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After everyone had left, Prince Ire realised Prince Adewale didn't even discuss what he wanted to tell him. He knew he left angered by what he told him but he didn't care. After he left, Prince Ire was informed that Prince Adewale didn't come alone. He wondered who the tribal mark lady could be. Prince Ire couldn't guess cause he doesn't even know who his friends were anymore. He decided to put on a casual wear and visited the palace to ask his majesty why he sent Prince Adewale to him. On his way, he watched how people greeted him and quickly avoided him. It was now he was just realising something wasn't right. He knew almost everyone was scared of him at the palace, and never treated him right, but now he discovered it wasn't because of the way he was, because eventually, he could sense something wasn't right. If the old workers were scared of him because they knew him a little, what about the new workers. What have they heard about him?

That image of Aramade kept appearing in his head. How those pretty eyes were soaked with tears and slowly rolled down her cheeks. Guy, what have you done? Ire you fucked up! He blamed himself. He couldn't get it off his mind how those eyes looked at him. Watched him intensively and wanted him to explain what was happening. He could remember telling her they were to tell each other everything that happened to them, but what could he have done? It was between life and death. She was no longer safe. If Prince Adewale was truly behind all these, he needed to see he wasn't with Aramade anymore. At that point, what could he have said instead?

He got to his Majesty's palace and was allowed in after the King himself agreed to see him. Prince Ire walked into the large sitting room. His Majesty's sitting room was the largest in the palace. Spacious and very cool. Peaceful just like he wanted his place to always be. He took his seat before his Majesty who was eating pounded yam and efo riro, with a large plate of meat, chicken and big titus tail fish.

"Join me." His Majesty offered his son, throwing a wrap of pounded yam at him. Prince Ire caught it and dropped it back on the table.

"Dad, my mood right now doesn't want pounded yam."

His Majesty laughed. "I heard you visited buka and all these local places to eat cow meat." His Majesty looked up to see Prince Ire's reaction. "You are surprised your big man knows your secret." His Majesty laughed again and took little water from his glass when he coughed.

"Dad, I need help." Prince Ire said. He couldn't think of anyone else except his Dad. He was totally confused and knew he needed to talk to his Dad. Prince Ire paused. He brought out the brown envelope he came with and dropped all the pictures he had been getting for long on the table his Majesty's food was placed. "Dad, despite not really close to you, I trust you."

His Majesty picked up one of the pictures. It was the recent picture taken at the restaurant with both Aramade and him laughing. His Majesty held it for a while staring at the two lovers. It had been long he ever saw his son smile. He smiled seeing how carefree Prince Ire was in the picture. Gently, he turned to the back of the picture and read the last statement written on it. "I hate you." He read it out and dropped the picture. His Majesty looked down instead and continued with his food. "Do you know why these workers are scared of you?"

Prince Ire became very interested. He just thought about it and never knew his Dad noticed as well. Could it be?

His Majesty looked up. He suddenly lost his appetite and decided to rinse his hand, cleaning his wet hand with the napkin provided for him. He stared at his son, revealing to him what he never knew since he got back. "They tell themselves that you raped someone and drown her to death. That's it."

"What?" Prince Ire jumped to his feet. "What the fuck was that?"

"Did you not do it?"

Prince stared back at his dad. The atmosphere had suddenly changed. Now he understood. Something came flashing back. He slowly took back his seat still staring at his Majesty. "You knew what happened all these years and you never said anything to me?"

"It's eight years now Ire. Whether you did it or did not do it, you were involved. Would you have turned a new leaf if I talked."

"Was that the reason why you sent me out of the country?"

"And that's the reason why you have to marry the Senator's daughter!"

Prince Ire was back on his feet. "What the hell is this man talking about again! For what?"

"Because he helped you!" His Majesty shouted. "He helped you those times you were locked up and someone's son has to replace you! You know why? They were just like you. Who chose to live their lives drinking around, not staying safe in this world where rich people take advantage of the poor ones."

"Why?"

"Because of you!" His Majesty yelled. "Because of you idiot! I'm a king. I need to protect my crown! My reputation! My space! A child who does not know what life is all about will not ruin what I worked for for years! And I needed to protect you because you are still my son! Anything said about you will get to me. Haven't you heard these popular statements...that you don't blame people for your happiness. No one owes you! You don't blame your circumstances. You choose your life. You choose your destiny. You guide your life. Every way  you choose to live your life has a price attached to it. If you live it right, you get the prize! If you live it wrongly, you pay the price! You can't afford to live your life anyhow because you wanted to get back at your parents or anyone. Your future is precious for you to keep going back to the past over and over again! While you thought you were disgracing me, blaming me for being a bad father, you were wasting your years, and now the time has come for you to reap everything." 

His Majesty placed his hand on his son's shoulder and looked at him. "I can't keep protecting you. Now that more lives are attached to you, you are in it alone."

Prince Ire was speechless. It was true he blamed his father for everything he turned out to be. It was true he went into drugs because he wanted to disgrace his father. Tell everyone the kind of father he had, but see how it all ended. He became addicted. And when he thought things had gotten better, he was still in the past all these years.

"Ire," his Majesty called. "For a man who has a lot to still settle, you can't carry anyone along with you cause you will put them in trouble. This is why for every relationship one will get into, at least, one must know seventy percent of what he or she is because their past could affect one's life for good or bad. Benefit you or make things hard for you." His Majesty said, and continued. "It is true Derin has her past, but she's a good girl and she truly loves you. I can tell how much you love that Aramade of a girl too, but if you truly want her safe and secured, stay away from her for now." His Majesty's voice was calm and sincere. "I agreed to Senator's daughter because once his daughter is involved, he will protect both of you with all he can."

Prince Ire looked up at his Dad for about a second before looking away. Since his Dad wasn't planning to help him, he doesn't need to wait listening to all what he was saying anymore. He reached down to the table and packed the pictures back into the brown envelope. "Thank you," he said to his Dad quietly and turned to leave.

"Wait!" His dad called. "Think about it. You would always take little alcohol and drugs whenever you are out with your friends to have fun. But this very day, one of yours friends insisted you all get drunk, but he didn't. You all didn't know because you were all under the influence of drugs and alcohol. This same friend suggested for girls, but later, you saw a girl and wanted her. She rejected you, but somehow, your boys forced her to your room....and only you can remember what happened next."

Still not turning, Prince Ire responded. "How did you know all these?"

"I had someone watching you always. I needed to protect you Ire. If you don't want to marry the Senator's daughter, you need to find your old friends. One of them knows something because what happened that day seem planned. Since you were fine that day, I didn't bother to investigate. When I tried to, I discovered one of those guys is late. May be it's high time you thanked Adewale. I sent him to the scene to fetch you but you were gone when he got there. Despite your behavior, that boy tried his best to protect you. Everything happening now is related to eight years ago Ire. That someone knows you are back. Go find the rest. Be very careful."

"Thank you Dad." Prince Ire walked out of his Dad's palace. Immediately, what came to his mind was how to find Moyin. The flier! Yes, the flier! With the flier he could find Moyin, but then...Shit! He needed to find Aramade again.

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Author's Note

🤣 Oma de wa ga khe (The situation is now very tall khe) please say a short prayer for Ire o😁
But joke apart....
Adedamire's story in this book is for us to know the future is very important and we can't afford to live our youth's life anyhow. Whatever we do now will catch up with us later in future.
Plan well. Don't decide hastily.
A lot of people are out there to use our mistakes against us. Yes, we make mistakes in life, but we should always afford to live right. Stop blaming people for the decision we make cause at the end of the day, the price will always be paid by us.