𝑬𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑹𝑬 𝑶𝑭 𝑮𝑶𝑳𝑫 ⇢ Gojo Satoru

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐈𝐈 - 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒

NO, THAT WAS A LIE. Gojo Satoru hadn't been Mikazuki's fiancée for at least a decade, that last look she'd received from him a testament to the broken engagement she had left behind. Out of all the things Mikazuki had broken with her exile, this was the most inconsequential of all of them.

Still, the sorceress couldn't help but feel that a small part of her soul came undone at the elder's words. Mikazuki could think of many words to describe how her relationship – was that even what she should call it? – with Gojo had been, but none of them came even close to amicable.

In fact, if Mikazuki ever laid eyes on the heir, she wouldn't hesitate to choke the air out of him, just like he had done with her ten years ago. Moving on had never been the sorceress' forte, especially when it came to someone like Gojo fucking Satoru.

No, she had enough hatred to fuel that fire for at least another decade, maybe even two.

"I have no intention of interacting with anyone remotely related to Gojo ever again." Mikazuki spoke slowly, looking up through her thick lashes as she glared at the elder.

The elder scowled, putting the papers down violently and fixing her with another one of his stares. The man was so old Mikazuki wasn't even sure how he had enough Energy to glare at her, the golden of his irises too dull to instil the sense of fear that always came attached to such a powerful bloodline.

"Child, we do not have time for your emotional tantrums." He seethed, unable to tear his gaze from her. "There are already enough rumours about you as it is, we do not need people discussing your failed engagement with the Gojo Clan."

To him, she was still the same spoiled brat who had grown up between these walls, the same scared little girl who would run to her father. But that girl was dead, and Mikazuki was no longer willing to play with her corpse.

"And whose fault is that?" She bit back, the tone so cold she could feel the temperature in the room dropping by the degree. "You could have saved yourself all of this trouble if you'd just stood up to The Magistrate ten years ago." Mikazuki turned, the molten gold in her gaze flickering towards her father as a light chuckle left her lips. "But I guess none of you had the balls, huh?"

Asahi whipped his head around, the anger spilling through the cracks as the gold trickled out. Mikazuki did not back down, yet she did not make any additional comments, opting to sit back down and grovel in silence instead. Facing her father now would be a foolish endeavour, instead, she would bid her time, patiently waiting for the right moment to strike. Asahi would never see it coming. And even if he did, Mikazuki was powerful enough to handle it.

"Let's move on, shall we?" Another elder proclaimed, the tension in the room dissipating not long after.

The elder turned his attention back to the sorceress, his stare softer than the rest but still with enough judgement she could feel it across the room.

"You will sit with the Gojo heir, and that's final." He proclaimed, clearing his throat. "You will also be polite and well-behaved; you won't mention your exile or the circumstances surrounding it. In fact, it would be better if you didn't say a word at all. I'm sure someone can come up with an appropriate eulogy for you to read."

Mikazuki nodded, blood boiling under her skin at the condescending tone. None of the people in the room – the elders, her father – cared about Keisuke, she wasn't even sure if they knew him at all. The sorceress would not let someone who hadn't even met her brother write his eulogy, not when she still could pour out her heart and soul, hoping the words will reach the stars where her brother will rest for all eternity. She would not let him go with a mediocre piece of writing and empty words.

"Once the funeral and the mourning period are over, we can move forward with the paperwork for your pardon, after that it won't take long to re-instate you as a sorceress. As for the assets, as the new heiress–"

"I'm sorry, as the new what now?" Mikazuki rudely interrupted once again, the icy tone highlighting just how dangerous the waters had become.

The elder looked up, but to everyone's surprise, he was not the one who addressed her concerns. Instead, it was Asahi's quiet yet commanding voice that rose in the room. The man eyed his daughter warily, yet there was a glint of vengeful pride in his look, as if he knew exactly the effect the words had on his daughter.

"I am sure you are well aware of how succession works." He droned, his voice laced with amusement and a hint of pretentiousness. "Keisuke is dead, meaning the title of clan head falls to my next viable heir." Asahi smiled, the gesture unsettling enough to send a shiver down Mikazuki's spine. "That's you, darling."

Murder had crossed Mikazuki's mind multiple times, but they all paled in comparison to that single moment in time.

"I am not your heiress." She spat with disgust, rising from the floor and staring at the man with a grimace. "I renounced my claim to that along with everything else when I was banished, you know it as well as I do."

She'd given up her home, her name, her abilities... every single thing that made her who she was, Mikazuki had shed willingly. Still, Asahi didn't even blink at the outburst, patting the space beside him. Mikazuki scoffed, staring at the floor before sneering back at her father.

"I am willing to restore everything you gave away as well as more, as long as you do your duty as the Kinzoku heiress." He pulled out a contract, everything already signed by him and the elders, the last page underline in vibrant red, the only thing missing being her signature. "You could have a shot at a real life here." He droned, nudging the paperwork towards her. "It would be like you never left."

Liar. She wanted to snarl, eyeing the contract warily. Nothing will ever be as it was before.

And wasn't that the whole point?