Reborn: The New Empress

First up were Ladies Aiyo and Ima. I knocked on their door and I was granted entry.

"Empress Yukina? What are you doing here?" They kept their distance from me. They must fear me now.

"I"m not here to hurt you. I just have questions that I"m hoping you could help me answer." They looked at each other. I smiled at them and sat by the table.

"You do not have to be afraid of me. I have no ill will against the two of you." They sat in front me and bowed their heads.

"We ask for your forgiveness your majesty. We were just doing what Tsuya told us. We wanted to win the emperor"s favor so badly and we did everything out of desperation." I held their heads and raised them up to meet my gaze.

"I know you mean no real harm. I have already forgiven you." Suddenly they burst out crying.

"Your majesty, we don"t deserve your kindness. We did so many awful things to you in the past." I wiped away their tears and smiled.

"It"s okay. How about this, as payment, I ask that you answer my questions truthfully." They both sat properly and nodded.

"The day of my accident, where were you?"

"We were with Tsuya and the Emperor. We were having tea with them by the gazebo."

"Was Lady Hiwa with you too?" They both nodded.

"Okay that"s all. Thank you so much." They shook their heads.

"We should be the one to thank you your majesty. Your kindness knows no bounds." They bowed again and I left.

Tori was the only one in the garden that time. I have to find more evidence.

I went to the lake. There was a small clearing by the trees. I followed it and it led me to the edge of the lake. This must be where I fell. I took a look around and found a bush. Wisteria! This is the only place wisteria can be found in the palace. I looked over at the edge and saw it was bridled with rocks. Yukina must"ve knocked her head by the rocks and lost consciousness. It took a long time for someone to have found her and she drowned. I walked back down the path. I suddenly heard voices so I hid myself by the trees.

"Your majesty, about the investigation…" That sounds like Akiko. Sora must be with him.

"Stop the investigation. I don"t want anything to do with that woman." Who are they talking about?

"But your majesty… we have a new lead." Akiko was cut off once again.

"I don"t care anymore. Do not waste my time with such nonsense."

"But what about the empress?" Huh? Me? Are they talking about me?

"I don"t care about that woman. She means nothing to me." I felt a pang in my chest. I felt as if my heart had shattered. I shouldn"t have wasted my time with him. I shouldn"t have allowed myself to fall for him. I couldn"t bear to hear what else they had to say. I swiftly left the area and went to my room.

[The Emperor"s View]

I was in my study reading the letters from the general. The attack at the border has been controlled.

"Your majesty, a message from the northern border." One of my servants suddenly busted through the door and handed me a scroll.

"General Senju has formed an alliance with the enemy to overthrow the Emperor."

That was the only thing written in the scroll.

"Who sent this?" I demanded. How dare they threaten to overthrow me!

"It was anonymously given at the palace gates your majesty." I slammed the scroll on the table.

"Akiko, investigate this immediately. Find out what they are planning." Akiko nodded and left the room.

I can"t believe Yukina"s father had this motive. Is that why she was so nice to me recently? That must have been the reason why she wanted to send her father and brothers to the border. She must have played me.

I stormed out of my study and went to the lake. Akiko found me and reported to me.

"I have sent men to verify these claims your majesty."

"Your majesty, about the investigation…" I don"t even want to think about her. She made a fool out of me.

"Stop the investigation. I don"t want anything to do with that woman."

"But your majesty… we have a new lead." I cut him off.

"I don"t care anymore. Do not waste my time with such nonsense."

"But what about the empress?" The mere mention of her name makes me feel uneasy. What is this I"m feeling? I should be angry at her. She betrayed me.

"I don"t care about that woman. She means nothing to me." I heard a noise by the forest. It"s as if someone stepped on a leaf. I turned to look but there"s no one there. It"s probably nothing.

"Give me word once the threat has been verified. We need to take quick actions."

[The Empress"s View]

What happened to Sora? Why was he angry all of a sudden? I couldn"t sit still. After dark, I went to his study to investigate.

He must have left and went to bed. I entered the study quietly. There was a stack of papers on the desk. I flipped through every last one. Not one had something to do with me. Suddenly, I saw a scroll hidden underneath one of the stacks of papers. I opened it and found out why he was so angry.

This isn"t true. My dad would never try to overthrow Sora. Someone must be framing him. But who? And how do I explain this to Sora? He must"ve thought that I planned all of this. I was the one who asked him to send my father. Motherf.u.c.ker! I already have enough problems on my plate. How do I clear my father"s name? Whoever is framing my dad, you have to be ready cause I will kill you.

I went back to my room. I couldn"t get a wink of sleep. I was tossing and turning and didn"t notice that it was already morning. Aino came in and greeted me good morning.

"What"s good in the morning?" I answered grumpily. Aino looked at me. She looked like she saw a ghost.

"Yukina, did you even sleep last night?" I shook my head. I asked Aino to draw me a bath. Afterwards, we went to the dining hall for breakfast. I was so tired that I wasn"t eating properly.

"Are you okay Empress Yukina?" I snapped back to normal when I heard Aiyo"s voice. I nodded at her.

"I-I"m fine. Excuse me." As soon as Sora entered, I stood up and left the room. I"m sure you don"t want to see my face. I don"t want to see your face either.

I went to the garden and sat down by the lake. Ahhhh how do I even handle all these problems at the same time? I"m so frustrated.

"Yukina, stop pulling your hair. They"ll fall off." I didn"t even notice that I was pulling my hair.

"Aino, you probably haven"t eaten yet. You should go and eat. I"ll be fine on my own." She looked worried but I a.s.sured her that I would be fine. She stood and left. I sat there all by myself. I have to decide if I should find my killer or clear my father"s name first. What should I do? Suddenly, I heard someone stepping on a leaf.

"Who"s there?" I turned around and saw a stranger.

"I"m sorry if I startled you, your majesty." He looks familiar. He had blue hair and silver eyes.

"You look awfully familiar; you must be the one who saved me?" I jokingly asked while giggling. He suddenly knelt down in front of me.

"I didn"t mean to be rude your majesty. My name is Hara Chojiro. I"m one of the Emperor"s guards." Eh? I was just kidding. So he really was the one who saved me.

"No need for formalities." He looked at me and I smiled at him. I motioned for him to sit next to me. He hesitated at first but he sat down next to me.

"I haven"t had the opportunity to thank you. Aino said that after you helped me, you left without leaving your name." He looked abashed.

"Aino?" He asked.

"Aino is my maid"s name." He suddenly blushed. Wait a minute…

"Do you know her?" He nodded.

"We were from the same village. I knew her since we were little kids." I grinned.

"Do you like her?" I asked. He suddenly backed away blushing whilst shaking his head and waving his arms.

"N-No, n-no. T-that"s not it." I laughed.

"Okay, okay I won"t tease you anymore. But, thank you for saving me." He bowed his head.

"Chojiro." A familiar voice echoed through the air. I looked over my shoulder and saw Sora. He looks pretty upset. I don"t want to deal with this right now.

"We"ll talk some other time, Chojiro. It was nice meeting you." I stood up and walked past him. I went back to my room.

[The Emperor"s View]

As soon as I walked in the dining hall, Yukina stood up and went outside. Is she avoiding me?

After breakfast, I went back to my study. Something seems a little different. It"s as if someone had been going through all the papers. I quickly brushed the thought aside. A few minutes go by and Akiko came into my study.

"Your majesty, Sir Chojiro is here. He said he"ll be waiting in the garden." I nodded and he left. I stood up and went to the garden. I saw Chojiro, but he was sitting next to Yukina. She was laughing just now. What was she laughing about? And why is she here with Chojiro? I quickly made my way to them.

"Chojiro." I said coldly. They both looked at me. Yukina looked at me differently. It"s not the same loving look she used to have. She looked at Chojiro.

"We"ll talk some other time, Chojiro. It was nice meeting you." She stood up and left. She pa.s.sed by me but she didn"t even looked at me. Why is she acting differently? Did she find out that I know about her plans? But shouldn"t she be trying to win my favor?

"Your majesty." Chojiro knelt in front of me. I asked him to stand.

"What were you two talking about?"

"She found out that I was the one who saved her and she thanked me for it." How did she find out? Does she remember his face?

"From now on, you are to stay away from the Empress. Stick to your duties." He nodded. I don"t like seeing him with Yukina.

[The Empress"s View]

When I went back to my room, I fell asleep almost immediately. I woke up well past dinner. The palace was quiet. Everyone must be going to sleep now. *stomach growling* that"s right; I haven"t had any food since this morning. Welp, time to sneak back to the pantry and grab something to eat. I changed into my nightgown and went out.

[The Emperor"s View]

It"s late and I"ve finished most of my work.

"Escort me to the Empress" room." I asked one of my servants. He led me to Yukina"s room. When I opened the door, there was no one there.

"Should I alert the guards, your majesty?" I shook my head. I want to know what you"re up to. My servant left and I changed into my night wear and waited. A few minutes go by and I heard the door open and then closed. I was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room; she must not have noticed my presence. When she turned around, she had an apple in her mouth. She must"ve gone to the pantry. She didn"t eat anything this morning and I didn"t see her during lunch.

"Have you been sneaking out every night?" She jumped when she heard my voice. She turned to me.

"What are you doing here?" I walked closer to her and grabbed the apple from her hand.

"I was making sure you weren"t doing anything suspicious. It turns out, you were sneaking out. Was stealing food the only thing you"ve done?" She looked at me angrily. She grabbed the apple from me and took a bite.

"It"s none of your business what I do." She"s starting to infuriate me. I grabbed her hand and led her to the bed. I pinned her arms above her and trapped her beneath me. She struggled.

"What do you think you"re doing?" She asked.

"Your family is committing an act of treason. What have you got to say for yourself?" She looked at me, anger clear in her eyes.

"You received a letter from an anonymous source and you believe it right away?" I was taken aback.

"Who cares where it came from? Your father is planning to overthrow me. Isn"t that what you were trying to do? Winning my favor so you could get rid of me easily?"

"If I wanted to get rid of you, you would have been gone by now. I told you, I don"t need to win your favor." The looks in her eyes… I couldn"t sense any uncertainty. The more I look into her eyes, I get confused.

"You liar! That Chojiro, do you like him?" She looked surprised but she didn"t answer.

[The Empress"s View]

I"m still pinned down by Sora. His grip is getting tighter and tighter. I keep struggling but his grip remains strong.

"You liar! That Chojiro, do you like him?" I was shocked. How did Chojiro even fit in with the situation? He suddenly kissed me aggressively. He was forcing himself on me. What"s gotten into you Sora? He bit my lip and it bled. I managed to pull away from his grip and I pushed him off of me.

"What is wrong with you?" I hadn"t noticed that tears were streaming down my face. I backed away until I hit the wall. I slowly slid down and cried. I was bottling up my emotions for so long and now everything came pouring down.

"Yukina…" I heard his voice but I was too scared.

"Please, don"t touch me." I said in between sobs. He didn"t say another word. I heard the door open and then closed. I looked up and he was not in sight. For the first time, I felt scared in his presence.

The next day, I hesitated to go to the dining hall for breakfast. I was afraid to see him there. But Aino insisted I go. When I arrived, he wasn"t there yet. I sat down next to Aiyo and Ima. We were eating when Ima noticed my lip.

"What happened to your lip Empress Yukina?" I looked at her and smiled.

"I accidentally bit my lip last night. It caused a wound but I"m fine. It doesn"t hurt anymore." She smiled at me and we continued to eat. Sora arrived just as I was about to finish. I set my bowl down and was about to stand up when Yukio strolled in. He ran to me and sat on my lap.

"Good morning sweet pea. You should have breakfast now." He nodded. I grabbed some tamago and fed it to him. He looked at me smiling but he suddenly frowned.

"Is something wrong?" I asked. He held my face.

"Mama, what happened to your lips?"

"I-it"s nothing my sweet pea. Mama just bit her lips by accident last night." He smiled and looked at her father.

"Papa should kiss Mama"s wound to make it better." I almost choked on my own spit. I could feel my body tremble just remembering what happened last night.

"Mama are you cold? You"re shaking." I shook my head.

"I"m fine. You should eat." He continued to eat. After he ate, I asked Aino to accompany Yukio in his room while I went to the garden to meditate. I need to clear my head. I sat by the lake and closed my eyes. I slowed down my breathing and drowned out the sound of the world. After a few minutes, I was done meditating. I stood up and looked at the sky. It looks like it"s going to rain. As I thought that, rain started to pour down. I stood still, letting myself get drenched.

I love it when it rains. It reminds me of home. Back when I was Tojou Miu, I lived in a place where rain was frequent. I used to love playing outside when it rains because I believed that the rain brought blessings.

"You"re getting drenched. You"ll get sick." I turned to look and Sora was standing there, with an umbrella. I looked up back at the sky and felt the raindrops. .h.i.tting my face.

"It"s none of your business if I get sick or not." I could feel him staring at me but I refused to look at him. I started to feel uncomfortable so I decided to head back to my room. I pa.s.sed by him but he grabbed my arm.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked.

"What do you care? You said it yourself, I mean nothing to you." I pulled back my arm and went on my way.

"My men are investigating the matter regarding your father. If I find out that he is plotting against me, I"ll have no choice but to take actions." I paid no mind to him and I went back to my room where Aino was waiting for me.

"Yukina, you"re drenched. Take off your clothes and get in the bath before you catch a cold." Aino had prepared the bath for me. The water was warm and it felt good on my skin.

"Aino, go check on Yukio. I"ll go there after my bath." She nodded and left. I actually just wanted to be alone.

After my bath, I dressed in my nightgown and went to Yukio"s room. The rain has stopped. When I pa.s.sed by the dining hall, I heard voices. I quickly hid myself.

"Have you sent the letter to my father?" I couldn"t see the face of the one talking. It"s too dark to see. They were speaking in a hushed tone so I couldn"t recognize their voices either.

"Yes I have."

"Great. Soon, my plan will unfold. They"ll pay for what they"ve done. If I can"t have him… n.o.body can." Their voices got quieter and quieter until I couldn"t hear them anymore. I stepped out of my hiding spot and tried to look around. They left. Someone"s planning something. Who could it be?. I went to Yukio"s room and he was waiting for me.

"Mama, you"re here. Are you going to sleep here next to me?" I nodded. Aino already left, she must"ve gone back to their quarters. I lay beside Yukio and he snuggled himself in my arms. We stayed quiet for a while; I was waiting for him to fall asleep.

A few moments go by and Sora stepped in Yukio"s room. He saw me but he didn"t say anything.

"Good night Yukio." He caressed his face. Yukio held his hand.

"Papa, can you sleep here with us? Please." Sora looked at Yukio then at me. I shrugged. He sighed then nodded. Yukio was ecstatic. Sora changed into his evening wear and he snuggled the two of us in his arms. I miss this warmth. I looked at Yukio and he was sleeping snuggly between us. I looked at Sora and he was fast asleep. I closed my eyes but my body was alert.

At around dawn, I felt something move, I opened my eyes and saw Sora getting up. He must"ve heard me.

"Did I wake you?" I shook my head.

"I… I haven"t been sleeping well and I kept waking up in the middle of the night." I looked over at Yukio and he was still fast asleep.

"You should go back to sleep."

"Why are you up so early?" He looked at me.

He didn"t answer me. He just left the room. Rude. How about if I give you the silent treatment?

A few hours have gone by and Yukio finally woke up. We took a bath, got changed and went to the dining hall together. Sora was already there. Yukio and I sat beside him and we ate quietly. After breakfast, Yukio went back to his room with Aino. I"ve asked Aino to accompany Yukio as much as possible. I"ve been getting a terrible feeling that something might happen to him if he"s alone. Maybe it"s just my mother"s intuition.

I went back to the garden. Lately, I"ve been going back to this place. I"m hoping I"ll remember something if I kept coming back here. Something that"ll help me with my investigation.

"Your majesty." A voice spoke behind me. I turned to see Chojiro kneeling. I signaled for him to stand.

"Oh Chojiro, what are you doing here?"

"I come here often, your majesty. The Emperor calls for me when there are pressing matters that need to be dealt with, but when there aren"t any, I stay here." I looked over by the lake.

"So you"ve heard about my father?" He nodded.

"I"ll be going to the Northern border to investigate. I"ll be leaving tomorrow morning." I looked over at him.

"Chojiro, do you believe my father is innocent?" He looked away.

"My duty is to the Emperor, but I will be just in this investigation. You can rest a.s.sured that I will find out if the letter was true or not." He smiled at me.

"My whole family doesn"t care about this alliance." He raised his eyebrow.

"What do you mean your majesty?"

"I mean, they don"t care that our family is linked to the royal family. They don"t care about the formalities. They care about my safety here. So, I doubt that my father is planning something against the Emperor. He knows that it"ll put my life in danger, and that"s the last thing they want to happen to me." I smiled. I remembered my brothers" words. "We don"t care about this stupid alliance. We want you to be safe." That really warmed my heart.

"Do not worry your majesty. I"ll make sure to solve this." I bowed at him.

"Thank you Chojiro." He suddenly stopped me.

"No need to thank me, your majesty. This is my duty." He knelt in front of me. I giggled at his childish behavior.

"I"ve been meaning to ask you, Chojiro. Do you like Aino? And don"t you dare lie to me. I"ve seen your reaction whenever her name is mentioned." He looked away, blushing.

"Uhm, I-I do l-like her…" I laughed.

"I knew it. Then why don"t you make your move?" He raised his eyebrow.

"Make my move?" I forgot, that line is too modern for this world.

"I mean, why don"t you tell her?" He sighed.

"I wanted to but, whenever I see her I get fl.u.s.tered and I get tongue-tied." Oh my, someone"s in love. Suddenly, I heard Aino"s voice.

"Yukina, there you are. I"ve brought you some tea." Chojiro and I looked over to Aino"s direction. When Aino was right next to me, Chojiro"s face was all red and his gaze was all over the place.

"Aino, do you remember this man?" Aino looked at Chojiro and gasped.

"He"s the one who save you Yukina." I smiled. Chojiro could not look directly at Aino.

"Is that all you remember him for? Doesn"t he look familiar to you?" I smirked. Suddenly, Aino grabbed Chojiro"s hand.

"You"re Chojiro, right? From Ao Village." Chojiro nodded.

"I"m glad to see you here. Do you also work for the Emperor?" Chojiro nodded. This guy can"t even speak one word to his crush. I better help him out.

"Chojiro is the Emperor"s strongest warrior. And his glad to see you Aino. He told me about how you were friends back when you were young." Aino smiled.

"I"m really glad to see you again, Chojiro. And I want to thank you for saving Yukina." Aino bowed at him. Chojiro looked fl.u.s.tered.

"Y-You don"t have to t-thank m-me." I burst out laughing.

"Why are you laughing Yukina?" Aino asked.

"I"m sorry. I didn"t mean to laugh. It"s just; Chojiro-san"s face is too funny." I stopped laughing and looked at the two of them.

"I"m glad I could make you happy, your majesty." Chojiro said.

"Oh that reminds me Yukina. Your presence is needed in the Emperor"s study." What? Why? What does he want now? I frowned.

"What does he want?" Aino shook her head.

"I don"t know." I rolled my eyes.

"I don"t want to go." Chojiro grabbed my hand.

"I"m taking you to the Emperor"s study." I struggled but his grip won"t budge.

"Hey! I command you to let me go. I don"t want to see that stupid face of his." But it was no use. I was dragged against my will to see the Emperor. We arrived at the study. Chojiro knocked on the door and Akiko opened it. He was shocked to see Chojiro.

"Your majesty, I have brought Empress Yukina." He let go of my hand. I held my wrist. Itai! This big idiot"s grip was too tight. Sora looked up from his work.

"Why is it you that brought her here? Didn"t I tell you to stick to your duties?" Sora sounded angry.

"Forgive me, your majesty. I brought the Empress because she refused to come on her own." EH?! Throwing me under the bus. So mean.

"Very well, you may leave." Before Chojiro left, I stuck my tongue out at him and mouthed "Tattle-tale" He smiled and left. Akiko also went out of the room. Now it"s just me and him. I went up to him.

"Why do you need me here?" He didn"t look up.

"I need to keep my eyes on you." I rolled my eyes and sighed. I sat down on one of the chairs. It"s too quiet. I feel like my ears are going to implode from too much silence. It"s so boring. I noticed a stack of paper and a brush by the floor. This must be Yukio"s. I sat on the floor and looked at his drawings. Most of it was scribbles but there was one that I like the most. It was a painting of me. He wrote the word "Mama" at the bottom. I folded it and hid it inside my sleeve.

I sat back down on the chair. I hadn"t realized that I had fallen asleep.