"Don't you think that's a little out of place?" Azar asked cautiously.
"What is?" Tari said as they walked heading to the king's throne room.
"Obviously all this is for the succession of the throne, family matters if you ask me," he said crossing his arms behind his head.
"Family matter?" she scoffed. "Someone was able to get hold of the crown prince's cup and add poison to it, which is a sign that any of the guests including me could pass through the same thing."
She tried to convince him but, the truth is, she was trying to convince herself. This was an act based on pure emotions more than logical thinking.
'Why am I getting so worked up?' she wondered. She was angrier than Joon Wo about all this which made her think if friends normally get so worked up for each other.
Tari might excel in martial arts, swordsmanship, war tactics, but she is quite slow-witted when it comes to feelings, especially her own feelings.
Arriving at the door the two guards opened the double door and announced her presence to the king. She took a deep breath as she changed from the normal kind Tari, into the crown princess and future queen of Kemet, with her head, held high and serious face it was hard to imagine her being cute and joyful.
"What an honor to have you here, Princess," King Tae said with a smile.
"Let's skip the Greetings, Your Majesty," Nefertari said.
"Oh," he said token aback. "What is the urgent matter that made you come all the way here?"
She almost scoffed in disgust, his son was dying in bed and he doesn't even look like he cared. Being pampered by her father since she was young made her think that every other father on the face of the earth was like her father. She didn't know that to most Emperors children were a means of politics and a way to keep their legacy. A political tool.
"What else other than the attempt to assassinate the crown prince but thanks to the 2nd prince's he wasn't?" She faked a smile.
The king's expression darkened. "I assure you that the culprit will be caught."
"I believe that you are also aware that this clearly an inside job," she said. "Obviously an attempt to get rid of your heir."
King Tae sighed. "You are your father's daughter indeed," he said. "so, I'll tell you the truth, princess,"
"I'm all ears," he crossed her arms over her chest.
"We knew beforehand that this was going to happen, everything went according to plan. We didn't know how the culprit was going to attack but either way, Joon Wo excels in martial arts as well as his immunity to poisons." He said. "We planned it and he agreed."
Tari clenched her fists beside her as rage started to eat her insides. "So, you used the 2nd prince to protect your heir?"
"Absolutely not!" he yelled. "I knew that he would make it, I trusted him," he said glaring at Nefertari. "We are now in search of the maid who served the plates, but she is nowhere to be found in the palace."
"I hope you don't let Prince Joon Wo's sacrifice go in vain, Your Majesty," she said before slightly bowing her head and turning on her heels to leave, followed by Azar who was waiting for her at the other side of the door.
"Did it go well?" Azar asked as he walked a step behind Nefertari.
"As well as it can get," she sighed. "just as you suspected, it's an attempt to get rid of the heir."
For some reason Azar's heart clenched tight inside his chest, the words of the crimson knight that night came crashing down on him. Even if he refused to be the one to kill the princess, someone else will do it. And he will do it fast.
"Azar!" Tari yelled after she called him a couple of times without response. "I've been talking to you,"
"Oh, sorry," he faked a smile.
~~~~
"Go get my son," Queen Eun Ae ordered.
"B-But prince Joon Wo is still not well, my queen," Her head maid said in a low cautious tone.
"Do you think I'm an idiot? I meant my other son." She narrowed her eyes.
"P-prince Min Jun, Your Majesty?" the maid was stunned at the request. The queen never cared about her 2nd son, she thought that he was weak and fragile, in other words, not fit to be made king.
"Should I repeat myself again," the queen glared at her maid.
"I apologize, I'll get to it right away," she said and hurried out to do as she was told.
Not long after that, Min Jun was walking behind his mother's maid as she escorted him to the queen's room.
When was the last time that he has been there? He couldn't remember. The fact that he is even her son was forgotten by most, even he forgot that from time to time. Why should she care about her small weak fragile son when she had Joon Wo who was strong and blessed with intelligence?
Yet, he couldn't get himself to hate his brother or feel jealous, his brother was the closest to being his parent. He was always beside him for as long as he could remember, he helped him when he was struggling with studies and helped him train overtime to avoid scolding from their instructor. How could he bring himself to hate him?
He took a deep breath once the maid opened the door and announced his presence, she stepped aside giving him room to pass. Once he was in, he bowed at his mother. "Greetings, Mother,"
"Oh, raise your head, my boy," she said giving him a smile. He followed her instructions and stood still in his place.
"Why are you standing? Take a seat," she said and gestured for him to sit down and so he did.
"Well," she said. "You must wonder why I called you here."
"I'm sorry that I can't find a reason for me being here," he said.
"Oh, it's quite simple actually," she smiled sending chills down his spine. "You are going to start training as an heir."
"Eh?" he looked up at his mother's unreadable expression. "W-why? You already trained my brother." His head was having an error running inside, Yu Jun and Joon Wo were both trained to be an heir to the king because of the small gap between them, it made no sense to him that he will start as well.
"Your brother seems to be wavering at wanting to be king," she said raising her hand, "and I so desperately want one of my boys to be king." She sighed faking pity.
'A backup plan.' He almost said out loud. She was going to using him as a backup for his brother. "But I don't want to be king, Mother. It was never on my mind; my brother is the one who is fit to be king."
"Oh, I most certainly know that," she said raising her eyebrows making her forehead wrinkle.
He clenched his fists on his thigh. "Then why am I being trained?" he said in almost an angry tone.
"To support your brother, I need you to help me make sure that he doesn't waver or doubt the fact that he is the one who should be king." She said, "Do that and you will at least keep your head after he gets the throne. You do know what happens to the male siblings of the king, don't you?" she smirked.
They die. All the male siblings that may hold a threat to the king in his succession to the throne, dies. It happened so many times before that it became almost a habit among the Royal family. Except for those that the king's spare or banish from the royal family.
He grinds his teeth. He didn't want to be king that's true, but that didn't mean that he wanted to die.
"It'll be suspicious for me to start training as heir, mother," he said looking at his fisted hands.
"I'm aware of that, my boy," she said, "that's why you are going to keep it a secret from everyone, even Joon Wo himself."
"As you wish, mother," he said. "Now, if you would excuse me," he could up before bowing to his mother and exited the room.
The moment he was outside, he felt his knees giving in to the nervousness that he was holding inside. He leaned back against the closed door and he knew that his life will not be the same after this, not with him being his mother's puppet.
He didn't know what other choices he had. All he knew is that his peaceful life as the forgotten son is now over. He was going to be the hidden card that his mother holds, her secret knight and he will do it for his brother.
'It's the least I can do to repay all that he has done for me' he convinced himself.
Because after all, he didn't want to die. He knew that his brother wanted the same for him.
Was wanting to live such a crime?