Days passed as months, months passed as years and soon it was the time, Arashi was sixteen years of age.
The mission was still active but they couldn't actively do it since the crown prince was working under the emperor for the civil fights breaking out all over Wansai. Most of the times, the crown prince had to stay away for months since the atmosphere was hot between Kosaki and Wansai. There could be a war at any moment...
Prince Kurasaki was trying to avoid a war in this moment since a lot of people would have to sacrifice themselves for the sake of winning it and he didn't want that.
The organisation knew it was impossible to assassinate the crown prince now, since people started to believe in him and with more time passing, they started to follow him. He was always surrounded by the emperor's men.
On the other hand, Prince Arashi had already departed from Wansai to get training under Lord An Hao. And before going, he had told Yukina he would marry her once he come back.
He hadn't come for three years and Yukina felt lonely by living like this. By this time, he must be around 17.
In this moment, Yukina's only companion was Princess Mizuki who was often bedridden for her poor health condition. So, Yukina started to live with her in the Shinkyo castle.
"Rian had always been a stubborn child, isn't he?" Princess Mizuki asked.
Yukina smiled. "He is..."
"I'm so sorry he had to leave like this, Yukina." She apologized but Yukina shook her head.
"Please, don't apologise, Princess Mizuki..."
"I told you to call me mother! I hate it when someone calls me a princess..."
Yukina laughed but her smile didn't last long. The time was coming to an end when princess Mizuki could no longer smile.
Yukina had small encounters with the crown prince, Prince Kurasaki. But in all these meetings, she had always felt fatherly love from him. He was a worrywart. Especially for his wife and Arashi but he also showed his protection over Yukina as his own daughter.
He would always complain that Arashi stubbornly went to take the training when he had clearly told him not to.
The real reason was Prince Kurasaki couldn't live apart from his children and his wife but for work, he had to.
In these years, Yukina had started to forget about her mission but deep inside worry would always come knocking on her doors.
***
Prince Shiroichi was the emperor's late brother's son and he was a loyal subject of the emperor.
After Arashi's Father, Prince Shiroichi was qualified to get the status of the crown prince and then to get the throne.
However, the emperor always favoured his own bloodline. No matter how much kind he was to look after all of his family members, he wasn't going to give the throne to any of them.
Thus, after Prince Kurasaki, Arashi would be the next crown prince. It was inevitable.
This is why the organisation was going to assassinate them. But at that time, Yukina had no idea who was the person sent her to kill Arashi's father. All she knew the organisation had conducted this mission. She had a hunch someone from the emperor's family wanted them dead.
And Yukina's task was to kill the direct heir, Arashi's father who was soon to be Emperor and his son, Arashi.
But she couldn't understand how killing them would benefit the organisation...
Her most trusted companion was Futama Sameda. And by now, Futama knew she has fallen in love with Arashi. Although he had warned her, a heart is what decides its owner.
"Yukina, you do know what you are doing is against our rules..." Futama said, "Stalling the mission won't help you save him."
Yukina's eyes cast down as she nodded. "I know... But there's no choice. Besides, Futama..." She looked at him and asked, "Don't you think it feels weird that the organisation is going against their ethics? I mean, why killing the ones who are helping people? Why not killing the bad ones who actually does bad to people?"
Futama shrugged, "Honestly, I don't know but as our rules states. We have to finish the mission without asking any questions..."
Yukina was still feeling uneasy and had started to doubt the organisation but the only person she could trust was Futama...
And Futama knew one fact that was the organisation had never followed their ethics. He knew the organisation worked whenever a wealthy customer had requested something...
He had a hunch but he didn't tell it to Yukina. He knew Yukina was a brave girl who could fight against the organisation and the organisation would start to send people for her assassination. To make it never happen he decided not to tell her.
And the other thing he knew was, just who was the person who had given unimaginable amount of money to the organisation to kill the crown prince and his son.
It was Prince Shiroichi...
Shinigami was a secret organisation that had been supporting Prince Shiroichi because the unimaginable amount that he had been giving them for years.
Illegal trades, slave trades, the allotted money for the benifits of the people and the money for buying goods which they never bought. He had been secretly swiping away all these money from the royal wealth, he was giving them to the organisation. The people in the royal court were all sluggish and lazy to see the small amounts of money that had been missing.
They didn't care...
Thus, the emperor had no knowledge. But if Arashi's father became the emperor, Shiroichi wouldn't be getting any more of these money.
Futama knew this because he had been investigating on Shiroichi for these years. The people who was close to them was their biggest foe and the emperor was unaware of it.
It was like he was looking after a venomous snake which would only attack him in the end.
____
11th April, 23
1004
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A/n: If you guys remember, I had placed some clues about this on chapter 105 and 108... At the starting of vol 5 I have left some clues as well... XDWell, I bet you didn't know who was the real enemy... ;P
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Mysterious Husband [Vol 1-7] ✓
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