PENUMBRA // Tamaki Amajiki x Reader Royal AU

Chapter 28

I had not intended to listen to Tamaki, originally I was going to calm him down. But his words upset me  and I needed to get out if there.

As soon as I was back by the tree near district two, I cursed myself for letting him get to me and after a taking a couple of steps towards the village, I decided that I needed to go back already, even if it was nearly time for dinner.

"It is you the magic user!" A voice from the trees yelled out.

Turning around I saw a flash of red robes the monks wore from near one if the trees and I realised that in the heat of the moment I had forgotten to cast the illusion over my appearance. Of course the whole kingdom knew who I was after my fiasco with the king which was why I could never let my guard down - and now I had ruined everything.

"Somebody, over here. It is her. It is the witch." He shouted louder than before stepping away from me cautiously. 

Instantly I teleported back to the gardens and found Tamaki sulking on the bench, "Tamaki!"

He looked up as I rushed to his side, "what are you doing back he-

"I have only gone and ruined everything, Tamaki." I put my head in my hands and ignored the look of confusion on his face.

"Um... w-what happened?" I felt his hand hover near my upper back before returning to its place in his lap.

"I let myself be seen by one of the monks; they saw me teleport and then they saw my face, I was too distracted to cast my illusion and now the whole district is probably suspicious by now. I cannot go back no matter who I look like, it will not be long before the whole kingdom is looking for me."

What I expected to be greeted with was some sort of apologetic comment or at least silence but all Tamaki said was, "so what?"

"Huh?" I peered up at him from behind my hands, "what do you mean?"

"You were about to leave anyway. So what if everyone is out to get you, you won't be here in a few hours." He shrugged and turned away from me.

"Are you still sulking, Tamaki? I have a real problem here."

"No you don't, not if you go now. It's what you want anyway isn't it?"

"... do you want me to leave?" I tentatively reached out a hand but the prince shrugged it off, "surely you do not."

He receded further away, "It doesn't matter what I want, you don't have any other choice anymore do you?"

I stared at him long and hard for a moment before quietly saying, "we could leave together."

"What?" Tamaki spun back around and faced me with shock in his expression, "why would you want that?"

A sad smile spread across my face knowing that if I told the truth it would be more painful for us both, "then we could finish your training and when you return I would get to be pardoned."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"That could never happen anyway-
"I need to get you back to your-

We awkwardly glanced away as we realised we had spoken at the same time, "you go first." I said even though I was in a bit of a hurry.

"We couldn't leave together anyway, because well... well then there would definitely be a war."

Now I was listening, "My apologies, but what?!"

The prince wore a sheepish look on his face, "I'm sorry, I should've told you this before but if I suddenly disappear, no matter what it would be blamed on France."

"As in, the kingdom where Mirio came from?"

"Y-yes... after I... after Mirio died, France made a declaration that if I was n-not dead before my twenty first birthday then they would... come for my head, waging war on the Amijki kingdom."

"But you are not nearly twenty one yet, and I have already heard rumours of war going on."

"Yes... it seems they're a little early. The king told me many times that he would've happily had me killed, just as I deserved, but that would wound his pride so instead he called their bluff and refused to acknowledge their threat."

"That time when one of the servants came into your room to tell you that things might be changing, was that about the war?"

"Mhm, he said that the king might be going to war that was why he told me the king will have an excuse to dispose of me... it means he can kill me and say I died in the war, killing two birds with one stone effectively: he finally gets rid of this pathetic excuse of a prince who has burdened him for two decades and it will probably end the war in the process, so he won't lose his pride."

"Tamaki." He did not respond. "Tamaki, look at me."

Tamaki looked at me, no trace of anything in his eyes other than acceptance. This had been with him for years and all he could do was accept it.

"Let us leave together then. This is the perfect opportunity. As soon as the war starts we get out of the kingdom and stop it before anyone gets hurt." But I was not thinking straight, I was scared and I was desperate.

"...but you need to leave now, you don't have time to wait." there was no more fight left in his voice, the explanation had worn him out, if he was still angry it was not at me.

"I know... I need to get you back in your room, I am sure someone will come looking for me in your room soon so you need to be in there when they do, to reduce suspicion."

"What will you do?"

"I... I actually do not know. I refuse to give up and return to the dark forest for good, there is no way I am that desperate yet, but I do not really have any other option."

"You could use the secret tunnels."

I examined Tamaki, body language and voice still guarded, keeping the distance between us on the bench, yet he was still thinking of how to help me. In that moment I forgot how powerful I was and wished the power of a sorceress extended to mind reading, "where would that get me? They will be suspicious of any newcomer in all the districts no matter what face I put on."

Quickly I forgot all about the mind reading aspiration and hoped that the invisibility that came over me sometimes would appear right then, it would have been a really useful time to not be seen.

"Not district five."

"What?"

"No one has any connection to the people down there... if there even are any people down there. There's no one to recognise you, you'd be safe, and it'd at least give you time to think about what to do next as you make your exit."

"Do you know where the tunnel to five is?"

"... I think so."

"That is not very reassuring, I am wanted woman remember? I do not exactly have the opportunity to be casually roaming around the castle."

"Mirio and I used to explore the castle and we found five tunnels, we followed them through to each respective district except for the fifth one, so I don't actually know if it leads to five, I can only assume..."

"But it is the best shot I have got. Alright, give me the directions - hang on, first let us go to your tower, I can at least teleport away before someone walks in," I reached over to teleport us both but he did not flinch away or come closer like I expected, he did not move at all, "Tamaki?"

"Ah, Y/N, I-I don't think we need to wait any longer..." the prince was staring at something behind me and through the reflection in his eyes I could see a bright light.

Behind me, I saw the aftermath of an explosion in the distance.