My Revelation {Mikayuu}

Unabated. [30]

• ♛•

Orpheus has seen men fall like feathers. Both human and shifter. My brother and king, high and mighty upon his throne, was not always the cause of such occurrences. Believe it or not, he isn't entirely evil. Just prejudiced.

Let's see... the first person he saw die was a human brought up to the castle when we were eight. Our mother was the one to permit the execution, father arguing stubbornly against it. I was always told that I was like him, Orpheus much like our mother, our brother a grey line. He was only half related to us, but specifics were hidden. Even when Orpheus knew, he told neither of us the information. I had cried into my father's arms that night to drown out the screams.

The second was another human, executed by our mother before her assassination. It was like her farewell gift to us. Our brother was old enough to experience that one, around three at the time. Even though I had become numb to the situation, he still held my hand as Orpheus read a story to us.

The third was not executed by mother or my dear elder brother, still witnessed by him nonetheless. I... don't know anything about it. All I know is that a shifter was killed with Orpheus present to see. He had returned looking empty and hollow. We held him until he went away, speaking nothing of the situation.

The fourth was our brother. Orpheus had caught him assisting me to visit Corinna, and took him away. Neridia stayed by my side the entire time he was away, and not because Orpheus ordered her to keep me locked in.

I head our brother's screams after a day of torture, when he had finally broken beneath the controlled shocks. I had fought against Neridia's grip to save my brother. After all he had done for me- that was the least I could have done. She had cried, too.

Orpheus had ordered for me to witness the disposing of his body. I had screamed and fought against the guards holding me back as I watched the slumped and limp figure that used to be my brother be towed away, coat dragging on the ground beneath him. His lips were slightly parted, hair covering his face. Orpheus had dropped thrown him away like trash. That night I yelled at him. I screamed. Asked him why he would do this to me. To him. Orpheus had taken it. He said nothing to me, silent the entire time. When I asked for an explanation, he had rubbed at the blue gem that contained his powers, eyes narrowing.

"I wanted to protect you," he had whispered.

Of course, I didn't really listen to his instructions.

"Are you sitting down?" Corinna asked. I laughed, rubbing at my blanket with a hand mindlessly. The light in my necklace flickered back and forth lazily.

"Of course I am."

"Okay, so. You remember that formal I had to attend?"

"Yes. A painful time, being without you."

"Well, while I was there, a dilemma occurred. This boy collapsed on the balcony, kept screaming. He was in pain despite being in perfect condition. The entire time I was helping him I couldn't help but notice his choice of accessories and... fancy way of speaking. Lorelei, please don't scream or get too excited about what I'm about to say."

"Now I'm anxious," I sighed.

"My princess, this isn't very much a theory, but your brother is very much alive."

"What?" My heart stopped beating altogether. "Impossible. I saw him die."

"You saw him fall, princess. But if that doesn't convince you, this will. His name is Mikaela Shindo."

"Impossible. He couldn't have survived that fall. No one could. I know that other man didn't-"

"So do I. His lover was wearing his gem. She looked sad," Corinna sighed.

Maybe... he was alive? It seemed unlikely to me, but who else had that name?

"I have a deal breaker, though," she said.

"What?"

"His name is all that he remembers. I spoke to him a couple of times and he seemed friendly. Not hostile. But this comes with good news as well. I remember you telling me that he wasn't interested in any of the women you introduced him to, correct?"

"Yes. They were so disappointed when he looked over them, stared at me with an unimpressed gaze and continued reading," I said, adrenaline pulsing through me as I thought of the memory from a short while ago.

"That's because he doesn't like women. Mikaela is dating Yuuichiro Amane, the prince of Japan."

"He has taste," I commented lightly, recalling the photo of the stern prince she had shown me. There was a second one of him trying to pry a book on the shifter's history from his uncle's hands with a large smile, both showing the two versions of himself that reminded me of all royalty. The personality one takes up to rule, and what you truly are. "But I have to see this for myself. I have to make sure he's alive." She responded with two words that made me frustrated although a part of me knew the truth. When Corinna spoke, it was a quiet and pained thing. She didn't want to tell me this.

"You can't."