Chapter 87

CH87

Hayato

The days turned into nights, and the nights into days. I watched over Tsuneo, heart aching with every passing moment. The palace hadn't allowed me to go back to the garden, so I could only hope that was a good sign.

But how much longer did I have?

The sedatives were wearing off. Doctor Shang had to administer them every hour now, and they were looking to stop being effective at all soon. Tsuneo would wake, and I had no answers for him.

My eyes ached from lack of sleep, my body heavy with exhaustion. But I refused to rest. I paced back and forth, my mind racing, searching for a solution.

Whoever had sold the poison had vanished into thin air, but I made it a point to locate anyone who might have possession of its ingredients and the finished form and ban the sale of it in the kingdom. The palace was in chaos. The kingdom had been thrust back into a state of terror, the same terror that had plagued us for the years Tsuneo was unconscious but worse. The nobles were squabbling, the people were restless.

I turned to Doctor Shang.

"Is there anything else we can do?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

He shook his head, he looked just as tired as I was. Resigned and utterly hopeless.

"The sedative is the best we have," she replied, her voice barely a whisper. "But it won't last much.

longer."

"How much longer do we have?"

"Hours, perhaps..."

A wave of despair washed over me. Would that be enough time?

My heart ached. "By the heavens and waters... will it never end?"

so sorry, Your Majesty,"

foolish daughter who set this all in motion." I sighed and rubbed my head. I

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CH87

my cheek. I

trained members of the Imperial forces is to remain." I looked over at him. don't think I have to tell you what will happen when he wakes up." "Your Majesty... there is still hope," he said."

am a prudent king of nothing else. Go. Have

He nodded and left.

for the time to count down. I watched Tsuneo grow more aware slowly. He wasn't waking

over me.

I know that you love her! I know that your heart and soul cry out for her. She is in the arms of the phoenixes in the hidden spaces of the palace. I... I have no

threaded my hands together. "I know you have feared taking the throne all these years because of your nature. I know you've also feared that I would simply slip away into death after your mother. That is not

I need you to

knock sounded on the

"Come in," I said.

burst into the room, his

when you wake

I

his voice barely a

my chest. A

voice filled with a

hesitated, his eyes darting nervously from side to side. "From the

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CH87

My eyes

for centuries. I thought that when my wife was declared dead and my air comatose, they would have attacked, but they didn't. I suppose they were just lying in wait

it

me a scroll, his hands trembling slightly. I unrolled it, my eyes scanning the words. As I read, a

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