Chapter 84 Sundown

Within the confines of a store in the Sun Region, a trio of men is casually taking over a table. It was Suzuki, Sora, and the old man, Tanaka.

As they talked about random things, laughing like a group of friends, a group of mean looking men walked up to them.

All of them are wearing this cold and hard expression. One of them stepped forward, causing the three men to stop their chat, he then said. "You three. I think it's about time to go home. The sun set long ago."

Old Tanaka stood up and replied with an annoyed expression. "Huh?! Who do you think you are, my wife?!"

Sora stood up and held Old Tanaka back while Suzuki said. "Senior Tanaka, those are-"

But before Suzuki could finish his sentence, Old Tanaka grabbed a glass bottle from the table. He then smashed the bottle onto Sora's bald head.

Fortunately, it left Sora without even a single scratch on his bald head, only reacting with this 'are you serious' face.

Old Tanaka, armed with a broken bottle, pointed it towards the group of men that approached them while saying. "I suggest you take your trouble elsewhere or I will-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Old Tanaka pointed the sharp edge of the bottle onto his own neck while yelling. "Or someone might get hurt!"

"Woah! Hold it!"

"Wai-wait!"

Suzuki, Sora, and even the men that approached them, pulled the bottle away from the old man's neck while looking extremely terrified.

After managing to take the broken bottle off of the old man's wrinkly yet strong arms, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't scare us like that, Senior Tanaka." Said the group of men that approached them.

Suzuki looked at them and asked. "Why are you guys here?"

One of the men in the group then said. "Well, you see, we were enjoying our free day like you guys, but suddenly, our wives came over and beat us up."

"They told us to get back before sundown, we did, but Senior Tanaka's mistress told us to find him and bring him back."

"Oi, Senior Tanaka! Did you hear that, your wife is looking for you!" Suzuki shouted directly at Old Tanaka's face.

The life in the old man's eyes suddenly returned as he asked. "My wife? I haven't seen that hag in years! Where is she?!"

"At your house that you left this morning."

"Ah, my house!"

The old man then tumbled his way down a road while saying. "Well, see you tommorow, younglings! This young buck is getting laid tonight!"

Suzuki, Sora, and the group of men watched with disappointed expressions. Suzuki then said. "Well, the same goes for me."

"Me as well." Sora said as they both turned around and faced seperate roads.

The group of men did the same, looking at different roads while waving goodbye, saying. "See you tommorow at work!"

"You too!"

And with that, the group of men disbanded as they all headed for their seperate homes with their wives awaiting them with a warm dinner.

Meanwhile, in the palace, Queen Ame is currently reading through a bundle of papers on her desk.

She looked extremely serious and determined, looking like she is about to kill that piece of paper. She then took a pen, dipped in ink, and stabbed the paper.

After stabbing it gently, she then began to write her way through the piece of paper, without removing her cold and serious expression.

After finishing the paper off, she set it to the side with the rest of her victims as she grabbed her next opponent, another piece of paper.

As the sun slowly got replaced by the moon in the sky, so did the amount of fresh paper slowly getting thrown into the pile of inked victims.

Almost right after finishing all of her victims, Queen Ame noticed a presence in her working room. She strenched her arms backwards, completely ignoring the presence.

Soon after, the presence showed themselves. It was a puffy cheeked girl, ominously emerging from a piece of darkness while saying. "Good evening, Lady Ame."

Queen Ame looked at her with a slight smile on her face and said. "Good evening to you as well, Shiru."

The puffy cheeked girl named Shiru, while still looking very ominous in the shadows, then said. "The prince is awake."

Queen Ame immediately stood up from her chair as she said. "Thank you, Shiru. Take these finished paperwork and send them to their appropriate places."

"Yes, Lady Ame."

Queen Ame then left the room with haste. She ran through the empty and dimly lit hallways, eventually making her way into a hallway illuminated by moonlight.

The moonlight is seeping through an open window directly up ahead. Yasashi is stood beside said window while holding down a man, who looks like they are about to jump.

Queen Ame then said. "Yasashi, leave us."

Yasashi proceeded to take her hand off of the man, and perform a bow before leaving the scene.

Once they were alone, the man sat on the window frame as the gentle evening wind blew into his long, white hair.

His gentle expression basking in the moonlight up above. His light skin twinkling like stars alongside his luxurious clothing.

As he continued to sit on the window frame, Queen Ame took a seat on a chair that's not too far from the window.

She noticed an bowl of fruits set on a table by her side, she took a random fruit from the bowl and offered it to the white haired man.

Realizing it was a shiny apple in her hand, Queen Ame then asked. "Tsuku, you want an apple?"

The man let out a chuckle before saying. "You of all people should know my disgust for fruit and vegetables."

"Hmph. Tsuku, I think it's about time you move on from that incident. Besides, fruits and vegetables are good for you." Queen Ame urged as she kept her hand extended.

The white haired man named Tsuku let out another chuckle, this time feeling a bit aggitated, before saying. "I'll only include fruits and vegetables into my diet after you take candy out of yours."

"That's a hard NO for me."

"Thought so."

A silence emerged between the two as Queen Ame took her hand back along with the apple. She began to play with the apple in her hands as she asked. "Why are you avoiding me, Tsuku?"

Without looking back, Prince Tsuku replied. "What makes you say that?"

Queen Ame continued to play with the apple as she continued. "Well, you're always asleep when I'm awake in the day. And when your awake at night, I'm asleep. Does that answer your question?"

Prince Tsuku looked up at the beautiful night sky while saying "I don't know, maybe I prefer the light of the moon over the warmth of the sun."

Queen Ame then asked again while feeling a heavy sensation in her heart. "Then, I presume it's a mere coincidence that this behavior only started after I succeeded the throne?"

Prince Tsuku looked back at Queen Ame with eyes that greatly resembled that of hers. He then said with a hint of anger in his voice. "Yes, must be a coincidence."

Queen Ame felt his strong gaze beating down on her. She couldn't help but feel a bit of sadness in her heart. She then asked. "Are you still angry at me, for what I did back then?"

"You know damn well I am."

Queen Ame placed the shiny apple on the table, letting the moonlight illuminate it's rotten side. She then said with a defeated tone. "I had to do it, Tsuku."

"No, no, no. You didn't 'had to' you WANTED to." Tsuku said with open hostility, his gaze burning with emotion.

Queen Ame, feeling the ramping intensity in Tsuku's eyes, could no longer keep her own emotions in check. She slammed her her fist onto the table, knocking the apple and the bowl itself onto the ground as she said. "I had to, Tsuku! I had to!"

"That's what you keep telling yourself." Tsuku said without any remorse or hesitation.

Queen Ame stood up from her chair as she continued. "I had to, Tsuku! He was about to destroy our family's legacy! All of father's work would have gone to ashes!"

"You may be right, Ame..."

"But atleast, he didn't destroy our father's most cherished thing."

Tsuku then pointed at Ame's quaking figure before continuing. "You did."

He then leapt off of the window frame, disappearing into the night. Leaving Queen Ame all alone inside the dark hallway.

Ame gritted her teeth in frustration before turning her back and walking back inside the palace's expensive and grand, yet dark and empty halls.