Shohi awoke to the gentle sound of breathing beside him.

The candles lit the night before had burned out inside their lanterns. They had been replaced by beams of morning sunlight, which slipped through cracks in the window to illuminate Rimi’s sleeping face. Her hand still softly gripped Shohi’s, just where it had been when he’d fallen asleep the night before.

Rimi’s here.

The simple knowledge that the consort slept safely beside him was enough to fill the emperor with an indescribable sense of peace.

Shohi slipped his hand from Rimi’s grasp, but her eyes didn’t even flutter. It hurt Shohi to think of how exhausted she must have been, yet he also felt a sense of happiness knowing she could sleep peacefully in his bed. Before getting up, the emperor kissed her cheek softly. Rimi’s breathing remained deep and steady. Satisfied, Shohi got up and left the bedroom.

Jotetsu was seated on the windowsill in the emperor’s living chambers.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty. Your wishes have finally come true, eh?” the spy asked jovially.

Shohi had done nothing to prepare for bed the night before besides taking off his crown, so his clothes were wrinkled and in disarray. The emperor rang a bell to summon a servant. He’d need their help to make himself look presentable.

“There’s nothing to congratulate me for,” Shohi huffed. “She simply slept in my bed last night. Nothing happened.”

“Just slept? Like a kid? What am I going to do with you, Your Majesty?”

“Quiet. I’m happy knowing that Rimi has returned safely. That’s enough for me. I have to offer my thanks to you as well. You had something to do with her return, didn’t you?”

“I’d worked out where she was being held. I was in the middle of figuring out how to get her off Ryo Renka’s estate when Kyo Kunki arrived under your orders. So in the end, I didn’t really do anything at all,” Jotetsu explained with an apologetic smile. “But I’m curious. How did you know to send Kunki there?”

“Someone delivered a message to Keiyu that said Rimi was with Ryo Renka.”

Jotetsu placed a hand on his chin and frowned.

“A message? Who could’ve possibly...”

“I’m not sure, but it turned out to be accurate. Moving on to more important matters... Jotetsu, were you working with Shusei to find Rimi? That’s what Hakurei told me.”

“Tch. Damned fox, sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong,” the spy said, his surprise quickly turning to anger.

The emperor approached Jotetsu and looked down at him.

“There’s no reason to be angry with him. When I thought about why Shusei would be working with you, I realized the true reason behind his betrayal. He never betrayed me at all. Isn’t that right?”

Shohi’s gaze was steady. He wouldn’t allow any lies or deflections. Jotetsu weathered the stare in silence for a while, but eventually, his stoic expression broke. The spy seemed uncharacteristically at a loss for what to do.

“Honestly... I don’t know how to answer that,” Jotetsu replied.

“Answer with the truth. Is Shusei’s betrayal an act? Is it all for my benefit?”

“The ‘truth’ is a tricky thing. I don’t really know the best way to explain it. So maybe you’d be better off asking the man himself.”

It wasn’t like Jotetsu to dance around a subject like that. From his expression, he truly seemed unsure how to answer.

“You’re saying if I ask Shusei, I’ll know? Then ask him I shall. I’ll get him to tell me once and for all who took Rimi as well.”

Jotetsu heaved a deep sigh.

“You’re going to dig that up? Rimi said she was invited to Ryo Renka’s estate, didn’t she?”

“What kind of fool would believe a story like that? I suspect once I find out who did it, I’ll also know why Rimi is hiding the truth.”

Shohi looked out to the garden, which was blanketed with gentle sunlight, and pursed his lips.

Tears welled in the emperor’s eyes.

You’re so beautiful, Your Majesty.

It wasn’t just his physical appearance. The worry and doubt in his eyes made them seem especially lovely. Because behind those feelings, there was something unyielding and wise.

“I don’t want you to go. The idea of sending you to Kojin fills me with worry...but as Renka said, Kojin would refuse anything I tried,” Shohi admitted. Frustration began to tinge his expression. “And I can’t afford to lose my chancellor. So...”

The emperor suddenly stopped and fell silent for a moment.

“So will you go on my behalf, Rimi?” he finally asked.

Rimi reverently squeezed Shohi’s hand against her cheek, then kneeled.

“Yes. I will go, Your Majesty. For you,” she said without hesitation.

Chapter 4: The Port City of Koto

I

Few knew that Kojin had disregarded the emperor’s orders and resigned from his post. The only people who had been present were the Minister of Rites, the Minister of Revenue, and Rimi, and afterward, Shohi had only told Jotetsu, Hakurei, and Ryo Renka.

This is turning out to be trouble, Hakurei thought as he departed the director’s office and headed for the large main gate attached to the palace courtyard. As etiquette demanded of his station, he walked slowly with his hands together in front of him.

I heard that Rimi went to convince Shu Kojin to return, but I don’t think we can pin our hopes on that.

If Kojin did not return, then a new chancellor would need to be picked as soon as possible. Who knew what the Ho House might be planning while they were dragging their feet?

The Ministers of Rites and Revenue would be the most reasonable choices. But would either of them be able to hold off the Hos?

Kojin had served as chancellor since the reign of the previous emperor. He was trusted and feared by many of the bureaucrats in the capital. Some said that the reason Ho Neison had retreated from the palace so quickly was that Kojin had been putting one official after another in his pocket to stifle Neison’s work as minister, leaving the man unable to remain in his post.

A good portion of the bureaucrats who were loyal to Shohi likely believed in him because the young, new emperor had Kojin supporting him. If the emperor was abandoned by this particular chancellor, then many of his loyalists would surely leave him as well.

After passing through the main gate into the imperial palace, Hakurei followed the walkways leading to the Hall of the Rising Dragon. He was passing through a section flanked by magnolia trees that had lost their flowers when someone called out to him from the garden. The eunuch turned to see a white mask peering at him from the shadow of one of the magnolia’s trunks. The sunlight coming through the trees made him squint.

“Mars?” Hakurei asked in surprise. “What are you doing here? You could have sent me a message to meet you somewhere outside the palace.”

“If you keep getting mysterious letters, some people might begin to suspect you, don’t you think? Eunuchs can be very observant, I’ve found. I came to give this to you.”

Mars reached down by the trunk of the tree and placed a small black vial about the size of a thumb.

Chapter 5: Unearthing Hidden Thoughts

I

Kojin was dozing in his room, his shenyi’s sleeves swayed by the ocean’s breeze as he relaxed in a wicker chair imported from the Southern Trinity.

The former chancellor hadn’t napped since before his student days. As a bureaucrat, there was too much to do, too much to think about. No time was left over for relaxing. But since he’d left the imperial palace, nothing was required of him, and there was nothing he felt compelled to do.

He felt utterly empty, like someone had pulled at his seams and unraveled him. The only thing he felt was the wind blowing through him. Never in his life had Kojin felt more bored.

As he slept, he felt caught between dreaming and consciousness. His thoughts were scattered and half-formed.

What is His Majesty thinking, sending that girl here?

The irritation that had nagged the former chancellor earlier that morning began to simmer inside of him again. As if dredged up by those stirring feelings, an image from the past appeared in his mind.

He could almost see them: Seishu and his Shokukokuan princess embracing in the bamboo grove. She was slender, beautiful, and always so reserved. The few times Kojin had met her, she’d always kept her gaze cast downward.

“Seishu! Master Yo is calling!”

The couple, startled, pull away from each other.

“Okay!” Seishu calls. He takes the girl by the hand and leads her out of the bamboo grove, explaining that he needs to go see the master. He asks Kojin to take her to the gate. A handmaid is waiting for her, Seishu says. Kojin scowls, but Seishu bows and begs, so he gives in.

Kojin can feel her following behind him, and with every passing moment, he becomes more irritated by her presence.

“What do you think you’re doing, meeting with Seishu like this?” he finally asks, despite himself. “You realize you’re just going to cast a shadow over his whole future?”

It had been years since he became a student, and Kojin had always had a single dream: for Seishu to be emperor and Kojin to be his chancellor. Together, they would usher in a new age of prosperity for Konkoku.

Kojin had despised the idea of serving a foolish emperor, but he had no qualms about serving Seishu. All of the bureaucrats would have loved him. If Kojin could carry out his duties while serving a man like that, he could’ve helped his country prosper. There was no better, more exciting way to live his life.

And yet.

When Seishu had met the girl, he’d started talking about marrying her. His family had been stunned when they’d heard it. If he married a Shokukokuan royal, there was no doubt it would keep him from the throne. The Hos desperately wanted Seishu to take the throne, and most of the palace bureaucrats felt the same. If not for the girl, Ho Seishu would’ve certainly ascended. Compared to Seishu, the Ryu prince was a half-wit.

“I know that,” she responds. The answer makes Kojin even more irritated. He can’t resist stopping and turning to face her.

“If you realize that, then you should leave and never return,” he counters.

“I agree,” she says with a nod. “I just told Master Seishu the same thing. But he won’t hear of it. What should I do? Master Seishu says you’re the cleverest student here. Surely you can come up with a solution?”

Kojin doesn’t know what to say. The look in her eyes is sincere. She really wants an answer.

I don’t have a chance of convincing him. He loves her. It doesn’t matter what I say to him, he won’t hear me out, Kojin thinks. So maybe we should just have her leave this world.

It would’ve been the easiest solution, but Kojin had feared that Seishu might have turned into an empty shell if he’d lost his beloved. It also just seemed too cruel, telling an innocent woman to die. He’d had the feeling that she’d take her own life without hesitation if she thought it would help Seishu.

“I don’t know either,” he says.

Kojin had regretted that answer ever since. If he’d just told her to die, maybe he wouldn’t have lost Seishu.

Why didn’t I just tell her to die?! That Setsu Rimi ruined everything!

Kojin’s eyes snapped open in a burst of anger. As much as he would like to write it off as a result of his scattered dreaming, it irritated the former chancellor that he’d mixed up Rimi with Seishu’s wife. He sighed and rubbed his temples.

Why would I mistake Setsu Rimi for that girl? Is it because of how much Shusei resembles Seishu?

It had been in the spring of the previous year that Kojin had first seen them smiling at each other in the cuisinology hall. The former chancellor had felt his breath seize in his chest at the sight. He hadn’t known why it had upset him so much. He’d decided to just save his business with Shusei for later and leave unnoticed.

I think I was so irritated at seeing that girl when I looked at Setsu Rimi that I decided to eliminate her. Thanks to that, look where I am. The girl still manages to ruin everything, even now.

Kojin absently stared out at the sea from his chair.

“Pardon me, I’ve brought your lunch,” Setsu Rimi called from the entrance of the room.

She doesn’t give up, does she?

Kojin and his wife had taken to sharing breakfast while at the Autumn Garden, but they had lunch and dinner separately. The consort must have heard from Shoyo that he took his later meals in his room, so she had taken it upon herself to stroll in with his lunch.

“Leave it on the table and get out,” he spat, intentionally choosing not to look at her.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

The cheeky response finally earned her an annoyed glare from the former chancellor. Fear surfaced on her face for a moment, but she seemed to fight it off, straightened her posture, and marched into the room with the tray. Kojin glared at her the entire time. He could tell his gaze frightened her.

She placed the tray on the table and bowed.

“This dish is only completed at the table. I’m going to serve it to you,” Rimi said.

“Don’t bother. Get out,” he ordered curtly before rising from his seat. He pushed the consort to the side as he passed by and then sat down at the table. But he frowned as he considered the arrangement of items set before him.

On one flat plate lay bite-size chunks of fish that had been lightly battered and fried. There was also rice that had been compacted, cut into square chunks, and then grilled on both sides before being placed on another, deeper plate. There was also a small bowl full of sweet-and-sour sauce as well as small plates with ginger and shredded leeks arranged on the side. An empty bowl sat in front of Kojin, accompanied by chopsticks and a spoon.

How am I supposed to eat this?

Rimi immediately seized on the former chancellor’s hesitation and grabbed the bowl in front of him.

“Let me prepare it for you,” she said.

The consort picked up the long chopsticks sitting at the table’s edge and placed two slices of the grilled rice into the bowl. On top of that, she laid a piece of fried fish. She then took the spoon placed alongside the sauce bowl and drizzled the sweet-and-sour sauce on top of the fish and rice. Finally, she added some onion and ginger before handing the bowl to Kojin.

“I’ve made you fish and rice with sweet-and-sour sauce. Feel free to eat it now if you’d like. But if you give it a little bit, the sauce will soften it up. Then you can use the spoon to break everything up and get a bite of fish, rice, and sauce all at once. It’ll be quite tasty.”

“First that business at Renka’s and now this. What is it you’re planning?” Kojin asked with a suspicious glare.

The girl might’ve seemed harmless, but after she’d served him shiguo at Renka’s estate, he’d found her suspicious. He wasn’t sure what she’d been planning by feeding him that, but after eating it, he’d been assaulted by memories that bordered on hallucinations. He wondered now if she had slipped him some kind of poison.

“I’m not planning anything. I just wanted to give you something nice for lunch. They were selling all sorts of unusual fish by the harbor down in Koto. I simply thought it would make a good meal,” Rimi explained.

It was true; the fish laid out on the plate were a common haul in Koto.

Kojin took the chopsticks and used them to pick up some of the fish, then spread the sauce on it and took a bite. He then did the same with the rice. The breading gave the fish a satisfying crunch, and the rice was nice and crisp. With the thick sweet-and-sour sauce, it all had a very pleasant texture. As the serving was relatively small, he finished it quickly.

“I’ll make you another,” Rimi said.

She reached out to take the empty bowl, but Kojin quickly pulled it away. He used his chopsticks to grab some rice and fish, placed them in the bowl, and then added the sauce and garnishes.

Should I mix it up a bit?

The fried fish and grilled rice weren’t bad on their own, but he thought the texture and flavor might be improved by letting them soak up the sauce and stirring them together.

Kojin looked down at the full bowl blankly and waited for a bit. He then picked up his spoon and used it to smash the rice and fish together. After a quick stir, he took a bite.

Not bad.

Chapter 6: Such a Delicious Treat

I

Jotetsu was dumbstruck by Shusei’s inconceivable announcement.

“Offer him a hand?!” the spy repeated.

Rimi, unable to read the intention behind Shusei’s words, was growing more confused by the minute.

“Shusei...” came a shocked voice from behind them.

Rimi turned around to see that Mrs. Yo had appeared at some point. She must have come to see what the commotion was. Her hands covered her mouth in shock. It looked as if she was seeing a ghost.

Was that Tama’s voice?

The wind whipped across the platform, making Rimi’s hair splay and twist. The bright sunlight reflected off the water.

Shohi mumbled to himself as if possessed.

“To the palace,” he said.

Afterword

Hello everyone! Miri Mikawa here. As I mentioned in the last afterword, I thought I’d be able to get the next volume out without delay, and I’m relieved to say I did. And like last time, Kojin continued to be a total pain while I was writing this volume.

In other news, with this new volume being published, we’ve been given a voiced character promo! I never get to do this sort of thing, so I’m so grateful. I’m completely enchanted by Shusei and Shohi’s voices. When they let me listen to the raw audio, I just kept going, “It’s so good... It’s so good... It’s so good...” The voices were so wonderful, it was almost torture. Apparently, the editors were making a big deal out of me sighing. I think you’ll get a lot out of it, so I hope you’ll give it a listen.

To my editor: as always, thank you for everything. Truly. I’m well aware of how rare it is to still get this much support this far into a series. I can’t be grateful enough. I’ll do whatever I can to write something good for you. I’m sure I’ll continue to need a lot of help, so I look forward to working with you.

To Kasumi Nagi, my illustrator: thank you again for all the amazing art. I was so surprised to find Mars lurking on the cover of the last volume. When I see little details like that, it makes me think I need to buckle down and match that effort. I’m truly grateful to be having you draw for me. You made Shohi and Rimi look amazing yet again with this volume. I was so excited to see Hakurei in color for the first time too. Anyways, it’s all been beautiful!

And finally, to all my readers: I never would’ve been able to release this many books if not for you. I hope you enjoyed this volume, even if only a bit. Our story is reaching its climax! Where do you think it’ll go from here? I hope you’ll stick around and find out.

Miri Mikawa