These past few days have kept Zoi occupied. He didn't knew that being a king wasn't easy. He barely took a break and can hardly sleep. He wasn't even able to visit the people from the camp. Right after he woke up, he would have a breakfast in his room and after that he would go directly to the meeting hall to meet the generals. They were preparing for the upcoming mass parade blessing and in between those schedules were lectures from the generals about his status, duties and responsibilities. Zoi being Zoi got bored sometimes and for some moments, he fell asleep during the sessions. He received a few beatings from General Amiana, the rest of the generals were lenient to him especially General Shun. They were almost of the same age so basically theygot along pretty easily.
Today, the day before the mass parade, the generals gave him a free day to spend. First thing he did was to visit the people from the camp. After the battle, he haven't seen them. His excitement was so evident in his smile as he runs fast to get to them immediately. The court guards tried to followed him but they weren't successful. Zoi doesn't want to be guarded especially when visiting important people for him. He doesn't want to feel unsafe in his country and he wanted to instill trust between everyone. He was told that the people from the camp were back to the place they once called home, the slums. Zoi also wanted to talk to them about that. One of the reasons that Zoi wanted to become a king is for the people in the marginalized sector of the country to experience the prosperity of Amane that they've been proudly saying. He wanted everyone to enjoy every fruits they could take and not just for the middle class and the nobles. When he arrived at the slums, he found them busy building everything from the scratch. Men are fixing and building houses, women are in charge of the clean up and the kids are also busy offering food for the laborers. He smiled at this and remembered his childhood. The people suddenly noticed his presence.
"Hey! Isn't it the king?" one of them said. They all kneeled and bowed at him. The smile that he just had awhile ago turned to frown.
"What do you think you're doing?" Zoi said in a low and angry voice. The people were froze in their position and didn't dared to look at him.
"All of you look at me!" he said but their silence spoke their refute.
"Damn it! Why are you all like that? I came here to visit you all and you give me this crap?! Listen! No matter what happens, I'll always be the Zoi who lived here! Who lived with you!" Zoi exclaimed. His voice echoed across the horizon.
"That's why… That's why stop this. Stand up and talk to me like you used to do." He said in a sad voice. Everyone's eyes looked at the ground also with sadness.
"Even if you say that… You totally looked different." A man said reluctantly and looked at Zoi from head to foot.
"Oh? If you mean these? Wait a minute." Zoi said and taken his elite clothes off until only his undergarments. "How about this?!" Zoi grinned and spread his arms wide.
When they lift their gaze to look at him, they were in shock. Women shrieked and the men threw smalls stone at him.
"Hey! Why are you showing offy body?! Didn't knew you were such a maniac!"
"Your sick! How can you undress in front of the children!"
"You bastard! Put your clothes on!"
"He-He-Hey! What are you—Ow! What are you doing?! Just awhile ago you can't even look at me! What's with this turn of events?!" Zoi complained while dodging the stones. The children were laughing at him while the women tried to cover their eyes. Men were still throwing stones at him not because they hated him but because they're glad that he's still the same Zoi they've known. The reason why they acted cold was because they're afraid that he'd changed which they've regretted. They trusted Zoi more than anyone else. The boy who saved them from his ruthless brother.
"You really are an idiot!" familiar voice behind Zoi spoke. Zoi turned around to face that person and he saw Larkin and Kazuki.
"What the hell are you doing to yourself?!" Kazuki shrieked and covers her eyes.
"Looking good, aren't we?" Larkin said almost laughing
"Don't laugh at me! It's their fault!" Zoi said and pointed to the men with his eyes almost crying.
"Hey! What are you saying?! We did not tell you to get buck naked!"
"What's that supposed to mean?! You told me that I looked different and that's why I removed anything new from me!" Zoi complained.
"What are you talking about?! Come here brat I'm going to beat you into pulp!"
"Hey! Help me here!" Zoi looked at Larkin who was on his knees laughing.
"I don't think we'll be of help. They have even forgotten you're a king." Kazuki said tried to hold back her laugh. "Why won't you just let them? When you'll be officially announced as king, you won't be able to see them frequently just like they way you used to." She added. Zoi stopped and gave it a thought.
"In any case, try to put some clothes on!" Kazuki yelled at him and throw him a simple pair of clothes. He immediately put those on.
"Why don't you come at me and fight me idiots! " Zoi shouted.
"Don't cry if you'll end up dying in here, wimpy king!" the crowd yelled and the men rushed towards him. They were punching each other and fighting nonsensically. But there were smiles in them. It's as though they were having fun.
"All right! Lemme join!" Larkin said and joned the fight. Kazuki sighed.
"Boys will be boys." She said.
In the end, Kazuki needed to call some knights to help them rebuild the place. The fight lasted almost until sunset. They needed to finish everything for tomorrow's blessing. When everything was done, they looked at it in awe. It was different from what they had the last time they lived there. Thanks to the help of the knights, they were able to finish it even if it's already dark and to celebrate, Zoi decided to have banquet. Everyone shared food and drinks and the knights celebrated with them.
"Must be lucky to have these as your everyday food!"
"Yeah right! It's the first time I've eaten something like this!"
"That's right. All we got were wild animals from the forest." The children had their conversation.
"Consider yourself lucky brats! During my childhood, all we ate was rats and insects!" Zoi joined their conversation. The children laughed.
"Zoi is really funny!" Reina said.
"Well, he's not joking." Kazuki joined. "We mostly had grilled rats. We don't have any oil or money to buy some. The water wasn't safe either." She added.
"What?! That must be gross!" a little boy named Baldwin said while he's acting like he's gonna throw up and the other kids did the same. Zoi and Kazuki chuckled at the innocence of the kids.
"Well, for us it was heaven. We barely have something to eat. Sometimes I thought, maybe the rats were already afraid of us because it's been awhile since we had a meal." Larkin showed up, his face is red from drinking alcohol. He's already tipsy and walking like he's gonna fell off anytime. When he almost passed by Kazuki, she blocked his way with her foot and Larkin fell on his face on the ground.
"Oops! Sorry." Kazuki said sarcastically and grinned playfully. The children laughed and randomly called him clumsy and dumb.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Larkin snarled.
"What are you so angry about? I already said sorry." Kazuki said while trying to hold back her laughs. Zoi was laughing silently.
"Damn you! Do you think I'm gonna buy that crap?" Larkin said more like a drunkard.
"Well, I'm not selling it." Kazuki said and shrugged and laughed at the same time. Larkin suddenly moved closer to her making their faces inches apart. Kazuki was stopped from her laughing. The children looked at them with excitement in their eyes and Zoi whistled and grinned at the same time.
"You dare to mock me, huh? Have you forgotten how every woman lost their words when I'm this close?" Larkin whispered seductively and grinned at her. No one knows if he did it because he's mad, or just drunk, or just because. Kazuki's mind stopped working.
"W-What do you think you're doing?!" Kazuki stuttered, she didn���t know what to say.Larkin noticed her face flushed red which was a surprise for him. He tried to flirt with her before but she's always able to drive him away. At this moment, he realized that she could've soften someday and he felt challenged.
"S-S-Stay away from me, you reek of alcohol!" Kazuki yelled and a powerful slap from Kazuki's palm landed on Larkin's face. Larkin flew sideways and landed on the cold ground.
"Whooaaa!" the kids exclaimed as they've followed how Larkin fell to the ground.
"Is he dead?"
"Is he alive?"
"She's scary…" the kids said and looked at Kazuki with awe. Kazuki realized what she had done and came to her senses.
"T-That's your fault for pulling dumb tricks on me!" she said firely. The kids went closer to Larkin's body.
"Hey! He's not moving!"
"Is he alright?"
"After what she did, I guess he'll die."
The kids murmured with each other and Kazuki was feeling somewhat guilty.
"It's justa slap. It's impossible." She whispered nervously.
"Hey! Wake up!" the kids were trying to wake him up and shook his body. Zoi just sighed at his sight and looked at the pitiful body.
"He's not waking up. Maybe we should call granma Fey." Baldwin said to others and the others nodded. Suddenly, they've heard a faint snoring. And as time goes by, it gets louder and louder until they decided to look at the fallen body. They saw Larkin with his mouth simultaneously opening and closing releasing a loud sound of snore.
"Oh, he's just asleep."
"Come on now kids. Just let him be. Don't be like him in the future." Kazuki said.
"Yeah. Make sure you passed out in your house and not in the street." Zoi said and laughed.
"Maybe we should get another food!" Reina said and they left to get themselves another fill.
"By the way, I haven't seen Granma Fey here." Zoi said and roamed his eyes around.
"What? You haven't met her yet?" Kazuki said.
"Nope.�� Zoi replied and shook his head. He went to Larkin and took off his robe and covered it on his friend's bare chest.
"I thought you've talked to her already. I've seen her in Faia's room before I went here." Kazuki said.
"Oh right! Why have I forgotten about Faia?! Tch! It's getting troublesome being a King." Zoi said and heaved a deep sigh.
"Well, serves you right." Kazuki jokingly said.
"It seems that you've been doing well. Your mood's improving." Zoi said and looked at her with a faint smile.
"Life goes on. I need to move on though it is really a long process but I believe I'll get there." She replied and looked at the sky. Even if her eyes still shows stress, there's still a faint light of hope shone through it.
"How about your research? Any good?" Zoi asked.
"Well, more or less. I still need a confirmation. Maybe after the blessing tomorrow, I'm gonna to talk to the hermit or…. To your brother." Kazuki said reluctant on her last statement. Zoi stopped. The wine he's drinking felt as though it was stucked on his throat. He had a hard time swallowing it.
"Where's my brother anyway? I haven't heard of him since I woke up." He asked.
"I was told he's in a torture chamber." Kazuki replied.
"A what?! B-B-But why the torture chamber?! I know he's done really nasty things but why there?! They could've just imprinsoned him!" Zoi exclaimed. Kazuki motioned him to calm down.
"What is it? Are you feeling sorry for your brother?" Kazuki asked and looked at him seriously.
"Of course I am!" Zoi exclaimed.
"You're way too soft. Didn't the old man told you? He was put in the chamber to squeeze the tea out of him." She explained. Larkin who was on the ground suddenly grunted and whispering dirty things. Kazuki kicked his face in disgust.
"What does thar mean?" Zoi asked.
"Squeeze information from him idiot!" Kazuki snapped.
"I know what that means! What I'm asking is what are they're trying to get from him?! There's no way he could've known something from the void!" Zoi said.
"The old man won't tell me. But I'm guessing, they're thinking that he could've known something about the void. Or maybe, they're thinking that they're his accomplice." She explained.
"That's harsh! Why they didn't tell me this?!" Zoi said angrily.
"I guess the court here is independent. I even heard when we're still infiltrating here from back then that there are shady businessess that were done without the knowledge of the king. And that involves, exploitation of women and children,smuggling of illegal documents and products. They even cover up for the wealthy and nobles when they're accused of something. They'll gonna frame up someone and make him admit to something they didn't do." Kazuki said.
"What?! That's insane! How come did my father let this happened!" Zoi said angrily and gritted his teeth.
"He probably knew. But if he would go against them, chances is that they would dethrone him and put someone as king. Someone who is in favor in them and someone who can make them untouchables.He can't let that happen. Amane will be in peril." Kazuki said also trying to digest everything.
"Do you think they might go against me and do something to banish me?" Zoi asked anxiously.
"Yes of course. But don't worry we'll never let that happen!" Kazuki said fiercely.
Zoi smiled half heartedly. He felt so lucky to have such dependable friends. Someone he could count on and lean on. His eyes responded to her determination and is also willing to do anything to support them.