Red Royal Flush

XVII. Uncovered identity

*Spotify playlist for the chapter, brought to you by @_anasta: Red Royal Flush on Spotify

Zenitsu had seen the red room before. 

He had barely noticed its singular architecture upon first seeing it, the fresh idea of killing the prince too imprinted in his mind to grant it any kind of distraction. But as his eyes now carefully studied the room, he shivered.

Carved into the walls were mystical creatures that glowered at him, seeming to despise his very presence and ordering him to leave the room. And he would have gladly obliged if the Empress wasn't right next to him, giving him a historical lesson on the origins of the palace. 

Zenitsu fiddled with his fingers nervously. The room was nowhere as comforting as the prince's room had been; hell, he'd probably trade the shabby dormitory he had lived in for this place. Everything was too big, too threatening, and he didn't like the way four pillars surrounded his futon, as excessively high as the doors leading to Masahi's throne room, and as excessively red as Tanjiro's hair was.

"Don't you think?" the Empress asked, and Zenitsu realized he hadn't been listening. 

"Sorry I was... daydreaming." 

She offered him a kind smile. "It's alright. I know this room may be intimidating at first, but you'll get used to it." 

Zenitsu nodded. I don't think I ever will, he thought as he looked around. There was something eerie in his surroundings, the subtle sort of oddness one might see in their dreams — the futon was out of place, taking center stage in the middle of the odd room, and the furniture, or the lack thereof, went hand in hand with that chimeric impression. A simple window let sunlight in, submerging the room and revealing to the eye its omnipresent red hue.

Red, red, and red again. Zenitsu would probably get sick of it. 

"Is this a torture room?" 

The Empress's smile widened at the question, though there was now a glint of concern on her face. "Of course not!" she chuckled. "Why would you think so?"

Zenitsu shrugged. "Masahi used to isolate me in a red room as a punishment. It made me on edge, though I didn't stay for too long. I know that the ones who did became properly crazy."

The Empress's smile dropped. Amidst the impressive aura that she carried around, there was a motherly touch softening her imperial figure.  "You'll never be treated the same way," she reassured. "At least not here." 

Sure.

Despite the way the Empress looked so familiar to her son, with her curved nose and delicate features, it was hard to trust her as much as he had trusted Tanjiro. If anything, it only made Zenitsu remember the events that had just occurred, though he now wished that their meaning could be erased from his mind.

The Empress must have noticed it as she said, "I sincerely apologize on behalf of my husband and me for having made you go through that. We weren't seeking to make you look so... mortified." 

Zenitsu cringed at her words. He could only imagine how ridiculous he must have seemed, throwing a tantrum at the Emperor's accusation instead of being grateful that they hadn't discovered his true motives. However, even now, he felt like he still needed to justify himself.

"I didn't want to seduce your son," he said. "And I'm not sure where you have found this letter but—"

"We're well aware," the Empress declared. 

Zenitsu frowned. "What do you mean?"

The Empress walked further into the room, her soft hands grazing against the pillars in a way that made them almost look alive. Her white kimono was flowing behind, and Zenitsu couldn't take his eyes off of her elegant figure, the incessant twirling of her robe fully catching his attention.