It Started With A Kick (Magi/マギ Fanfiction: Ren Koumei x OC)

Standard disclaimers apply! I do not own Magi or any of its characters, only Hyorin and other original characters.

Chapter 12: Unexpected Conflict (2)

Hyorin's life as a prisoner did not last long. After three days, Koumei regained consciousness, and the first thing he did was to ask for her presence.

"The Second Prince calls for you." A voice echoed past the bars. A loud click soon followed and the prison door opened.

Still brooding on her bed, Hyorin merely glanced at the guard who was supposed to usher her outside, before almost snapping her neck to take a better look at the supposed stranger. She looked him up and down.

The man was dressed like a normal soldier, but something about him was suspicious. Maybe, it was due to the fact that he looked just like the First Prince of Kou?

"What are you doing here in that get-up, Ren Kouen?" she asked with an eyebrow raised.

He shrugged and monotonously answered, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Hyorin gave him a look of disbelief. How could he feign ignorance when his entire face was visible for the world to see?

"Stop pretending," she grunted, her sleepless nights were starting to affect her mood. "Your presence is too big to be covered by that stupid helmet."

Seeing that he could no longer fool her, Kouen simply sighed in defeat and stepped away from the door. "Just shut up and follow me. Koumei is waiting for you."

Despite her obvious confusion, Hyorin did as told. As they walked towards the exit of the dungeon, Kouen watched the young princess from the corner of his eye. It seemed that his brother's wife had a difficult time inside her cell, seeing how deep the creases had formed beneath her eyes.

The moment Hyorin stepped inside a familiar office, all of the tension that had built up in her body disappeared.

"You're awake," she said in a surprised tone. There, in the usual spot in front of an unending pile of scrolls sat Ren Koumei, tending to his missed readings and paperwork.

Hyorin turned away and discreetly signed in relief. "That's good..."

Unbeknownst to her, Koumei had been watching her the moment she entered the room. It was only after seeing her reaction did he fully confirm her innocence. He jested, "I thought you would be more disappointed."

"What? No!" Hyorin stepped forward with a hand on her chest. "I'm not the one who poisoned—"

"I know. I'm just kidding," he said with a small smile.

His unexpected response only fueled her confusion. Koumei took this as a signal to start their discussion. "Both of us were targets in this incident," he revealed without batting an eyelid. "It was an assassination attempt on me, and the perpetrator tried to frame you. They wanted to get rid of us."

Hyorin was dumbfounded. There were a lot of questions forming in her mind, but she missed the chance to ask them as Koumei immediately continued his explanation.

"That is why I particularly asked my brother to bring you here," he said, and she stole a glance at Kouen who was still in his third-rate soldier get-up. "At this point, anyone in the palace can be an enemy. The only ones I trust are Chu'un and my brothers. However, my subordinate is still wary of you, which resulted to this."

Hyorin nodded in understanding. Of course, Kouha was also out of the question since he was too petite to pretend to be a soldier.

"I personally fetched you because if the enemy sees an opportunity, they will kill you for sure," Kouen added relentlessly.

"Wait. Why is this even happening?" Hyorin could already feel a migraine coming.

Koumei shrugged. "Who knows. There are many possible motives behind their actions. Though, the one that currently stands out is the rising tension between the factions of the First and Second Princes."

"The what?" she repeated and looked back and forth between the two brothers. "Are you fighting?"

"Not us, but our subjects," answered Kouen. "A lot of people from the court was against your marriage in the first place."

"Well, why don't you tell them that you're the one behind it?" she snapped. Why should she be put in danger for something that was simply forced on her?

"That's unnecessary. I do not owe them an explanation."

Hyorin could not stop the rolling of her eyes. What a douche her brother-in-law was! If only he had explained everything, none of these would have happened!

However, the issue was not as simple as she perceived it to be. Kouen continued, "As the eldest prince, I am first in line for the throne. Normally, I should also have been the first to marry among my brothers. However, I had Koumei marry instead."

"Nobody cared at first," interjected Koumei, and he raised a hand to gesture at Hyorin, "However, upon seeing us getting along—"

She gave him a frown. "We don't."

"—or at least, from their perspective," he emphasized, slightly offended at her flat rejection, "everyone started to worry that you will give birth to an heir, which will greatly affect the line of succession."

"Me? Make an heir?" Hyorin repeated with a scoff. "I don't even know how to do that!"

"That… is very true, milady." Koumei did his best to hold back a laugh as he was suddenly reminded of the Kama Sutra incident. He cleared his throat. "As I was saying, it is not far-fetched that in a few years time, one of us three princes will ascend to the throne since our father had become sickly. Thus, everyone is finding a way to settle this tension immediately."

"That is not an excuse. Attempting to assassinate a prince and get rid of his wife is treason," stated Kouen, anger hinted in his tone. "How should we go about this?"

Koumei brought his fan closer to his face. "Simple, we'll—"

"Get a divorce."

"Kill the people involved in this case."

"—take this chance and show our subjects the unity of the three princes."

Hyorin, Kouen and Koumei spoke simultaneously, before staring at each other in awkward silence.

"You almost lost your life, Koumei. The mastermind, at least, should have their head roll on the ground," insisted Kouen as he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.

Koumei shook his head. "Brother and King, I am alright. We should put the stability of the Imperial Family above anything else."

Hyorin raised her hand. Why was no one paying attention to her? "I still vote for divorce."

The two brothers gave her a look of disbelief. She shrugged. "I'm basically the root of this conflict. If I leave, wouldn't that solve everything?" She added a business smile for safety measures. That should convince them, right?

Needless to say, her suggestion was mercilessly turned down.

In the end, it was decided that the mastermind would be executed to warn the others of the consequences of acting against the Imperial Family.

"Soon, I will be appointed as the commander of the West Subjugation army." Kouen turned to his brother with a stern expression. "I will assign you and Kouha as my generals as proof of my trust and acknowledgment of your abilities."

In response, Koumei dropped on one knee, surprising Hyorin. He then placed a hand on his left fist in salutation. "As you wish, Brother and King. I will not fail—" However, before he could finish his sentence, he felt a sudden pull on his arm and he was raised from the floor. Turning around, Koumei found his wife giving him a disapproving look.

"Are you stupid?" scolded Hyorin. "Stop that. Did you forget that you're sick?"

The two princes stared at her, completely dumbfounded. Much to her surprise and horror, Kouen suddenly burst out laughing. She paled. Never in her life did she hear such a horrifying laugh!

"Except for me, you're the only one who calls Koumei stupid," he said, obviously amused. He gave her a smug grin. "Aren't you a perfect match then? You're both foolish."

A vein popped out of her forehead. "What did you say, asshole?! Come here and I'll—"

Koumei had to use his entire strength just to stop Hyorin's sudden outburst. He glanced tiredly at Kouen. "Please stop teasing us. I'm the one getting into trouble because of you!"

"My bad." He raised his hand apologetically, but the still intact grin said otherwise. Koumei only sighed. His brother was obviously enjoying tormenting him and his wife.

The First Prince of Kou soon left, leaving the two alone in the office.

Hyorin was out of breath after her unsuccessful attempt at pummeling Ren Kouen. As soon as she regained her composure, she felt a hand enclose around hers.

"Lady Hyorin," Koumei called out softly. He stared directly into her eyes and immediately felt guilty upon noticing how tired they were. He easily guessed that she could not sleep well in prison. "I'm sorry for the trouble this have caused you. It would probably happen again in the future, but I'll do my utmost best to prevent that."

Hyorin believed in the sincerity of his words. Feeling the warmth of his hand against hers, she was again washed with relief. She hated Koumei, but she would never wish for him to die like that.

She squeezed his hand in return, and he instantly felt his heart skip a beat. Whether it was from surprise or something else, he did not know—which was weird, because he was usually versed in many things.

"You know, I've been wondering," she muttered.

"Hmm?"

"How did you know that it wasn't me who poisoned you?" she asked, extremely curious. "I'm the only one who could have prepared your food. Everyone said that I had no alibi. How did you manage to clear my name?

"Oh, that." He scratched his cheek in thought. "The medicinal drink that contained the poison tasted disgusting. Obviously, you're not the one who made it. It must have been switched by the culprit."

Hyorin gasped audibly. "Y-You knew that I was giving you medicinal drinks?"

Koumei smiled. "Yes. I'm not sure why you would hide it, but it became pretty obvious after my state of health improved. I believe that it was also how I managed to survive. You have my utmost gratitude."

As she was a good-natured person, Hyorin could not help but pity the man who constantly had his head buried in a mountain of scrolls. However, she decided to hide this kind act from Koumei to avoid giving him weird ideas.

"I see..." she nodded in understanding. However, immediately after, her eyes grew wide and she snapped her head upwards to meet the startled gaze of her husband.

How could she almost miss that?

"Just now, you praised me, didn't you?" She took a step closer to him and Koumei retreated instinctively. "You said that it tasted disgusting so it couldn't have been my cooking." Her indigo irises flashed like those of a predator. And the prey took another step backward. "Are you saying that my cooking tastes good?"

It was only then did Koumei realize his slip of the tongue! It was futile to make excuses since he had already been caught red-handed. He bit his lip in frustration. "Good is an understatement. The dishes you make are... very delicious, Lady Hyorin."

Her mood instantly brightened up. Not only did he help clear her name, but he also praised and acknowledged her cooking? Hyorin felt like she was on cloud nine! What, maybe her husband wasn't as bad as she thought?

"Thank you... for a lot of things, Koumei!" Hyorin flashed him the biggest smile she could make. However, what she earned in return was a rare dumb look on his face.

"What?" she uttered in confusion.

He scratched the back of his neck and managed a small smile. "Oh, it's nothing."

It was the first time she called him by his name.

Author's Note:

Wow, it took twelve chapters just for her to call him by his first name. Congratulations to our MeiRin couple! (*u*) As to who poisoned Koumei, it will be revealed in the future chapters. Please look forward to it because the motive of the culprit is really interesting.

That's all. Thank you for reading! In the next chapter, Hyorin will finally meet a certain princess!