Finding the Dungeon [publishing]

Chapter 16

Mikasa and Ichiro Takahashi's marriage had been arranged by their elders. The Takahashi Clan was so ancient, it had at least one hundred branch lines. Even with all the branch lines, the main line was dying out. Slowly, but surely, it was going to become extinct, and the elders of the Clan weren't happy. If it did, then they would have a lot of trouble when picking the next main line, from all the branch lines. Assassination was a common practice.

When Mikasa, a princess from failing, and now extinct clan, was offered the marriage proposal, she accepted it immediately. She was no idiot, and did not succumb to the begging of her former lover. This offer would take her out of her clan safely. Even if the main line only relied on her, it didn't matter. The Takahashi Clan was nowhere near extinction.

Though intelligent and witty, she was physically weak, and after the birth of her firstborn son, Daichi, she died of haemorrhage.

Her husband, Ichiro, only survived long enough to marry Daichi off to an aristocratic princess named Ayaka. The woman had only just given birth to the First Princess Asuka, when Daichi claimed the throne.

Enthralled by the idea of becoming an emperor and having many concubines, Daichi self-proclaimed himself the Emperor of the Earth Realm, since the Takahashi Clan had been the Leading Clan for years.

He married three other princesses called Fumiko, Emi and Keiko, and named Fumiko his Empress, as the two had been childhood friends. Ayaka became his Noble Consort, Emi his Virtuous Consort, and Keiko his Pure Consort. A fourth consort, the Worthy Consort, was rumoured to have been found, but it was announced that she had passed away during the escort to the palace. No thoughts of replacing the poor lady had been uttered.

Many years later, Keiko became pregnant with a son, and the empress also conceived a male child. Although the empress became pregnant a few months later, her child was born premature, becoming the male heir to the throne. He was named Ichiro, after his grandfather.

When the time came, Consort Keiko named her own son: Jiro Takahashi, before passing away in the same way as her mother-in-law, First Lady Mikasa.

Soon after, doctors and royal physicians announced to the Emperor and Empress that Fumiko had become infertile. The young baby Ichiro was cared for by all maids and servants, since if he died, there could be no replacement child.

To the public eye, though, it seemed that Emperor Daichi's favourite was Consort Emi. The people all believed he lay with her the most, since she gave birth to three children, first Haru, then the Second Princess Mei, and then another prince, Akio. All accusations were denied by the two of them, and it was told that Emi was simply more fertile than the other wives.

Topic on the Pure Consort's death had died down after several years, but the thought that instead, Lady Keiko was assassinated, had risen up in popularity.

Even other realms paused to think about the possibility, but still, no one rose to the job of a detective.

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Author's Note: Sorry to bore you with the history of the Clans, but it has to be done. I promise that the gang will be back in the next chapter, and Merry Christmas for two days ago!