, he couldn't refuse.

He sighed deeply but nodded and held out a hand, silently coaxing us to lead the way. I shook my head with an amused smile before placing a hand on Prince Shichiro's back to guide him to the next right turn for our detour through the market.

Ryuusei pov:

"You're late." I said sharply when Izumi entered our chambers. I was looking out of the window and into the distance, a frown etched into my face in obvious displeasure.

"Sorry about that." She said coolly and shuffled around the room.

I turned to face her and narrowed my eyes as she massaged her feet while sitting on the bed. She then closed her eyes and tilted her head from side to side to loosen up her stiff muscles. Finally, she stretched her arms above her head in a very unladylike gesture before sighing deeply. I clenched my jaw feeling my anger increase by the moment. While I was here worrying for her safety and expecting her to have been punctual, she was acting so indifferent! She was being disrespectful and completely casual about it. Did she take me for a fool just because I was allowing her to test my feelings and trust for her?!

Unable to contain my anger anymore, I walked across the room swiftly and to where she was sitting on the bed. She looked up at me curiously only for a moment before I pushed her back with a firm grip on her shoulders and came to hover over her. She wasn't surprised or uncomfortable with my action as I thought she would be and continued to look into my narrow eyes calmly.

"Did you return late on purpose? To test me? Or were you trying to make me look like a fool by acting like my words hold no importance to you?" I hissed. I felt angrier when she chuckled and looked away from me.

"Why is it that people with status and power are always so quick to take things personally? And especially that they are being disrespected by things so silly?" She mused before meeting my eyes again. "To answer your question, Ryuusei sama, my reason for returning late was because your sweet little brother wanted to buy sweets from the market on the way back. We had to take a little detour and it ended with us going past the curfew. Prince Shichiro was willing to tell you and apologize for causing the delay but I decided to spare the poor kid from his big brother's intimidating glare."

I noticed that she called me 'Ryuusei sama' and not 'Your Highness' like she had been doing before. I was glad for that and I was certain that she was warming up to me again. It gave me hope that I wouldn't be left behind and alone as I had been all my life. And I was determined to continue my efforts to get closer to her.

However, I frowned slightly upon thinking of what she mentioned about Shichiro. He wanted to buy sweets from the market? Since when did he like eating food like that? Then again, I wouldn't know whether commoner's food tasted good or not for I had never eaten it before.

"Don't tell me you don't know what your little brother likes to eat....man, how distant can relationships in rich families be?" Izumi said with a shake of her head. "Anyway, since you know what happened, you mind getting off me?"

I twitched finally realizing just how convenient our position was. With Izumi lying beneath me like this, the desire to kiss her, to embrace her and to make her mine overwhelmed me. I felt a sudden burn in my chest as I looked over her face, stopping at her slightly parted rosy lips that tempted me viciously. My heart was pumping hard and fast and I grasped the bed sheets below her tightly in my fists realizing that I was slowly beginning to lose control. Like any other man in love, like any other man who wished to be loved, like any other human that wished for a place to belong, I too felt it all. I felt it stronger than ever before right now in Izumi's presence and I knew I could no longer hold back.

I lowered myself while closing my eyes and tilting my head to place my lips on hers. She tensed for a moment but soon relaxed. I caressed her lips softly yet deeply, feeling the tightness in my chest and the blood rush slowly increase with every passing moment. But they came to an abrupt stop when I realised that even after several caresses, Izumi hadn't responded to my gesture. She hadn't pushed me away but she hadn't returned my kiss either. She was absolutely still below me and a wave of disappointment washed over me.

I pulled away from her lips reluctantly and opened my eyes while hovering a mere few inches above her face. She was looking right into my eyes - she appeared absolutely calm but the light redness of her cheeks was hard to miss. I took the liberty to cup her face with one hand and rub her cheek with my thumb. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes, seemingly getting lost in thought.

"Ryuusei sama....have you forgotten the deal we made?" She asked, her voice sounding strained.

"I remember it well, Love. I remember it more than any other deal I have ever made with anyone in my life for it is a question of living and existing for me." I said, feeling my disappointment eat away at my heart. "Forgive me....I could not control myself. I have been holding back but I am human and I succumbed to my momentary weakness."

I expected Izumi to retaliate with stinging words expressing the emotional bruise I had inflicted on her again. I prepared myself for it, clenching my jaw and my fists while continuing to stare into her beautiful dark eyes. However, she sighed deeply before looking to the side, as if she was at a loss of what to say. I was even more surprised when she looked back at me with eyes swirling with gentleness and she smiled ever so softly.

"You are human, Ryuusei sama, just like everyone in the world." She said, her voice soft and tender. "And I can see that more today than I ever have since the first time I met you. You have always portrayed yourself to be so stoic, so cold, so emotionless and so indifferent about everything around you, and perhaps I have always done so too....but time changes everything, doesn't it? You have changed, brought down the walls around you to show me your true self and you finally seem like any other human being, any other man who has dreams and hopes for a happy future. And I never thought, in my wildest dreams, that there would be a time when I would feel overwhelmed by my affections for someone, that I would see someone feel so desperate for my attention and I would find it hard to hold back as well."

My eyes went slightly wide at her confession and my heart skipped a beat when she lifted one hand to touch my cheek. She looked away a bit too soon for my liking thought and inhaled deeply.

"Ah, what's wrong with me? I'm acting really strange these days....this is not like me at all." She said with a scoff. "Alright, let's get back to our senses, shall we? Can you get off me now, please?"

"Are you saying...." I asked airily, not moving off her despite feeling her pushed against my shoulders. "Are you honestly telling me that you love me just as love you? Do you accept me as just one man, not as an Emperor who can tempt you with a chance of living in luxury for the rest of your life, but as one man and to hold an important place in your life?"

"Have I told you before that you sound really corny sometimes?" She asked with a raised brow instead of answering my question.

I narrowed my eyes though, not in the mood for her sarcasm or efforts to change the subject. She understood that and sighed again while averting her eyes. She looked mildly uncomfortable and flustered and it only increased my hopes to hear a positive answer now.

"Look, I'm not the kind of person who can get all sappy and romantic and spout mushy confessions, okay? So I'm going to be direct and not all poetic like you." She said with a huff and a very noticeable blush rising on her cheeks. "I'm in love with you too. I was really angry that you doubted my loyalty when I was being diligent in protecting you and doing whatever was advantageous to you and, honestly, I expected that you had noticed my feelings for you so you would trust me. But, of course, you were being an ass and things got totally messed up and brought us all the way here. But....I guess I've gone past all of that and I'm telling you that I am in love with you too. There, are you happy now?"

In the midst of her explanation, I couldn't hold back from smiling. She was as crude as ever....but just as adorable. She was expectedly direct and undoubtedly honest about the anger she had felt towards me, even going to the extent of calling me something no one would dare to call me even in their dreams, and her confession was so blunt that even a layman would understand. Besides her confession, the redness of her face had increased and it was clear that she was feeling flustered. I felt a swell of pride knowing that I was the reason for her fluster.

"I am happy." I responded, returning her glare with a playful smirk.

"Good. Not get off me before I hurt you." She hissed and pushed against me more in an attempt to get me off. But I was too happy and enjoying this way too much to let her off so quickly.

"You hurt me? I don't think that's possible, Love." I said. "You know very well that I'm much stronger than you. Or have you forgotten our encounter in the library?"

Much to my surprise, she smirked slightly and pushed her thumbs into the hollow area between my collar bone and shoulders sending a bolt of pain thought my body. I wasn't able to hold her down and she flipped us over with ease. I was now lying face down on the bed while she was sitting with one knee on my back and one arm twisted behind me to hold me down.

"Our encounter in the library was a completely different situation. I was snooping around without permission so I had to be quiet....although you made quite a bit on noise by toppling the book shelves. Things are different now, Blood Emperor, and I know quite well how to hold my ground." She said but I just chuckled.

She was strong, there was no doubt about that, but it was ten years too early for her to be physically strong enough to overpower me. I used my free hand to push myself up and Izumi stumbled back as her knee was easily lifted off my back. She struggled to keep my arm twisted behind my back in vain as I pulled it forward and quite easily, and once again, pushed her onto the bed so she was below me. My smirk widened at the annoyed expression on her face and she scoffed before looking to the side with another embarrassed blush.

"Whoop-de-do! Let's celebrate the Blood Emperor being a strong jerk." She commented, making me chuckle.

I decided to spare her from more fluster since I was in a good mood now so I pecked her cheek before getting off her. She sat up and ran her fingers through her hair to set it down neatly. She looked comfortable, now that she wasn't pinned under me, and met my gaze confidently – just as I liked it.

"You know, there's been something that I've been quite curious about." She said after a few moments of silence.

"What is it, Love?" I coaxed gently.

"We've been talking a lot about trust and honesty and all that off late....so some thoughts crossed my mind. What was your past like? What did you have to go through for you to become this 'tyrant' that you call yourself?" She asked, her eyes sharp. "I know that being a part of the Royal Family is surely tough and what you could call 'survival of the fittest'. But why are you so terribly feared? Why did you kill your own siblings instead of lock them up or banish them or something? Why is that everything I hear about you is always so extreme?"

I knew that the time when such questions would arise would come soon. But I always thought that I would be the one to question her about her past first. Even in the time she was outside the palace, I had not got even the slightest information on her place of birth, where she was before she came to Sei'an and anyone who could possibly be her relative. And here she was, asking about my past.

"Are you saying that you will trust me more if I tell you about my past?" I questioned and she nodded. "Then what about you, Love? When will I get to hear about your past?"

"Ah....that is an important thing too, isn't it?" She mused. "After all, your assassin samurai haven't been able to find any records of my existence, have they?"

I narrowed my eyes, surprised by her words. How did she know that? Surely Soutarou or Haji wouldn't have told her something of such confidentiality and it was not something simple enough for her to have figured it out on her own even if she was intelligent.

Izumi chuckled, having understood the questions behind my facial expression. "I know a lot of things going on, Ryuusei sama, and I found out about it all by myself. I'm really good at sneaking in and out of places without being noticed, remember? Besides, I know how to get information from people without them even doubting me for hidden motives. The restricted section of your library and several of your simple minded subjects gave me all the information I need."

"I am yet to figure out where you learnt such skills, Love. I feel unsettled knowing how strong you are....perhaps not physically in comparison to me but definitely in the matter of such skills." I said, once again feeling vulnerable in front of her with my guard down so much. "But I will still trust you because I do not wish to lose you. I was keep my hopes up that you will tell me about yourself soon. But for now, I will gladly quench your curiosity about me."

"I appreciate that, Ryuusei. And I will tell you about myself when the time is right." She said with a nod.

Satisfied, I took a deep breath and commenced telling her about my past and my journey in ascending the throne and protecting it for all these years. I told her about my so called childhood – a time when I should have been happy and pampered by my mother, the Empress, but instead had to live through torture and continuous life threats from my half blood brothers. My mother was assassinated by none other than one of my step brothers even before I had turned ten and my life of living in nightmares began. Even before I had steeped into my teen years, I had been poisoned several times and attempts to assassinate me were almost an every odd day occurrence. Even though I knew who was behind it all, Father refused to believe me and continued to dote all his sons and daughters just as he doted me.

However, I learnt to be cautious. I trained in sword fighting, aikido, judo, kendo and many other martial arts for self defense. Despite all this, my step brothers' attempts to have me assassinated didn't cease and I began to resent them. But it was when my teacher himself tried to kill me under the order of one of my step brothers that I realized that I could trust no one in the palace or anywhere else in this world. My position and status put me in a place that everyone desired and I came to understand that no one, especially those from the Royal Family, would stop at anything to cause my downfall.

My personality changed drastically after these few incidents and I showed no mercy to those who attempted to harm me or cause an imbalance to Father's rule over his Empire. But my efforts to ensure the prosperity of the Empire were in vain because after losing my mother, Father slowly began to lose himself. He wasted away in drinking, ignoring the governance of his country, and my step brothers began to take control from the shadows despite my warnings against it. They wanted the power and authority and abused it – taking extreme taxes from the civilians even during times of draught and causing the empire to slowly crumble – while I could only watch on silently because I didn't have the authority to do anything against them yet. While they lived like pigs in all the luxury they could get their hands on, the people of the empire were dying of starvation. By the time Father realized what was happening, it was too late and the damage was done. The people had lost respect for the Royal Family and the Emperor himself and Emperor's from the surrounding districts were beginning to invade and claim towns as a part of their Empires.

Wars and bloodshed plagued the country and the palace. Being the rightful heir to the throne, Father decided that it was time for me to take his place and lead the country. I was barely ten years at that time – I was yet to complete my studies but I was very much mature and aware for my age. It was a time of desperation and I had no choice but to take on the responsibility. My step brothers burned with jealousy and voiced their disapproval in the matter, even saying that I was too young to be handling matters of such importance. Father, unfortunately, agreed and decided to throne me only in name and have my step brothers handle the matters of the country instead.

In the next three years, Father's health deteriorated and he passed on. My brothers who had been keeping complacent until then began to openly plot assassination attempts on me as well as Shichiro, who was barely a year old then, so they would have no obstacles to the throne. However, I too had had enough of their greed and arrogance and I took full control of everything in the palace first. I killed two of them with my own hands, having caught them red-handed, and let Araishi and Ryuunosuke remain in the palace for I knew they were cowards who wouldn't dare to step out of the line I had drawn. I had given Eisen the responsibility to handle the trade and handicrafts province and he hadn't given me any trouble until now. I had Soutarou arrange omiais for my sisters to get them married off and out of my way. I wasn't cruel though and made sure they were married to men who would truly take care of them.

But Taheji hadn't given up on his desire to be the Emperor. He was afraid of me but cunning and still found ways to slither into the palace and cause me troubles. I have lost count of the number of times he has tried to poison me or have an assassin lop off my head. But the one thing I do remember very clearly and that has caused me to harbor venomous hatred for him is the one time he actually succeeded in poisoning me and almost killing me. Being in such a dangerous environment made me take dire precautions to ensure my safety – I have constantly consumed little amounts of various poisons until I was immune to them and I have trained until my bones broke and blood drained out of my very existence. In reality, my palms were so callused and I barely had any sensation on the skin there because of the extremely rugged training and I was quite immune to pain. Almost any wound inflicted on my body felt like a mere bee sting.

The time when Taheji poisoned me, he had got his hands on a poison from a different country and it was one which I had never seen before. I wasn't immune to it and I had no antidote for it. But by heaven's grace, the Royal doctor was able to find an antidote in time to save my life. I was left withering in pain from the after effects for a week but even in that state I decided that it was time to take serious action against Taheji. I didn't have enough visible proof to kill him so I had to suffice with exiling him to another province.

When he was out of the way, per se, I concentrated on bringing order and peace to my Empire and expanding it. I took over all the provinces to become the ruler of the whole of Nihon, slaughtered anyone who rebelled against me but made sure that all my people lived a peaceful and comfortable life with all the facilities they needed – food, water, shelter and safety. For the past fourteen years, I have worked solely for my Empire and it has flourished, keeping the people happy even though they terrified of me.

Having narrated everything about myself, I looked up at Izumi sharply, to see what reaction she had. I had let my guard down, I had given into my trust in her and told her about my secrets. I felt vulnerable and anxious – anyone with this information could try to find my weakness and use it against me but I had trusted Izumi with every fiber of my being and told her this.

Her eyes were narrow as she stared into my eyes. There were many emotions swirling in their depths though I couldn't decipher them. With every passing moment of her silence, I grew more and more uneasy. After a few moments though, she sighed.

"And I thought my life was complicated." She said softly.

She shifted closer to me and reached out with one hand. She hesitated but placed her hand on mine and gave it a squeeze. She met my gaze and my heart skipped a beat as I momentarily got lost in her gorgeous brown eyes.

"You have been through a lot and I can finally understand why you're so stern, Ryuusei. You have suffered alone for a long time and I can relate to it because I too know how difficult it is to have no one you can trust. That's why I will promise not to betray you in any way ever, and I hope that I can tell you about myself soon."

"Thank you, Love." I answered giving her a smile I really meant, and happy that she had progressed to calling me by only my name – it made me feel connected to her on a deeper level emotionally. "And I will wait for the time when you tell me about yourself."

"That aside, we have more pressing matters to deal with at the moment – Taheji has to be put down. And it's not going to happen with me being a wuss of an Empress. It's time for us to stop our acting and get things done properly from now on." Izumi said, determination burning fiercely in her eyes. "After all, it seems Taheji is starting to get out of hand. It won't be long before he causes you quite a bit of trouble."

I narrowed my eyes, not liking the sound of her words. "What do you mean, Love?"

"He's been doing things in the Capital without you knowing, Ryuusei. And your assassin samurai aren't good enough to handle thing anymore – they are being defeated by Taheji's men and the civilians are being threatened to stop supporting you." She explained making intense anger bubble within me. "He's already been successful in taking control of several important governors within Sei'an as well as trade routes between different provinces. The civilians in the Capital are living in fear every day and have slowly started to give in to the threats. It won't be long before Taheji starts an open coup against you and if you want to prevent it from weakening your power as the Emperor, it's time to get our act together."

"He has managed to progress this much without me knowing about it?" I seethed.

"He has....and the men working for him are no joke. I happened to confront one of them and let me tell you, they mean business."

"I will send out more of my assassin samurai. I will not let him disrupt the balance I have managed to achieve." I spat and stood up.

"No. I already told you that your assassin samurai aren't good enough anymore." Izumi said and stood up as well.

I looked at her with narrow eyes, angry and challenging her. "Then what do you think I should be doing? Do you think you are more intelligent than me and know what should be done to stop that fool?!"

"I think you should do a direct attack – send out those of the Elite Division along with those of the Crimson Rose in Sei'an to quell Taheji's little uprising. We're stronger than you assassin samurai now and an open attack will do more damage. Besides, there is something else that we need to look into." She said with a small smirk. "It's time for us to visit Taheji's secret hideout on Yokobu Shore."

"Secret hideout?" I questioned.

"Yes. I got some interesting information from a very reliable source in the Capital – strange appearances on Yokobu Shore are being investigated in the abandoned fort there. And I'm almost quite certain that Taheji is the one behind it all. I don't know what he's planning but it's definitely going to problematic for us if we don't stop him soon."

I clenched my fists tightly, feeling my nails dig painfully into the skin of my palm. Taheji had managed to do so many things and I hadn't even the slightest clue! How could this have happened? And what's more, how did Izumi find out about all this so quickly, with just one short visit to the streets of the Capital? How had she accomplished something that my assassin samurai hadn't?

"How....how did you find out about this? How could you find out this information when no one else has been able to?" I asked her and her smirk turned mischievous.

"I already told you, Ryuusei, that I am just really good at being stealthy and clever." She said with a chuckle. "It's time I showed you what I'm really capable of, Ryuusei. No more Miss Nice Girl."

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8D Woohoohoo! What a love confession there, Izumi chan! XD Finally the two blockheads are honest with each other and the Ryumi ship has set sail! But of course, our Izumi's sassiness won't ever change ^^' She doesn't even know how to be romantic.

Poor Ryuusei....he's had such a tough life. He's had to go through bullying and hatred from his own siblings and he's had no one he could ever trust fully. But now he finally has one person he trusts and wants to be with forever - Izumi TwT And it's good that she's just as supportive to him, right?

Ah....it seems Taheji won't be able to hide for much longer. Izumi has told Ryuusei all that he is planning and has already achieved in Sei'an and she's going to show both the guys who she really is >:3 it's time for some super awesome Izumi action! ANd as she said, no more Miss Nice Girl >:D

Are you all excited for the next set of events?! You know what to do for quick updates then!

P.S. Doesn't Ryuusei look hot in both pics? ;)

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