Reborn: The New Empress 14 Ch. 13 - Another Mysterious Letter

I got out of bed and took a bath. I changed into my kimono and was ready to go to the dining hall for breakfast when Aino bust through the door.

"Yukina, there's trouble. The Emperor has been in a foul mood. Apparently, a letter from Chojiro arrived and the letter stated that your father was caught with the enemy." WHAT?! That's impossible.

I rushed to Sora's study. When I opened the door, Sora was sitting in his desk, his face in his hands. He looked up at me, anger clear in his eyes. He threw the scroll at me.

"Your father has been caught. What have you got to say about that?" I opened the scroll and read it.

"Your majesty, Shogun Hizas.h.i.+ has been in contact with the enemy. He's been caught and will be returned to the palace for judgment. He also revealed that Empress Yukina has been providing him information about the Palace affairs.

I couldn't believe what's happening. f.u.c.k he's going to doubt me again. Wait, this hand writing looks familiar.

"Who delivered the letter? Was it an official carrier?" I asked. He looked at me.

"Why does it matter who gave it? You've been caught, why don't you just admit that you have been conspiring against me?!" He slammed his fist on the desk. He still doesn't trust me. After everything.

"Show me the scroll you received that said my father was plotting against you." He raised his eyebrow.

"What does it matter now?" He shouted.

"Just show me." I answered. He reached for a scroll on his desk and threw it at me. I caught it and opened it. I knew it. The same handwriting.

"This isn't from Chojiro. This is a forged letter." I showed him the two letters side-by-side.

"The hand writing is the same as the first letter. If this was from Chojiro, it would be impossible." I put the scrolls back on the table. I looked at him but he didn't seem convinced.

"Who else knows about this?"

"I've kept it confidential for now. About your father getting caught, people around the palace might've heard about it but I have told no one about your involvement. It could potentially ruin my reputation that's why I decided to keep it hidden." Since I'm the Empress, it'll reflect badly on him. Smart move.

"If it were true that I was providing information about the palace, how could I? Aino is my only servant, I've asked her to watch over Yukio these past few weeks because I was always under your watch. Where would I have found the time to write letters and who would send them out?" I defended myself. I couldn't stand another second being scrutinized. I turned on my heel and left. I went back to my room but I was stopped by the Empress dowager.

"You! I knew your family had ill intentions with the royal family. I shouldn't have allowed my son to marry you." She slapped me. I didn't speak. I'm afraid I'll say something I might regret. Sora respects his mother and I don't want to add another problem on my plate. She walked pa.s.s me.

"Nee-chan, are you okay?" I turned and saw Tori. She must've seen that scene earlier.

"I'm fine Tori. What are you doing here?" She came up to me.

"I was looking for you. I heard what happened. Is it true? Are you really providing information to the enemy?" Wait, how did she know? Sora said he kept it confidential. It's just between him and me.

"What? No. Where did you hear of such things?" She looked down.

"I heard the other servants talking about it. That's why I came to find you." You liar. I patted her head.

"Don't believe rumors. I have to go back to my room. Take care, okay?" She nodded and I left. She doesn't know that I'm onto her. I have to keep it this way. When I arrived in my room, Aino was waiting for me.

"Aino, get me a ninja outfit. Please be careful, don't get caught."

"What are you planning Yukina?"

"I have to find out if my hunch is correct." She immediately left to get me what I requested. Tonight, I'll find out if Tori is behind these letters.

I acted as I would normally act throughout the day. I didn't want Tori to become too suspicious of me. After dinner I excused myself and went back to my room.

"Aino, you can go back to your quarters after I leave. If you ever see the Emperor, if he asks what I'm doing, tell him I'm not feeling well and I just want to rest." She nodded but looked worried.

"Yukina, what if he gets suspicious?" I shook my head.

"If he does, I made this dummy out of pillows. It will look like I'm in bed. Now, don't worry. I can handle myself." She nodded and helped me get changed.

"How do I look?" I asked. She looked at me up and down.

"You look like you shouldn't be here. Please be careful Yukina." Perfect. I nodded and left through the window. The moon was high above the sky; it was a cloudy evening giving me perfect cover. I hid myself in the shadows. Moving swiftly until I reached Tori's room. I waited by the window and listened in.

"It's time. We should head to the lake and grab some more of those poisonous flowers." It's Tori. She's leaving? This is a great chance.

"My lady, is it really poisonous? The Empress has been drinking it for weeks now yet she hasn't fallen ill."

"She's been weak lately. Maybe we need to use the seed of the flower instead of the petal. Have you heard anything from my father?"

"None, my lady."

"Very well, I'll hear from him soon enough. Let's go before someone sees us." I heard the door open and close. I peeked through the window and saw that the room was empty. Her window was much smaller than mine so it was a tight fit but I managed to squeeze myself in. I have to find evidence that Tori is behind the letters.

I was careful handling her stuff. I don't want to leave any trace that I was here. On her table there were pieces of paper, some were crumpled. I took a look at some of the papers. This handwriting… I know I'm not mistaken. This is the same handwriting as the letters sent to Sora. She is behind all of this. But why? She's the one closest to Yukina. I skimmed through some of the notebooks and I found something disturbing.

"The Emperor will be mine. Even if I have to kill the Empress and her son. I will bear the Emperor's children. I will be the one to make him happy." Next to the writing there was a drawing of her and the Emperor. I flipped through the other notebooks and I found more disturbing text and drawings. This chick is seriously obsessed with Sora. It disgusts me. She would go through great lengths to get what she wants. Suddenly, I heard footsteps outside. I left everything as how I found it then I squeezed myself out through the window.

I went back to my room. I was about to climb through the window when I heard Sora's voice.

"Your majesty, would you like to enter her room?" Akiko asked.

"No need, Aino told me she was sick. Let her rest." He turned around. I got distracted by looking at him, Akiko saw me.

"GUARDS! There's an intruder. Capture him." Sora looked in my direction. Holy s.h.i.+t I can't believe I got caught. Time to escape.

I jumped up the wall and ran in the opposite direction from my room. I am too fast plus I'm wearing black. It'll be difficult for them to find me. I know Sora's going to check up on me. I have to get back to my room.

"He's too fast." Complained one of the guards. d.a.m.n right! I misled them with my speed. They still thought I was running away from my room but I made a sudden U-turn and went back to my room. I squeezed through the window and changed my clothes. I hid the ninja clothes under one of the loose tiles in my bedroom floor that I found not long ago. I decided to use it for hiding stuff. Good thing I found it.

I went to bed but I was all sweaty. I need to think of an alibi. Not a moment too soon, Sora busted through the door and went directly to my bed.

"Yukina?" He asked as he pulled the canopy aside. I didn't answer. I pretended that I was panicking. I used my sweaty look to make it seem that I was anxious about something. Sora sat down on the bed and held my hand.

"What happened?" I looked down.

"S-someone came in… and…and… t-threatened me…" And the Oscar goes to… Sora cupped my face and made me look at him.

"It's okay. You'll be okay. I'm here." He pulled me close and hugged me. He made me rest my head on his lap. He caressed my hair until I felt sleepy.

"Sora, will you be staying here with me?" I asked half-asleep.

"Yes. I won't let anyone hurt you." He answered. You liar. You're the one who's hurting me the most. I fell asleep on his lap.

I woke up the next day feeling anxious. Aino came in while I was still in bed.

"Yukina, I heard there was a commotion last night." I nodded. She sat down next to me on the bed.

"I was almost caught. Good thing I was able to come back here and change. The Emperor came in and saw me drenched in sweat so I had to lie." Aino put her hands on her chest.

"You were lucky that you were able to get back in time. If you hadn't, both of us would be in trouble." I patted her head.

"I know but I got back so there's no need to worry. By the way, take the clothes back where you got them." She nodded. She prepared my bath. When she took my clothes, she hid the ninja clothes under it so no one would notice. She left the room and I was alone in the bath.

I know that Tori's behind the letters but what do I do now? Will Sora believe me? I doubt he will. He'll just accuse me more because I'm blaming other people. But how do I prove to him that Tori's the culprit. I don't want to be the bad guy but I have limited options. I can't believe this is actually happening. I feel like I'm in a TV show.

I was too deep in thought that I hadn't notice Tori was standing next to me. I was startled.

"Tori-chan, you scared me. Why didn't you say anything?" She smiled. I have to be on guard. But I also have to act innocent as well.

"I'm sorry nee-chan. I just came here to check on you. I heard there was a fuss here last night." Check up on me whether I'm alive or dead?

"Yes, someone came into my room and threatened to kill me." I took a look at her expression and she smiled but suddenly changed her expression into concern.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" I shook my head.

"That's good." She answered.

"Tori, you can go ahead to the dining hall I'll just change." She agreed then left. She must think I'm an idiot that I haven't seen through her ruse. She's a bigger idiot for not seeing through me. She'll pay for all of this. I stepped out of the bath and changed into my kimono. Aino came back and helped me with my hair.

"Aino, be careful around Tori's maid. Don't say anything to her about our secrets." She nodded. After my hair dried, I went to the dining hall for breakfast.

Everyone was already there eating breakfast. As I sat down, Aiyo and Ima looked at me, concern in their eyes.

"Empress Yukina, are you okay? We heard about what happened last night." I smiled at the both of them.

"I'm fine. I wasn't harmed. But I'll be lying if I said that I wasn't scared." They looked at each other and then back to me.

"I see that you two are wearing the hairpins I gave you. They look lovely on you." They smiled.

"Thank you Empress, but how did you know that we both love Sakura?" I smiled at them.

"I'm just very observant. I noticed that you two spend a lot of time by the Sakura trees, so I guessed that they might be your favorite flower." I smiled at them.

After breakfast, I decided to stay in the garden to meditate. I've been feeling stressed lately and it's bad for my mental health. I need to practice with this body too. I feel like this body isn't used to heavy training. I always get sick. Physical pains like fighting and such, this body can handle that but staying outside drenched in water will most likely end up in a fever. I wonder if I could train here. But people might see me though. Maybe I'll just train in my room. It's really s.p.a.cious and I'm a tiny girl.

I got up and went back to my room. First, I started with some basic stretches to allow the body to move freely. Then I moved to weird contortions. This body is surprisingly flexible. What have you been doing Yukina? Afterwards, I tried cartwheels and a few flips. The adrenaline was kicking in so I did more than I should. I did push ups, pull-ups, handstand push ups and a bit of yoga. I felt like I achieved a great triumph. I decided to exercise my legs too. After a while, I took a break and asked Aino to bring me some water.

"What have you been doing Yukina? You're so sweaty."

"I'm exercising to keep my body in shape." She gave me the water and I gulped it down.

"For dinner tonight, Aino I'd like to eat here." She agreed and I continued with my training. The sun was about to set when I stopped. I feel so hungry. I didn't have lunch today. I'll just savor my dinner.

"Would you like to take a bath first? I'll prepare the food while you're bathing." Aino suggested. I agreed and she prepared the bath for me. I stripped my clothes and Aino took it to the laundry. I stepped in the bath and waited for Aino to come back.

"Yukina? Are you done? I brought dinner." When I heard Aino's voice, I stepped out of the bath and wore my nightgown. I went to the table and ate dinner.

"Did you eat yet?" I asked Aino, she reluctantly shook her head.

"Come and eat with me." I pushed one of the foods she brought.

"I can't Yukina." I shook my head.

"Nonsense. Of course you can." I pulled her hand down and she sat next to me.

"But this isn't enough for you." She exclaimed. Are you calling me a glutton?

"This is too much for me. Come on and eat." She caved in and started eating. After we ate, Aino cleaned up the table and I went outside to take a walk.

I went to Yukio's room. When I entered, he was already in bed but he was still awake.

"Mama, are you here to say goodnight?" I nodded and sat on his bed.

"Good night my sweet pea. Sleep tight." I tucked him in. I kissed his forehead and waited for him to fall asleep. When I was sure he was asleep, I quietly snuck out and went back to my room. I went to bed and fell asleep almost instantly.