It was embarrassment that had caused him to snap.

I should not have acted like that... But there is a limit to what I can take!

The fifth emperor of Konkoku, Ryu Shohi, walked briskly as he clenched his teeth. Following a few steps behind him was his imperially appointed bodyguard, Shin Jotetsu. Chancellor Shu Kojin, the Minister of Revenue, and the Minister of Rites, who Shohi had left behind in the consultation chamber, were bound to be astonished by his behavior. They were likely exchanging glances and complaining about how troublesome their emperor was right about now.

“Your Majesty, are you sure it wouldn’t be best to go back to the consultation chamber?” Jotetsu suggested in an attempt to calm the emperor.

“Silence!” Shohi barked as he continued his stride.

Shohi entered his room with loud footsteps to find Sai Hakurei, a palace attendant, waiting for him. He had come to deliver a letter from the four consorts and was just about to leave after placing the letter on Shohi’s desk. Hakurei looked with surprise at the emperor, who was currently an embodiment of irritation, but he quickly changed into his usual captivating smile as he bowed.

“Why, if it isn’t Your Majesty. I’m happy to see you in high spirits as always,” Hakurei said sarcastically.

“What part of me looks to be in high spirits?!” Shohi spat as he took a seat on the sofa, resting his chin on his hand.

I know it. I just know that Saisakoku... No, not just Saisakoku—Shu Kojin and the officials are all secretly mocking me for how young I am as an emperor. They think I lack experience and prudence, Shohi thought bitterly.

Jotetsu entered the room after Shohi and exchanged glances with Hakurei. Seemingly having picked up on something from Jotetsu’s gaze, Hakurei maintained his smile as he approached the sofa and kneeled.

“Shall I bring you some tea?” Hakurei asked.

“No need,” Shohi replied.

“How about some warm wine?”

“No need.”

“Then shall I call someone here?”

“There is no one who—” Shohi was about to turn down the offer when the smile of a certain carefree palace woman suddenly crossed his mind.

“Shall I call Rimi for you? I can have her make something pleasing to the tongue,” Hakurei said softly, as if seeing through Shohi.

“She is preoccupied helping Shusei with his research in the cuisinology hall. I cannot simply call her here without a reason.” Shohi feared that if he selfishly robbed Rimi of her favorite pastime, she might come to dislike him. He didn’t want her to complain about him being a selfish youth with no patience too.

Still... I want to see her face... If he could just lay his eyes on her face, Shohi felt it might rid him of his miserable feelings.

“Your Majesty, I have a suggestion. What do you say about spending time with Rimi each night? She will gladly offer her time to you,” Hakurei said as he narrowed his eyes.

“Do you think that airheaded woman who has nothing but food on her mind would happily visit me?”

“Yes, I’m sure of it,” Hakurei said confidently.

Jotetsu, who was standing by the window, turned his gaze outside. He had a slightly sarcastic smile on his lips.

“That palace attendant is more impatient than he seems,” Jotetsu whispered in a voice too quiet for anyone to hear.

Then, an aide suddenly appeared by the entrance to the room and kneeled.

“Excuse me, Your Majesty. Chancellor Shu Kojin is here to see you,” the aide announced.

Everyone turned toward the entrance when Shu Koji slid into view. He returned their gaze with a faint smile.

“Excuse the sudden visit, Your Majesty.”

“What the hell are you doing?!” Koshin exclaimed.

“I am asking you for permission to set foot in this kitchen, Chief of Dining.”

“Permission?! Why’re you asking me?! You’re a Lady of Precious Bevy of sixth rank, for crying out loud!”

Unable to process what Rimi was doing, Koshin’s bewilderment turned into something close to anger, and he started yelling. Rimi slowly raised her head.

“And what of it?” Rimi asked, her eyes on the still darkening kitchen.

“Aren’t you ashamed to be groveling in front of someone who doesn’t even have a rank?!”

“It is only natural to kneel to ask the Chief of Dining permission to enter a place that he protects and maintains. My rank doesn’t matter. I am doing nothing to be ashamed of.”

Rimi turned around on the stone floor and looked up at Koshin. His eyes were as wide as a cat’s, and his cheeks were flushed, perhaps from rage.

“I ask you for permission. Please allow me to set foot in the kitchen,” Rimi repeated.

“I told you to do as you please!” Koshin roared.

Rimi smiled softly at him.

“Thank you very much,” she said. Though he had said the same thing as before, the meaning was different. His initial “do as you please” had stemmed from negligence and rage; this one was a declaration of permission and rage. He was still enraged, but the meaning differed. She had at least shown her respect and been given permission in return.

I guess this will have to do for now.

Rimi stood up and gave Koshin a bow.

“Do as you please. I don’t care what His Majesty said, just do whatever the hell you want. I’m sure whatever you make will be a sight to behold.” Koshin threw Rimi another threatening glare before sitting back down at his desk.

He had glared at her and treated her coldly even though they had only just met. But compared to someone who would obsess over ranks and try to curry favor with an unfamiliar palace woman and the cuisinologist, this treatment was far more pleasant.

He has pride as a cook and is passionate about his duty to serve His Majesty food. He was an exemplary Chief of Dining.

Rimi entered the kitchen and started searching for flint. As luck would have it, she found it quickly, but candlesticks were nowhere to be found. She strained her eyes and looked around the dimly lit kitchen and found a hollow located high up on a pillar. The hollow contained an oil lamp filled with rapeseed oil. The evenly spaced pillars all had oil lamps similarly placed in them, ensuring that every nook and cranny of the kitchen was visible when lit. Rimi lit all the oil lamps.

I believe Master Shusei said that he had prepped the blue brittlegills for His Majesty today... Given how Koshin had acted, it seemed unlikely that he would tell Rimi the location of the ember and the cookware, and where he had placed the blue brittlegills after removing the scum. Though it would cost her time, her only option was to get started while she searched.

She found the ember and lit a fire in one of the stoves before looking for the mushrooms. She found them soaking in a pot filled with water. They had been lightly boiled and then left to float in the water. She picked up a single mushroom from the pot. It was a slightly bluish mushroom with a flat cap, smaller than her palm. She took a whiff of the mushroom, and it smelled so bad that she instinctively turned her head away.

“I-It stinks!”

Tears filled Rimi’s eyes. She had tasted the mushroom once before, and it had an extremely harsh taste. The texture was rubbery and revolting, and the stench overwhelmed the nose. The harsh taste could be removed with the right ingredients, and if cut the right way, the texture could go unnoticed. The problem was the smell.

“Ways of removing bad smell... Alcohol, heating... I doubt either of them would help here.”

Rimi was lost in thought when she sensed someone watching her. She turned around to find Koshin leaning against the opening to his room and glaring her way. He seemed to be observing her to see that she didn’t ruin the ingredients or destroy the utensils.

“Chief of Dining, do you have any experience cooking blue brittlegills?” Rimi asked.

“Hell no,” Koshin replied curtly.

“How come? You have been helping Master Shusei, haven’t you?”

“The cuisinologist is still researching the ingredients. It’s not my place to butt in. But I suppose it’s about time that I...” Koshin interrupted himself and made a sullen face.

Oh, I see. Koshin must have been very interested in the potent foods that Shusei would bring every evening. Rimi was interested in them herself, and she could guess how a fellow cook might feel. Shusei would use those ingredients to birth a new horrific dish for each supper, and it must have been painful for Koshin to watch from the sidelines. He had been looking for an opportunity to get involved, all the while vividly imagining what he could do with the ingredients, and he had probably started thinking about trying to push Shusei’s strange cooking in a better direction.

“What would you do with these blue brittlegills, Chief of Dining?” Rimi asked.

“Why do I gotta tell you something like that?”

“I would like to make His Majesty as satisfied with his food as I can,” Rimi replied honestly.

“Use your head, would you?” Koshin scoffed. “A fancy palace woman like you with a face painted white should be able to think of something.”

“I don’t use face powder.”

“It doesn’t matter if you use it or not.”

Many women of the rear palace, including the four consorts, often used white face powder, but Rimi disliked it. It was made from minerals, and she could never get over the discomfort of it on her skin. It was as white as wheat, so Rimi sometimes even considered simply substituting it with wheat mixed with water. There were even men who thought it was wheat.

Wheat...? That’s it, wheat! Rimi wondered whether Koshin had intentionally given her advice, or if it was just a coincidence.

“Thank you, Chief of Dining!” Rimi exclaimed.

“For what?”

Koshin was in as foul a mood as ever, but Rimi broke into a happy smile. She immediately started rummaging through the kitchen in search of wheat. She found it as well as some jitang chicken soup prepared in advance.

She took out various cooking tools and chopped the mushrooms into pieces smaller than rice grains. She put a pot of water on a stove and brought it to a boil. She put the wheat in a large pot and mixed it with the water, then added the finely chopped mushrooms to the mixture.

She then put an empty pot on another stove, heated some fragrant sesame oil in it, and added spring onion, ginger, and garlic for additional fragrance. As she poured the jitang she had found into the pot all in one go, the water reacted to the sesame oil and was sent flying with an intense sound. But Rimi simply continued pouring as the fragrant oil floated to the top of the jitang.

With the jitang still in the stove, Rimi poured the wheat, water, and mushroom mixture into the water that was boiling in a pot on the first stove. The water became covered with white bubbles. After it had quieted down, countless translucent beads with dark centers were floating on the surface. They were reminiscent of millet and looked like small pearls. Rimi scooped them up and poured cold water over them.

Koshin had been watching until then, but he suddenly retreated to his own room.

At least he allowed me to be in the kitchen... I think...

Chapter 4: Can a Beauty Rock a Country?

I

Important foreign guests would stay at the Palace of Twin Dragons. The reception hall in the center of the palace was painted with black lacquer and decorated with gold leaves in the shape of dragons, giraffes, and phoenixes. It was dizzyingly magnificent. But peeking out through the doors of that splendid hall, left open to let in the sunlight, Rimi and Shusei were met with the sorry sight that was the current state of the garden outside.

Under normal circumstances, the trees and plants in the garden would be covered in snow, creating a beautiful picture. Now, however, the snow in the middle of the garden had been removed, and in its place were garden stones stacked to form something akin to a stove. The stones were covered with soot, and there was ash littered all over that smelled burnt. The trees and shrubberies nearby were burned to cinders. Pots and bowls were lying on the ground with cut vegetables spread out next to them.

“What in the world have they done to the Garden of Dragon Wisdom...?” Shusei seemed overwhelmed by the sight and put his hand on his forehead.

The leader of Saisakoku’s delegation, Gulzari Shar, gave Shusei and Rimi an innocent smile as he asked them to take a seat, instructing Shuri to bring them tea. Shuri soon returned with a silver tea set that had containers with thin handles. He poured a light brown liquid that smelled like aged tea leaves into the cups. Rimi took a sip, tasting a bewitchingly sweet and mellow flavor with a hint of cow’s milk. The tea seemed to have been scented with cinnamon and ginger.

“It’s lovely,” Rimi said.

Shar, who was sitting right in front of her, smiled even wider as he said something.

“He says it’s Saisakokuan tea,” Shusei, who was next to Rimi, quickly interpreted. “It’s made by boiling fermented tea leaves and then adding cow’s milk and sugar, along with some spices.”

“It’s almost like a sweet,” Rimi said, smiling softly, and Shar smiled back at her.

Shuri said something to Shar, whose eyes widened in surprise, and Shar turned to Rimi to say something.

“He says, ‘Shuri just informed me that you’re from Wakoku. I had no idea. I don’t know much about Wakoku,’” Shusei said.

“People from Saisakoku aren’t very familiar with Wakoku, are they? Is that because Wakoku is such a small country?” Rimi asked Shusei.

“I think it’s less that it’s a small country and more that it’s physically distant,” Shusei answered after thinking for a bit. “You have to cross the sea to get to it, after all. But I’m sure that’s all the more reason that they would be interested. You wouldn’t happen to have anything from Wakoku on you right now?”

“Oh, I do have this.” Rimi searched her sleeve and took out a small paper package, which contained kaorizuke. She always brought some to have with tea, and as she hadn’t passed by the cuisinology hall today, she still had it on her.

“This will surely fascinate them,” Shusei assured her as he explained in Saisakokuan that this was food from Wakoku.

Rimi opened the package, and Shar and Shuri curiously observed its contents.

“Please, have some,” Rimi said.

This was apparently simple enough for Shar to understand, and he and Shuri each enthusiastically picked up a piece of the kaorizuke and put it in their mouths. A crunching sound could be heard as they bit into the kaorizuke, and they exchanged glances. Shar said something with a smile, and Rimi could tell that he must have said something along the lines of “this tastes good,” or “this isn’t half bad.”

“Prince Shar, have you ever traveled to countries other than Konkoku?” Rimi asked, and Shusei translated. Shar happily answered.

“He says that he has been to the three small countries in the south that Saisakoku trades with, the so-called Southern Trinity. Prince Shar is the younger brother of Saisakoku’s emperor, so he often visits the Trinity for inspections. He also said that he would like to go to Wakoku one day,” Shusei explained.

“Oh, yes, by all means! I have a sister who lives in Wakoku. She’s very pretty,” Rimi said. Hearing Shusei interpret what she said, Shar smiled and touched her cheek gently.

“He says that you are adorable too,” Shusei said.

The way Shar touched Rimi was similar to how one might comfort a cute puppy, and Shusei looked on with an awkward expression.

“This ‘adorable’ is used when talking about small girls,” Shuri added with a mischievous smile. “Prince Shar thinks you look like a child.”

Shar tapped Shuri on the back of his hand, said something, and smiled.

He’s a very approachable person, Rimi thought. He even treated his own cook in a friendly way. The same was true with how he spoke to Rimi. Given how many selfish requests he had made, Rimi had assumed Shar would be arrogant, but he was far from it. He was approachable, cheerful, and treated everyone the same. Rimi had taken a liking to him.

As a calm atmosphere filled the room, a man from the delegation suddenly entered. He whispered something into Shar’s ear. The prince’s face froze for a moment, but he immediately restored his smile as he signaled with his hand to let someone in. The man nodded and left the room, and another man soon took his place.

“Your Majesty!” Shusei exclaimed.

The man who had appeared was none other than Shohi, and he entered the room followed by several aides. Shusei and Rimi hurriedly stood up and bowed, but Shar leisurely stood up and turned to Shohi with a smile.

“I heard there was a fire here, so I came to have a look,” Shohi said. “I hope you were not hurt, Prince Shar?”

Shusei translated Shohi’s question. Shar smiled and shrugged his shoulders to indicate that he was fine.

“If you would like, I shall have the garden put back in order. It will be noisy in the meantime, so I would like to invite you to tea in the Hall of Enlightenment until they are done,” Shohi suggested. Shusei interpreted for him, but Shar shook his head.

“Your Majesty, Prince Shar says that he is fine with the garden as it is and declines your invitation,” Shusei said as he frowned. “He says that he is tired and would prefer to rest today.”

But he doesn’t seem tired at all, and he doesn’t seem to be resting either... Shar looked like the very embodiment of cheer. Since even Rimi could see this, it was no surprise that Shohi seemed to as well, and he ever so slightly bit his lip.

“How dare you make a fool out of me...” Shohi grumbled.

“Your Majesty,” Shusei sternly warned Shohi.

“Tell him that I understand, and I am happy to see that he is safe. I am leaving. Shusei, I need your advice on something. Follow me.”

Shar bid Shohi farewell with a Saisakokuan bow as the emperor turned around to leave. Shusei explained what Shohi had said. Shar gestured that he didn’t mind, and Shusei gave him a Saisakokuan bow before turning to Rimi.

“Rimi, I need to leave with His Majesty. I was planning on taking you with me, but Prince Shar says he would like to talk with you for a little while longer, so I will send for an interpreter. I’m sorry. I know I promised that I would be here with you,” Shusei said.

“It’s fine, Master Shusei. If His Majesty needs you, then you have to go. That’s...to be expected.”

They exchanged glances, and Rimi felt a sweet yet stinging sensation in her chest. Shusei also looked somehow sad.

“Thank you, Rimi. If anything happens, be sure to send for me right away. I’ll come running,” Shusei reassured her.

Shusei gave Shar a final quick bow before he exited the room and disappeared from sight. Rimi continued staring into nothingness, as if chasing his mirage with her eyes.

“Is Shusei your lover then, Rimi?” a voice behind her suddenly asked.

“Huh? W-W-Wait, what?!” Rimi turned around expecting the voice to belong to Shuri, only to find Shar sitting casually in his chair, smiling at her with a silver teacup in his hand.

“Are you out of your mind?! I don’t have any rank! I can’t be in the presence of His Majesty!” Koshin said.

“It’s to answer a state guest’s question, so I’m sure he’ll look the other way!”

“But...what kind of food is it?” Shuri asked with a troubled look.

“That’s what I want you to figure out together!”

“What? On the spot?”

“Yes!”

Just as Rimi answered, they had reached the second floor of the tower. Rimi pushed the pair in front of the divider, and both of them froze as if petrified by the music and Shar and Shohi’s gazes. Rimi walked up next to them and bowed.

“These two made that third dish,” Rimi said. “They are the head of the imperial cooks, Yo Koshin, and the cook of the Saisakokuan delegation, Shuri. They will explain what kind of food the dish is.”

Koshin and Shuri exchanged glances.

“Well, what kind of food is it?” Koshin whispered, pale-faced.

“I’m not sure, what kind of food do you think it is?” Shuri replied with a quizzical look.

“That’s what I’m asking you!”

“Well, I don’t know either.”

“It’s certainly no Konkokuan food. I guess that makes it Saisakokuan food?”

“It’s not Saisakokuan food either. So...what do we do?”

Though the two of them were whispering to each other, their conversation was clearly audible to the others present. As Shohi and Shar watched the scene unfold, they gradually started smiling.

“I guess we could combine the names and call it Konsaisa food,” Koshin suggested.

“Why does ‘Kon’ go first? It could just as well be ‘Saisakon,’” Shuri said.

“Does it really matter?”

“Yes, they’re completely different!”

The way they argued back and forth was like a stand-up routine.

“How so?” Koshin said.

“The feel of it,” Shuri replied.

“They’re just the same!”

Then, explosive laughter erupted, which startled Koshin and Shuri, while Shusei looked on awkwardly. The laughter belonged to Shohi and Shar. Both were roaring with laughter. After a while, the laughter quieted down, and Shohi and Shar exchanged glances, only to start laughing again even louder than before. Koshin and Shuri were dumbfounded, but Rimi gave a relieved smile.

This is exactly what I hoped to see.

There were a number of ways to please a god during Holy Communion—displaying reverence to the god, making the god feel at ease, or causing the god to laugh. Similarly, there were many things people could gain from a meal—ease, truth, hope, or even comedy. These feelings are what bestowed meaning to the food Rimi served.

“It’s a heartwarming sight, don’t you think, Your Majesty? Seeing people from different countries, different cultures, and who speak different languages, arguing like brothers,” Shar said, still not having fully calmed down.

Shar looked at the Konsaisa—or perhaps Saisakon—baozi in front of him. It was soft on the outside but spicy on the inside.

“I never imagined that Saisakokuan cooking could be used for such a novel dish. I have never tasted anything like it before. It’s delicious, and you can eat it with a carefree mind. Since it only makes use of the fundamentals of Konkokuan and Saisakokuan cooking, even commoners would be able to enjoy this,” Shar continued.

Shohi finally calmed down too, but his expression was still cheerful.

“I am relieved to see that you are satisfied, Prince Shar. Chief of Dining, Shuri, I commend your efforts. You may leave. Decide amongst yourselves whether to call it Konsaisa or Saisakon food. Once you have reached an agreement, inform me and Prince Shar,” Shohi said.

Koshin and Shuri had been stupefied, but seeing Shohi smile at them, they both looked relieved and left. As they descended the stairs, you could hear them still arguing over which name sounded better.

The consorts were still playing their instruments without pause, only occasionally looking up to see what was happening. It was evident how cultivated they were as they were much calmer than the average musician would have been.

As Shar’s proficiency with the Konkokuan language had come to light, an interpreter was no longer needed. Now, the time had come for a discussion between the emperor and the emissary. Sensing this, Shusei retreated to behind the divider, and Rimi followed his example. Rimi looked up at Shusei in the darkness and their eyes met.

“You did well, Rimi,” Shusei said with a kind smile, quietly so as to not be heard from the other side of the divider.

Shusei’s gaze was so endearing that Rimi’s chest started hurting, and she smiled back at him. Though she could not speak of her feelings for him, being praised in this manner still made her overjoyed.

“This was only possible thanks to your hard work arranging the feast, Master Shusei,” Rimi said.

Shusei had been the one to bring the consorts’ entertainment and the food together. He had mediated between the consorts and the cooks, ensuring that there was a common theme to both. It was thanks to him that everything had worked out this well. He had also been the one to decide on the location. The open landscape had encouraged Shohi and Shar to open up to each other.

From the other side of the divider, Rimi could hear Shar’s voice harmonize with the soft music.

“I have been acting childish and foolish. As much as it shames me to admit, I came here with the intention of sightseeing, having no desire to partake in negotiations,” Shar confessed. “Thus, I made sure to avoid any meetings with you, and I avoided speaking Konkokuan. You saw through it all, and yet you didn’t utter even one complaint in the face of my disrespect.”

“I did get my chance to retaliate,” Shohi remarked. After a moment’s silence, he continued. “To be frank with you, I did lose my composure. However, my advisor, Shusei, convinced me to calm down. A certain palace woman then helped me understand that rather than bothering you by only talking about trade, I first needed to understand you. Though this is a discussion between countries, a country is made up of its people. Thus, we must first come to an understanding, person to person. Negotiations and bargaining can come later. I will take my time.”

Shohi looked Shar straight in the eye.

“But would you not say that taking new risks is an important part of the development of a country?” Shohi continued. “Just as Konkokuan and Saisakokuan food came together to create a new kind of food, I believe that if you want to see a new world, you must intermingle and expand. And that sounds terribly fun, do you not agree?”

Shar nodded once as though understanding Shohi’s point before quietly answering.

“Let me be honest, Your Majesty. You are still terribly young, and compared to my wise brother, you are—if you will forgive my saying so—inexperienced as an emperor,” Shar said.

“I am aware,” Shohi replied.

Shar gave Shohi a kind smile in response to his discontent reply.

“Still, I see great promise in that youth of yours. The way you desire new worlds is indicative of your country’s youth and will in turn contribute to its development. Despite my age, I am somewhat of an adventurous person, you see. I would dearly love to see this new world you speak of. As you said, I am sure it would be fun,” Shar said.

Shar’s eyes were shining like those of a boy dreaming of the future.

“And not to mention, you are magnanimous enough to accept being told that you are inexperienced by a foreign emissary. That magnanimity of yours outshines even my brother’s. It is no surprise that you are blessed with excellent retainers. I respect that part of you from the bottom of my heart.”

Shohi quietly observed Shar’s smile with a surprised expression for a moment before responding slightly bashfully.

“I am gladdened by your words,” Shohi said.

“Saisakoku has not traded with anyone other than the Southern Trinity for the past century, and my brother is a conservative emperor, so it may be difficult to establish diplomatic relations between Saisakoku and Konkoku soon,” Shar explained. “Still, I believe that establishing relations with your country would be beneficial to mine. Konkoku is a fine country with fine people and fine food. There must be something there for Saisakoku to gain as well. As soon as I return home, I shall inform my brother as such.”

Rimi and Shusei exchanged surprised glances behind the divider.

Prince Shar said that he will try to convince the Saisakokuan emperor to establish relations with Konkoku!

“You have my gratitude,” Shohi replied solemnly.

“Rimi, did you hear that?” Shusei asked, his eyes shining with joy.

“Yes, I did,” Rimi said.

As a sense of relief washed over them, Rimi accidentally touched Shusei’s hand. Startled, they looked at each other, but in their joy and excitement, they instinctively took each other’s hands.

“Just...for now,” Shusei whispered with an apologetic look.

Rimi responded with a small nod, euphoric from this fleeting happiness.

It’s just for now.

Seven days later, the day had come for the Saisakokuan delegation to depart from Konkoku.

Afterword

Hello everyone, it’s Miri Mikawa.

This volume finally saw the appearance of Shusei’s daddy, Shu Kojin, after only having been mentioned by name previously. He’s not a particularly likable person, yet as the author, I couldn’t help but think, “Aren’t you happy that you finally got to speak, Daddy?” The story would have turned out pretty different depending on whether I decided to have him show up, but I’m very happy that I decided to include him. This was only possible thanks to the support of my readers. Thank you so much.

Now, as for the love triangle that got started in the last volume, I’m honestly surprised myself at how quickly it’s developed. Now that I think about it, this is actually the first time I’m writing such an unambiguous love triangle, and it’s both nerve-racking and amusing for me too. One of the biggest reasons that I’m enjoying putting Shusei in such an unfortunate position is that I just love how Nagi draws him.

I also brought back the four consorts for this volume. They really liven up a scene, which is tremendously helpful. I also happen to be rather fond of each of the consorts, and it’s a lot of fun to write them. I’m hoping to put them to good use going forward too, though as always, I can’t say for sure until I actually start writing. For example, Jotetsu didn’t even exist at first—he just suddenly showed up as I was writing the first volume!

And so, as I’m writing, never quite sure what to do next, I’m extremely grateful to my editor for always talking to me so cheerfully. I can’t say how much I appreciate all your pertinent advice, always putting me back on the right track. I couldn’t do this without you! I’m sure I’ll continue to cause you loads of headaches going forward, but I hope you’ll stay with me.

Nagi, thank you again for your illustrations. In the last volume, you amazed me with how gorgeous yet distinct your illustrations were for the four consorts! Their hairstyles, clothes, expressions—I’m in love with it all. Every time I see one of your illustrations I thank my lucky stars for having you on my team. I look forward to continuing to work with you.

Lastly, to my readers: Thank you for reading this book. I consider myself fortunate if I managed to entertain you for so much as a second. If you feel like it, I would love to see you again in the next volume.

Miri Mikawa