Twisted Love

Chapter 20

Chiyoko

"So," Chiyoko drawls, picking at her perfectly manicured nails. She glances sidelong at Pearl with a cheeky yet sly grin, "We're the only two ladies left in the Selection." Pearl smiled maniacally, laughing along with the Japanese girl, although she had no idea of what Chiyoko planned earlier.

"It seems so," she giggled girlishly, making Chiyoko cringe inwardly. It's only a few more minutes of pretending to be her friend, she thought, steeling her mind. Then I'll get rid of her. Pearl fluttered her lashes. "I must have done something to catch the prince's eye, don't you think?"

She let out another high pitched giggle. This time, Chiyoko did visibly wince, although she did hide it fairly well.

"Well, congratulations that you've made it this far," Chiyoko lied, inconspicuously walking towards the palace doors. Once she neared them, she finally let down her friendly disguise. Her sly smile broke out on her face. "Personally, I didn't think you would continue so far into the competition."

Pearl's facial expression changed to one that Chiyoko wished she could keep forever: pure horror. The Japanese girl sighed dramatically while the other froze, still in shock. "It doesn't matter anyways. It's time for you to go, my dear Pearl."

Throwing open the door, Chiyoko's personally hired guards burst into the room and flanked Pearl under the armpits, dragging her out of the palace.

"W-what- YOU CAN'T JUST DO THAT!" Pearl screeched, kicking out. Even so, the guards carried her easily across the smooth, marble floor.

"That's where you're wrong, honey," Chiyoko grinned. "I've set it all up already, don't worry. As far as the rest of the country knows," she leans closer to Pearl's ear, whispering, "You stormed out because you were rejected by Prince Kai himself."

Pearl's jaw dropped to the floor. Chiyoko giggled and wiggled her fingers in a mock goodbye. "Ta ta! I hope we never cross paths again."

She closed the double doors with a sense of satisfaction.

Chiyoko was the last one left in the Selection. Stepping away from the door, she picked up the ends of her dress, lifting her chin high in the air with a triumphant grin on her face.

She would be empress.

***

Rikan

"Emperor!" the maid cried in despair when he went into another violent coughing fit. Abandoning her sewing, she rushes forward, replacing the cloth on his forehead and helping him sit up. Once his coughing had subsided, she handed him a cup of warm water, which he took gratefully.

Frowning, the maid glanced at the doctor, who was observing the emperor grimly. He had drifted off into a state of fitful sleep, still high with fever.

"How much longer does he have?" she whispered.

The doctor lowered his head. "Not more than ten minutes, I'm afraid."

***

Kai

The first time the prince uttered a curse word was when he was sprinting towards his father's room. He let out a string of profanities; all that was rushing through his mind was that his father was dying.

No, he harshly reminded himself. He's not. He's going to be alive and well, if it's the last thing I do I'll make sure that he lives. Gritting his teeth, he skidded around a corner, messing up the intricately embroidered rug. He burst through the door to his father's room.

The sight dismayed him. Around his father crowded a group of maids, sitting in the chair, wiping their tears with handkerchiefs. The doctor stood by the side of the bed, staring grimly at the sick emperor.

Shoving through the crowd rudely, Kai grabbed the doctor by the collar. The maids gasped and backed up as the prince shook him ruthlessly. He looked like he was about to murder him, but just in time, Torin came with the guards and pulled the struggling prince away from the doctor.

The doctor looked down to the floor, eyes downcast.

"I'm sorry, there was nothing we could do," he whispered to nobody in particular.

"Son," Emperor Rikan suddenly wheezed. "Don't embarrass me in front of all these people. And for the Lord's sake, stop trying to strangle the poor man." At his father's weak tone, Kai ripped himself from the hands of the guards to sit by his father's side. The maids, Torin, and the doctor took this as a cue to leave.

Once all of them had filed out the door, Rikan whispered, "Kai."

Kai forced down his tears, brushing back his father's messy, wispy, white hair. "Father."

Rikan managed to smile. "How are you doing, son?"

"Better than you," he tried to tease, even though it came out more as a choked phrase. The emperor coughed once again, although this time blood came out with it, splattering onto his chin. Kai squeezed his eyes shut, suddenly feeling sick.

Letting out another wheeze, the emperor continued, "I suppose you know I'm dying."

A lone tear dribbled down Kai's cheek. He nodded, sniffling. "Yeah." He wiped his eyes on the edge of his sleeve. "...Yeah."

Rikan smiled. "Don't cry, boy. You're going to be emperor."

Suddenly, Kai became angry. "Is that really all you're thinking about right now?" he burst out. "You're here, lying on your deathbed, and you're talking to me about being emperor?"

Rikan let out a shuddering laugh. "Ruling a kingdom correctly is important, is it not?" Suddenly, he became serious. "Whatever I've done in my life is to make yours, and the people's, better."

At this, Kai became silent. He took his father's hand, laying it on his lap. "The Selection is going to continue," Kai said quietly.

Rikan nodded, then hesitated before continuing. "You've chosen a lady already, am I right?" Kai nodded stiffly. "And... is her name Cinder Linh?"

After a pause, he nodded again. Rikan let out a laugh and looked out the window at the rippling field of flowers. His eyes became distant and misty. "Your mother was so much like her," he suddenly began. Kai started, staring at his father. It was very rarely that the emperor spoke of her, and he wanted to listen to whatever he had to say, so that he could cling onto whatever memory remained of his mother. "Maybe that was why I was so against her at first. It hurt to see her in Cinder."

The emperor gulped, taking another shuddering breath. His breathing was starting to become shallow, and his face had considerably paled. "But..." He turned back to face Kai with a fond smile on his face. "You really love her, don't you?" Kai nodded vigorously. The emperor hummed thoughtfully.

"True love is hard to find." Something in his tone had changed. "Maybe you've found yours." His eyes fluttered, on the verge of closing. Kai stood up abruptly, worried leaning towards him.

"Father?" he asked nervously. "Father, stay with me. Please." Out of the very few times he'd sobbed in his father's presence, this was one of them.

The emperor shook his head, then struggled to open his eyes again. "Don't worry about me." His breathing was barely noticeable now, and his words had dwindled to a whisper. Kai leaned forward to listen to what he said next, harshly rubbing the tears off his cheeks.

At last, the emperor uttered his final words.

"Go find her, my dear boy." 

***

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