My Soul Will Find Yours 139 He Has A Shadow?

"Aren't they cousins? Does she mean the kotaishi didn't care about the fact that they're related by blood?"

"This answers my question before, he really will shove his little thing just about anywhere!"

"True, if it's got a hole then it would suffice."

"How unclean! He's probably contracted some disease by now."

"I pity his wives, they don't have a choice but to tolerate their husband's perversion."

"I pity his children more, to be borne from such a father is embarra.s.sing."

"I command you all to be quiet! My son is innocent!" the empress screamed. "He was wrongly accused before as he is right now!"

"If he was innocent, then why did you accept the punishment I gave him back then?" Kaname asked her coldly. "Also, I have sufficient evidence to prove that he is the mastermind behind my former wife's sudden disappearance from banishment. Not only that, an entire village can account for your beloved son's abduction of my own."

The woman pressed her lips tightly together, not knowing what to say. Seeing his wife visibly upset, the emperor made a hand gesture and a man was brought forward by the guards escorting them. His robe was torn and dirty, his hair was unkempt, and he was bruised all over.

Mami visibly stiffened. "Iursan!" she gasped, disbelief evident on her face.

I turned to look at the man that was made to kneel by the emperor. I stared at the mikado in ill-concealed contempt, immediately understanding what the royal couple meant to do for bringing Mami's beloved with them. Upon seeing his face, the crowd got confused, not expecting his sudden appearance.

"There are two crown princes?"

"He has a twin?"

"What a turn of events! There's actually two of them!"

"This is the real culprit! He's been parading as my son in public and has been using his face to commit crimes these past few years!" the mikado announced while pointing at Iura. "My men caught him fleeing the Kanto region when he heard of my son's arrest, believing that he can get away with his crimes!"

"You filthy old man, you are actually putting the blame on the very man you bought to shadow your son!" Mami's face was indignant.

"This man shadows my son? What utter nonsense!" the empress snarled, regaining her composure. "Official wife, if I were you I'd shut up and stop speaking nonsense!"

Mami looked as though she was about to rebut and resort to making their secret relationship public just to prove her lover's innocence. Suddenly, the night she told me about her deepest, darkest secret flashed before me.

"Wait," I interrupted.

"And who are you?" the emperor asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I am Musashi Jin, the shogun's personal guard and one of the people that was held against their will."

"Musashi…" he mumbled my 'last' name. "So what do you want?"

"I can verify whether the man you brought is the person who held us hostage or not."

"Is that so?" he sneered. "I'd like to see you prove me wrong! Remember, I am his father, I know everything about my son!"

"Your highness, it's actually quite easy," I gave Mami a rea.s.suring glance then walked towards Iura. "When I was held hostage, the crown prince also tried to have his way with me. Needless to say, I've seen certain parts of his body," I said, lying smoothly about the last part.

Everyone looked at me with a mixture of pity and awe. A man who was willing to admit that he was almost defiled was unheard of. Sure, there was the nenja and chigo[1] relationship but our situation is different and is still considered immoral since one party was unwilling to submit to the other.

Mami looked at me in shock while Kaname's hands balled into fists, I silently prayed that he wouldn't lose his cool and start ma.s.sacring his remaining prisoners. I had to lie about seeing Nagahito naked to save Iura, it was the only way I could think of to prove his innocence.

"I do not remember seeing this scar on the crown prince's chest days ago," I said, pointing at the mark only a healed wound could have left on Iura's skin. "His skin was without blemish."

"Are you certain, Jin-san?" Kaname enunciated each word with a lethal coldness.

"Yes, my lord," I bowed my head for extra effect.

The emperor looked as though he was going to expire soon. His geriatric face went pale, he obviously forgot about this very important difference between his son and the man he bought years ago. The empress held one of his hands, to support him or to get some strength, I don't know.

Kaname walked towards the slumped Nagahito and slashed his robe, revealing the clear and smooth, albeit a bit dirty, skin there.

"He doesn't have a scar, like you said," he confirmed.

I gave Mami a quick just-relax-I've-got-this look. She slowly got back on her seat before rubbing her belly comfortingly.

"Kind sir, may I know your name and your exact relation to the royal family?" I asked Iura while helping him up.

"My name is Haneda Iura," he replied, wincing as he tried to stand up straight. "I am the crown prince's kagemusha."

"Kagemusha?" I pretended to be surprised. "He has a shadow?"

"Hai, I have been the kotaishi's double since we were ten."

There were gasps and vicious whisperings in the crowd once more.

"As a double, you are expected to appear as him on certain instances." Kaname asked. "Can you tell us on what occasions you take his place?"

As if in a panic, the empress ran to where Iura was standing and tried to make him shut up.

"You were bought to secretly play his role, remember your responsibilities and the oath you swore!" she told him, unwittingly exposing the lie her husband told earlier.

"Take one more step and you'll find out what it feels like to have a sword slashing your midsection," I warned, meaning every word I said.

The emperor hurriedly pulled her away and glared at me. "Do not forget who you are taking to!"

I signaled at two soldiers to come forward. "Watch their every move, do not let them come near us again," I ordered.

"Guards!" the old man called out his own men and ordered them to shield him and his wife.

Ignoring them, I told Iura to answer Kaname's question.

"I am the one who attends his royal engagements while he secretly runs off to Edo," he replied.

"And what does he do here in Edo?" I asked.

"Before, it was only to avoid his responsibilities and to watch kabuki plays. However, something changed four years ago. I learned that he travels here in the shogun's city to meet with the kagemas[2] of his favorite kabuki theater."

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[1] Male-male relationships were a thing in pre-modern j.a.pan. Nenja = "admirer," the older of the two. AKA the "top". Chigo = "the one being loved," usually a pre-p.u.b.escent AND willing boy. The "bottom."

[2] Male prost.i.tutes who often pa.s.sed off as apprentice kabuki actors. (Wikipedia.org)