(Y'all when I get bored I just yeet a character out of the book or make them look creepy af- so um... I got bored and y'all gotta figure out which I did. Also, tell me if you like the ending of this chapter. If it makes no sense, I'll delete that part. I don't think it makes much sense but maybe you guys will? Or you'll like it? Idk much.)

Three days had passed after Chitose had written her letter. It had arrived to the palace and was in Yotsubashi's hand. He spent four hours trying to find everything he needed to send her.

He was in Princess Reiko's library. She was into the occult and things like witchcraft. He could only find three books that fit what he wanted to send to Chitose.

"Your grace?"

Dammit.

"Yes your Grace, what are you doing?"

The young princess had walked in on him rummaging through her books. She looked tired and disgusted by him. The valet, Keigo was with her. He acted as her babysitter while the prince was playing king.

"I- your highness! I apologize for not asking first! May I borrow a few books?"

"Which ones?" She asked. The Grand Duke grumbled under his breath. He showed her the three books he would not be returning anytime soon.

"No. Why do you need it? These are my favorites! You can't have it!" Reiko shouted. He knew her answer when he showed it to her. Her father had given them to her. He gave her half of the books in the library's and the other half was from her mother or father.

"Please? I really need this. It's important. I'll return it, I swear." He said, crossing his fingers. Reiko shook her head and snatched the three books away from him before running out the library. The valet chased after her, quickly catching up to her. She wasn't very fast and she started walking as she got far from the Grand Duke.

He didn't care about Reiko crying over him taking a book. The princess had multiple books from her dad, this one didn't matter.

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(Me making a character I really dislike creepy and weird af because he's being a brat in the manga.)

It was the middle of the night now. The doctors still working on the king were the only people awake. Reiko was a nine year old with a bed time. She had been asleep for a while now but Yotsubashi had been working hard for several hours.

Yotsubashi took the long walk from his office to the other side of the palace. He encountered the young 'king' on his way to Reiko's room.

"Where are you going Yotsubashi?"

"Ah, I'm just headed to the kings room. He's my best friend you know. His well being is important to me."

"Ah. I heard about today's incident with the princess. I apologize for her behavior, our mother apologizes as well. All of her books are very important to her."

"I understand." No lie, he just didn't care.

"Have a pleasant night your grace." He whispered before making his way to his own bedroom. Reiko's room was on the opposite end of the hall. Yotsubashi waited a moment for the 'king' to be in his room before walking into Reiko's.

The door was a beautiful white with a floral design. He pressed the doorknob down slowly so it didn't squeak. He slipped his shoes off and creepily walked through her large room. It was already dimly lit as only one was candle lit, so he had a bit of trouble looking around.

The princess moved around in her sleep and it slightly scared the Duke. Every time he brushed around her belongings, he got nervous and stressed that he would make something fall. Especially the music box, glass objects, and jewelry boxes. They were quite fragile and when he wobbled the bookshelf by accident, he cursed under his breath.

The books weren't on her bookshelf so he looked around a bit more. She hadn't returned them to the library so they had to be in her room.

He didn't see them anywhere near her body so he walked in front of the bed and kneeled down in front of the chest to check it.

Oh?

There they were.

(Again I don't like ReDestro :). He can eat a raw chicken for all I care.)

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The next morning, Shinya was sitting with Reiko in their father's room. He looked paler than he did when he first collapsed about a week ago. It was awfully strange and it made Shinya worry. Reiko was already awaiting her father's death and just hope it would be painless and fast. Hardly anyone survived an illness and if they did, they were considered lucky and blessed.

The king wasn't able to stand up anymore. He was fit for his old age, but he couldn't even walk.

(Me not knowing what illness I'm describing even tho it was supposed to be one I knew how to describe-)

At this point... it would probably be better to let him stop suffering. His body was hardly his anymore... they could notice the Kings chest no longer going up and down. Or at least, it was going slower.

"Shinya?" Keigo asked. The prince wasn't crying as he saw his dad take his final breath. His breath got heavy and his eyes became dull.

"Take the princess out of the room."

"Of course."

Reiko's head was hung low as Keigo picked her up and left the room. She gripped Keigo's shirt and cried into his shoulder. She was a tiny nine year old so he had no troubles carrying her, but he was walking slowly as if she weighed as much as lead.

"I'll see you in a few hours Shinya?"

"Of course."

(Wait- wait- AAHHHHHH-)

"Goodbye." Shinya sighed and just hugged his dad's corpse. "I'll make you proud of me."

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"The king is dead."

Ryuko read the headline of the paper while she was out in the town. Several people were confused and read the headline in confusion. There must've been something wrong. He was perfectly healthy right before the ball.

That didn't make sense.

He showed no symptoms. He just collapsed, unable to move for about a week, then died.
Ryuko moves her hands to her mouth as she read the paper that everyone was reading.

The king was dead.

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The king was dead?

Finally. Took a week for the old hag to finally kick the bucket. That witch he had visited said it would be painful and work quickly. The potency must've been odd.

Yotsubashi pretenses to fake cry. He was really going to die if anyone found out. Luckily, it wouldn't happen! If it did, he would be fine killing witnesses. When he had poisoned the king's wine at the ball, no one had seen him. He had killed the witness of his... what was that crime? Privacy violation? He had killed the guard.

The reason he killed the king was just the same as he had ruined Ryuko's chances of royalty. Selfish reasons. The king had made Ryuko's damn father, Toshinori, the Grand Duke before him. Now he was sitting in dumb Toshinori's chair, laughing at the dead man.

Was this... sociopathic? Psychotic? Or just cruelty? Rikiya didn't know. He didn't care that he had murdered a member of the royal family.

The only part of this little plan that went wrong was... goddamn...

The prin- new king was beginning the search for his mystery princess as his first order.

(Again, did y'all like this "twist"? I don't that much but it made a good way to start the whole next part- oh... y'all seem to notice I'm yeeting this story away from the Disney Cinderella story and using another movie and my own imagination-)