COMING OF AGE | Nishimura Riki

038 | emptiness and fragile

sato mai 
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The walk from Meiji Jingu to the Royal Castle was long. I insisted on calling for a taxi but Ni-ki wanted to walk. He said if we took the taxi are we going to spend less time with each other than if we walked.

The night sky had appeared once we arrived. The corridors were dark causing us to almost bump into everything until we reached Ni-ki's bedroom. We both were exhausted and ended up going straight to bed.

Ni-ki is still sleeping but I have been awake for a while now. I don't want to wake him up. I fear someone will enter the room thinking I am a crazy fan who broke inside. That would create chaos in the Royal Castle. Sato Mai, the daughter of Sato Mateo broke into the Royal Castle, the same night the funeral for the king was held.

The sun lay down on Ni-ki's face which caused him to slowly wake up. He turned around to avoid having the sun in his eyes, and that's when our eyes met. Ni-ki looked confused for a small second but then smiled widely.

"Have you waited for me to wake up?" Ni-ki asked.

"You would have done the same thing" I answered.

"True" Ni-ki responded with a soft laughter.

I pushed myself to sit on the bed, but Ni-ki wrapped his arm around me and pushed me down again. He laid on his back again and placed my head on his chest. I can hear his heart beating, and it's beating fast and hard just like mine.

"Speaking of nothing. Do you still want me to call you Ni-ki?" I asked.

"I do. I like having a nickname only you call me by" Ni-ki answered while flashing a wide smile.

"Half of the day has already passed. We cannot stay here for the other half of the day" I said.

"I don't see a reason why we shouldn't" Ni-ki replied.

We stayed there for a few more minutes until we decided to get up. Honestly, I would love to spend the remaining half of the day just cuddling, but I am a restless morning person.

Waking up inside the Crown Prince's bedroom felt surreal. It felt like a dream and I had to pinch myself to confirm it was not a dream. If I'm this amazed by Ni-ki's bedroom, I wonder what the rest of the Royal Castle looks like.

Ni-ki opened the door for me and revealed a long corridor. Ni-ki's bedroom interior is cold-toned with black and red as the main colors. The corridor is warm-toned with white and red as the main colors and gold details.

The ceiling is high and I would definitely get neck restraint if I look up too long. But once you look up at the ceiling and catch the beautiful painting across, a neck restraint is the last thing you will think about.

We got closer to a room, and I immediately noticed how Ni-ki's aura changed. He was staring at the door with a blank yet emotional facial expression. Even though I don't know why Ni-ki is reacting like this, I can still feel the same feelings as he does - emptiness and fragile. 

He opened the door and let me walk inside first. It was an office, probably the king's office.

"This is where His Majesty killed your father" Ni-ki said as he closed the door.

Now it makes sense why Ni-ki had such a strong reaction when he looked at the door. And why I could feel it too.

"Did you see when it happened?" I asked.

"I didn't. I only heard it. But I know one of the servants saw it" Ni-ki answered.

"I overheard their conversation the same night it happened. My father invited yours over to talk. The servant believes my father had plans to try and arrest Mr Sato again, but that plan escalated as soon as Mr Sato entered the office. My father started to scream and threw things left and right" He explained.

"He had a gun which he pointed at your father. Mr Sato tried to calm my father down, asking him to let go and the gun so they could talk like two adults. My father refused and went for an attack. Mr Sato was protecting himself but once my father pulled the trigger, it was over for both of them. My father killed Mr Sato first and then himself afterward" Ni-ki added.

I'm loss of words. It makes sense why the media portrayed my Dad as the villain. My Dad has always been the villain, why wouldn't he kill the king after everything he has been through? I wonder what would happen if we revealed the truth. No one would even care to listen to me. But they would definitely listen to Ni-ki. But listening and believing are two different things.

"Sometimes I wish the outside world could see what is going on inside the Royal Castle. Everyone thinks our life is a bed of roses with our perfect happily ever after life. Everyone thinks my father was an ideal example of a king and has constantly compared us since the day I was born" Ni-ki said as he walked towards the window.

"The monarchy might break if I reveal the truth. But I couldn't care less if it happened. I don't want to be my father's shadow anymore and face the consequences of the mistakes he has made. I am not my father and I want to prove it, even if the monarchy falls" He added.

"You are gonna be a great king" I said as I wrapped my arm around his waist.

"To be honest" Ni-ki replied as he turned to look at me.

"You are the reason why I'm doing this. For as long as I can remember have I been against the role of crown prince and further king. The thought of being the future king always been stressing me out. That was my life until I met you and found a purpose to live" He added with a smile and kissed my forehead.

"I want you to gain back your trust in the toyal family" Ni-ki said.

"I have already gained it back thanks to you" I replied with a smile.