Reborn: The New Empress 23 Ch. 4 - The Prince

Sayaka and I were silent on the way back. What happened inside the temple was too much for me to handle. I didn't know what I should feel about what I saw. I couldn't even tell Sayaka about it. From what I saw, Sayori liked Eiji but why doesn't feel that way whenever I see him. It seems Eiji must've done something that made Sayori scared of him. That's the only reason I could think about.

"Princess, did you find what you were looking for?" Sayaka asked. I looked at her and nodded. More or less, I got what I wanted. I'm just not sure how to find the suspect for Sayori's poisoning using these memories. I know it's connected somehow.

"When we get back to the Palace, I want you to leave and go back to my mother's house. I need you to look for something for me." I said. Sayaka nodded and accepted her duty. I don't remember what Mom handed to me but it must still be there. Sayaka looked at me and leaned in to whisper something in my ear.

"What about Sir Eiji? I'm sure his guards told him about what happened today." She said. I was already expecting him to come today. I know his guards reported to him already and he's probably waiting in the Palace.

"Don't worry, Sayaka. Let me handle him." I said. She was rea.s.sured by my words. When we got to the gates of the Palace, Sayaka left the carriage. I went inside on my own. As expected, Eiji was already outside my room, waiting for me. When he caught sight of me, he immediately ran towards me.

"Sayori, how are you? I heard that you collapsed in the temple. Why didn't you tell me that you were going there? I could've escorted you myself." He said. Everytime I looked at him, there was always a sense of doubt. I don't understand why I feel this way when in the first place, Sayori liked this man. There must be something I'm missing.

"I'm fine, Eiji. You don't have to keep worrying about me. I can handle myself." I said. That didn't ease his worries one bit. He looked at me like I was something really fragile that was about to break. I wanted to see if my suspicions were right about Eiji and Sayori. Before he could speak again, I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him in for an embrace. He was surprised, no doubt but what surprised me is that I didn't feel anything. I could feel EIji's hands slowly wrapping around me as well.

"I'm sorry for being uptight. I'm just worried about you, that's all." He said. This doesn't make any sense. I let go of Eiji and took a few steps back.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked. I sighed and slowly nodded my head.

"Yes, I'm fine. Aren't you going to get in trouble if you keep skipping out on work like this?" I asked. He looked at me and smiled. He came closer and wrapped me in another embrace.

"You really care about me, huh? Okay, I won't skip work if you promise me that from now on you'll be more careful about yourself. I don't want my princess to get hurt." He said as he pinched my cheek. I faked a smile and nodded at his request.

"Okay, I promise. But you have to keep your promise. I don't want the Emperor to come here and scold me because his Imperial guard is always coming to my aid." I said. He chuckled at my response and patted my head.

"Okay, I promise." He said. He left shortly after and my face immediately went from smiling to frowning. Eiji and Sayori's relations.h.i.+p isn't as simple as I thought. I have to watch out for him. Also, I've been wondering where Maeko has been for the past days. She hasn't shown her face after that kidnapping attempt. I also wonder who that masked man with him was. Guess, I need to watch my back from now on. Or maybe I could teach her a lesson.

"Princess!" I heard Sayaka's voice outside my door. When she entered, she was panting like crazy.

"What happened?" I asked. I let her sit down on my bed so she could catch her breath.

"Princess, your old home is being guarded. I believe they are the General's men." She said. Why is that house guarded? Something must be in there. I have to get in there no matter what.

"What did you see, Sayaka? Did you manage to even get close?" I asked to which Sayaka shook her head in response.

"I was by the gate when one of the men stopped me. He said to never come back there ever again or else I'll be punished. One of them chased me out that's why I was out of breath." Sayaka explained. d.a.m.n it! Why did father guard that house? It must be something Mom left. She must've hidden something from my father and now he's looking for it. I need to go there myself and look for the thing mother left me. I can't remember what it looked like but I'll know when I see it.

"Princess, you're not planning on going there, are you? I believe they're trying to keep everyone out, especially you." Sayaka said. I would've guessed that I was the one person who definitely can't enter that place. But no matter! Even if they won't let me, I'll just have to sneak in.

"Don't worry about a thing, Sayaka. There's something in there that I need and I'm going to get it." I said firmly. No one's going to stop me. Sayaka excused herself to bring me my lunch. Once she left, I lingered by the door. That's when I heard Eiji's guards talking.

"Where did the princess' maid go? Should we report that to master?" One asked.

"That little maid can't do anything for the princess. Even if she went to one of the forbidden places, she can't do anything. Everything is heavily guarded." The other replied. How did they know about my mother's house being guarded? They must have something to do with it; especially Eiji. This makes me even more suspicious of him. The guards stopped talking and went back to their posts.

"Princess, I have your lunch." Sayaka said as she walked up the steps to my room. I quickly moved away from the door before she could open them. Sayaka walked inside carrying a tray of food. She placed it on the table in front of me. No matter how I think of it, the guards are right. Sayaka can't do anything without me by her side. She can't enter places where I can enter. I need to give her something that can represent me in my stead. Just then, I brushed upon the amulet by my waist. It's the symbol of the princess.

"Sayaka!" I shouted. She was surprised by my loud voice.

"Yes, princess?" She said. I quickly took off the amulet from my waist and I gave it to her.

"Do not lose this! Whatever happens, you need to have this with you. It can help you get into anywhere I can get into. Don't forget, okay?" I said. Sayaka gripped the amulet in her hand as tight as she could.

"But princess…" She said but I stopped her. It's just for emergencies. If anything, I know Sayaka isn't part of any of this so I have to keep her safe. Plus, she know too much. I didn't let her speak about it anymore. I went to my table and ate my lunch. We were quiet; none of us wanted to speak about the matter. After lunch, Sayaka went on ahead and cleaned up the dishes.

I decided to go out to the garden again but this time, I didn't want Eiji's guards to follow me.

"Can you please leave me alone for now? I need some time for myself." I said. They looked at each other before turning to me.

"I'm sorry princess but master's orders are strict." One of them said. I couldn't help but get mad. I don't like having someone tail me even when I want to be alone.

"I don't care what your master tells you to do. If I want to be alone, I WANT to be alone!" I screamed. The guards seemed surprised by my sudden outburst. I was surprised myself. I know I have quite a temper but I didn't think that I'd spout at them like that. It was too late for me to say sorry. I just walked away.

"Stupid guard!" I muttered out loud. When I got to the garden, I hit a tree out of frustration. I should do something about my temper. It didn't get me anywhere in my past life. It surely won't do me any good here. As I stayed under the shade of the tree, I felt odd. Like something unsettling was about to happen. As I thought that, the masked man from before appeared in front of me.

"You!"I managed to say before he stuffed my mouth with a cloth, tied my hands and carried me over his shoulder. He jumped over the Palace walls and was out on the road. I tried to wriggle myself free but he had a firm grip on me. It didn't help that my hands were completely tied. I tried hard to free myself but it looked like there was nothing I could do.

Just then, I saw a tree with a low hanging branch up ahead. If I could hook my foot on that, he might budge and let me go. I just had to try it. When we reached it, I extended my foot and it hooked on the branch. I tried my best to keep my foot on the branch. The masked man was surprised by the sudden stop that he manage to let me go. It was painful but I had no choice. I quickly stood up and ran inside the forest. I pulled the cloth out of my mouth and started running.

"I have to hide somewhere." I muttered. I could hear his footsteps behind me. Even though I was tired and my leg hurts, I can't stop running. I found a hole on the ground that looks like a rabbit's burrow. I crawled in stayed quiet. I heard him pa.s.s by, I covered my mouth. When I was sure he wasn't around anymore, I breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, the rabbits in this burrow weren't around. I slowly crawled out of the burrow. I looked at my leg and noticed a bruise slowly forming.

I need to remove these ropes somehow. My wrists were starting to swell from how tight he tied the ropes. There should be some rocks around here that are sharp enough to cut. I looked for one and good thing I found some lying around. As I was busy trying to cut the rope, I looked up at the sky.

"I wonder what Sayaka's doing? She's probably worried that I was gone. She probably told my father." I kept muttering to myself that I forgot that I was moving a sharp rock right on my wrists. I accidentally moved a little bit and the rock grazed my skin causing a small wound to start bleeding.

"d.a.m.n it!" I cursed. I looked up at the sky and noticed that it was starting to get dark. I need to get out of here before I meet someone scarier. I maneuvered myself through the dense forest. The light was slowly fading and I had a hard time seeing two feet in front of me. Just when I thought I was in a clearing, I fell right down a hill. I covered my face with my hands as I tumbled down. I ended up by the side of a road. My face had small scratches and my arms weren't any better.

"Ugghh." I complained. I just got better and now I'm hurt again. I tried to stand up but my leg was hurting too much for me. I lifted my kimono up and saw that the bruise had finally formed and it was bigger than what I imagined. Great! Now how am I going to get home? I shouted in my head. There was a tree nearby and so I crawled over to it and I used it to help me stand. I slowly lifted myself using my uninjured foot.

"This had got be my worst day yet. They should've just killed me to get this over with." I muttered. I thought of my options now that I'm not as mobile. Just then, I heard a carriage coming my way. I hope this is someone who's nice and caring and willing to help me. I was about to shout to get their attention when I suddenly felt a sharp stabbing pain on my temples. I managed to wave my arms before everything went dark.

[The Prince's View]

"Son, don't forget about the meeting with the ministers today." Father said. We were having lunch together and I was set to leave right after eating.

"Yes father." I answered promptly. My father is the emperor and therefore I should answer as proper as I could be. As the one next in line to the throne, I have to know the ins and outs of the family business.

"Where's mother?" I asked. Father put done his chopsticks before answering.

"She's in town with your sister." He answered. They've been into town a lot these days. I wonder what they're doing. My father and I had just finished lunch and I was about to leave for the meeting.

"I won't be accompanying you today since you need to understand what happens all on your own." He said as I entered the carriage.

"I understand, Father. I won't let you down." I said. He nodded at me before the carriage started moving. I have to prove to my father that I can make it as his heir. I need to be tough but at the same time understanding. That's what I learned from my mother growing up. She's been a big help to me and to shaping who I am now.

"Prince, we have arrived." My servant opened the curtains to the carriage and I went down. The ministers we're all waiting for me.

"The Prince has arrived." My arrival was announced throughout the whole place. The ministers paid attention to me as I walked inside. They all started cozying up to me. But I know they're not as simple as that. They know my place in the Palace and how my mother and father favor me. They're trying to win me over so that I would marry their daughter and make her the future empress.

"Welcome Prince! Let us begin." One of the ministers said. Minister Hironari, one of the most prominent ministers of this Empire. He's also one of the most mysterious. I believe he is planning something. He insist on me marrying his daughter, Maeko but I know he's not doing it for the sake of his daughter. If I know better, he's using his daughter to leverage himself in the Empire's hierarchy. Whatever it is, I'm going to stop him.