<strong>[ Jade Pce ]</strong>


    The crisp sound of wood breaking in the fire resonated in the third prince''s chambers. Sitting on the armchair near the hearth, Ismael was staring at the coin in between his fingers, deep in thought, flipping it from time to time. But he was still aware of his surrounding as he felt the light footstepsing into his chambers.


    "I''m shaking," he whispered after a long silence, noticing how his thumb trembled while holding just a coin. "I wonder why."


    "Brother, you called for me?" Enrique, the fourth prince, sighed quietly. The light from the fire danced on Ismael''s face, but looking at his side profile, Enrique could barely recognize the third prince anymore. It was not like Ismael changed his taste in clothing or the style of his hair.


    It was Ismael''s demeanor, gaze, and tone of voice that made him barely recognizable. Oddly enough, Enrique seemed to be the only one who noticed it, since Ismael would keep acting like before in front of everyone.


    Ismael remained silent while tapping his fingertips against the armrest. His eyes were on the coin in between his thumb and index as if it held secrets of the world.


    "Enrique, what is good and bad?" he asked after minutes of silence, snapping his eyes, setting them at the man standing several feet away from him. "What is moral and inhumane? If I dismembered your son right in front of you and you sought vengeance by killing my son — just in case I had one — will you say it is moral and just?"


    "Brother, what are you saying?" Enriqueughed awkwardly at the odd scenario Ismael asked.


    "This had always been in my head." Ismael ignored the awkward countenance of the fourth prince as he gazed sharply at the fire. "What did the son do so wrong to inherit the sin of his father?"


    "That is what we call an eye for an eye," answered Enrique as he shook his head, walking towards the stand to pour himself a ss of wine. "Giving the same pain they inflicted upon you... it might not be just, but at the least, there are two of you who are miserable. That is why, if you want to protect your family, keep your hands to yourself and don''t make an enemy."


    Enrique picked up the ss of wine and pivoted on his heel to face his brother''s vantage point. "Still, this applies to different situations. There''s no right or wrong, it is simply... a matter of conscience. Different people, different reactions. That''s human nature."


    "Human nature..." Ismael rocked his head and chuckled weakly, casting his brother a side-eye when Enrique sat down on the armchair near him. "... and what if they weren''t human?"


    "Pardon?"


    "Nevermind." The third prince shook his head and sighed quietly. Everything Enrique said had a point — he was smart, so it was expected. "The tension brewing behind the calm surface of the empire will soon shroud the entire empire, Enrique. You must prepare... or take your wife and children to safety. I cannot give you my word that I can protect them. I''m not even sure if I wille out of it alive."


    Ismael''s eyes drooped until his eyes were partially closed. "I''m not even sure if fighting is the proper thing to do."


    "Brother..."


    "Whenever I think of the innocent lives who will be affected by this power strife, it disheartens me. Because to begin with, I had always believed winning without shedding blood was possible. Look how many of my people died because of such foolish idealism," Ismael continued to express his honest sentiments as he felt like he would never express this in theing days. "But then again, if I stopped now, more lives will be sacrificed. People are dying or disappearing without a trace."


    "The gambling and opium were only the minor problems this empire was keeping behind its grandeur. Human trade, ves, inhumane experiments... the list is longer than I thought." Enrique''s brows creased at the problem Ismael mentioned. "We had our suspicion before. Back then, we thought these missing reports were only the result of noblemen getting aggressive and quenching their bloody desire to keep their demons at bay."


    "very... is not new anymore, but no one talks about it. After all, even the royalties keep one or two to relieve their stress. Even the crown prince kept a woman he could toy with and no one said a word about it," Ismael added, followed by a weak chuckle. "That is how viins are made, don''t you think?"


    He cocked his head back a little, eyes on the bewilderment on Enrique''s face. "You wrong them, punish them unjustly, and kill them. If you had done all the atrocious things you can think of to a person, make sure you kill them. Because if they didn''t die... they wille back and haunt you, seeking not just your life, but your soul."


    "Brother, I don''t understand what you are talking about," said Enrique as his brows knitted together. Everything Ismael said was strange and random.


    "I''m just saying imagine if all those the crown prince and our royal family maltreated through the yearse together to bring us all down," Ismael exined with a shrug. "Even if you say you didn''t take part in it, our name Imperial alone is enough reason to get hanged by the gates of the imperial pce, isn''t it?"


    "It''s just as you said, Enrique. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Father isn''t the perfect emperor because if he was, the Guerris in the Valiente wouldn''t even exist. Perhaps it may still exist, even if he was honest, like the man I looked up to since he tolerated this group during his reign."


    "Brother, you speak as though His Majesty is..." Enrique trailed off, as he didn''t want to say it. The emperor''s health was deteriorating, but he was still alive... that was what the fourth prince believed.


    "Hah..." Ismael simplyughed, staring at the fire. "You can me nobody for it. It''s human nature... right?"


    <strong>Knock knock...</strong>


    Enrique simply opened his mouth but was unable to argue when he heard a knock at the door. Ismael didn''t look back, as if he was expecting a visitor at this hour, but Enrique didn''t know about that. So when he looked back to see who was the person who intruded inside without a word, his eyes dted upon seeing the seventh prince standing not far away from their seat.


    "The ninth princess made a move," Roman reported, unfazed by Enrique''s presence. Thetter gasped and hurriedly set his eyes back to Ismael, only to see the third prince smirking, gaze still on the fire.


    "I already warned her, but she only listens to herself," Ismael responded. "Well... at the very least, she won''t get hanged for everyone to see."


    Enrique held his breath as his eyes dted, darting between his brothers. Roman reporting to Ismael alone was shocking, but Inez? Not that Inez was close with them and not that she was a good person, but why her? Just what was Ismael doing all this time? Regardless of the questions in the fourth prince''s head, one thing came clear in his head.


    Ismael was nning something bigger than he had revealed just yet.