With the help of Futama, Yukina found out about the assassination attempt of Prince Kurasaki which would be conducting by Prince Shiroichi and his men.

Arashi wasn't there so Yukina had no choice but to save him by herself. She decided to tell Arashi everything but once she successfully saved Prince Kurasaki.

Yukina was making preparations when a maid came to her room. "Lady Yukina, Princess Mizuki has called you."

Yukina nodded and went to her. It was the time of her medication. Yukina planned to give her the medicine and then go to the war base.

As the maid handed her the medicine, she was about to give Princess Mizuki it when Mizuki said, "Yukina... I suddenly want to see Kurasaki...and Arashi..."

Yukina's brows ceased together because up until now she had never talked like this. She was talking like she won't be able to see them again...

Wait! Had she come to realise that her husband was about to get killed?

No... Yukina won't let that happen.

So she said, "Don't worry, you will surely see them... I promise you."

Princess Mizuki nodded and gave a faint smile. She looked too tired. Yukina got worried because today Princess Mizuki seemed too quiet. For a few days, she had been sleeping too much. Why wasn't she recovering?

Yukina had told this to Prince Kurasaki and Arashi so many times but they were too busy with the war and besides, apart from changing the doctor, they had no other choice.

She gave Princess Mizuki the medicine and went down the castle to reach the place where Futama would be waiting.

Without further ado, Yukina and Futama disguised as Wansai soldiers and reached the war base where Arashi's father was.

"I see many of the organisation's men disguised as Wansai soldiers..." Futama said as Yukina nodded.

"It seems you were right. They might have planned that it would be easier if people thought that the enemy spy had come and killed him in the war base." Yukina said as Futama shrugged.

"It would be easier that way. If it was me, I would have planned it that way..." Futama said.

"Alright. Let's get close to Prince Kurasaki's tent..." Yukina suggested as they reached.

And as soon as they reached the tent, they found it odd that there was very less Wansai soldiers... Yukina got worried as Futama said, "Go inside and see if Prince Kurasaki is well. I'll stay outside. If anyone comes, I'll let you know."

Yukina nodded and went inside the tent.

As soon as she went inside she got stunned about what she saw inside. Prince Kurasaki was fighting with Prince Shiroichi and right then, Prince Shiroichi had caught his throat.

Yukina immediately went there and hit Shiroichi's head with her dagger's sealth. Prince Shiroichi immediately got unconscious and fell on the ground.

Arashi's father heaved for air as he sat up and looked at Yukina. His sharp eyes fell on her as he said, "Yukina... What are you doing here in those clothes?"

Yukina got stunned since even within a disguise, he could tell it was her.

She said, "I-I heard Prince Shiroichi was here with his men to kill you..."

"So you came here to save me?"

Yukina nodded as Prince Kurasaki laughed. "Don't worry about that Yukina... Worry about how you are going to fight of the organisation..."

She got flabbergasted as Prince Kurasaki said that...

Arashi's father wasn't a foolish crown prince. He knew from the start something was off about Yukina and when he came to know about the organisation, he wanted to cancel the wedding himself.

But then he found Yukina and Arashi loved each other and for years, Yukina had been stalling her mission because she got fond of Arashi and his family. Prince Kurasaki's main plan was to demolish the organisation but the war came...

He had no choice but to focus on the war and believed that Yukina would never let her organisation to harm Arashi. His belief on Yukina became true as he smiled at Yukina.

He told her that he knew everything as Yukina apologised to him. But as Prince Kurasaki was kind, he said, "It isn't your fault Yukina... You had a rough childhood and I understand if you were an assassin because of that... But choosing the right path and sticking to that is what makes you who you are. I'm glad you chose the right path."

Tears rumbled on Yukina's eyes as Prince Kurasaki had forgiven her long ago. And she was happy that she chose to protect them.

But it wasn't in her hands to protect them...

Suddenly, the sword's tip came out from Arashi's father's chest as their eyes fell of the wielder. It was Prince Shiroichi who had stabbed the sword from Prince Kurasaki's back.

Blood came out from his mouth as Yukina froze in her place.

Prince Shiroichi laughed as Arashi's father tumbled down on the floor, lifelessly. Yukina got angry and advanced on him but she had lost her calmness as she couldn't fight with Prince Shiroichi for long.

And she sat down on the ground beside Arashi's father's body. Tears falling like a stream as Prince Shiroichi said, "It is all thanks to you that I could kill him..."

Yukina looked at him and asked in bewilderment, "What do you mean?"

Shiroichi smiled a sinister smile and said, "While you were stalling him in your talk, I was preparing how to stab him to death... It was all thanks to you..."

Yukina's hands and feet froze. She said, her voice hitching, "I didn't help you... You killed him..."

He laughed, "What are you talking about, Yukina... You finally succeeded in your mission. You were the one who helped me to kill Prince Kurasaki and you are the one who is killing Princess Mizuki slowly... I'm really impressed with your service..."

Yukina got flabbergasted as all she could do was blink in confusion.

As Prince Shiroichi was leaving the tent he asked, "Don't you find it strange that no matter how many doctors are coming, Princess Mizuki's health is worsening?"

He smiled wickedly as he left and now all the dots added in Yukina's mind. Why Princess Mizuki wasn't recovering...?

Because up until now, Yukina was feeding her poison!

Yukina gasped as she couldn't believe it. The ground beneath her feet shook as she found it hard to breath anymore. Her eyes fell on her hands and suddenly she felt her hands were red with the blood of Arashi's parents as she shook in her place.

She heard some commotion outside but she was too shocked to act as Futama came running.

"Yukina! Let's go! Everyone is coming here!" Futama said but Yukina could not even stand up.

Futama saw how broken she was and the body of Arashi's father was lying beside her. If she stayed here, people would assume she had killed him so he took Yukina on his shoulders and ran away from there.

As they ran away from the war base, Yukina was still on Futama's shoulder but she was quiet. Yukina asked, her voice breaking "Futama, can you please kill me...?"

At that, Futama halted and pulled her down from his shoulders. He caught her shoulders and asked in an angry voice, "What are you talking?!"

Yukina looked at him and asked, "Please... This is the last request I will ever ask you..."

Futama got angry and said it even if he didn't want to, "But you have Arashi...!" He wanted to say that she had him but somehow those words didn't come out.

Yukina started to cry as she asked, "How will I face him when I am the one to kill his parents...?"

"You aren't the one! And he will understand it... You didn't know it would happen! Don't blame yourself!"

But it was far too late because by now, Yukina was devoured by guilt. And no amount of Futama's words would reach her now. Futama somehow managed to make her go back to Shinkyo believing she will be fine once she reached there but it became worse.

As they reached Shinkyo, they heard Princess Mizuki had died as well that evening.

Yukina got stunned as she couldn't save them...

She cried that night in the darkness and shouted but there was no one to soothe her aching heart. Even if Arashi were to came, she didn't want to face him. Not yet. She had stopped contacting Futama because she knew she was only making it life-threatening for Futama.

When it was still a mourning time, it took Arashi a few weeks to come after hearing about his parents' deaths...

He couldn't come immediately since he was tasked with the defence of the borders of Wansai.

On the other hand, Yukina had lost herself in the darkness. Her will to have a good life with Arashi got crushed and she immediately agreed when the emperor asked if she wanted to marry a different suitor.

The matters became worse after Arashi's Father death. Everyone came to know that it was a work of Kosaki, sneaking into the base and killing him. Shiroichi made it look like that. However, Shiroichi wasn't good at war or stretegy.

With the crown prince's death, the war took a different route and Kosaki started to win. Shiroichi got scared as he didn't know what to do and all the young prince and princess were immature in battles.

And at the time, Arashi arrived...

The emperor made him the immediate chief general while others started to mock him. Telling he wasn't good at battle and had no experience.

But his mind wasn't in the war as he was still mourning for his parents.

He couldn't believe his parents had suddenly died and the strange rumours about Yukina getting married to a different suitor. He knew Yukina would never agree to that...

So, he decided to go to Yukina before going to the war base.

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29th April, 23
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