"Father , why to regularly pay him visits, he is old enough; we all know you don't take him as your successor, he too probably hates you, why to take trouble for him." Rikuya's voice is extra flattery as if convincing Masanori.
"You are right but still I have to do it for the sake of my name, my reputation, rikuya you know me better than anyone else, it's that–"
Reika intervened –––
"Your majesty it is late what are you– rikuya? Aren't you supposed to be in your bed by now ?", Rikuya fumbled, and stammered, "yes mother, it's just I wanted to do some chats with father–",
Reika's voice is sharp "go to bed, talk with him in the morning," Reika obeys and excuses himself.
Now it's only Masanori and Reika in the dim library. "Your majesty why is their distress evident on your face, pls share the burden with me too,". Masanori hesitates but continues, "Reika my dear, it's just that, nozomi, he's old enough and he never visits me, it feels like I'm giving him too much pleasure." Reika gently places her hand on Masonori's arm. "Your majesty, the truth is, he is in exile, don't feel burdened because of him, today is his...18th birthday you should go and pay him a visit–", she stops momentarily , she saw the faint rays of red moonlight, lighting the library walls.
Masanori turns his head sharply, his jaws clenched , his chest heaves steadily but firm, before muttering through gritted teeth, "This Blood Moon again ! This omen never ends ! It's indeed that cursed child's 18th birthday." He turns , his voice sharp and roaring, "guards! Draw down all the curtains ! Close all the windows, don't let that filthy red moonlight enter the palace walls". He orders, guards moving instantly.
Reika looks with a faint ache in her chest , "your majesty, it's not nozomi's fault, don't overdo his curse...maybe he is not cursed at all–," before she could finish, Masanori raised his hand.
"Enough Reika, stop defending that filth, he was an accident, he is not our child ! Go to bed I'll come in a moment." Masonori's robes swished and he exited. Reika was stunned with disbelief, her tears on the verge of falling but she doesn't let them fall, knowing somewhere in her heart, she too doesn't want nozomi to be the heir, knowing he would be despised anyways, but she adores him since he was born from her womb, but that was not enough to dim the hatred enveloping nozomi.
BACK TO KAGEGIRI VILLA–
Every year after nozomi's birth, the curse awakens and the blood moon appears every night on his birthday. As the wind gushed, the white moon soon turned red, casting red moonlight in the garden floor; people feared, disgusted, but he smiled, the real one; without sorrow, like he was overjoyed just like when he was a child.
He stands and goes to the garden, as usual on this very night, the moonflower blooms , he carefully plucked one from the branch and ran to the highest tower on the eastern rim, that's the point from where the moon looks the fullest.
It has been his personal ritual since he became fond of the moon, the ritual was simple, he just offered the moonflower to the blood moon like it was his deity. Because throughout his childhood even though he was unnoticed, stamped as filthy and dirty , he always felt watched and the moon was the 'lone witnesser of his life'.
To be continued...-
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