The Princess and The Devil - Karma Akabane x OC

F O R T Y - F O UR : HOME

Normal's POV

Ichiro tenses after he informs Karma of the treason going on in the palace. He can literally taste the heaviness in the air. Karma, just like his parents, Kohen and Akira Akabane, naturally has an overwhelming presence and it became more unbearable whenever they feel uncomfortable. Ichiro fidgets a little in his seat as he tries to convince himself that it was just his anxiety that is smothering him alive. Karma remains still in his place as his golden eyes pierces Ichiro asparagus green ones.

"How can something like that happen in the palace?" Karma asks, as he drifts his thoughts to the Silver Sakura and White Chrysanthemums. There are two different forces guarding both the palace and the royal family. Something like lese-majesty shouldn't even cross their minds.

"I wish I can answer that question, Karma." Ichiro said, looking down to his feet. "You must have realised about this too, right? Kamakura gives me a report every time he brings you in. He realises how you always knit your eyebrows together whenever you see the decrease in number of the guards guarding the gates." Ichiro said as Karma's eyes widen a little in surprise. He didn't know he was being watched closely by Kamakura. He lets his upper lip curl into a smile.

Well.. What do you know? Tempura isn't one I should be taken lightly after all. Karma thought as he tries to connect the dots. He does ponder on a lot of strange things happening in the palace. He feels that it is rather strange how he rarely sees guards on patrol in the palace grounds or how he has not been seeing the head of the White Chrysanthemums, Akihiko Smith around at all. It's weird enough that Hirase Kaji has not been doing his normal butler duties the past few days and has been with the emperor, locked in the throne room. But Karma discarded the thought because he has never been to a castle or befriended a royal. What would he know about the things going on in the palace. He thought movies and T.V shows are exaggerating with the overwhelming number of guards or the patrol they have been doing when in reality no one in their sane mind would ever think about committing lese-majesty. But how naïve his line of thinking was. Karma growls in annoyance. No matter how sly or how devilish everyone thinks he is, he is still very young and there are many things he has yet to learn.

"Is this why Hime was brought to the palace?" Karma asks. He has to know why Natsume decided to bring both his children back to the palace now. Why now, why this moment. Hime and Haru have been fine without Natsume so why is he bringing them back now? Is it because they are not safe?

"Yes. Nastume thought it's better if he has both his children under his supervision. You must be wondering why only now, in this particular moment he's bringing both Hime and Haru back, right?" Ichiro smiles sadly as he looks straight in Karma's cold golden eyes. "He isn't all that happy when he heard that she was transferred to Class E. And he is really not amused when he heard that she was transferred back to Class A but then she has the issue with both Asano-kun and Asano-san and got involved in a fight with the Dragons." Ichiro said and Karma furrows his eyebrows. "Natsume just doesn't think that she's supposed to behave that way. She is going to be the Empress of Japan one day and he doesn't want her to get hurt anymore. That's one of the reasons why he wants her back. The second reason is he knows about the treason and he needs to keep her under his wing. He wants to know that she's still breathing. Thirdly, he doesn't want the past to repeat itself."

"The past?" Karma questions.

"Hime's mother, Natsume's beloved wife, Shiragiku was assassinated when he left her out of his sight for just a few minutes. She was Shiragiku Sakuragi-sama to many but Shira-nee to both Hana and I."

Assassinated? Karma swallowed a lump in his throat. He didn't know that Hime's mother was assassinated. His mind begins working as he thinks about the various assassins he has met in a short span of a few months in class E. Karma also finds it odd that Natsume was willing to wed his dead wife's little sister and even bearing a child with her. But the topic is not his priority at the moment.