The King's only Son

Chapter 50: Close to the truth

As announced, here is the next chapter :) 

Hope you enjoy <3 <3

Xiao Zhan's POV

I was sure of what had happened. Putting the two together - let's call it a vision - the Queen of Japan gave birth to a baby and Zhu Zhanjin got rid of it for whatever reason. Probably out of spite and greed for the throne. The queen didn't know her baby wasn't stillborn, Zhu Zhanjin made her believe it was.

I told my family what I had seen. Father was sceptical, believing his brother wasn't that kind of person, and although Mother looked uncertain, she seemed to believe it. My grandfather was the one who believed me right away, and that surprised me to be honest.

"The powers that run in our family are special, and there is no way anyone can be wrong about what they have seen. Zhanjin is my son, we adopted him because my wife always wanted a child and couldn't get pregnant, and when we saw him in the orphanage, we had an instant connection. Especially my wife. She couldn't stop talking about him for days until we decided to adopt him." He smiled at the thought of my late grandmother.

"He was an unusual but well-behaved and intelligent child. He never threw a tantrum, listened well, and was respectful and polite to everyone. My wife was worried because he behaved more like an adult than a child. When your father was born, he kept his distance, but when that didn't work, mainly because your father followed him everywhere, he started to interact with him more, but I felt he didn't get on well with him.

One day he left us, accusing us of not accepting him. This happened shortly after it was announced that your father had been crowned heir to the throne. We knew that Zhanjin had always hoped that we would look beyond the laws and rules and give him a chance to prove that he, too, was fit to be king. He didn't have to prove anything, we knew he was capable. But...

Though we loved him, he wasn't of royal blood. Without royal blood, you can't just take the throne. It's not a tradition, it's the law." Grandfather sighed.

"When I found out that he and the Queen of Japan were together, I was happy that he had found someone to love. Especially since he helped her through a difficult time. But there was this tiny thought that made me worry if he really loved her or was with her because of her title. But seeing them both so happy, I decided to throw that thought away and just be happy for him. Seeing him have children of his own made me feel content. It was proof that your grandmother and I had done everything right."

"He killed a baby!" I frowned at him. "I know what I saw! And I know what I heard!"

"I believe you, Xiao Zhan."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

"Do you really want to go out there and tell Fuyuko what her husband did? First of all, we can't prove anything. Secondly, she has made peace with her past. Do you really want to destroy her present happiness?"

I bit my lips. "I don't. But I don't want that man to walk around unpunished either. I didn't like him the moment I saw him. I knew right away that he was up to no good. Even though he keeps trying to force his daughters into forced marriages. What kind of a father would do that?"

"Darling," Mum called to me. "Arranged marriages are normal in this world. Your father and I always want the best for you and your sisters, so of course we let you decide who you want to be with. But if we see that the person they choose is not right for them, we will also be against it. We may not force you to marry, but we will certainly stop you if we know it is not meant to be".