(I'm thinking of changing the book's name to Cendrillion then I remember the vocaloid song is about killing the prince. I- I DONT HAVE A NAME FOR A CERTAIN CHARACTER SO-
Y'all I'm having a field day with this chapter-)

The day had begun with a funeral and politics. Seems weird to get straight into politics after someone died, or at least Shinya believed that. Especially when the person who died was royalty, supposed to be married.

The prince had been prepared for her death ever since she had fallen ill. It made sense as hardly anyone survived after getting sick. He only prepared so that he wasn't heartbroken, though he still was. Especially when the twenty two year old Princess had died from a disease that had been wiping people out like the plague.

The color of grieving in this country was blue. Everyone was wearing different shades, the one that most people wore was navy. The Kamihara family was no different, despite their color of mourning and grief being black.

The politics started right after. The grieving king and the mourning king were in a room with their families. The mourning king was the Kamihara father, the grieving king was the Todoroki father.

(y'all I really just killed off Fuyumi cuz she was the only adult that came to mind. I hate her 👀 but i couldn't think of anyone else. It might change, especially cuz I doubt Todoroki is gonna be important.)

Both Kings were quite old. They may not have looked that way as both were in their late forties or early fifties. Grey hairs were starting to appear, obviously not on the Kamihara father. He had natural grey hair. But their old age was starting to appear.

But both families were inside a dining room. King Enji wasn't crying but he looked numb. Obviously from the death of his daughter, and because he had to have this talk. Neither families wanted this conversation right then as it was just disturbing. It was discussing what they were supposed to do, now that their arranged engagement had been nullified. They had come up with the idea of a treaty two hours later. They probably weren't using the idea, but it came to mind.

There were two nine year olds in the room, Shoto and Reiko. Two nine year olds who didn't know what on earth 'death' was or what the hell was going on. They had heard of treaties in school but since there were no wars or any conflicts, they didn't really know what they did.

"It shouldn't matter that there is no blood between our families, we can just remain trading partners." Rei suggested.

Probably wondering why they didn't just betroth Reiko and Shoto? The kingdoms played games with their children. Almost all royal kids were engaged when they were two years old or even before they were even born. All the allied kingdoms played this game. Shoto was arranged to marry a girl named Momo, Reiko had been arranged to marry a boy named Hitoshi, funny enough, Momo's cousin.
(Me trying to do the math-)

The four heads of the families, Rei, Enji, Chiyo, and Miles (hush I don't know either), agreed to just remain how they were, without Fuyumi. The political part of the day quickly ended, leaving the Todoroki family to their traditions and the Kamihara family just stayed at the castle.

Shinya and Reiko stayed in the library while their parents walked throughout the gardens of the Todoroki castle. Reiko didn't speak the entire day though. She was quite weird. She didn't speak unless spoken to, said formal sentences that took a moment to decode, and seemed emotionless. She just read her books a lot, most of them on the occult or ghosts. Her favorite book was on a woman named Rosalind. Her summaries on the story made it seem boring but Shinya had given it a try and found it interesting.

"Do you want to play a game?" Shinya asked his younger sister. Reiko just looked up at him and blinked.

"Aren't you thirty?" She asked. Shinya didn't know whether to laugh or be offended. He was twenty six. (Age changes lmao-)

"Twenty six. And, does it matter?"

"Leave my presence and proceed to do whatever you wish with Prince Shoto. I don't want to speak with you at the moment."

She's nine...

"What the hell Reiko-"

"Begone." She said, her hand gestures telling him to leave. She went back to the book she had read over seventeen times. He wasn't going to say anything. Maybe she was mourning too? She had never talked to Fuyumi once in her lifetime, but maybe she was mourning?

-------

The next morning~

The Kamihara's had planned on returning home that next day. It was a days trip by carriage. Reiko and Shinya planned on just reading the entire time while their parents did whatever.

The Todoroki's didn't get out of their beds to wish them goodbye. Fuyumi had died a few days prior but they had the funeral yesterday. Shinya didn't love her like they wanted them to, but he was saddened by news of her death. A reason why he prepared to lose her when she had gotten sick.

...

"Is that book good?" He asked, pointing at the new book Reiko had just pulled out. She had already read most books she carried with her.

"Yes." Reiko grumbled, reading the book. For a nine year old, she had a lot of sass. Although it might've been on accident.

"Can I read this one?" He asked her. She nodded and handed him a book on a King with six wives. Three of them died, two divorced, one survived. (Y'all-)

"It's pretty graphic, might make you sick. There's a lot of bullshit going on."

"Reiko!" All three adults shouted. She just looked at them, not flinching or caring much. She just glared at them. They didn't punish her because it's not like she would care, and it was a day long trip home.

(Y'all I kill Fuyumi- Reiko is best girl and I feel like I got her in character so :). )