Riri’s body felt like and she felt as if she was floating on water.
She breathed a sigh of relief as she let her body and mind fall into the warm, soft air.
“It feels nice…”
She wanted to sleep like this forever, however a voice from somewhere interrupted her sleep.
“Riri, Riri. Can you hear me?”
She wanted to sleep, but she couldn’t help but smile when she recognised the voice.
It was kind, but sometimes mean, and belonged to the trustworthy Mokuren.
“Yup, Mokuren.”
She spoke like a child.
He had taught her many things. He carried her to the doctor when she had a fever as a child. She still remembered his big back from back then.
“I have a question for you, can I ask it?”
“Ask me anything.”
She was happy to be of help to Mokuren, but something at the corner of her mind whispered.
“Don’t trust Mokuren.”
She tilted her head in confusion, wondering why she could hear such a voice.
“Riri, I want you to tell me.”
She heard Mokuren’s voice again, and the shadow in the corner of her mind fizzled out without a trace.
“I want to know how to make the treasured incense.”
What’s the treasured incense? That question popped up in her head, then she nodded.
“No one is supposed to know it.”
“Tell it to only me. Please, Riri.”
Mokuren was like family to her. She wanted to fulfil whatever he wished.
“Alright… You…”
BANG!
She was about to tell him when she heard a loud sound as if something had exploded nearby.
The sound made her flinch.
“I can’t tell you. You want to use the treasured incense for evil…!”
Her words came out clearly and her consciousness, which had been in the gentle, warm water, began to emerge.
Kousho had come to a deserted temple not far from the palace.
It was a large temple but had been neglected. He had heard that it was going to be rebuilt soon.
As he brushed aside the overgrown grass and turned his gaze towards the temple, Garan, who was standing next to him, spoke quietly.
“The people in this neighbourhood said that they have seen men going in and out of the temple in the last few days. They had heard that the temple would be rebuilt, so they assumed that they were construction workers, but they believed that the men might be dangerous since some of them seem to be armed.”
“Have you confirmed that Riri is in there?”
“Not yet.”
He nodded at Garan’s brief words. He had only brought about ten of his most experienced men with him since the enemy might notice them if they brought a large group of people. Kousho kept his eyes on the temple but kept his voice quiet.
“Alright. There’s no point wasting time. Let’s go inside and see if Riri is in there.”
He raised one hand and the armed soldiers stood up immediately.
“Let’s go and get Riri out of there!”
He led the way to the temple. He was so worried about Riri that he couldn’t sit still.
There was a loud bang when several people kicked down the sturdy wooden door. Kousho entered the temple first while shaking off Garan who tried to stop him. Riri was lying down in the middle of the large temple.
She had her eyes shut so he didn’t know if she was asleep or had passed out.
He glared at the person sitting next to Riri.
“Mokuren…! You!”
Blood rushed to Kousho’s head, and he clenched his fists. He didn’t know how long it had been since he had been this angry. Mokuren looked surprised for a second, but quickly steeled his expression.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Kousho-sama. This isn’t the kind of place where the Crown Prince should be.”
His voice sounded calm, and his attitude irritated Kousho even more.
“What did you do to Riri?!”
He strode towards Mokuren and the door in front of him swung open and dozens of men quickly entered the temple.
“I just gave her a little bit of incense to make her more honest. How dare you interrupt us when we were just about to begin? … But you have good timing. I couldn’t touch you in the palace, but you came out on your own. You’re a nuisance in more ways than one.”
Mokuren turned to his subordinates.
“Kill him.”
His subordinates nodded at his cold words and edged closer to Kousho.
“Riri’s safety is top priority. Capture these guys alive if you can. Don’t let Mokuren escape!”
He signalled the battle with his hand, and the large temple instantly transformed into a battleground.
Kousho’s attention turned back to Riri as dozens of men exchanged swords in a battle to the death.
He saw Mokuren picking Riri up and moving towards the opposite side of the battle and immediately followed after them.
“I won’t let you follow them.”
Two enemies stood in front of him. When he saw them, he felt that they were in the way.
He wanted to get to Riri as quickly as possible. He wanted to touch her and make sure she was okay and not hurt. As he was feeling impatient, a long spear was thrusted from his right towards the enemies.
“Please go. Leave this to me!”
The person who had rushed over to him was Garan. Kousho quickly tapped Garan on the shoulder as he stood there to stop the enemy.
“I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Garan was the best spearman in Shinzui. He had no qualms about entrusting him with the enemy.
He used his sword to cut down the enemies who were trying to get in his way and chased after Mokuren. Mokuren carried Riri in his arms and left through the door on the left side of the temple. Kousho followed him through that door and out into the corridor.
Mokuren was standing in front of him and facing him. Riri laid at his feet.
“How did you know where I was?”
“I wonder how.”
Kousho didn’t give him an answer. He looked at Riri who was at Mokuren’s feet.
“You’ll catch up to me if I carry Riri. I’m not confident that I can beat you with my sword skills. It’s unfortunate, but it looks like I have no choice but to let Riri go here. I was so close.”
Mokuren said he was disappointed, but his expression didn’t change much.
“Mokuren, stop getting Riri involved in this. I know that you’re not happy with the royal family, so we’ll accept and respond to whatever you do to us. But…”
“You’re asking me not to do anything to your first love?”
Normally, Kousho believed that he had the strength to remain unfazed no matter what was said to him.
But what Mokuren had said caught him off guard.
“You look like you’re wondering how I know this. I know about it. I met Riri just before her memory was erased by the treasured incense. She’s forgotten all about our meeting though.”
Mokuren raised the corner of his mouth slightly.
He looked lonely with a tinge of regret.
“I heard about your meeting in the palace garden then. She said she wondered who the boy was. Riri’s parents raised her with as little contact with the outside world as possible to prevent her from being abused for her special sense of smell, so she didn’t even know that people with red hair are royals.”
Mokuren turned his gaze to Kousho.
“But I realised something after hearing her story and seeing your current attitude towards her. For a man, their first love is very special. I can understand why you want to protect her. But…”
Mokuren’s voice became lower.
“But we can’t leave her alone as long as the secret of the treasured incense lies dormant in her memory.”
Kousho frowned at Mokuren’s declaration.
“Is that the only reason why you’re so obsessed with Riri?”
Kousho said words that could be interpreted in many ways. Mokuren seemed to understand what he wanted to ask.
“… I don’t have to tell you.”
Mokuren raised something, and the moment he swung it down, a white cloud of smoke covered the area.
“Riri!”
His eyes deceived him for a second. He quickly opened his eyes and moved forward through the white smoke.
Riri was lying on the same spot as before, but Mokuren was nowhere to be seen.
“Riri, Riri! Pull yourself together!”
The voice belonged to Kousho. Riri scolded herself and tried to open her heavy eyes.
I have to get up if the Crown Prince is calling me, she thought, but she couldn’t open her eyes.
Her body also felt as if it was floating on water, and she couldn’t muster up her strength.
Her mind was in chaos. She had no idea why she could hear Kousho’s voice or what kind of situation she was in.
“Hh… mmm.”
She finally found her voice, but she couldn’t say anything else. She heard Kousho’s relieved voice.
“You’re awake? I’ll take you to a doctor straight away. Don’t worry.”
She managed to open her eyes slightly and saw Kousho’s smiling face.
“Ko-Kousho-sama…”
“Yes, it’s me. It’s alright now. Let’s go home together. Are you in any pain?”
She hadn’t seen him look worried in a long time.
At the same time, she was reminded of how cold he had acted towards her lately. She believed he had his reasons for doing so, and she was going to wait for him to tell her those reasons.
But for some reason, she was extremely sad right now and couldn’t bear it.
“It hurts…”
“What? Where does it hurt?”
Kousho put his face closer to hers. A single tear flowed down her face as she looked at his gentle face.
“My heart… hurts. You’re cold towards me, Kousho-sama.”
She was surprised by the words she had uttered. Those were her real feelings, but there was no way she was going to say them like this.
She wondered why she had blurted that out when she could normally keep it in, and suddenly remembered that Mokuren had made her smell his confession incense.
(Pull yourself together. Don’t open your mouth!)
She tried to hold back, but her mouth opened on its own.
“Please don’t act cold towards me…”
She couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down her face. She knew that saying this would only trouble Kousho.
Even though she knew she had to stop crying, she couldn’t calm down at all because of the confession incense.
At the same time, she realised that even though she was going to trust Kousho, she was actually worried about his attitude deep down.
“Sorry… I was trying to protect you.”
Her body and mind were floating, but she was curious, so she focused on her mouth and said.
“What are you talking about?”
“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to scare you, but someone was trying to kill you. The sweets that were from “me” were poisoned. I suspected that one of the consorts at the inner palace might have done it. Otherwise, there’s no reason for you to be targeted.”
She remembered that she had received tsubaki mochi from Kousho before the beauty pageant when he had mentioned it.
Kousho came into her room and suggested that she eat the peaches that he had brought instead when she was about to eat the tsubai mochi. Were the sweets poisoned? She shivered when she thought that. Kousho gently stroked her cheek.
“I didn’t want to tell you because it would make you uneasy. I knew they’d try to kill you again if I were to act friendly towards you… Six years ago, my mother, the Empress, was given sweets that were poisoned by a consort.”
She saw Kousho bite his lip and hold back his pain through her slightly opened eyes.
“The situation back then and the situation now are the same. She ate it because it was a gift from my father, the Emperor. Then, she died. She coughed up blood in front of me.”
She could tell from the look on his face just how much of a shadow this cast over his mind.
“I vividly recalled when my mother died when I found out the sweets that were given to you were poisoned. I swore that I will never let that happen to you. The person who had poisoned my mother’s sweets was one of the consorts and she was caught immediately. I thought the person who had poisoned your sweets was from the Beautiful Flower Palace.”
Kousho continued to speak with his eyes clouded with anger.
“People don’t hesitate to use cruel means when they’re driven by jealousy. I thought that if I kept my distance from you and was nice to the other consorts in the inner palace, then their jealousy wouldn’t be directed at you. In the meantime, I was trying to catch the person who had poisoned the sweets, but I still haven’t found her yet. I’m sorry.”
Kousho lowered his eyes apologetically.
It was terrifying to be targeted. The thought of someone trying to take her life gave her the chills.
However, she was happy that Kousho’s cold attitude towards her wasn’t because he hated her.
Kousho hugged her tightly. His strong arms were warm and dependable.
“I won’t let you be put in danger again. I’ll definitely protect you.”
His dependable words shook her. She knew he would protect her.
That was what she strongly believed.
Then, her body became hot, and her heart began to throb loudly. She smelled a sweet, and gentle scent coming from Kousho. She became hot and her head became hazy when she smelled it. It was a scent that she had never smelled from Kousho before.
(This scent… I’ve smelled it somewhere before.)
She thought, but she couldn’t remember from where.
She looked at Kousho’s reliable figure and was reminded of the boy who always appeared in her dreams.
(Huh…? Why that boy…?)
She thought it was strange, but she couldn’t stay awake anymore.
She felt as if she was floating in water again as her consciousness faded and she fell asleep.
Riri found herself in her room at the Beautiful Flower Palace when she woke up.
She stared at the familiar ceiling and frowned as she laid there.
“… Was it a dream?”
“It wasn’t.”
She was extremely startled when she heard a voice. She saw Kousho sitting by her bedside when she looked to her right.
“K-Kousho-sama!”
She quickly got up and shut her eyes because her head hurt badly.
“Ouch!”
“Don’t push yourself. Mokuren made you smell the confession incense. From the way Mokuren spoke, it seemed that he had yet to learn how to make the treasured incense from you. You’ve got some guts. I would have beheaded you if you had blabbered about the treasured incense.”
The mean expression on his face and his voice was the same as always. If her being kidnapped by Mokuren wasn’t a dream, then him saying that he was definitely going to protect her was true.
But she couldn’t believe that the man in front of her now was the same man as the one who had spoken and looked at her gently before.
“Did you bring me all the way back here?”
She asked timidly since she didn’t know which part was a dream and which part was reality, but he shrugged.
“Yeah. I graciously brought you back here. It’s an honour for me to do this for you, and you should be grateful to me for the rest of your life, since I personally went out of my way to save a talented person like you, who has no sex appeal and has average looks.”
(Woah, it’s been a long time since I’ve been subjected to his poisonous tongue, since he’s been acting cold towards me lately. His tone is annoying like always, but…)
She didn’t feel too angry. She felt much closer to him when he was using his poisonous tongue compared to when he didn’t even speak to her. She felt as if she was slowly being corrupted by him, but she decided not to think too much about it right now.
“What happened to Mokuren?”
She pulled herself together and stared at him, then he folded his arms.
“He got away. He’s still fast at escaping. Riri, what did you talk to Mokuren about? Give me as many details as you can.”
She remembered what she had talked to Mokuren about when Kousho asked her this.
“Mokuren wanted to know how to make the treasured incense. So…”
When she told him about her conversation with Mokuren, he put a hand over his mouth as if he was thinking.
“I see. His associate has perfected the incense that brings back memories? … I got it. But Riri, there’s something else I want to ask you. It’s not possible for anyone to kidnap you from the heavily guarded Beautiful Flower Palace. Was Seirai the person who had kidnapped you?”
She was stunned by his sharp words.
“Why do you think he did?”
“Seirai said he saw you being taken away from the palace. He told me that he followed you to an old temple near the palace, but there’s something wrong with his story.”
She looked down. Seirai was going to help Mokuren. She had persuaded him to stop helping Mokuren, but he seemed troubled by his desire to save his sister.
(Seirai-sama, you believed in me and saved me.)
She had thought of a way to save his sister. She was worried that he wouldn’t believe her since he left before she could tell him the plan, but he had let Kousho know where she was.
However, Kousho was suspicious of him because of that.
“Excuse me, I overheard your conversation.”
The door opened slightly to reveal Seirai. Kousho’s suspicious gaze became even sharper.
“I thought I asked you not to enter the Beautiful Flower Palace without permission.”
“Don’t say that. I was worried about Riri.”
Seirai quickly entered the room and closed the door.
Kousho stood up and confronted Seirai. Seirai raised the corners of his mouth and crossed his arms.
“I heard that you were suspicious of me.”
“Yes, I suspect that you’re the one who kidnapped Riri. It’s not easy for anyone to take a talented person out of the Beautiful Flower Palace.”
Kousho’s words were polite, but his tone was cold. Seirai’s gaze sharpened.
“Do you have any proof that I did anything to Riri?”
Kousho and Seirai looked at each other and it felt as if sparks were flying between them.
“You and two of your attendants were seen carrying a large package somewhere early in the morning. I’ve been observing your behaviour since you suddenly arrived in Shinzui. ――― You came here to get close to Riri, right?”
Kousho’s voice was a lot lower than usual and sounded terrifying, but Seirai’s expression didn’t change. Kousho continued.
“You wanted to know what was going on since you found out that Riri was working on the treasured incense from Mokuren. If that was the case, then I can understand why you suddenly came to Shinzui. Riri might be hidden if you had told us you were coming in advance, so you came unannounced and tried to approach Riri.”
“You’re making the treasured incense, Riri? That’s news to me! Amazing!”
Seirai showed his surprise by exaggerating, but Kousho remained calm.
“Weren’t you the one who kidnapped Riri? Aren’t you helping Mokuren?”
Seirai closed his mouth, and the two of them just glared at each other in silence.
“Then, why did I tell you where Riri was? I wouldn’t have done that if I was the person who had kidnapped Riri.”
“You changed your mind. You must have believed that it would be a bad idea to join forces with Mokuren. He is a dangerous man. You must have concluded that he would have ended up using you even though you wanted to use him.”
Kousho folded his arms and Seirai looked down as if he was thinking about something.
After a while, Seirai raised his head and looked at her with a sincere look that she had never seen on him before.
“Kousho, this is just a what-if. If I did join forces with Mokuren, I wouldn’t be your enemy since I betrayed him by telling you where Riri was. If you and I were to fight, then it might lead to a fight between Shinzui and Koran. I’m sure we both don’t want that.”
Seirai was serious. His voice was as calm as always.
“I also don’t want to disturb the peace that my father and Emperor Reibun has created. I don’t want to do anything that could spark a war. I don’t want my people to shed blood. That is, if you’re willing to accept this.”
Seirai was implying that he had changed his mind.
Riri waited for Kousho to say something. She was so nervous that she almost stopped breathing.
(The relationship between Shinzui and Koran will change drastically depending on how Kousho-sama reacts. If he pursues the possibility that Seirai and Mokuren had joined hands, and obtained evidence of this, then the relationship between the two kingdoms will deteriorate, and in the worst case, a war may start…)
She turned pale as she imagined that horrible future in her mind.
“… Do you think I will be satisfied with that?”
Kousho’s voice was low as if he was suppressing his anger.
(Kousho-sama… is angry. Will he really pursue the link between Seirai-sama and Mokuren?)
He closed his eyes once when she stared at him with begging eyes, then sighed.
“Seirai-dono. I don’t accept your explanation, but I won’t pry any further since Riri is safe. I also don’t want to fight with Koran.”
He was cold, but it was the best thing he could have said.
She was happy and Kousho glared at Seirai while sulking.
“I won’t investigate the truth. But ―――.”
Kousho paused and took a step closer to Seirai, then he violently grabbed Seirai’s collar and put his face close to Seirai’s.
“Be prepared for the consequences ――― if you ever put Riri in danger again.”
His quiet and low voice was fiercer than anything he had ever said before.
Seirai widened his eyes, then he smiled a while later.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’ll be careful not to anger you.”
Kousho let go of his collar when he heard that.
“I hope you’ll keep that in mind. I don’t want to get into a fight with Koran’s Crown Prince either for the sake of both our kingdoms.”
“I understand. I’ll leave while you’re being polite.”
Kousho suddenly put his hand over his mouth when he heard those words.
“There’s something else that’s bothering me. I’ve been aware of this ever since Mokuren disappeared, but after hearing Riri’s story earlier, I’m convinced. Mokuren’s associates are in the palace.”
Riri’s eyes widened when she heard what Kousho had said.
“Really…?”
I knew that she shouldn’t have interrupted them, but she was so surprised that she spoke.
“Yeah, Mokuren told you he had an associate who has perfected one of the treasured incenses. However, the materials for the treasured incense can only be obtained in the palace. That’s why you came to the palace in the first place.”
She nodded her head when she heard that. All the sacred bamboo wood needed to make the treasured incense was managed by the palace. It was absolutely impossible to get it elsewhere.
“One of Mokuren’s associates is in the palace, and he’s using the sacred bamboo to make the treasured incense. I’ve been trying to find out if he still has associates here ever since he left the palace, but I still don’t know who they are. Riri, there’s a good chance you’ll be targeted again. You need to put up your guard more.”
Kousho looked at her with concern. She couldn’t help but stare at his eyes and turned red.
(It feels embarrassing to be stared at like this by Kousho-sama, but I’m happy…)
He had been treating her coldly for a while now, so the fact that he was being considerate towards her like this was proof that he didn’t hate her. Seirai spoke while looking sullen.
“… I’m sorry for interrupting you two while you’re staring at each other, but is it alright for you to take it easy like this, Riri?”
She was startled by Seirai’s voice and looked down to hide her reddened face.
“Wh-what are you talking about?”
“It’s almost night-time. The banquet is about to start. You have to get ready.”
He said and she widened her eyes in surprise.
“Oh. The final selection for the beauty pageant!”
There was still enough time for her to get ready for the banquet, but there was a grave obstacle stopping her from dancing.
She didn’t have the outfit and mask that she needed for the final selection dance.
The box that had contained her costume and mask smelled like a certain person.
“Kousho-sama and Seirai-sama, I have to prepare for the final selection, so please excuse me!”
“Wait, Riri. It’s dangerous for you to move around so quickly…”
She heard Kousho’s voice behind her as she left the room and rushed to where the owner of the scent was.
She had the largest room in the Beautiful Flower Palace. Riri took a deep breath outside of her room.
“May I enter?”
It took a lot of courage for her to speak up, but there was something that she couldn’t give to her.
“… Come in.”
Her voice sounded dignified as always, but there was a hint of confusion in it.
Riri gently opened the door and found Hisui sitting in front of a writing desk at the back of the room.
Hisui stared at Riri without changing her expression.
“Please excuse me. I need to talk to you.”
She entered the room and closed the door. She sat where Hisui told her to sit with her hand and faced Hisui.
“I also want to talk to you, Consort Riri… I was the one who stole your outfit and mask from the ballroom. I apologise for that.”
Hisui slowly bowed her head but sounded graceful. Riri could smell Hisui’s scent in the box when her outfit and mask were gone. She had suspected that Hisui was the culprit.
But now that she was here and saw how Hisui was acting, she was sure of one thing.
“No. You didn’t do it.”
She declared. Hisui looked up with her eyes wide in surprise.
“What makes you think that?”
“I actually have a very good sense of smell which allows me to detect even the slightest scent that ordinary people wouldn’t be able to detect. I can get a lot of information from scents. Your scent was definitely in the box which contained my outfit and mask, but I also smelled another scent in there.”
She remembered that moment. She couldn’t believe that it smelled like Hisui, so she put her face in the box to smell it closer, and she noticed that there was a slightly different scent in there.
“Your scent has aloes wood as its base. Aloes wood is quite expensive, so hardly any of the other consorts use it. The other scent left in the box was made from processing fragrant olive flowers. Fragrant olive flowers are quite easy to process, so it isn’t very expensive. It’s easy to get, so it’s often used by court ladies.”
Riri gently pressed her nose with her index finger.
“My nose is quite good. I can tell which person touched the box first by how strong the scents are. The person who uses the fragrant olive flower fragrance touched the box first, and the person with the aloes wood fragrance touched the box a while after. So, here’s what I think.”
Riri explained in order what she had sorted out in her mind while coming here.
“The person with the fragrant olive flower fragrance touched the box first and they are the one who took the outfit and mask. A while after, the person with the aloes wood fragrance realised what that person must have done, so they opened the box to check. The person who took the outfit and mask must be someone very close to you. For example, your court lady. I can smell the same scent coming from your right, just behind the sliding doors.”
Riri looked over to the right and the sliding door opened gently after a while.
A middle-aged court lady was sitting in the next room.
“I’m sorry! I stole your outfit and mask. I really wanted Consort Hisui to be the best in the beauty pageant and become one of the Four Consorts.”
The court lady apologised with tears streaming down her face as she rubbed her head on the floor.
“I believed that Consort Hisui would become one of the Four Consorts, but since you seem close to Kousho-sama, I thought that you might become one of the Four Consorts if Kousho-sama really wished for it. I am really, really sorry!”
Hisui quickly approached the court lady.
“A court lady’s failure is the master’s failure. I’ll apologise to her. Nene, you should rest since you’re not feeling well.”
“No. It’s absurd for you to bear my crimes. Consort Hisui didn’t know anything. I did it on my own. Please, don’t charge Consort Hisui with any crimes.”
The court lady named Nene bowed her head again as she trembled.
With a hand on Nene’s back, Hisui looked at Riri.
“Nene is the wet nurse who has been taking care of me since I was born. She’s usually very gentle and calm. However, she has been insisting that she would make me a high-ranking consort in the inner palace and has been thinking a lot ever since I came to the Beautiful Flower Palace. I’m sorry, Consort Riri. I’ll apologise too. I don’t think you should forgive the person who stole your costume and mask, but please don’t charge Nene with any crimes.”
Hisui looked at Nene as if she was looking at her mother.
It suddenly reminded Riri of her own weak mother.
(Mother always looked apologetic because she was too weak to work. When I told her that I was worried about her body since she was working too much, she looked at me in the same way Nene looks at Consort Hisui… Maybe her feelings for Consort Hisui, who is like a daughter to her, just got out of hand.)
Riri couldn’t say anymore when she thought that. Hisui straightened her posture.
“It’s just like you said. Nene was acting strange this morning. When I questioned her about it, she said she stole an outfit and mask, but she didn’t tell me who they belonged to. So, I went to the ballroom to check the boxes and saw that your outfit and mask wasn’t there. I wanted to tell you what had happened and apologise, but you were nowhere to be seen.”
Hisui didn’t know that she had been kidnapped.
Hisui brought Riri’s outfit and golden mask out from the next room.
“I couldn’t return them during the day because there were people in the ballroom getting ready, but I thought about going to return it to you now since it’s about time for everyone to move to the hall where the banquet is held. I’m really sorry.”
Hisui bowed her head. Then, Riri suddenly smelled a certain scent.
It wasn’t an elegant scent that belonged to a noble, but the scent of iron, like those used for armour.
It wasn’t an unpleasant scent, but a proud scent, like one belonging to a carnivorous beast standing on the vast ground.
The scent was coming from behind the door.
“This scent is… Garan?”
Riri frowned and the door swung open. Garan was standing on the other side.
He had an unusually angry expression on his face.
“Excuse me. I was looking for you since Kousho-sama told me to check up on you. I’m sorry but I heard what you were talking about. Let me tell you what I think. ――― SCREW YOU!”
It was directed at Nene. Riri hadn’t expected that Garan would speak so coarsely. Garan was so angry that he strode in the room. Riri rose up when she saw this.
“Garan, calm down… And even you can’t enter a consort’s room in the inner palace without permission.”
Garan was allowed to enter the inner palace, but he wasn’t allowed to enter a consort’s room without permission.
But he didn’t care and glared at Nene with eyes burning with anger.
“I have the right to investigate if you stole Riri’s outfit and mask as the person in charge of the inner palace’s security. I was allowed to enter the room as part of the investigation.”
Nene looked frightened as the large Garan glared at her sharply.
“You stole Riri’s outfit and mask. On a personal note, I’m Riri’s friend. I’ve been watching her as she practiced hard while barely sleeping because she has no dancing experience. How hard do you think Riri is working so that she can dance at the final selection?”
His voice had finally quietened down, but it sounded intense.
“It is a cowardly act to steal her outfit and mask just before the dance. What you’ve done is just not stealing. You’ve interfered with the final selection of the beauty pageant. It’s a huge crime to interfere with the royal family’s event.”
Nene was trembling. Riri rushed over to Garan and stopped him with her hand.
“You misunderstood, Garan. I asked Nene to mend my outfit and mask.”
She wasn’t good at lying, but she wanted to do something about this situation. Her mother’s image overlapped with Nene’s.
Nene had gotten carried away because she was worried about Hisui, who was like a daughter, so Riri wanted to end this as peacefully as she could.
“What?! Do you think I would believe that excuse Riri!?”
“It’s not an excuse, it’s the truth. Please! Garan. My outfit and mask are here. You’ve already mended them, right Nene?”
When Riri turned around, Nene looked up slightly and nodded several times.
“Y-yes…”
“Thanks. I’ll take it then.”
Nene picked up the outfit and mask that were beside Hisui and gave it to Riri. Riri took the outfit and mask and stopped Garan with her hand again since it looked as if he was about to say something.
“Garan, I’ve gotten my outfit and mask back in time for the dance, so let it go.”
“But…”
“Thanks for worrying about me, and thanks for getting angry for me, but there’s nothing to gain from causing a scene here.”
She stared at him, and he looked surprised. He stared back at her and then lowered his eyes.
She thought it was strange that his eyes suddenly held a different emotion in them, but she persuaded him first.
“I just had Nene mend my outfit and mask. Nothing happened.”
Hisui was the Grand Chancellor’s daughter. The palace will be in an uproar if they found out that Hisui’s court lady had stolen the belongings of a talented person from the Beautiful Flower Place. Nene was remorseful and given Hisui’s personality, she would make sure that Nene wouldn’t make such a mistake again.
“Garan, we all have our demons. When I was living downtown, there was a time when I wanted to steal because we had nothing to eat, and I was so hungry. Someone helped me at that time, so I didn’t end up stealing. But we all lose our ability to think rationally when we’re desperate. But we can also reflect on our actions and start over. So, for once, just pretend that nothing has happened.”
I said quietly and Garan thought for a while.
“I… just can’t forgive the person who tried to ruin your hard work.”
She was happy that he got angry for her. Garan looked up and stared at her.
“… I can’t forgive her, but I also know that your decision to pretend that this never happened is the best thing to do now. I won’t say it’s the correct choice, but I also understand that you don’t want to cause an uproar in the palace.”
Garan turned to Hisui while clenching his fists.
“Consort Hisui, will you really make sure this doesn’t happen again?”
He must not have been satisfied even though he had said those words, but he knew what would happen if he were to make a scene here. That was why he said that. Hisui bowed her head.
“I swear on my name that this won’t happen again.”
She sounded dignified. Garan seemed unhappy but didn’t say anything else as he walked out.
Riri rubbed her chest in relief when she heard Hisui’s voice.
“Consort Riri.”
She turned around and saw that Hisui’s eyes were teary.
“Thanks for saving Nene.”
Riri smiled and nodded, then she quietly approached Hisui.
“I want to tell you something, but you have to keep it between us. You can’t ever tell anyone else about it.”
Hisui looked puzzled as she nodded.
“I’m participating in the beauty pageant because I want my own palace. I’m trying to make a special incense in order to fulfil my dream of becoming a perfumer. I want to become one of the Four Consorts because I want my own palace where I can concentrate on mixing. I joined the beauty pageant to make my dream come true.”
Truthfully, she shouldn’t have told anyone about the treasured incense, but she believed that Hisui wouldn’t tell anyone. Just to be safe, she didn’t name the incense. Hisui’s eyes widened in surprise.
“… I see. I was so sad when I thought you had betrayed me. You told me that we can both do our best to achieve our dreams even though we’re women. I didn’t believe that was possible, but deep down, I knew I would be happy if that were to happen.”
Hisui smiled shyly.
“I love hanfus. I would love to be able to spin yarn and weave hanfus with different patterns and be able to make a living on my own, but everyone told me that I shouldn’t work because I’m a woman. It was heart-breaking. I thought you were the only one who understood me, but then I heard that you were going to enter the beauty pageant, so I thought you wanted to get ahead in the inner palace and felt betrayed. I’m sorry. I made my own assumptions without knowing what was going on.”
“No, it’s because I didn’t tell you the truth. I wanted to tell you the truth, but a lot of things happened so I couldn’t. But I trust you, so I told you the truth. I want to be friends with you. I don’t want to lie to my friends.”
Hisui smiled happily.
“If it’s alright with you, please be my friend, Riri.”
Riri smiled when Hisui called her name.
“Yes, Hisui. Let’s work together to make our dreams come true!”
They smiled together while holding each other’s hands. Hisui was the first female friend Riri had made in the inner palace. Riri had a feeling that they would be friends for life. Hisui stood up.
“Then, let’s quickly put on our outfits and head to the hall where the banquet is held. It’s almost time for it to start.”
When Riri heard those words, she was reminded of something that had been on her mind.
“Wait.”
It took a lot of courage for her to say that idea.
However, she thought it was the best choice considering her current situation.
“What’s wrong, Riri?”
Hisui tilted her head in confusion. Riri looked up at Hisui and made a decision in her mind.
“I’ve been thinking about something ever since I saw you dance the other day. I actually…”
Hisui’s eyes widened when Riri told her what was on her mind.
“No way! Are you really alright with that?”
“――― Yes. I think that would be the best thing to do for the Beautiful Flower Palace right now.”
It was something that she had been worrying about, but she knew that she couldn’t turn back now that she had made up her mind.
“So, I have a request for you, Hisui.”
She lowered her voice to make her proposal. She wanted tonight’s dance to be a success.
That was the only thing she wanted right now.