*Tetsuya*

The sound of crying woke me up. It was the princess, she had a blanket wrapped tightly around her body, leaving my naked body exposed to the chilly morning air.

Though why was I naked? And why was she here? W-what happened?

I quickly yanked the sheets from the bed and wrapped them around me. "Why are we like this?" I asked, blushing. I was sure that neither of us had any alcohol. Last I could remember, I was fighting some guy wrapped in shadows, after that everything was blank. 

"T...Tetsu..." Rosalba said as tears slid down her eyes. "You... why?"

I gasped as my memories of last night rushed back to me. I looked around the room. The room showed signs of struggle with broken vases, indents in the wall that looked as if they had come from a shield. A shield... One shaped like Agnes. I... I'd been framed...

I turned back to look at her.

"Listen, this isn't what it looks like!" I said, backing away from her. "It wasn't me! It was someone else! I came in to try to..." I reached my hand out for her but she jumped back.

"D-don't get near me!" she yelled, closing her eyes tightly. Her breathing was erratic. "Don't touch me!"

"Come on, you have to listen to me!" I said as I felt my heart sink toward my stomach.

Rosalba closed her eyes she shook her head as she curled up into a ball in the floor. "Don't, please... Don't come near me! I beg of you."

I halted. No... Why was this happening?

"What's wrong?" Setsuko asked, barging into the room alongside Serrano. Serrano's eyes widened as soon as he saw me.

"Tetsu?" Serrano said, gasping. His silver eyes widened as he looked around the messed up room. "This..."

"This isn't what it looks like!" I said, covering myself with another blanket.

"You... what the heck did you do to my little sister?" Setsuko screamed as she grabbed me by my arms and shook me violently. "How... could you do such a thing? I thought that out of the four guys you were the kindest!"

"Let go of me," I said, grabbing her arms to prevent her from choking me. "It wasn't... me."

Guards entered my room and pulled me away from Setsuko. They yanked my arms back and handcuffed them.

"Let go of me!" Setsuko yelled. "I'm going to tear him into pieces!"

Sweat rolled down my face. It was as if I was in a nightmare because nothing made any sense.

"I didn't do it. I have been framed!" I yelled. "The real person escaped, he's out there right now, free. He knocked me unconscious last night."

"Yeah, like we buy that! Your acting skills are trash tier just like you," Eiichi said as he stood by the doorway. "I saw you walk away with the princess last night while the rest of us continued to enjoy the ball. If it wasn't you then who could it have been? Some lazy and deprived servant?"

Setsuko escaped the grasp of the guards and ran at me. She raised her fist and punched me in the chest, knocking me into the bed. "I'm going to kill you right now! You disgusting excuse for a man!"

"Calm down," Serrano said, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her away.

"Let go of me, Serrano! Don't you dare defend him after what he has done!" Setsuko said, glaring at him.

I took a deep breath to refill my lungs. "T-thanks, Serra."

He narrowed his eyes at me but quickly turned away. "We need to listen to his story."

"Si-sis..." Rosalba said, reaching a hand out toward her sister. Her face contorted between anger and sadness. She looked away from me and curled up on me, tears falling.

Seeing her like that... it made me wish that the real perpetrator were in front of me to hit him like Setsuko had hit me. I would punch him and even go as far as depriving him of his manhood.

Setsuko lurched toward me once again but Serrano continued to hold her back.

"I said let go! If you don't let go of me then you will share his fate!" she screamed.

Serra grunted as he pulled her back. "You need to calm down!"

"You want me to calm down? After what your cousin did to Rosa?" Setsuko yelled at her fiance's face.

"Yes, stop it and listen!" Serrano said, grabbing his fiancée by both her arms.

I smiled a little.

Serrano, he believes me.

Serrano glanced at the scene once more, specifically at the markings that appeared to come from a heart-shaped shield. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Don't dirty your hands with this scum bag's blood," he said. He opened his eyes and glared at me. He reached for the purplish-blue earring on his left ear. "If you'll like then I'll take care of him myself."

No... Not you too. Serra...

"Serra, you got to believe me! It wasn't me! I didn't do anything to Rosalba! Of everyone here, you have to believe me!" I protested.

Setsuko relaxed her body and glance down at the shards of a shattered vase. Her face convulsed as if she wanted to cry. "I truly did think that out of the four we could trust you the most. Though it seems my father was right about you, just like he was about Etsuo, Roa, and the rebel children."

Serrano rubbed her shoulders and looked back up at me. He shook his head at me. "Believe you? I..."

"Enough talking," Eiichi yelled. He snapped his fingers. "Guards, take this trash away!"

The guards pulled me out of the bed and blindfolded me before pushing me out of the room.

As I was being escorted away, I thought about the crying Rosalba, still lying on the ground.

The one who attacked her... just who was he? When had he returned to frame me?

I kept repeating that in my head over and over again. I thought of the possibilities. The biggest two were Eiichi and Hyosetsu who had displayed some interest in Rosalba and knew about Agnes' new form. Though it could also have been a member from their teams as well as Hideo's.

My best guess was that it was Eiichi. No, it was wrong to blame him without clues. If I did that, then I would be no better than those who accused me.

I continued to replay what had happened until the sound of a cell opening snapped me out of my thoughts. The castle guards removed the handcuffs and instead put chains on them. Once they were done, one or more of them struck me with a whip.

My skin burned, but the lasher didn't stop, he continued to lash me. Whoosh, whoosh, the whip went as it cut the air and my skin. Each lash felt like it was going deeper and deeper than the last. Each one resulted in a louder shriek from me, until I could barely muster the strength to yell.

Was this how the Sky Father felt? When he went to the world of the mortals to save them from their sins? I couldn't help but question as to why he would endure such pain for such ungrateful people.

"Tell us, prophesied Hero, why did you betray the monarchy's trust in you?" a guard asked as he struck my naked back with his whip again.

"It wasn't me!" I managed to get out through my shrieks. I was then struck on the head.

"Not the answer we want!"

I tried to hold back burning tears. My strength was leaving me. I could barely stay awake, let alone answer them.

The more pain that was inflicted on me the more I thought about last night, and the angrier I got. Not only at the one responsible but also at myself for being so weak. If only I had been stronger, I could've apprehended him. My weakness, it only kept getting me in trouble. And this time it hurt Rosa! The one I love! I didn't deserve to live... I was better off dead!

Though it wasn't only because of my weakness. This pain, this suffering, it was because of what separated me from the other heroes, my branch and my title. I was not an aristocrat like the others... to them I was but someone who should be subservient to their orders...not an equal. Yet, no matter how deep the pain, it didn't compare to what Rosalba was likely feeling at the moment. Betrayed by her knight, betrayed by me, the one she expected to protect her.

The guards removed the blindfold when they finally got tired of whipping me, but it was hard to tell the difference. My vision was blurry and the shadows of the dungeon made it look just as dark as when I had the blindfold on, and as dark as Rosalba's room last night.

"Hero of Agnes...why did you betray us," King Osamu's voice echoed. "How could you have...how could you have taken advantage of my youngest daughter?"

"I... didn't. Do. It," I managed to say. "I would. Never. Force myself. On anyone. Such people...are scum."

"You're right, they are scum. That's why I should have had you killed right here and now! But unfortunately I require your assistance just like I required the assistance of your father before you, though expect us to make your life a living nightmare."

"It wasn't me!" I screamed. "Don't I have right to a lawyer? Or are you gonna treat me like dirt because of who my father was? Don't think I am unaware of your dislike for him!"

"No need for one, you'll be free. However, you won't be allowed near here without being restrained like the dog you are!"

I struggled against my chains. I spat out blood. My entire body ached as I moved.

"I... didn't do anything!" I gasped for air, but doing so made my lungs feel as if they were on fire. Even breathing plainly was painful. "I'm not a rapist! Please, believe me. I'm not the one who did that to her. I... I wouldn't do that to anyone, especially not to someone who I... who I..."

The king scoffed. "You were seen walking with her."

I took another deep breath. I spat out blood unto the floor. I looked up and thought that I saw the king smiling. I felt something bubble within me. A rush of emotion almost as strong as what I had felt the night prior.

"Lies! You're just using this as an excuse to get revenge on my dad!" I dangled from the chains, no longer able to support my own weight. I hadn't realized the pain that my feet were in until I had relaxed them.

"I don't understand why you don't kill him," I heard Eiichi say as the dungeon echoed with the sound of his footsteps. "The four of us can handle the monsters ourselves, we don't need scum like him on our side."

I closed one eye. "It wasn't me! It...wasn't me..."

It was you, or one of the others... but it wasn't... me! It... wasn't... me...

**Solar: Hope that you... Well, maybe 'enjoyed' is the wrong word given what has happened to our Hero. Still, hope the chapter proved interesting ^^. As you might've noticed, I decided to write TSoJ in first perspective rather than third like I did with most of RoaGA (exception being the bookends). Overall thoughts? Predictions?**