It had been several months since Yukina had started to live with them in Wansai Palace.

Arashi was practicing sword fighting with one of his attendee, Hiroshi in the training ground while Yukina was just watching him from afar.

Hiroshi shouted, "Your grip is too weak!" And his wooden sword hit Arashi as he fell on the ground. He coughed as he clutched himself in pain and Yukina couldn't help but feel empathetic toward him.

She couldn't understand why the organisation wanted him to die? He was very weak...

He had a strong mind but that won't get him the throne.

Arashi stood up again but fell immediately on his face as he tripped over with his own wooden sword. His nose started to bleed as Hiroshi shook his head. "Oh great! Now I have to cater your wounds. What am I? A babysitter?!"

Yukina shook her head as well because he was clumsy too. There was no choice he would get to be a crown prince, let alone an emperor.

She could see people around him were too much disappointed by him and they often treated him poorly. But lately she felt too sad for him.

He kept trying and trying to improve but people would throw stones at him. It wounded him but he still stood up and started to keep trying.

Suddenly she heard someone coming. She looked around and found a few of his cousins were coming his way, probably to bully him again.

Yukina stood up and went there way. As soon as their eyes fell on her, they said with mocking voice, "Look who is here? The small neighbouring kingdom princess!"

"Isn't she perfect for our weak prince?!" And they all started to laugh.

Yukina had never regarded their words but lately her stomach boiled in anger if they said anything about Arashi. They didn't know how much he try, they didn't see his struggle. Yet they had the audacity to mock him.

Yukina gave a wicked grin and said, "It is far better than a bunch of weaklings who only could sprout out nonsense." She feigned a shocking face and said, "Oh! Is that jealousy I see? Because the crown prince loves his son so dearly that he has given him a whole city as his birthday gift?"

She mocked them instead, "I bet your daddies and mommies can't give you something so large. Because all they give you a bunch of toys."

They got angry at her words and was a bit surprised that the small kingdom princess had a large mouth. Up until now, she had never done it which made them think she was weak as well. So they bullied her as well.

But in real, she was just pretending to be a weak little princess because she wanted to get close to Arashi so she could get close to the crown prince and in the end she could kill both of them.

The cousins of Prince Arashi flew away as Arashi came, all injured and wounded. She asked, "Why do you always come back all tattered?"

He said, "That's the cost of becoming a prince I guess?" He added, "Don't worry, I am fine."

Yukina teased, "Oh, how could I not get worried about my would be husband?"

Arashi's face got reddened as he said in an annoyed voice, "Shut up! We are too young to be called a husband and wife."

Yukina teased again, "Is the prince is shy all of a sudden?"

Arashi turned around as he said, "Of course not! And why are you here? I thought you had some etiquette lessons..."

Yukina nodded and grinned, "I have already finished that."

Arashi was amused as he said, "You are fast!"

"Aren't I?"

As they went toward their usual place, to the garden where they usually spent their time, the closeness between Yukina and Arashi gradually increased.

Yukina was already trained in etiquettes and everything that would be needed in this mission. Apparently someone had been providing the organisation the valuable lessons the Wansai princesses get.

And Arashi could see how excellent she was at everything she did. She even got praised by his mother and father. Both of them had already regarded her as their daughter in law.

And one day, Arashi said, "Yukina... I know I'm not worthy of you."

Yukina blinked as he continued, "I know you were being forced to get married to me. If you want to call off this marriage, you can ask my father. He doesn't do anything which saddens the people around him."

That time, Yukina felt angry. Because by that time, she had already acknowledged Arashi's strength. His body might be weak but he was a great person.

Despite of being a prince, he never distinguished between status or people. He was the first person who had changed the views of royals. She found out not every nobles were the same.

She could see how kind the crown prince and the princess were. They treated people equally and how they raised their son, Arashi and their daughter, Rei. They never once judged people with their statuses.

Yukina said angrily, "What are you saying?"

Arashi said, his shoulders slumped down as he said, "My master had rejected me and there is no way I could get to be a strong prince like my father. I might always be a hindrance to you. You may find someone with—"

And Yukina's hand instinctively placed a slap on Arashi's cheek as she growled in anger, "Never say these words to me again! If he had rejected you then go nag him to death until he listens!"

Arashi's eyes were large and they were staring at Yukina as Yukina huffed in anger. How dare he say those words! He was the strongest prince Yukina had ever acknowledged. And even though she was here to kill him, she couldn't deny she had started to like him.

What? Did she just started to like him? She got stunned at her own discovery.

Arashi asked, "Did you just slap me?"

Yukina blinked and looked at her own hand. "Err... Ahahah! It was a joke! Yes, a Joke!" And she ran away from there as her heart started to beat loudly and her face resembled a tomato.

What was she doing? She couldn't just fall in love with the target whom she was supposed to kill!

But the kindness the crown prince and his family had showed her made her question the motive of the organisation. She thought they would clean the bad people from the society then why go for the good ones?

Her organisation had a rule that was: Complete the mission with no question asked. But now she had started to question them.

There would be no way the crown prince and his family was bad people. If they were, the whole Shinkyo wouldn't follow them blindly.

One night, Yukina met Futama Sameda in secrecy who was two years older than her and he was also an excellent assassin.

He asked, "Did you able to get close to the crown prince's family?"

Yukina nodded. "I did but they still doesn't trust me enough..."

She lied. They trusted her and they treated her well.

Futama said, "It might take another year, I suppose. What should I give the master as your report?"

Yukina thought for a moment and said, "Tell him that Prince Rian is not qualified as the heir of the throne. There are few others who are much more qualified than him. He is clumsy and doesn't even know how to wield a sword. It would be a waste of time to kill him."

Futama looked at her for a while and asked, "You didn't, by chance, start to like this Prince, did you?"

Yukina scoffed, "Are you serious? I'm only here to kill them. If master wishes to kill the prince as well then I can do so but it would still be a waste of time."

Futama nodded and said, "Alright. For now, get close to them..."

Yukina nodded and left immediately. Her heart was thumping loudly in her ears because she just lied to the organisation.

Just to save Arashi.

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9th April, 23
1370