CHAPTER 362: TAKE IT BACK WHILE YOU CAN

[TAMIKO]

"You really are going over and beyond, for this man? Is that what you have decided on?" Sanji asked, and Tamiko rolled his eyes at him. He couldn’t believe that that was even a question at this point.

They had already done a lot of things, and Tamiko had done it all in the name of Kosta. It was currently just a stupid thought to ever think that lives wouldn’t be changed now that he was here on this side.

Nothing would change, and if ever there came a day that that changed, Sanji and everyone in Kawai already knew where the young prince stood. It was pointless going over it again.

This wasn’t the time for all that shit and honestly there was no point in trying to make him think otherwise, because nothing would change for Tamiko.

Never again.

"You do realize that I knew when Yilena Sidorova was the moment I stepped out of Kosta’s house, right?" Tamiko pointed out.

Sanji froze.

He hadn’t been expecting this.

Tamiko hadn’t been born even when Yilena existed as a real person. It made no sense that he would make a connection to the woman or even figure out what part of life he had to interact with Yilena.

It all made no sense but at the same time, it was starting to raise a lot more questions about what the fuck Tamiko knew about Kawai and the long history.

"Impossible. Your father wouldn’t willingly divulge that information, not even on his deathbed," Sanji said, his denial obvious.

Tamiko couldn’t help but chuckle at the sheer audacity. He knew that this didn’t seem as real as everything that they had had to deal with over the years, but surely the man needed to give him some credit, yeah?

"I love how certain you, of all the people, are about what Papa would and wouldn’t divulge. But hey, perhaps you could tell me why you are so sure that Papa wouldn’t say that to me," Tamiko suggested.

Sanji stared at the kid like this was the one trap he hadn’t seen coming. Then again, even if he had seen it coming, it was all pointless at this moment.

Time had long gone by.

The universe had long started playing the game of cards and it didn’t matter how much time this took because the end was so close and they were all certain that shit had to be sifted through.

It didn’t matter how long it all became because there was nothing that could be hidden from the young prince. It was just impossible.

"I don’t know shit about Yilena," Sanji said as he picked up the pace. He hoped that by walking ahead of the prince, he would avoid the obvious question. No one in Kawai was allowed to know the relationship between the king and Yilena.

Everyone just knew that the king never played when it came to the woman, and that he never appreciated shit like outing Yilena Sidorova. It was the one thing that the entire Kawai had become so aware of.

And yet somehow, the fact that one woman had that much power over the king when she wasn’t even his Erasthai had raised a thousand and one questions.

It was almost an impossibility, and yet here Tamiko was, with Sanjiro, the most traitorous man in Kawai, seeking the answer that he already knew.

Or maybe he just wanted to be sure that he wasn’t going on a dead man’s path because then, it would really be a terrible thing for him and everyone he cared about, right?

"Even if I relieve you of the pain you are feeling right now? You won’t tell me where she is or was?" Tamiko asked, dangling relief like a banana to a monkey. He knew that Sanji would have no choice but to cave in.

After all, that pain was unbearable. It was the king whom not even Tamiko had been sure he would hold onto for long. It was the kind of pain that haunted every cell in Tamiko’s body, and it wasn’t even up for discussion anymore.

It was something no one would ever be able to embrace for them. It was crazy how shit had gotten this fast. But this was what the fates needed.

Everything that happened was always destined, but was this kind of chaos done when they all had to worry about other things, like avenging the Lycan queen or making sure Tamiko didn’t burn half the realm in his quest for vengeance against Grealor?

Was there more to the chaos that could have killed the fire, or was this just part of the introductory chase that they had all been trying so hard to steer clear of?

"That is not a good idea, Tamiko. You know it too," Sanji insisted.

Tamiko just laughed at the way the man was trying to hide and hold onto his pain. It was a cruel way, and a torture method that made Tamiko the devil worse than his father. And even then, he didn’t seem to be bothered.

If anything, for young Tamiko, this was Sanji’s chance to be free of the endless pain he was in. The man could stop it all and be free. All he had to do was give the kid what he wanted.

And yet somehow it is a hard test of faith for them.

What kind of bullshit was this then?

"I am giving you a chance to be out of pain, completely, until my next torture session, and you are giving it up for a king who would see you dead, and a people who already hate you for your involvement in the murder of their queen and displacement of the Kawai heir?

"You think a little show of restraint will make them look at you differently? They will still want to see you dead. No amount of redemption attempts will ever put you in Papa’s good books, Sanji.

"You took his Erasthai from him; a woman he loved so much that he spent his entire life with her, changing to be a better person. You think he would forgive you for taking away twenty-five years from him with his son? You really are something else.

"And even if that ever happens, you think Kosta will forgive your involvement in the death of the Lycan queen of hearts? I think you are selling yourself short of a miracle when I am giving you the mercy to sustain you for a while.

"Who knows, I might just extend it for a few months and let you be free while we deal with the shit in Kawai," Tamiko said, his voice alluring and he knew Sanji would cave in.

It was the only way because if the man insisted on his fucked-up loyalty, then Tamiko would force that shit out of him. He would mindfuck Sanjiro into giving in and there wasn’t a point in resisting.

The traitor looked at the prince, the man who was offering him an olive branch in a war against himself. He was being given the one chance to know what peace felt like, and yet it seemed like a cruel fate was waiting for him on the other side of the road.

This wasn’t how he had imagined life would be, but perhaps at the end of the day, life had to change for everyone, no? Sanji tried to convince himself he didn’t want the mercy, even though he needed it so desperately.

Tamiko was being forward with him, but then it was the truth.

The kid was giving him reprieve, and he had to be a fool to deny it.

"What if your father comes for me?" Sanji asked worriedly. It was one thing to be used by the prince, and it was another for the mad king to come for him. It was a dangerous game that he had been roped into.

But it was nothing compared to the cruel fate that was waiting for him because of the unfinished business with the realm. Sanji was on the devil’s radar, and no amount of salvation would ever prove worthy for him.

No one was coming to save him and if he didn’t make the choice, then he would be screwed on too many times. He had to think for himself and figure out what part of all this he wanted to learn because otherwise, he was screwed into all the roads to hell.

"Papa is in the palace or probably at Kosta’s door, but not here. I am the one here with you. Papa can’t give you reprieve even if he is tempted to, because that would mean breaking my heart.

"Between you and me, the man can’t bear breaking my heart, which will play in your favor this time because I can only fix you. Of course, you already know by now that I am his weakness and that to bring him down, you can as well use me.

"But hey, if you don’t want the relief, I might as well take my offer elsewhere," Tamiko said, knowing damn well that he was offering a hard bargain to Sanji. This was crueler, but the kid didn’t care. ,

He wanted his answers, and come hell or high water, he would get them. He would do whatever was needed. He would figure shit out, even if that meant going against his father.

His father would always understand him, that much Tamko was sure of.

After all, he was the Lycan king’s heir.

He was the man’s happiness and glory;

Hells would be damned before Zaffuto let anyone break his child’s heart a second time.

"His youngest sister. Yilena Sidorova is your aunt and the one who lives with Konstantin."