Chapter 51: "I don't want to leave."

[Fiore's castle, main entrance]

Silence.

That was all there is.

...It was as if the time was frozen still. No one was moving. No one was talking. Everyone just stood there.

Emily knew what she has done... And she was not kidding. She just did not want to drag her Father down. It was her whom they despised. Sure, explain it to them. Will they listen? Will they stay the same? Will they trust her again?

The answer is no.

...Not everyone has a happy ending.

[Fiore's Castle, the King's study room]

"What the hell... are you saying?" Yukiko asked with her fists tightened.

Emily did not say anything. She couldn't. She couldn't even make eye contact with her.

Seeing Emily in that state just make her blood boiled. Yukiko was starting to like her, trust her, understand her and... acknowledge her. But, that abrupt stunt of hers changed everything she once thought of her.

She could not hold it any longer, she crumbled the collar of Emily's shirt and pulled her closer to her face, "Don't just keep quiet! Answer me!"

Yet, again, she said nothing.

Yukiko's grip got tighter, "EMIL—"

Slowly, a smile crept onto Emily's lips, it was shaky and the smile did not meet her eyes. That told all the words Yukiko had from her mouth. Unknowingly, her grip subconsciously loosened and she staggered back.

"...What do you want to do then?"

Emily blurted out, as she was finally able to make eye contact with Yukiko.

Tears were falling down her face, yet she retained that smile. "...Do you think that I like it when I said that? Well, I thought I will. But, guess what? I didn't. I've always wanted a normal life, where I mind my own business and others mind their own. When all of this happened, I thought I hated it, but I didn't."

"I'm confused myself! I want to know why don't I hate you all! I want to know why don't I hated the idea of being the princess! I want to know why do I look forward to coming here all the time!"

Everything that she had always kept in her mind, began flowing out. Just like how water is when the faucet is turned on.

Her legs felt weak, her mind was in a mess and every inch of her body hurts, especially her chest. It was as if someone was gripping her heart so tightly that it made her breathless, "...And I want to know why do I hate the idea of leaving guys. I mean... I wanted this all along, didn't I?"

Unable to stand the pain any longer, she held onto her throbbing chest, "So, why does it hurts so much...?"

She was couldn't say a single word after all of that. She just stood there furiously wiping her face with her hands.

Seeing her Daughter acting this way was heartbreaking. She did not know Emily for very long, however, looking at her now, crying, was just too painful to watch.

The queen stood up and wrapped her slender arms around Emily, "You're silly, you know that? There's nothing wrong with feeling unhappy when the idea of leaving comes to mind. The answer is simple. If you upset at the idea of leaving, it means you don't want to leave. The pain in your chest is just an indicator of that sadness and unwillingness."

"After all this time, you had unknowingly become closer to everyone in this room. That's why you can't stand the idea of leaving them behind. It's as simple as that."

For the first time, she was truly glad for her real Mother to be here. Hearing those words did not stop her from crying, instead, it had an opposite effect - she cried harder.

Holding on tightly to her Mother, she bawled her eyes out.

After crying for quite a while in her mother's arms, Emily just passed out all of a sudden. Luckily, her Mother caught her just in time. The king saw that and hurried towards them. Even though it was not obvious that he was anxious, his wife could still tell that he was.

"Don't worry, Anderson. She's just unconscious." The queen whispered as she brought Emily to the settee.

She was wanted to tease her husband for acting that way, but there was a bigger problem to deal with. So, she suppressed her urge. She turned to the larger crowd - The usual gang.

They were all tip-toeing, trying to get a peek of Emily, over the king's shoulder. They were pretty concerned when they saw their princess collapsed. The queen let out a laugh and said, "Don't worry, she's just exhausted. After all that happened, it must have tired her out."

"Anyway..." In a split second, her expression changed to a more scary one. "What were you all doing? In situations like these, you all should've already known that you are to not retaliate. It will not cause more casualties, but also lower the reputation of the fam—"

A raised hand interrupted the queen's lecture.

"My apologies, your majesty. But can I say something?" Lavi's words penetrated the thick and tense air.

A sigh escaped the queen's lips as she folded her arms. "Go for it."

Given the permission to speak, he smiled and thanked her. "Well, I know we were all taught that we shouldn't have interfered, especially in situations like this. But, at that moment, I was kinda angry and I couldn't control myself. All I knew was that I have to protect Emily."

He then looked down as he continued, "I know we caused some trouble, but I didn't think that we didn't do something wrong. I mean, is protecting your friend a crime?"

"Yes, your majesty. I have to agree with Lavi." Mary said with a raised hand, "Though we made things worse for Emily and ourselves, I don't regret my actions. I'm not saying all these to get away from my punishments, I'll gladly accept them. But, I'm saying these to justify my actions."

The queen shook her head wearyingly as she let out another sigh, "You all are just a bunch of idiots. I have no idea how to deal with you all. Anderson, why don't you deal with them?"

Suddenly, Jai's voice cut through the air of the room.

"No, we should've done nothing. From the perspective of the people, it would look like Emily's a bad leader. Whatever we do, it reflects on her."

Damian and Erik were in the room when Emily's members were reprimanded by the queen, so they heard what Jai said. Damian furrowed his eyebrows and spat out, "Oh, so that's why you and Anna did nothing?"

Jai looked over and replied unfalteringly, "Yes."

The tension in the room returned and it was much thicker than before.

Hearing those words made his heart pounded with anger. Without any warning, Damian lunged towards him and gave him a punch on the side of his face. Jai stumbled to the left and kept his head that way until he wiped the blood off his lips.

"Emily always told me she's isn't scared about all of these because you guys made her feel safe." He said as he bit the inside of his cheek to constrain himself from beating the shit out of him. "...And now you're saying this. How do you think she will feel if she heard you?"

Jai took a deep breath and replied, "That was the best option for her and the kingdom."

Damian scoffed. His veins were already throbbing with anger, but that statement made it worse. Losing himself to his emotions, he could no longer restrain himself. He gave him another punch and another and yet another.

Until both of them were on the ground.

"Hey, stop that," Erik called as he walked towards them. However, Damian did not listen.

Again, he called out, "Damian, I said stop!"

Yet, no response.

Feeling really annoyed, Erik grabbed the back of Damian's shirt and prised him off Jai with brutal force, "I SAID STOP, YOU RETARD!"

He then let go of him and looked at Jai, "You're dumb too, why aren't you fighting him off?"

Jai stood up and dusted his outfit, "He has every right to be mad after what I said. I might sound harsh, but that's what the princess wanted." He then took out his gloves and looked down his palms that had fingernail marks on them, he got them after clenching his fists too tightly, "...I know I said that, but it was hard for both Anna and I to remain professional. I mean, how could it be easy? Emily gave us so much after all."

Ethan allowed a chuckle escape his lips, lightening the tension.

"Damian, I know you haven't known Jai for a long time, but I can tell you that he is the most hot-headed one among all of us. When you attacked me, he was the one who fought you straightaway, right? No question asked. You should have noticed how mad he was. As long as you hurt his friends, he will make you pay. However, in that situation, it's true that the best scenario will take place if none of us stood up for her. So, even though it was difficult, he was just doing what's best for Emily."

"...Well said."

The king's words echoed throughout the room.

"Even though what Jai and Anna did is right, and what you all did is wrong, I still appreciate your intentions. However, there are still punishments." He then bent down to carry his daughter in his arms, and walked towards them, "Jai and Anna, get Emily cleaned up and bring her to her room. The rest of you stay here, we have some things to discuss."