COMING OF AGE | Nishimura Riki

028 | only the beginning

nishimura riki 
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The walk from the Minato Ward Hill to the castle felt like an eternity. I had already thought at least thousands while walking down the hill and it wouldn't surprise me if I have reached a hundred thousand thoughts by now.

The castle is unexpectedly quiet. I expected to hear His Majesty's frustration and anger through the hallways. I reached His Majesty's office. The door was already open. Inside was His Majesty sitting by his desk, head down on the desk while Her Majesty stroked his back.

"What is going on?" I asked.

His Majesty lifted his head to look at me. Based on the text messages I got the impression that he was angry and frustrated. But now he seems rather disappointed.

"Our safety is no longer important. We thought we could trust the law enforcement, but we cannot. They have failed us" His Majesty's said

My eyes switched between His and Her Majesty, trying to understand what was coming next based on their body language. It's impossible to read and predict what's about to happen next.

"That bastard is getting released" His Majesty whispered, but it was loud enough for me to hear it.

He then stood up and faced his back against me while waking up to the window. Suddenly, His Majesty hit his fist against the wall.

"That bastard Sato Mateo is getting released!' His Majesty yelled afterward.

Her Majesty walked up to him, trying to calm him down while I stood there, frozen and puzzled. How many thoughts can you even think in one day? My brain is burning due to all these thoughts.

Now it makes sense why His Majesty has sounded so stressed lately. The name Sato Mateo is familiar, it's a name His and Her Majesty's made sure I never forget.

I have a small yet strong memory of His Majesty telling me to never forget the name, Sato Mateo. But he never explained why. These past few years his name has not been mentioned or said out loud until now.

Since I was young when Sato Mateo worked as our servant, I barely remember him. He is like an urban legend to me. I have another small yet strong memory of Sato Mateo, a memory that doesn't match His and Her Majesty's perception of him.

"But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter if the law enforcement is untrustworthy. Because what truly matters is this family" His Majesty said as he stared into my eyes.

Suddenly, he opened one of his drawers and threw a stack of photos at me. I looked down on the floor at the photos around me. One stood out to me, that one photo that landed in front of my shoes. It was a photo of Mai and I.

"You, my son, Crown Prince Riki are dating his daughter?!" His Majesty screamed at me.

He started to walk up to me but Her Majesty walked in between, stopping him from getting close to me. I keep standing there like an idiot, still trying to process and understand the situation despite the answer being right in front of me.

The puzzle pieces I didn't know were missing have fallen into the right place. Still, I'm questioning if this is how the puzzle is supposed to look like. Theoretically, it all makes sense. Mai, Sato Mai is the daughter of Sato Mateo.

That explains why my classmates were stunned and shocked when I didn't know about her father. It also explains a lot about Mai. Why she have such strong opinions about high society. Despite having the name Sato Mateo in my core memories among many memories of Mai, I never thought of connecting them.

"What the matter about it?" I suddenly asked, causing both His and Her Majesty to look at me like two question marks.

"What do you mean with what about it?" His Majesty asked back.

"What is so wrong about me dating Mai? Just because she is the daughter of Sato Mateo doesn't mean she is him. Just because they are related by blood doesn't it make them the same person" I answered.

His and Her Majesty continued to look at me like two question marks. They both heard clearly what I said but they act like I am speaking a foreign language they never heard before.

"She is going to brainwash you, more than she already has done. Believe it or not, but I know her better than you, and I know she is willing to do everything to get her revenge on us" His Majesty said.

"She is going towards use you to her advantage! Once her father is released tomorrow, they will come back to us and it will all be your fault" He added and pointed at me while saying the last sentences.

Her Majesty put down his arm while telling him to stop blaming me like it is my fault Sato Mateo is getting released. The two of them started to argue. Despite having them right in front of me, their conversion was inaudible. I slowly started to step back and walked away from his office. I saw my chance to escape, and I took it.

However, I cannot escape from this situation permanently, only temporarily. This is only the beginning of a new story I never thought would be written. It is time to wipe off the dust from the first book and re-read it to be able to understand the upcoming book.