Chained to old wounds

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Morgan

Who was this woman, and what was she talking about?

You may be a phoenix, but you’re playing with the same fire as the rest of us, and it’s only a matter of time before you get burned. The woman shook her head. There will be no light to resurrect you from those ashes, and he will not care.

“Morgan?”

1 blinked away the vision, seeing Tsuneo standing in front of me. His eyes flickered with some sort. of knowledge. It probably wasn’t his conscious thoughts. I smiled, pushing away the ominous feeling at the back of my mind.

“Yes?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Are you alright?”

“Just fine,” I said. “I suppose… you’re here to usher me off to bed like a good husband?”

Maya snickered behind me. My face heated and a wry smile took over Tsuneo’s face.

“To sleep at least, and eventually. For now, I actually came to ask about all the commotion.” He stepped closer, cupping my face. “I felt you leave the palace.”

Tsuneo

Her eyes widened. “You can tell when I leave?”

“I can…” Now, at least, but it was mostly Tarofu’s doing. He’d been anxious when he’d felt her leave the palace and the city grounds. He’d only calmed down when he’d felt her heaving back to the palace.

“Mei,” she said. “She tried to escape… I went after her and had her taken to the dungeons to think on what she wants to own up to in court. Though now that you’ve reminded me, is there a way to detain her family?”

I raised a brow, surprised at how swiftly she handled it, but not displeased.

“Of course. And her stall?”

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“Taken care of,” she said. “At least, they’d better be since there was only a handful of them.”

85%O

I smiled, drawing her closer. There was a power in her ruthlessness that I found both necessary and, if I were to admit it, deeply attractive. She wasn’t hesitating, and in times like these, that decisiveness was invaluable. The court was full of schemers, and those like Mei wouldn’t think twice about initiating whatever they were plotting if we let up.

Tarofu seemed a bit worried, but he said nothing and that gave me pause.

What is it?

He didn’t answer for a long moment. It’s nothing.

He was a terrible liar, but I let it go.

“I’m thoroughly impressed,” I said. “Maybe I should let you be the Crown Prince.”

She laughed. “Not happening. Shall we?”

I nodded, stepping aside to let her pass. She turned back to wave goodbye, and Maya was positively beaming. Her eyes twinkling with mischief.

Heavens help me.

The next morning came faster than I had anticipated. I didn’t even remember getting into bed, but I woke up oddly refreshed. Tarofu was still troubled and silent. Morgan and I dressed for breakfast and headed to the dining hall where the rest of the family was.

The air of the palace was thick with tension. It seemed like news of Mei’s arrest had spread. Everyone seemed to be on edge or pissed off, as if they were all waiting for the next blow to fall. As we entered the dining hall, I could feel the weight of eyes on us. Whispers quieted as we took our seats. Kai hadn’t arrived yet, but we left his seat open.

Across the table, Mei’s son sat with fury etched into his face. His hands clenched around the edges of his chair, his gaze never leaving me as if he had a lot to say and was barely restraining himself.

To be fair, he was my least favorite brother after Keiji, and that was probably why it was so hard to remember his name… Or Tarofu was fiddling with my memories. The rest of the family tried to carry on as usual, but the atmosphere was heavy. Kai came in completely oblivious to the tension as he should be. I exchanged a brief glance with Morgan, her expression was unreadable but calm. I smiled at her and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. She flushed as she looked up at me.

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“You are lovely.”

She ducked her head and reached for a spoon. I grabbed it first and started to serve her and then. myself, hoping that the meal might dull the tension. Suddenly, when Mei’s son rose suddenly, slamming his fist on the table. The sound echoed in the silent room.

“How dare you imprison my mother!” he spat, his voice shaking with rage. “You have no right. You’re not the king! Release her at once or-”

“No.”

The hall went deadly quiet. Everyone’s eyes flicked between us, but I carried on eating as if he hadn’t even spoke

“What did you say?”

“It’s a complete sentence.”

“You have no right!”

“I have every right as Crown Prince and Regent.” he flushed. I lifted my cup to drink. “But as you are her son, I will at least give you the kindness to explain. Your mother violated the rulings of the queen, upon being faced with forcible corrections, she tossed a smoke bomb and tried to flee toward the tiger kingdom.” I sipped. “Before we even get into the why of her running, the fact that she abused her position and then refused to correct herself at my wife’s gracious direction is problem enough. The rest of your family has been detained for suspicion of conspiracy and collusion. The only reason you are not in a dungeon cell is because you are unlikely to run.”

I regarded Mei’s son calmly. He was still furious. Much like his mother, it didn’t seem that logic affected him much.

“That doesn’t justify locking her away like a criminal!” He roared, taking a step forward.

I tilted my head slightly. “She is a criminal.”

For a moment, there was stunned silence.

“Unless you do not understand what it means to be a criminal? Being married to my father does

not excuse her behavior, if anything it makes it that much more appalling.”

He flushed, grinding his teeth. “You will free my mother.”

“I will do no such thing.”

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“My family-”

“Is in the same position that she is in. Or were you not listening to what I said?”

“I think I can speak for everyone at this table that we are sick of your high and mighty attitude. We all know you’re just a murderer. What about you being a criminal? Where’s your punishment for killing Keiji and Parra?”

“Why should I be punished for murdering the man who would have raped my wife and the woman who wanted to poison me? That is self defense and is not a crime.”

“Self defense, my ass! You didn’t have to kill either of them. We all know that Keiji was the true contender for the throne and you just seized the chance to get rid of him. She wasn’t even a physical threat. There are hundreds more humans, hardly worth the life of a celestial dragon. You just killed Parra for sport!” He glared at me. “You’ve been a curse on this family, and I’ve had enough of pretending that father isn’t simply being naïve.”

One of my sisters tugged at his–sleeve. “Boran-

“I challenge you!”