Hollywood Zenith

" People having power could become complacent over time. And it got worse for us who overcame many difficulties during the conflict era. But it got worse when you helped during the party."

" What do you mean?"

" Well, you have to understand the Japan focus on male heir more after the rule passed in late 1940s. It completely dismantle the previous norm, and put lot of restriction on female members of the imperial family. They can't inherit the empress position and lead the family. They also have to abdicate their royal status if they marry into a 'commoner' family. " Sayo explained further.

" That's seemed rather harsh." I said.

" That is true. Traditionally, the imperial throne was passed on under custom which resembled the rule of seniority. Theoretically, any male or female with the main lineage to early Japanese monarchs, who descended in the direct male line from the first emperor, could come to hold the throne.

In practice, preference was given to the first-born male offspring of a preceding male monarch, followed by his brothers, sons, other males of the immediate male-line family, and ultimately male members of the main houses, other branches distantly related to the reigning monarch. Because there existed no restrictions on remarriage or polygyny in historical Japan, there usually existed many male relatives who could take over the throne.

Now, we are in a unique situation where if no male heir is produced, it will lead to infighting between family members. My son has been married for seven years, and the couple has gone through several miscarriages already. Still, with your help this time, we prepared pretty early, even before any visible change. The family has pooled experts in the field to monitor the princess's health around the clock. " He said, explaining.

" It is good thing right? You still haven't explained the hostility." I asked.

" I am getting there. What would you think will happen if the royal family doesn't produce a male heir this time?"

" It could lead to changes in the system or abolishing the previous one to cater to the present situation. Government intervention could also be expected as it concerns countries' ideology." the story of the imperial family was very similar to the other reality except for a few extra family members, so I could guess the consequences.

" Yes, but there were talks about the adoption of male heir from the branch family. And that would have lead to their intervention after that child ascended to the throne. No one truly forgets their roots. It could then lead to friction with the government as it was the government that imposed several rules for them. "

" I see, that makes sense. So, they hate me because I unknowingly became a obstacle for them to take over the main family." I said while pondering about the ramifications.

" You don't have to worry about them; They will soon get over it to hatch another plan. It is always the same case with them. " Grandma Hana said with a smile. It looked like it was not the first time something like this had happened, and this time, I got in their way by chance.

We have been talking for about an hour now; they also asked about my book endeavor, which I briefly explained to them. I almost forgot about Hana and the princess. Three of them looked at me, looking around, and they also noticed.

" What have they been up to?" Sayo asked, turning her head in their direction.

" I don't know, They can't even understand each other and asked me to be translator for them." I stated.

" Yeah, oh, here they come!" said Hana looking at the princess leading Hannah toward us.

" Did you show Hannah around~? " Emperor asked the princess in a funny tone. I almost didn't recognize him as he had a completely different look on his face.

I looked around to see that others were acting normal, but it was too much contrast for me.

" Yes, Hannah is my friend now. I also teach her the names of the flowers."

" Wow, Kako is so smart!" He gently rustled her hair. Hannah was behind her, looking at me; she had a weird look on her face seeing how Grandpa was acting.

" Did you have fun? You brought me here but left me behind. What happened? " I asked Hannah.

" We were looking at pretty flowers, but I missed most of it. I understood some of them though. I will show you around the next time, brother." She said with excitement.

" It's good that she is having fun." I thought.

With that said, the princess described some of the things they did together. I also noticed a few attendants in the back; they must have helped them.

" G-grandpa, I have to ask you something. It is r-really important." Princess turned toward him and asked. Seeing her requesting something, He gave her his full attention.

" You can ask me anything. What is it?" said the Emperor.

" I-it promise me y-you won't get angry like m-mother." She was hesitating.

" I promise, if someone is bullying my cute granddaughter; I will break his legs. If you feel like it you could whisper it to me; it will be out secret." He gave her a confident look with an exaggerated gesture to make her believe in him. She seemed to relax a little and walked toward him to perk up her body to reach his ears.

She whispered, but I heard it clearly because of my title. I was surprised she brought it up again, but it was not my place to meddle in it yet. The other two women were also curious about their exchange but observed for now.

They separated after a few seconds, but Emperor had a serious look on his face now instead of his nonchalant attire from a while ago.

" T-that's could be hard. You know they are our guest; we should not impose too much on them. You already talked to your parents right?" He asked of the princess.

" Yes." She looked sad, she could already imagine his decision and it was not looking good for her.

Seeing his dejected granddaughter, he began contemplating. He looked toward me and then toward her daughter; he also glanced around. It was like his ritual when stuck in a rock and a hard place. While waiting for his answer, the princess grew increasingly bleak; she looked like she would burst out crying any second now.

" Ok, ok. You can go, but I will send someone to look after you, alright. " He panicked, looking at her, and blurted out.

" Yes! Yes!" she began jumping around in joy; it was 180 from her sad phase, which made everyone wonder if it all were an act.

" But, promise me you will be a good girl and listen to Samuel and other adults. I will not compromise on this." looking at her happy face, he began questioning her decision but added several conditions.

Later, he also talked to me about it, and I didn't have any objection to it. Previously, I kept quiet to honor her parent's decision, although it would be a pain to be high profile but after arriving here, it has not been working for me. We deviated vastly from our original plan.

We wanders around some more before soon it was already time for lunch. It was a decadent spread with a wide variety of foods, some of them were specially prepared for us to so that it would suit our taste.

Everyone kept to themselves during the meal; only Hannah would talk about her day. We ate by ourselves during this time without any of the royals present. I asked around and learned that their nutrition is highly regulated, and some of them had worked to do. They also had to prepare for the dinner party.

" It is for the best. The mood of the group is not good anyways." I thought.

I also noticed Oscar glancing toward me a few times. I could guess that he was feeling guilty for keeping me in the dark. I also noticed he and Karoline keeping their distance from Iblis, who seemed to lost all the shine in her eyes. She was eating slowly, and the morning fight definitely took a toll on her.

After lunch, I stopped both Oscar and Karoline after Iblis left.

" You guys are not doing any favors by keeping everything bottled up," I said, slightly annoyed, but this could not go any longer. They were looking down with complex faces.

" I know you feel that you did something wrong, but you have to talk with Iblis again. She must be going through the same thing. I could do it, but it would defeat the purpose of the conflict." I sternly warned them. The longer they wait, the worse it will get. They were rigidly standing without doing anything.

" Trust me and talk to her. She needs you right now. "

They nodded and left; I could see some courage in their eyes.

" Hope everything works out. We have a common enemy." I thought.

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