018　Bad king

"The princess of the sea wanted to tell someone about this pain. However, this is a foreign country and she has no friends. The prince was the only person she could rely on, but she couldn't even tell him how painful it was, so all she could do was laugh silently. She thought she couldn't look dissatisfied."

I felt bitter while writing this. It is not easy to betray someone who is full of goodwill and kindness. This princess probably won't be able to steal the prince from her wife. Will she have no choice but to suppress her emotions and remain silent?

"When the princess felt sad, she went to the breakwater. From there she can clearly see the bottom of the sea. From time to time her family and friends would appear at there and look at her with concern. Everyone who lived in the sea country was worried about her. When she saw it, she couldn't keep still. I want to jump into the sea right now and meet everyone! But if she did that, she would die. She can no longer live at sea. She thought about going to say goodbye. I want to see my prince at least one last time. I want to meet him and say I loved him. Thinking so, she sneaked into the royal palace one night." 

I have written this far and sent it to Lady Aoi. What kind of development does she expect? I wonder if she is reading from the perspective of the wife princess? Or is she the princess of the sea? I went to bed feeling tantalizing that I couldn't ask her questions. I wish there was a world where all people who had a heartbreak could be saved.

The illustrations she sent me in response depicted the worried expressions of her sea companions and the thoughtful state of the princess, and I felt the passion of her ladies-in-waiting. Are the ladies who drew the pictures also looking forward to the continuation of this story? After the 15th night, the moon started to rise later and later. I wrote the rest of the story as the moonrise.

"The prince seemed already asleep. She walks quietly through the palace and approaches his bedroom. Then she suddenly stopped in front of his room. He wasn't alone. He is sleeping happily with his wife. She stared at them. This is the answer. His belief is unwavering. There's no need to say anything more to trouble the prince and his wife. She left the royal palace. She ran alone down the path to the cliff, never looking back."

I took a deep breath, put down my writing brush, and calmed myself by rubbing an ink stick on the inkstone. I put some new ink on my writing brush and wrote the end of the princess all at once.

"The sky in the east was brightening and night was about to break. When the princess saw the beautiful sunrise in her eyes, she threw herself straight from the cliff into the sea. I have no regrets. In the end, I want to die in the sea of my hometown. Her body was engulfed by the waves and almost turned into bubbles. At that moment, a large arm reached out and supported her body. His arms gently wrap around her and hold her close. It was similar to what she did to the prince. She was cared for in the same way.

'I told you I couldn't do it though. I'm a bad king.'

The owner of the arm was the king of the sea. He is holding the princess in his arms. 

'I broke the rules of the sea. Be happy this time.'

The king said that with a smile and escorted the princess back to her family. She is still alive. She have been able to live at sea again. She was very happy. However, before she knew it, the king she wanted to thank had disappeared.

'The King abdicated. He dropped everything to help you.'

When she heard this, she couldn't bear it anymore and ran out of the house. She threw off her long clothes and swam westward and westward after him."

After I had written the story to the end, I sent it to Lady Aoi without looking back at it. I had a strange feeling that it was painful and embarrassing to review this. I'm glad the princess of the sea didn't die. It would be awesome to be able to use royal authority like him.

There was no response to this story for a long time. I thought it was okay for her to keep that scroll forever. Of course, I wouldn't mind if she disposed of it. After a month or two passed and the seasons change, I received a polite reply from her.

"Thank you for letting me hear your wonderful story. It was so interesting. It's lovely to see the princess run out of the house at the end. Was the princess able to meet the king afterwards?"

I was grateful for her letter, which vividly depicted the king holding the princess and the princess swimming with all her might. What will happen to them now?

"Yes, maybe she was able to meet the king and express her feelings. I hope they get married and live happily ever after."

I wrote that casually, but Lady Aoi's reply was more realistic.

"Since he is such a wonderful king, he may have a wife even in his secluded life. The women around him won't leave him alone."

When she wrote that, I couldn't reply and smiled bitterly. Indeed, the end of the story is the beginning of reality.

Is it really possible for one man to love only one woman? If we did that, would there be more people laughing than crying? Or will more people shed tears after losing a love match? I thought I couldn't judge. Many women would be disappointed if a popular man like Hikaru did that.

"I read it with excitement, feeling like the king of the sea was you. If you don't mind, please tell me your story again."

If Lady Aoi is a princess who is tied up at home and suffering, is there a way for me to save her? Should I separate her from Hikaru and bring her to the Imperial Palace? In this narrow Capital?

I thought carefully as I looked at her handwriting. That's not possible. Her family's support is crucial to her life at the Imperial Palace. Her father, who is happy to have Hikaru as his son-in-law, will not allow that. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't come up with a good idea.