My father squeezed me tighter, delivering gentle kisses upon my forehead. We waited in my parents’ lavish room, adorned with golden crested fan symbols, oak dressers, and more. The white, fluffy couch we sat on was more comforting than I wanted it to be, as we waited for Jade’s call.
“It’s okay, my love. Passing information takes some time, especially since we didn’t give specific details, like which love hotel the body was found at.”
He was right, but I had lost so much in such a little time. I started to chew my fingernails, and my father gently touched my hand, removing it from my mouth.
“Don’t allow your anxiety to disrupt your nobility.”
“Shhi… I don’t even know why this is getting to me. Is this what claiming and losing a boy feels like?”
My father stroked the side of his face before reaching over and gently lifting my chin. “This feels like something more profound than claiming. Think about all the boys you’ve claimed in the past,” my father said.
I gazed into his soft grey eyes and thought back on them. They were happy, no, they were elated to be chosen by me. They started mapping out our future without hesitation. But not him, not Antwon.
“He’s different, Father.” He rested his head upon his hand and crossed his legs. “Antwon didn’t react like any of them.”
“That’s clear, love.”
“I mean,” I turned to him completely. “He denied my claim, challenged me in regalia, and according to Rika, he ran away, organized a heist, and robbed a gambling den for ￥2,000,000,000 in a single morning.” My father’s jaw dropped, but he corrected himself swiftly.
“You said that Rika gave you this information?” I nodded. “Sit here, love, and collect yourself. I’m going to have a word with your mother.”
***
Damn it, she should have come back by now. I poured myself a drink, mapping out my next move. I don’t want to call Jade myself because owing favors to a kid doesn’t sit well with me. I took a sip, and ardency hugged my cheeks.
“Damn, this made the wait more interesting.” Leaning back in my chair, I started making plans to lie on the couch. There was only a matter of time before I got permission to hunt in the Veil. Maybe I should go as Etsuko; that would be fun. I could even pay that ape a visit.
I stretched, then took another swig. Filing the paperwork for this expedition is going to suck, but on the off chance that I find Carter, I’ll be her fucking hero again.
I stood before my desk, gazing up at my Yari. That Daughter of Ash looked just like their fucking leader, which means there must be some relation. I held my hand up, reaching for the grip, knowing I couldn’t grab it from this side. I can start a war with her blood. Just then, someone knocked at my door.
It’s about time she showed up. “Come in,” and bring your good news. But it wasn’t Christina… I hid the bottle behind my back. “My love, to what do I owe the honor?” My fucking husband walked in, which means that brat ran to him.
“My noble wife,” he said, closing the door and walking right up to me. “What? No hug or kiss?” I frowned because he knew what he was doing.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
He closed the gap, forcing me to back away, “Darling, I’m filthy. You shouldn’t hug me right—” he wrapped his arms around me, grabbed the bottle, and I let him take it.
“What are we drinking to, Trish?” He didn’t back away after taking the bottle; he lingered for a moment, smelling my neck, igniting something within me.
I held back the urge to bite him. “I’m just drinking, dear,” I said. He was taller than me. “You should have a sip as well.” I forced him back toward the door, aiming for the red sofa.
Once he was down, I reclaimed my bottle and held it to his lips. He didn’t fight it; he drank and pulled me down, forcing me to set the bottle down so as not to spill it. I giggled, and he smiled.
“Masayuki, as fun as this is, I’m busy.” He traced his finger from my belly button up to my bra, unhooking it as he went. “I’ll take you after I’m done working, dear.” He caressed my cheek and pulled me down by my ear for what I thought was a kiss.
“Trish, so soft and dear to me. My daughter’s spirit was crushed by what you told her.” I held eye contact and refused to swallow guilt. “Now, I want you to tell me what you’ve told her.”
“It’s being handled—” he placed a finger to my lips.
“Trish, that’s not what I asked for,” he said, gently kissing my bottom lip, sending shivers down my spine, and fire stirring in my stomach.
“Oh, Masayuki. Stop turning me on and tell me what you want.” His hand slid down my cheek, traveling a familiar path. I salivated and prepared myself.
“I want you…to behave yourself with our child. You can play chess with me, with the court, and with the lives of innocent people. But don’t dare drag her heart through your thorns.”
I quivered.
“Now, tell me precisely what you told Christina.”
***
My phone rang, and I stared at the caller ID. It was Jade, but my father wasn’t here to answer it. I took a deep breath, “Christina speaking.” A sigh of relief came through the phone.
“Damn it, Christina. Why did your dad answer the phone before?”
“Because… I can’t explain right now,” I said, adjusting myself as if someone were watching me in my parents’ empty room.
“Whatever. I had to call around to each district interrogator to find your case.” I held my breath.
“What did you find?” I said, clenching my skirt.
“As mentioned before, a boy was murdered. The reports show that his injuries were post-mortem, and he was eventually drained of all his blood and sanguinated after death. We currently have a —” A soft whimper escaped me.
“Please leave my office. I will summon you when my call has concluded.” I waited, covering my mouth with my hand.
Silence.
“What the fuck is wrong, Christina?”
“Everything,” I said, unable to hold back anymore.
***
My phone rang, causing my eyes to shoot open, but I was in no position to answer it. It stopped, and my eyes closed again. I held Masayuki in my arms, smelling our mingled scent. The phone rang again. And I let him go and shambled over to the nosy thing.
“What?”
“It sounds like I’ve woken you, Trish.” I resisted the urge to yawn.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Jade. Who takes naps in the afternoon?”
“Moving on to more pressing matters. I called Christina to confirm the death of a boy at a love hotel.”
I waited quietly. Did she fuck everything up?
“I didn’t confirm whether or not it was the foreign boy. But I would like to know why you didn’t confirm this information, knowing the answer.”
“Why does it matter?”
“It matters because my friend is suffering under the illusion that the boy she’s just claimed is dead.”
“Come now, Jade. She’s claimed plenty of boys in the past. As long as he isn’t actually dead, we won’t have any issues.”
“What…do you mean?”
“I mean that she was supposed to call you, you were supposed to give us permission to hunt for him, and we would handle your killer problem amidst our search.”
“And if I say no?”
I massaged the nerves between my eyes. “As you know, this boy is affecting my daughter, and in turn affecting me. So I’ll say it once, Jade. If I lose that boy, I’ll raze whatever city he dies in to get to his killer, alliance be damned.”
I waited for her response.
“You could have just asked me, Trish. The threats weren’t necessary.”
“Well, I know how the Crimson Council can be, Jade, so I wanted to give you a win-win position.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about the headlines. The Court fears for the safety of the Veil, hunting the killer; the Veil finds a runaway king consort, reuniting him with his heiress.”
“Sure…but I won’t continue to lie to Christina.”
“Do I have permission or not?”
“I’m granting you and a small squad permission to move within Veil territory.”
“Thanks, hun.” I hung up.
“So, you’ll raze a whole city for our daughter’s love?”
“I’d raze much more for you. Now, get dressed and inform Christina that we're going hunting.”
This chapter sits in a strange space for me — it’s quieter on the surface, but it’s one of the most dangerous chapters so far.
Nothing explodes. No blades are drawn. No one dies on the page.And yet… almost everything here is about power — who has it, who thinks they have it, who pretends not to, and what it costs the people underneath it.
This is a chapter about:
- love as ownership
- protection as control
- Grief as a political weapon
- and how easily “care” becomes coercion when you’re powerful enough.
So I’m really curious how this landed for you.
A few things I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts on:
- Did Trish feel protective, monstrous, loving, or all three at once?
- Did Masayuki feel like a moral counterweight… or just a softer form of control?
- At what point did you stop trusting Trish in this chapter — if you did at all?
- And most importantly: do you think Trish believes what she’s saying… or is she just very good at justifying herself?
Also: if this chapter made you uncomfortable, I want to hear that too — because that discomfort is part of what this arc is about.
Thank you for reading this far into the story and these characters. Your reactions shape how I understand them as much as my writing does.
—Knox