The kingdom of Soleil, better known as the temple of the Goddess Amaterasu herself, is one of the leading kingdoms ever to rise for the last hundred years. Ruled over by thirty-seven kings and ten queens in the past, all alphas, the kingdom Soleil has been famous throughout the lands. First, they were the number one source of coal. Even the peasants wouldn’t have to freeze over during harsh winters due to the cold. The abundant coal in their hands was often distributed to the people for many purposes, sometimes even for free. Second, the kingdom is also known for its mountainous terrain. Adventuring all by yourself to reach the capital would take a serious toll on your body if you weren’t knowledgeable about all the paths and shortcuts through the mountains. And lastly, the current king of Soleil, King Reijiro. Out of all the thirty-seven kings that ruled over Soleil, King Reijiro was infamous. He was a slayer, the bringer of war after realizing his dream to create an empire under the name of the Goddess. And like the color of spilled blood, the crimson banner of Soleil would soon paint over all the flags and become part of his empire after he wins the war.

And this notorious man was Prince Akemi’s father.

Although the idea of having peace and prosperity between all countries was getting further and further away with every bloodshed his father had made, Prince Akemi believed it wasn’t too late. Training for his whole life in the arts of diplomacy in hopes of being able to finish the twenty years of war, Prince Akemi gritted his teeth silently when he presented as an omega. Still, this did not deter the prince, for he too had a dream. One that wasn’t as grand as his father’s, but it was a dream nonetheless.

“Brother... is it true that you’re marrying Duke Donovan?”

Pausing from strumming the harp mindlessly, Prince Akemi turned to his young sister, Princess Hanako. Staring at him with a confused expression, he moved away from the instrument and chuckled. “Really? Who gave you that idea?”

“I heard the ladies of the court whispering about it.” She sighed, fiddling with one of the strings of her harp. “They said that you’ll be marrying Duke Donovan since…”

“Since?”

“Since you couldn’t become k-king.” She finished with a squeak. “So, is it true? Are you marrying that awful man?” Eyes wide at her opinion towards the Duke of West Siera, Prince Akemi couldn’t help but wonder why. After all, his sweet little sister wasn’t the type of person to make judgments before knowing someone unless she witnessed something she shouldn’t have.

“Why do you think Duke Donovan is a bad man? He seems nice, to me at least.” He smiled lightly, which only made the girl gasp and quickly stand up in protest. “What’s wrong?”

“I won’t let you marry him! He might be nice, but I saw how he treated one of the beggar boys in the street yesterday.” Realizing what she had just said, the princess went still and glanced up to see if her brother was angry. However, it didn’t surprise the prince nor angered him. He expected this.

“So, you’ve been going out of the palace again… Who accompanied you?” He questioned softly as the princess mumbled her answer. Not being able to hear, he asked again. “Who?”

“I went outside with Marquess Kei.” Princess Hanako sat down with a pout. Hearing that it was his childhood friend who accompanied her, Prince Akemi leaned back on his chair in relief. “It was getting boring inside with all those lessons. It is suffocating here.”

Knowing the feeling all too well, Prince Akemi stood up and approached her. With a pat to her head, he spoke. “I understand you want to leave and enjoy your time outside, but also remember you’re a princess. You take those lessons because you must do, and that is to serve the people of Soleil. It’s not an easy task, but we have to give it our all.”

“Brother, don’t marry Duke Donovan… I don’t want him to become king.” Princess Hanako shook her head repeatedly, a hint of sadness in her tone of voice. “You clearly don’t love him and he’s a bad man. He won’t become a good king.”

“I won’t, I won’t.” He mumbled, running his hand through her straight silky hair. “And besides, he was only here for a visit. However, I can’t ignore Father’s orders if he wants me to take him as my husband.” At the mention of the king, Princess Hanako pulled away with a frown on her face, surprising Prince Akemi.

“Brother, why do you always listen to him? It’s not like he has been with us all the time, so why do you want to please Father?” Face red in fury, Princess Hanako continued to ramble. “Aren’t you tired of him telling us what to do? And so, what if he’s king? He’s not doing a good job at it and is causing more problems for us!”

“Hanako.”

At the mention of her name, she piped down and glared at the stone floor. Seeing that she didn’t have anything else to say, Prince Akemi sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. He knew it was hard, growing up without a mother to guide her and only the servants to entertain her. He experienced the same fate. He couldn’t tell her she was wrong, yet at the same time, he couldn’t say that she was also correct.

“This kingdom has laws and these laws are to be followed by everyone. No one is an exception to the law. What the king says, we follow.” Bending down to look her in the eye, Prince Akemi solemnly stated. “If the king wants us to die, then we die. No matter how unfair it is. And even if he’s a bad king, he is still our father. Punishment for speaking ill towards the king is having your tongue cut out, you know that. We studied that. Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you?” When Princess Hanako nodded begrudgingly, he stood up and commanded. “Then, promise me that you will never speak ill of the king again as you did today.”

Having a stone heart towards the king wouldn’t do any good for her. Even if she wanted to fight for her rights, the king always had the last word. And it scares him. Because if they weren’t careful and let their tongues loose, they would lose their heads. As long as they remained silent and listened, they would be protected and honored. Prince Akemi wanted that. He didn’t want Princess Hanako to experience hardships and by listening to his father, he was protecting Hanako. Some may say that wars are often fought on battlefields, but there are also wars fought on the court. If Prince Akemi could shelter his sister from the dishonest people of the court, he would marry any man. And as long as King Reijiro is alive, no harm would come to him or her.

“I promise.” She whispered, loud enough for him to hear. Embracing her, Prince Akemi rubbed her back in circular motions to comfort his sorrowful sister. “Brother… you’re not mad at me, are you?”

“No, I’m not. I can’t be mad at you, Hanako.” Tightening his hold, Prince Akemi grinned. “You’re my only sister. We may not have the same mother, but you are still my sister. My confidant and that will never change.”

A knock on the door caused the two to stiffen and pull away. They were supposed to be practicing the harp and if the teacher came back to see them goofing around, punishment awaits. With anxious hearts, the two waited for the teacher to burst through the door and continue their lessons. However, the head that peeked through the door wasn’t their teacher’s, but it was Marquess Kei. The two exhaled loudly, relieved that it was the happy-go-lucky beta and not the terror music teacher.

“Did I happen to interrupt your lessons?”

“No, but you did give us a scare.” Prince Akemi shook his head, smiling a bit at his sister giggling. “What brings you here? Shouldn’t you be at court?”

Marquess Kei licked his lips multiple times, unable to speak straight. To see him like this alarmed the prince, forcing him to stand again and approach his friend with a puzzled expression. Just as the marquess was about to tell him, the church bells began ringing and faint screams could be heard outside. Prince Akemi could tell it was utter chaos and this meant one thing. A major event occurred on the battlefield. Focusing his attention back on the speechless man, he shook his friend’s shoulders in an attempt to break him off his frozen stance.

“Kei, did something happen? What’s going on?”

Three consecutive rings from the bell made Prince Akemi and Princess Hanako stare at each other in shock. Two consecutive rings meant that a noble had died, however, for three it meant that the king…

“Bad news! Bad news my lords!” The messengers cried out, their voices thundering from the hallways. With every word they yelled, the more Prince Akemi lost his footing and fell to the floor. “The king is dead! I repeat! The king is dead! The great King Reijiro has fallen on the battlefield!”