The third prince.
The one who wasn’t supposed to matter.
Kon waited in his private chamber, a modest room by Imperial standards but still rich with the trappings of power. Screens painted with cranes divided the space, and a low table held sake and two cups.
“Thanks,” I said, turning my head to Kaneko. “I think I should talk with theDaimyoalone.”
Kaneko nodded, offered a bow toward Kon, then left, sliding the door closed behind him.
“Prince Haru-sama.” Kon bowed when my attention returned to him. I repeated the gesture. “Please, sit. You look like you are about to collapse.”
“I’m fine.”
“You are covered in blood, some of it your own, and you have shadows under your eyes that could hide the secrets of nations.” He gestured firmly to the cushions. “Sit.”
Kon poured sake for both of us, the ritual giving me time to gather my thoughts. When he finally spoke, his voice was heavy with news he clearly didn’t want to relay.
“I am sorry we did not send an escort as you approached. The roads have been dangerous, but I did not think rebels would dare strike so close to Heiwa’s borders.”
“Ninjacare little for borders.”
“True enough.” He sipped his sake. “Which brings me to why they attacked. Have you considered that they might not have been there by chance?”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “Obviously it was planned. They knew our route, our timing, probably our numbers.”
“Yes, which means someone told them everything.” Kon’s eyes held mine. “Someone knew you were leaving Suwa Temple, knew the path you would take, and someone wanted you dead before you reached Bara.”
The implication chilled the sake’s heat.
“Are you saying there is a traitor in the temple?”
“I am only saying that someone, somewhere, has access to information they should not possess, and that makes your journey from here infinitely more dangerous.”
“Do you know anything more about my father’s death?” I set down my cup carefully. “The truth, not whatever official version is being circulated.”
Kon’s jaw tightened, but he nodded. “Very well, but it is most unpleasant.”
“I expected as much.”
He rose and moved to a cabinet, withdrawing a sealed scroll. “This is what I received from theDai Shogun. It is more detailed than the report Giichi shared.”
I unfurled the scroll and read.
With each line, my hands grew colder.
Poisoned darts, yes—but more than a few.
Dozens, fired from multiple positions in the Emperor’s own bedchamber.
Whoever had done this had planned meticulously, infiltrating the palace, positioning themselves in the one place my father should have been safest. The guards outside his door had been found with their throats slit, so quietly that no one had heard them die.
The assassins—there had to be more than one—had vanished like smoke, leaving only death behind.
What made my blood truly run cold was the final line:
The darts were tipped with lotus root extract—a poison exclusive to Asami territory.
“Asami Eiko,” I said flatly.
