__________ POV Narration __________
Ken sighed as he wandered down the halls of the Dungeons underneath his office building.
Outside, the world continued as normal, thousands of people came and went, unaware of the horrors that could be taking place in the labyrinthic tunnels underneath them.
The dungeons were the place where Saburo's experiments would happen at times, places where bandits were tortured for the locations of their allies, and places where people went to die basically...
But now those dungeons were housing another guest. One that would not be receiving the same 'courtesies' as other inmates.
Yue's figure was a bit dishevelled; she seemed to have taken off her mask and thrown it on at the wall.
She was wearing ninja-styled clothing, her coat thrown off the wayside as she just lay on the bed there.
Her fair facial features were twisted with fear, frustration, and guilt, as she looked out the door through the metallic bars.
Her blonde hair was freely flowing in the small windy currents within that dungeon.
It had a rather intricate ventilation system flowing through, mostly so that the smell of death would not linger for too long.
That type of smell tended to assault Ken's rather sensitive nose, so he didn't want that type of stench right under his office.
The metallic bars of Yue's prison cell were very thick and not very tightly spread out. A lot of effort and material was spent on all of the cells within that dungeon.
But for Yue those bars were mostly symbolic, they couldn't have kept her there. The only real constraint was the clone of Saburo that was present right by the metallic bars, his back to her.
She was not shackled, nor was she even handcuffed. This was done at Ken's instructions.
The clone observing her was something like an alarm. But in the end, Ken was not too worried about Yue attempting to escape again.
Even if she was to not be cooperative, she must have at least realised that fleeing from Ken was impossible...
Thankfully though, she was now cooperating fully. She didn't even complain after being put behind bars.
In fact, she didn't say much of anything after taking her mask off. She just looked at her own legs and the outside of her cell silently.
She had left the Brotherhood with a heart full of fear and stress, she had not rested in quite a few days either.
The weight of her actions had enough time to set in, the guilt of it all was eating away at her quite a bit. She was not used to that feeling. Rather, she was used to repressing it, as she found it unpleasant in the past.
In that small cell, she had no choice but to face it. The guilt, the anguish, the self-loathing. All of it. In the end, she couldn't help but break the silence.
"S-sorry for killing two of your clones, Saburo..." She muttered as she looked to the side, finally starting to acknowledge and apologise for some of the things she had done.
Saburo, an experienced actor, could easily tell when someone was genuine, it was one of the reasons why he was the one asked to watch Yue in that dungeon. That and the fact that she had wronged him as well.
'An honest apology from the little royal psychopath, huh?'
But of course, the Strawman cared not for apologies, he also didn't care about the two clones that were killed, to him, they were just toys to be replaced at the end of the day.
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He may have been more caring in the past, but before meeting Ken it was harder for him to get the right resources. But now they were rather abundant, so he was not worried.
"I forgive you... Clones are replaceable, so I have no rational reason to hold a grudge."
Though it was hard for Saburo, the resident Sociopathic Scientist of the Brotherhood, to care about the feelings behind Yue's apology, Saburo knew Ken would be happy that they were there.
'He tends to be more generous to me when he is happy.'
"But... Don't you feel the pain of the deaths of all of your clones?" Yue's voice was quite restrained as she asked that, making the masked clone turn its head towards her.
"Huh? Did the Lord share that with you?"
The Strawman had always been more of a recluse, he didn't give anyone details about his technique... Anyone but Ken, that was, and only because it was more convenient for him to know.
Upon hearing the slight intensity in Saburo's words, Yue seemed a bit flustered, but she still responded in earnest.
"N-no, some of just us noticed that your other clones react very minimally whenever another one is destroyed... We all assumed that you just share senses with them."
Saburo raised an eyebrow when hearing that before he smiled lightly underneath his mask.
'A perceptive little bunch, huh? Well, it can't be helped, stay enough in one house and its residents will eventually get to know more about you.'
"That is correct, seems you children are all smarter than I gave you credit for... But you do not have to worry about causing me pain. I am very much accustomed to the backlash."
The Bloody Princess blinked a few times, unsure how to take that first phrase. She chose to ignore it, and when she heard the second, she sighed in relief.
She knew that Saburo wouldn't lie to her for no reason. Even if the time she had spent with the Second Blade was minimal, she knew that he was a very straightforward person under normal circumstances.
So long as it wouldn't benefit him, he wouldn't have any reason to lie. For a short moment, the little princess felt a little liberated.
'It feels kinda good... Repentance, I guess that's what it's called. Being forgiven is also nice, a little baggage being lifted off of my consciousness.
But I have a feeling that Uncle Tosho may not be that easy to forgive...'
The First Blade had always been there for the children emotionally, a stark contrast to Saburo.
Yue, despite not being an orphan or regular recruit, received plenty of his care as well. He looked after her plenty of times, and she felt as if she had repaid all of his good intentions with, well, dismemberment.
Eventually though, she could hear steps in the long and darkened hallways of the dungeon, a few sets of steps at that.
"Lord Ken, I still think that keeping her here is a bit..." Yue's eyes widened as she recognized that voice almost immediately. But before she could even think further, another voice responded.
"Punishment must fit the crime, Lord Yuichi. It is a shame that it has gotten to this point though..." The voice of an older man had responded.
"Indeed, what she has done this time around somewhat passes the barrier of just misbehaving." Another gruff voice spoke out, as the steps got closer and closer, and Yue finally caught sight of their figures.
'Dad and Grandpa Mifune?!'
The little princess's royal blue eyes shone a bit as shame overwhelmed her.
Mifune was dressed in his usual Samurai attire, his black hair appeared to be greying a bit, however...
And her father looked much the same as she remembered him. His golden hair still flowed much the same as hers, and his blue eyes stared into hers with mixed emotions.
They were two of the last people she wanted to see stepping towards her cell, looking at her with either pity or disappointment.
Aside from the two of them, there were also Ken and Tosho, who now Yue could clearly see was missing a right arm.
In an instant, she could feel a pit forming on her empty stomach, her eyes shuddering and closing tightly.
The world seemed to be silent for a moment, as none of the men present spoke, and Yue was too guilt-ridden to even open her eyes.
"Hmm, averting her gaze. Seems like she can feel guilt." Tosho's voice broke through that gut-wrenching silence. He was to have the first and last word when it came to Yue's punishment at the end of the day.
"Her feelings are honest too, at least so it would seem," Ken muttered as he turned his head towards Tosho, who seemed to be mulling over something.
"Yue... I know you've always been impulsive, you've always had a hard time controlling your emotions... But I had hoped that discipline would help you fix that over time."
Mifune spoke out, his tone filled with regret as he remembered the time he had spent trying his best to instil good values in the young princess.
"Dear. Open your eyes, please." Yuichi spoke out as well, his voice filled with pity as well.
And Yue listened to her father. She turned her head towards them, finally making eye contact with the men present.
"I-I'm..." She opened her mouth, but she seemed to have difficulty finding her words. Tears filled her eyes as emotions overwhelmed her again.
But this time, she seemed to get them under control, sniffling a bit as she slowly bowed her head towards to ground.
"I'm sorry!"
In the lowest possible position, she gave what was likely the most emotionally charged and honest apology of her life.
Tosho couldn't help but sigh when hearing her tone and seeing her tears.
'I find no pleasure in this... But a punishment is still in order.'