the wolf and the lamb » kageyama x reader

17. Her

"I repeat, in the name of King Tobio Kageyama, sovereign of the kingdom of Karasuno, I demand that the residents of this inhabitance open the door for His Royal Highness!" The king's messenger's loud voice rings through your parents' small house, reverberating throughout and echoing off its thin walls.

Your mother flings open the door, an unreadable expression etched on her wrinkle-worn face. Your father hushes your twin siblings and urges them into another room, closing the door behind them as he turns to stand a ways back behind your mother, watching the procession.

"What does the king require with us?" Her voice is solid, calm, stoic – her lips close into a tightly drawn line, her eyes boring into the messenger's.

"His Royal Highness wishes to speak the parents of (First Name)."

"My husband and I are here. If he wishes to talk with us, he can do so in person, not via proxy. Either he steps out from that carriage and speaks with us face-to-face, or he doesn't speak with us at all." Her voice is monotone, her words clipped as she practically bites off the end of her sentences.

The black carriage door opens and out steps the king. He's clad in his typical alizarin red cape, soft frosted cotton lining its collar and its bottom fringe. Sleek black pants and dark patent-leather shoes with a stainless puffed white dress shirt tucked in accompany his look. His crown lurches at a precarious angle upon his head as per usual, and a frown on his drawn face matches his haggard cheeks and his half-closed, tired navy eyes. Kageyama waves a hand at the attendant, who immediately bows and runs off to the carriage.

"May I come in?" He gestures towards the inside of the home.

Your mother blocks the doorway at first, but relents and lets him in. "Close the door behind you, King." She walks back to where your father is standing and grabs him by the shoulder, whispering in his ear, "Kageyama must have done something drastic to make (First Name) want to deceive him with her death. Keep up your guard."

"Lovely interior decorating," he mumbles as he enters your parents' humble abode.

"Thank you, but you've been in here before," your mother replies as she leads him into the dining room. "There's nothing you haven't already seen."

He stares at your seat, the one you always sat in when he stayed over before; the dining room is exactly the way it was before you left to go to the palace with him, with not a plate or shining silver utensil out of place. Not a speck of dust is to be seen on the spotless wooden table. Kageyama turns to your mother, who's sitting in a chair and who motions for him to sit as well.

He pulls out your favorite chair – a decision not gone unnoticed to your mother – and perches nervously on the edge of the seat. "Mrs. (Last Name), I would like to ask you some questions." The king nods at your father as well, who stands behind his wife's chair protectively. "The same goes for you, Mr. (Last Name)."

"Questions about what?" Your father cocks his head and smiles at the king, but the cheerful expression doesn't reach his eyes.

Kageyama shivers at your father's dual façade. "About (First Name). She... left the palace a couple days ago. On our wedding day. I thought the two of you might... might know where she is, or what happened to her." He swallows slowly, the gulping sound echoing loudly in the stone-silent dining room; the atmosphere is heavy and thick with tension.

It takes a while before your mother can reply. "(First Name) is dead."

The king's eyes search hers before he lowers his head, his hands resting on his knees forming fists as the news hits him. "Thank you for telling me." His voice is choked, words fragile and trembling as his mouth struggles to form the words. "Might I ask..." he pauses, bites his lip, and draws in a shaky breath. "Do you know why she left? What happened to her?"