The King is a Woman (Crepusculum)

Chapter 7: The Princess

8 YEARS AGO...

Kanaise was but a young princess, thirteen of age, and she was carefree and innocent. Her late father, King Kaius, deeply doted on her. She was the only daughter, and the king thought back then that in terms of personality, she resembled her mother, whom he had loved the most.

Her mother suffered from seizures and abdominal cramps when she had given birth to her youngest brother. She remembered then, that after the last birth, everyone thought it was the natural discomforts of pregnancy. Many of the court physicians were summoned and they tried to do everything, but...writhing in agony, the queen consort succumbed to the seizures. She left behind a devastated husband and a grieving kingdom. She was five at that time, too young to understand, too naive to even...

And yet fate is not always kind to everyone, is not it?

She grew up willful, and arrogant, and would always command servants here and there for no reason at all. She had no empathy whatsoever for people she had considered beneath her station. She grew up in luxury and comfort, her royal father always giving in to what she wanted, her royal brothers were always supportive and equally indulging of her, and her servants always following her orders. She had thought that she deserved what she had and that she did not need to work for it. Some people were just born unfortunate, she thought.

Back then, no one would believe that she had no interest in the administration affairs of the kingdom. She was very much like her father, disengaged with the political issues. She had never left the palace walls and thus knew nothing of the suffering of the common people. She did not know at the time the growing numbers of the deadly contagion that was killing all the young males. It started even years before she was born, and yet she did not know.

She spent most of her days doing random things, everything that her heart desired. Parties, arts, dancing, singing, playing random tricks, and games. She thought that her fortune would last her forever. She thought that her father would always be there, and if he was to die, worst-case scenario, she would have her older brothers to depend on.

Oh but how quick the turn of events are, and how unimaginable.

In the wake of King Kaius' sudden death in the Year 1628, the kingdom went into chaos. Kanaise, weak and too young, had experienced and saw for the first time, what a country in turmoil looked like. The court officials hastened to make arrangements for the funeral. They tried to maintain peace and order. Kazuo's quick ascension to the throne was not generally well-received. The real world was not as golden and as perfect as she had imagined.

YEAR 1629

Days turned into months. All she did was cry. Her father was gone, and her brothers were always busy. The kingdom was not as strong as she believed it to be to begin with, and now that her father is gone, it has become more evident. The rise of factions began, and everyone tried to take control. His oldest brother, King Kazuo, the Dominato XIII, faced many challenges for his eligibility for the throne.

In Year 1629, the rebels formally established themselves, led by Duke Aki. Another faction joined in, led by Lord Vesper.

"How come is that, Lord Janro?!" He heard her royal brother shouting, whilst she was hiding behind the folding screens. "It is obvious to everyone that the throne is legally mine. My father named me the crown prince. How come many of the officials would oppose this?"

"In addition, Lord Vesper has brought together an army of over ten thousand loyal soldiers. His intentions have become clear...what a clever scheme to use Duke Aki as a mask to avoid any suspicion." Lord Janro was contemplating, and added.