𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐌𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 | 𝗠.𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘂𝘆𝘂

────── ten

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

═══ THE TALE OF
TWO BROTHERS ═══

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

THE DAY BLED INTO NIGHTFALL when grandfather Sano gathered his grandchildren in the living room. Sat in a circle on the pillows on the floor, Akiko found herself in between Shinichiro and Mikey — she was still slightly apprehensive about the latter one since they had barely interacted with each other.

"Are you going to tell us another story?" asked Emma excitedly.

"Yes. This one you haven't heard yet. I call it ...," and he put a dramatic pause. "... the tale of two brothers."

Immediately, Akiko felt a tight knot in her stomach when granfather Sano rested his sight on her. She swallowed hard. For the very first time, she would hear the story of what happened between her father and his brother. About the very event that had changed the Hohsino family forever.

"In a time before you were born," he pointed at Mikey, Emma and Akiko, "there was an ongoing fight between two brothers. Their father was a very ill man and his days were numbered. He was the ruler of a great empire and in his last will and testimony he had determined his youngest son, Junto, to be the successor to his throne."

Junto. The name swirled around Akiko's mind. Her uncle's name left a bitter aftertaste and a pain in her chest. Hohsino Ken had made sure that Akiko would never meet Junto.

A large hand placed itself on Akiko's shoulder. Shinichiro gave her a soft smile.

"But the oldest son, Ken, was very unhappy with this decision and when he confronted his father, the man told him the same thing he had told Ken many times before. 'My boy, a king mustn't lead for the sake of leading. He mustn't focus on the power itself. A king leads with his heart as he feels for his subjects, his head as he finds ways to ensure the kingdom's welfare, and his gut as he may always rely on it to make the right decision. But he shall never base his reign on greed and fury. You, my son, carry much of that fury in your heart. That is why you are unsuited to be king'."

"What did Ken do about it?" asked Emma, eagerly anticipating the story's climax.

"Ken went to confront Junto. He demanded that Junto steps back from the throne. Ken was fully convinced that as the eldest son he was supposed to be the crown prince and he had every right to sit upon that throne. Junto only repeated their father's words. But this hadn't been where their dispute had started."

"What do you mean?" Akiko chimed in. "What else was Ken jealous of?"

"There was a woman whom both sons were in love with. She was Junto's first love and they were going to marry. Ken hated that Junto seemed to receive everything to his heart's desire whereas he remained empty-handed. All of Ken's attempts to make the Lady Mayu fall in love with him failed."

Akiko felt her eyes were about to pop out of her skull. Both her father and her uncle had loved her mother? Mikey also perked up at the mention of his aunt and tilted his head to the side. Slowly, the wheels in his head began to turn as he caught on to what the story was really about.