"Actions result in consequences both bad and good"
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Several months following the foreign persons rejecting the demands given to them by the mainland's government, anonymous scrolls were posted daily throughout the reconstructed streets of the six nations.
The identity of the author who wrote these scrolls remained unknown to those outside of the special powers, so no one knew who spent their time writing and posting them…
But each day and night that passed, more of them were found nailed to village markets, military barracks, and anywhere civilians could get their hands on them.
Each scroll told the same story to the public.
"Talks of peace: foreign persons launch an assault on our supreme generals."
"These foreign persons attacked our military unprovoked."
Once word got out about the emergence of foreign persons who revealed their existence just a few days after the blood war met its end, naturally it began to spark fear into those believing that this would be the start of the second blood war.
But to some, these pieces of information regarding the foreigners were complete propaganda.
Even behind the walls of the royal families, some would whisper about the possible consequences that could erupt from the spread of falsified information.
One evening, inside the main household of the Kuronami family's estate, Prince Shiro sat in the living quarters. Lost in thought as he stared blankly at the illustrations he was told to document by Airu himself during the battle.
Lost in his cluttered thoughts, many questions plagued his mind. Ones like how one man possessed enough power to utterly embarrass supreme generals, how many other foreigners possess powers similar to that… and so on.
He sat in complete silence until a sudden sharp voice pulled him out of his trance.
"Hey. Shiro!"
At the sound of the exasperated voice, Prince Shiro sat up so fast that he felt a crick in his neck.
Despite not being able to see behind his blindfold, he already knew the familiar voice.
"Lady Kalah. I wasn't expecting to see you here…"
Lady Kahal chuckled and sat cross legged in front of him. She then poured herself a small cup of alcohol, taking a long sip before she spoke.
"Yeah well my brother's in prison, so you're the only bastard I can talk freely around without all these other royal families chewing me out about not acting lady like."
After taking a swig of alcohol, lady Kalah offered the cup to Prince Shiro before he put his hand up and shook his head.
She shrugged and decided to drink straight from the bottle and said:
"You and our relatives, I swear…"
While she drank greedily from the bottle, a man entered the room with a scroll in hand. Approaching Prince Shiro, the man whispered in his ear.
"The special powers were here earlier… they've sent another scroll for you to edit and post around our family markets."
Prince Shiro took the scroll in hand and nodded.
"Thank you, father."
As the man began to leave the room, he took one glance at lady Kalah as she looked up at his grumpy expression. When she used her sleeve to wipe some alcohol off her chin, the man's face turned sour in disgust as he left.
Lady Kalah chuckled at the gesture.
"Old fucker still hates me, huh?"
The prince nodded. Remembering how much everyone in the royal families viewed lady kalah as a disgusting savage, he said with a sigh:
"I must admit, it is pretty funny watching you two bicker back and fourth. Just the other day, I heard him and my mother speaking of how much of a shame it is that Lord Kahal had been imprisoned, since it meant that his barbaric sister will fill in for him."
The two nobles laughter echoed through the empty room, until at some point it fell silent. Leaving the crackling of the burning lantern as the only sound until lady Kalah's somber voice broke through.
"It's a shame, ya know?… how much propaganda the special powers spread around to people who don't question them."
Prince Shiro nodded. His expression also falling into one that made the light from the lanterns dance across his wrinkled face.
Seeing the man's thoughtful expression, lady Kalah sighed and said:
"Something I've always liked and disliked about you is how acknowledge how the special powers system and sorcerers as a whole are bullshit and corrupt, yet you choose to stay silent instead of calling it out."
Prince Shiro pinched the bridge of his nose. Feeling a slight ache in his head as he responded.
"The world's situation is not that simple, lady Kalah. Regardless of what I could say, the world is built on lies, conflict and death… once the foreigners made their existence known, the special powers already decided to make them the enemy…"
"In my eyes, without wars and conflict they'd have no power anymore. And without power, room for rebellion against the special powers would just bring about more wars… so even if I were to speak out about their wrongdoings, that wouldn't put an end to anything."
Hearing his words, lady Kalah couldn't deny the truth in them. But it still frustrated her nonetheless, especially with how the world's leaders operated during the war.
She waited a moment to collect her thoughts, and then went on to say:
"Even still, to keep silent about the things they do is the same thing that allows them to hold power over those too afraid to speak up. And that's just as bad as what they're doing as we nobles sit around privileged and safe."
Suddenly, Prince shiro's voice grew firmer as did the glint in his blindfolded eyes.
"Then what do you suggest we do, Kalah?… run around like crazed savages and tell everybody that the ones who protect them so long as they have their trust, are the same ones who don't care about their lives? That would just cause a civil war that no one is ready for, and bring about more death."
Lady kalah's hazel eyes narrowed at the prince's words. Slamming the alcoholic bottle down, she then shouted as she leaned in closer to him.
"Do you even comprehend the implications of your words?! You're saying that if they remain slaves to the system and ignorantly trust the people that view them as disposable then they'd be safe, that's bullshit!…"
"And if you truly believe what you're saying, then you're no better than those government dogs! The problem with all you nobles is that you lack the ability to put yourselves into the shoes of unfortunate people! So long as you bastards are safe, that's all you care about!"
The prince abruptly rose to his feet, and turned away from her. Crossing his arms, he responded:
"I keep forgetting… you and your brother are children of war… of course you wouldn't understand the complexities of royal families."
The room fell silent for a few uncomfortable moments. When Prince Shiro finally decided to turn to face lady kalah once more, he could hear her heavy breaths… but also a tear that rolled down her cheek.
One that she quickly wiped away, yet he didn't feel any sadness from her soul.
Before he could ask about her sudden mood, she spoke in a softer tone.
"Do you know why I followed my brother into our positions as the heads of our family?"
The Prince shook his head, and she continued.
"Because I stupidly thought that I could make a difference for other children of war… or anyone who's suffered from what the casualties that war brings…"
"But I was wrong. Even my brother who believes in the lesser of two evils, I couldn't change his mind about joining forces with the people who made our lives hell, even though I understand why he did it."
The prince found himself at a loss of words. Unsure of what to say, yet feeling pathetic for staying silent about everything going on around him.
Lady Kalah finished the last of her alcohol, and then rose to her feet when Prince Shiro finally spoke.
"Why did you come here today… truly?"
Lady Kalah took a shaky deep breath. Her mind raced with memories from her and her brother's younger years, how many times they've almost died from hunger, how much times she'd have to sell herself just to survive, and those memories flooding back caused her eyes to grow hot and wet.
She then said to the prince:
"I thought that you of all people should know… that eight days from now, I'll be stepping down from my position as the flower family's matriarch."
Prince Shiro lowered his head. It wasn't surprising considering how much lady Kalah had already despised being recognized as part of the royal family, but he also had a feeling of what would happen as a result of her decision.
"If you step down… you'll become an enemy of the six nations… and the special powers will want you dead."
Lady Kalah nodded, yet she didn't seem to have any second thoughts about her decision.
Prince Shiro then sighed. Recounting all the time he'd spent with lady Kalah and lord Kahal after they'd taken up their positions as the heads of the flower family.
He'd always been close with lady Kalah, and yet as a child who'd only ever been taught the ways of the royal family, he couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness that his closest companion would go to such extents to oppose the system he'd grown into.
And yet, for some reason her earlier words made his heart feel heavy. And his close bond with her made it hard for him to think about the fact that this would be the last time he'd talk with her again.
So as lady Kalah walked toward the door, Prince Shiro stepped forward and called out to her.
"Wait!"
Once she stopped, he said something that surprised her.
"…Give me a few more weeks. I'll join you."
Lady kalah's eyes widened a little. She didn't say anything, but a small smile formed on her face.
And in the next few weeks, lady Kalah and Prince Shiro deserted their positions from their respective families…
It would soon be found that they've made their way toward the outskirts of the mainland after spreading around scrolls that revealed the truth of what happened on the island several months ago.
And once that happened, they were both sentenced to death by the supreme powers.
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Continued in chapter 127: Pathetic Prince
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