Chapter 67: The Gilded Cage (Fuji's Side)

The Red Cross Gala is over.

I am walking down a hallway that is two hundred meters long and covered in priceless art. My footsteps echo. It is silent.

This is my home. It has never felt less like one.

Kenichi walks two steps behind me, to my left. My new security detail, two men I do not know, walk three steps behind him.

I am a prisoner.

They escort me to my old wing of the Palace. To my old rooms.

They are not "rooms." It is an apartment bigger than my entire old building.

It is perfect. It is sterile. It is cold. Everything is antique. There is not a single video game. Not a single penguin apron.

"Your Highness," Kenichi says, stopping at the door. "Your schedule for tomorrow will be delivered at 0600. Your new phone is on the charging port. It is... secure. For your protection."

"Secure" means "monitored."

"Thank you, Kenichi-san," I say. The voice that comes out is not mine. It is Prince Kenji's. Cold, polite, dead.

"Goodnight, Your Highness."

The door shuts. I hear a soft, electronic click.

It is locked. From the outside.

I am officially a prisoner.

I look at the new phone. It is a sleek, black device. It has three apps on it: "Schedule," "Imperial Contacts," and "News." It is a digital leash.

I do not touch it.

I walk to the window. It is bulletproof. I look out over the perfect, silent gardens of the Palace.

I can see the lights of Tokyo in the distance.

Her city.

I wonder if she saw the news.

I read her note. "Don't believe what you see on the news."

I hope she got it. I hope she understands.

"You really thought this would work, Kenji?"

I do not have to turn. I know that voice.

I turn.

My father, Crown Prince Takahito, is standing in the doorway to the adjoining study. He must have been waiting for me.

He is in his formal suit. He is a tall man. Cold. Like me. Like the "Ice Prince" I used to be.

"Father," I say, bowing.

"Do not 'Father' me," he says, stepping into the room. "You have embarrassed this family for eighteen months. Your vacation is over. Your grandfather is ill. Your sister is carrying the future of the line. You... will behave."

"I did as you asked," I say, my voice level. "I attended the gala. I smiled. I bowed. I am here."

"You are here," he scoffs. "You look at this Palace like it is a prison."

"Is it not?"

He slaps me.

It is not a Hollywood slap. It is a hard, stinging, Imperial slap. My face snaps to the side.

"Do not be insolent," he hisses. "I have tolerated your rebellion. I allowed you to live in that... filth. To pretend to be a commoner. Because I knew you would fail. I knew you would come crawling back."

"I did not crawl," I say, turning to face him. My cheek stings. "You dragged me."

"And now, you are here. And you will stay here. You will resume your duties. You will attend your meetings. And you will prepare for your engagement."

My blood turns to ice.

"My... what?"

"Your engagement. To Lady Mariko of the House of Sano. Her father controls Sano Industries. It is a suitable match. It will solidify our family's image."

"You are arranging my marriage. To a stranger."

"I am fixing your mistake. I know all about her. The Isuzu girl."

He says her name like it is dirt.

"Do not talk about her," I hiss, my Prince facade cracking for the first time.

"Oh, I will. The daughter of a game developer. A violent, rebellious, troublemaker known as 'Bloody Twilight'. Do you have any idea what a scandal you have created? The press would destroy us!"

"She is better than anyone in this Palace!" I shout, my voice echoing in the huge room.

"She is a gutter rat!" he roars back.

"And you will NEVER see her again. Is that understood? I have your phone. I have your schedule. You are watched every second. If you try to contact her... I will make her life... and her family's life... a living hell. Am I clear, Prince Kenji?"

I stare at him.

He is not bluffing. He would do it. He would crush my parents. He would destroy her reputation.

I am trapped.

If I fight him now, she gets hurt.

I have to wait. I have to plan.

I have to be the Ice Prince he wants.

I... bow.

A perfect, cold bow.

"Perfectly clear, Your Highness."

He stares at me. Suspicious.

He nods.

He turns and leaves.

The door locks behind him.

I stand alone in my cold, perfect room.

"I will start a war," I whisper to the empty room.

"I promise, Aoi. I will burn this place to the ground to get back to you."