The Palace was surprisingly quiet. After what happened, Sora got rid of all the servants connected to Tori. The Harem no longer existed. Sora allowed the concubines to leave to return to their families. The Empress dowager went to Seichi's palace. Aino was also okay after the incident. It turned out she also liked Chojiro and they both accepted each other's confession.

As for me and Sora, he puts a lot of trust in me now. Yukio has also been doing well. He'll be turning 5 this winter.

"Yukina, we should go to bed." Sora pulled my hand and led me to the bed.

"Okay." We went to bed and fell asleep in each other's arms.

The next day, Sora and I prepared for the trial. The townspeople were gathered around the courtyard. The guard brought Tori and her father to the center. They were shackled together.

"Honomi Akimoto, you are charged with forgery, treason, kidnapping and murder. Honomi Tori, you are charged with the murder of Lady Aya Hiwa and the attempted murder of Empress Kagami Yukina." The townspeople booed them. I saw Lady Hiwa's parents in the crowd. I bet they'd like to kill Tori right now.

"The two of you will be sentenced to a lifetime in prison." Sora announced. I agreed with him. The guards took the two of them away. Sora held my hand as we walked back to the Palace.

"Finally, justice has been served." I sighed. Sora put his arm around me.

"I'm just glad you're safe." I smiled. When we entered the Palace, Aino and Yukio were waiting for us.

"Mama! Papa! You're back." Yukio ran up to us and hugged us. Sora carried Yukio in his arms.

"What have you been up to?" I asked.

"I've been playing with Aino and Chojiro." He smiled. We went inside and had some lunch.

It's been a few months and my belly was getting bigger. It's Yukio's birthday tomorrow. Aino and I were preparing the dining hall. We decorated it with beautiful colors. I made a banner that said 'Happy Birthday Yukio' on it. I also decided to bake a cake for him. After decorating, I felt really tired. I went back to our room and I plopped down on the bed.

"You seem to have done a lot today." Sora entered the room and sat next to me on the bed.

"I've been preparing for Yukio's birthday tomorrow." I sat up and Sora put his hand on my belly.

"Our baby's getting bigger." He put his ear by my belly. I suddenly felt the baby kick. Sora looked at me.

"She kicked." He said. I giggled.

"She? Are you sure we're having a girl?" I asked.

"Well, you wanted a girl. For the time being, I'm going to a.s.sume that it's a girl." I cupped his face and gave him a kiss.

Yukio's birthday went on without any problems. He personally invited all the kids from the village. He had a lot of fun and I've never felt happier for him. I'm glad he has grown into such a thoughtful kid.

A few months have pa.s.sed and I was nearing my due date. In the middle of the night, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my belly. Oh no, am I giving birth. I was so scared that I woke up Sora.

"Sora, I think I'm giving birth." He jolted up and immediately ran outside. He came back with the wet nurse. She had some a.s.sistants with her who brought all the necessities for child birth.

The night was long and painful. But after a few hours, I finally heard a baby crying. I was exhausted.

"Congratulations, Empress Yukina. It's a girl." My heart was dancing. The wet nurse let me hold the baby. She has my hair. She opened her eyes and they were the same color as his father's. Sora came up to the bed.

"Sora, look. Her eyes look just like yours." I saw him smile.

"Have you thought of a name?" He asked. The moment I saw the color of her eyes, I immediately knew what to name her.

"Sumire. Kagami Sumire." Sora looked at me and smiled.

"That's a beautiful name."

It's been a year. Sumire is 1 and Yukio is 6. Our family has gotten bigger and I couldn't be happier. Maybe it was fate that brought me here. I found myself a family that cared for me. Who would've thought that my death would result in something so beautiful? A blessing in disguise.

"Mama, come on." Yukio held my hand and pulled me towards his father. Sumire was in my arms, looking happy. Sora wrapped his arms around the three of us.

This was the family I was looking for. I was searching and searching in my past life. It turned out that I was searching in the wrong place. Now that I found it, I won't ever want to let it go.