CHAPTER 341: THE PACE THAT NEVER FORGOT THE PAST

[KAWAI]

Tamiko had suspected that the board had to have had some weight in their lives, but he hadn’t expected this much weight. It was like being introduced to a side of life that he never thought was ever possible and that too by the people he hadn’t imagined it with just yet.

This was overwhelming for him, even as he stared at the initials and began to wonder what else belonged to his mother that his father had kept safely for him or even for himself. It had him wondering how true the love stories were because this was just one of the instances.

Tamiko could already feel himself losing to the pressures of the greatest love by the queen of hearts. Perhaps his mother had really fine-tuned the beast of Kawai into a person that had been worth saving or even dying for.

"Tamiko... hey—" King Zaffuto called out when he saw his son spiraling.

"Shit... go to him, I’ll take care of things here," Sadako nudged.

Zaffuto didn’t need to be told twice. He should have known that this would be too much for his son, and he should have been careful. But then he was still nursing the winds caused by the void that would never be filed in both their lives.

He was trying his very best to hold on and with Sadako as his anchor, he had been doing so well. However, right now, he was slowly realizing that his son needed an anchor too, and with Kosta on the battlefield, Zaffuto had to be it for his son.

"Focus on me, Tamiko... just me, and nothing else," Zaffuto said to his son as he sat him down on the huge bed.

He could see the way his son was struggling to come to terms with anything relating to his mother and while it was going to be a lot of work for the king, Zaffuto was glad his son was showing his vulnerabilities.

If the kid was going to be on the battlefield, then they had to prepare him for the best and the worst, with the worst being any relations to his mother and any triggers that their enemy would use to bring them down.

Everyone knew that Liana’s loss had affected the mad king the most, so this wasn’t new to them, but damn was it a challenge for the kid with them. Maybe time would help them figure it out eventually, right?

"I’m fine," the young Lycan lied through his teeth as he held the dusty chess board on his chest, while the pieces that had been held by Hinata magic found their way onto the carpeted floor. This was so sudden and Zaffuto wondered how he was supposed to deal with this.

"No, you’re not. And it is okay. I don’t expect you to be okay with everything that relates to Lili. It took me twenty-five years to even say her name. I know this is not easy for you. I understand the hurt, son. I do—

"...So, I won’t ask you not to feel the pain and act like all is okay here, alright? You wanted me to train you, then consider this part of your training.

"We will unravel everything about Lili so that no one uses it against you out there, that way you can be a good warrior, given it is clearly your only weakness," Zaffuto said earnestly.

Tamiko felt tears pooling in his eyes for the second time today. This was supposed to be a beautiful evening, with them having fun and training, and now he was a mess, again. Perhaps he was not ready for whatever was coming for him.

Or maybe he just wasn’t ready to get on with his revenge, because vengeance was brutal.

Vengeance touched the deepest darkest parts of lives and if not dealt with in the right way, it stole souls and made people live uncomfortable lives that would never amount to anything.

That was a bitter truth that the king and the people of Kawai had long learned.

But Tamiko needed to understand that.

He needed to understand that there would be days when all things never made sense when shit went in the worst directions and he would still be expected to stand up because that was what it had been like for Zaffuto, even when Sadako was helping him.

He had had to make decisions for the people of Kawai more than he wanted to, because at the end of the day. Heartbroken or not, he was still the king of Kawai and his people would always always need him.

"What if I’m not ready for what I keep asking for, papa? What if all of this has begun and I am still the same kid pining for the impossible? What then?" Tamiko asked softly.

Lord Sadako sighed.

He understood where the kid was coming from and honestly, he wasn’t going to push and he hoped that Zaffuto, in his attempt at fatherhood, wouldn’t fuck that up too.

This was not the way to go because regardless of the outcome, they had to come home eventually and that wouldn’t be possible if home was always going to be hostile ground for the kid he had built it all for.

"That is okay too," Zaffuto said earnestly. This was something that he had to take slowly and he could see the way his son was letting himself rely on the king. It was a first and if the king wanted him to always seek him out, then he had to be a father.

"I’m a mess, aren’t I?" Tamiko sighed as he wiped his angry tears away.

"Compared to the mess I was, I would say you are an angelic mess, but that doesn’t matter now. Let your emotions free, because that is how you know how strong you can be. Besides, you have me, you have Sadako, Igor and you even have young Daniel.

"You won’t go through this alone," Zaffuto reminded confidently, and that warmed Tamiko’s heart. He never thought his father would have that much trust in Danny but then the king wasn’t a blind man.

He knew that his son had relied on Daniel just as much as Daniel relied on Tamiko .

Breaking them apart would easily be the stupidest of things that he had done. And that could also explain why he had insisted that Danny be a Lycan Lord because they belonged with each other.

"Still doesn’t mean I won’t beat you in this chess, papa," Tamiko said and Sadako chuckled proudly.

"Now that’s my nephew. Kick his ass, son. Don’t let him play you. You remember the tricks I taught you over time well, no?" Sadako piped up making the king groan. He knew this was going to be a long day for him.

"No mercy," Tamiko snickered at the king’s groan.

He was excited for what was coming because he knew that no matter how rough the roads were – and he definitely would be – he would be safe and protected by those who considered him family.

He would be okay.

That was all that mattered right now.

"And if I kick your ass?" King Zaffuto asked but the son and the uncle were not even paying attention to him. Instead, they were assembling the chess pieces, ready for the grand showdown with the king – who had bested Sadako many times.

"You sing the Kawai anthem before the entire kingdom," Sadako laughed.

Zaffuto paled.

"No one even gets paid for winning chess anyways," the king shrugged miserably.