The small room was now full of crates and mixing tools that had just been brought in.
Riri’s eyes lit up when she looked at the room that had no space left for her to stand in.
“The mortar and pestle used for blending are brand new, the incense burners come in all types and sizes and the fire tools are the most expensive lacquered ones. There are all kinds of top quality incense making tools that I’ve never had access to before! I have to thank Kousho-sama. I only asked him for these things last night, but he’s already had them delivered to me.”
What made her the happiest was the precious incense wood which definitely wasn’t available in the downtown area. It seemed that about ten wooden boxes were filled with precious fragrant wood. Among the boxes, there was one special box with gold leaf stuck on the four corners of the box. She opened the box as her heart was throbbing and found a piece of fragrant wood wrapped in white cloth.
“This is sacred bamboo wood, the main ingredient for the treasured incense…”
There were about ten dried branches as thin and long as chopsticks. She was afraid to touch them, but when she picked up one with trembling hands and smelled the aroma, an image of a hawk soaring in the clear sky flashed through her mind.
“It has a strong scent. I can feel freshness from it and the breath of life… This scent is the same one that I smelled when Father was concocting. Father really was making the treasured incense when he brought me to the Department of Incenses. He used this sacred bamboo wood!”
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was afraid that what her father made at that time wasn’t the treasured incense. But the fact that the scent of the sacred bamboo wood was present when her father was concocting was proof that he was making the treasured incense.
Sacred bamboo wood can only be obtained once every twenty years. She suddenly remembered how her father handled the sacred wood with care as if it was a broken piece of wood because of how scarce it is.
“I can’t believe I remember things about Father because of the sacred bamboo aroma. It seems like my sense of smell and memory are connected to each other after all. I might be able to remember more about him while making the treasured incense.”
She wanted to remember more about her father since she loved him so much. She stared at the sacred bamboo wood with that feeling in mind.
“The problem is how much and what kind of materials I need to mix with the sacred bamboo wood. There are also many different ways to burn incense. Some incenses are lit directly, some are warmed up and some release their fragrance at room temperature. I need to find out how it needs to be burnt.”
The aromas of incenses can change completely even when the materials are slightly adjusted. Relying on her nose, which remembered the scent her father used to make the treasured incense, she will sniff out dozens of different fragrances to get the same ones her father had used. It sounded simple to do when it’s put in words, but in reality, it was a daunting task. But her excitement wouldn’t fade.
“Mixing incenses is like solving a mystery. To get the answer to the ‘scent’ of Father’s treasured incense, I have to examine the suspect ‘fragrances’ and find the ‘amount’ that he used to make it. Once that’s in place, the truth will reveal itself. I can’t wait to get to the truth.”
Her being excited by this made her realise that she was definitely related to her father. She may be an eccentric too like her father who would do anything for the sake of concocting. But she didn’t care as long as she could master mixing incenses.
“Now then, I don’t have much time, and I don’t even know what the treasured incense does, but I’ll definitely make it! I’m going to prove that Father was right.”
A voice came from behind the door as she was rolling up her sleeves.
“Excuse me, Riri-sama.”
Ryouka opened the door. She looked pale for some reason.
“What’s wrong?”
“Hmm… It’s just… Ah, wait!”
Ryouka shouted behind her, but the door opened right away. There stood Juka and Ranran, and Hisui, who was so beautiful that it made one sigh, yet she had a somewhat cold look in her eyes.
“You received presents from Kousho-sama this morning, didn’t you? What the hell did he give you?”
Juka decided to mess around. Riri quickly dropped to her knees and bowed. She didn’t want to cause a scene.
“He gave me incense materials and mixing tools. I was admitted into Beautiful Flower Palace because I can mix incenses, so Kousho-sama gave me these things to use.”
She thought it was better not to mention that she was making the treasured incense. Some people might want to misuse the treasured incense since it’s famous as a phantom incense with tremendous power.
“Incenses, you say? Really? Didn’t you butter up to Kousho-sama and receive something expensive in return?”
Ranran looked suspicious of Riri, but a frown appeared on her face as if she had noticed the various scents in the air.
“My head hurts since the smell is too strong. How can you stay in a place like this?”
Ranran and Juka entered the room despite saying that the aroma made their head hurt.
“Please wait. There are a lot of valuable materials in here, so please go outside.”
“What?! You can’t tell us to leave.”
“I’m sorry. But… Ah! Don’t touch that!”
Ranran reached for the box that contained the sacred bamboo wood. Riri rushed to grab her hand when she saw this.
“This is a very expensive fragrance. There’s only a little bit of it, so don’t touch it!”
Riri tried not to provoke Ranran, but the thought of something happening to the precious sacred bamboo wood made her blood boil.
“There’s no reason to complain no matter what I touch. You’re really cocky. Everyone, get her!”
Ranran said, then maids quickly entered the room and grabbed Riri’s arms.
“What are you doing?!”
“We haven’t even received a gift from Kousho-sama yet, so why are you? We’ll find out if it’s really just incense tools that he gave you. It seems like this fragrant wood is really important to you, but what if you’re hiding something underneath it?”
Juka put her hand in the box that contained the sacred bamboo wood. She took one out and held it close to her nose.
“It smells pretty good.”
“Stop! Let go!”
As Riri had expected, she couldn’t move since several people were holding her. Ryouka quickly tried to enter the room but was blocked by the maids who were waiting outside. Juka lightly swung the sacred bamboo wood.
“If you’re telling me that this is a fragrance then I’ll burn it for you. I’m sure its nice aroma will envelop the Beautiful Flower Palace.”
“Please don’t! Those are really precious. You can’t get them anymore!”
The servants who brought the sacred bamboo wood to her room told her that there weren’t any spares left. If they really get burnt, then she wouldn’t be able to make the treasured incense before the perfumers meeting. Then, Kousho will arrest Riri, Ryouka and Mokuren with cold eyes and order for their execution. Juka chuckled as Riri desperately tried to break free from the maids.
“You really treasure this dried branch. Where would you like me to burn it?”
Ranran looked amused as she pointed her right hand outside.
“How about that garden over there? Let’s see what it smells like when we burn it?”
“Don’t! Please. Consort Hisui, please stop them!”
Juka and Ranran won’t stop no matter what Riri said. The only person who could stop them is Hisui, who has a higher status than them. But Hisui didn’t tell them to do anything or stop them; she just watched them emotionlessly. Riri once again pleaded to Hisui who didn’t move an eyebrow.
“Please, Consort Hisui! My dream is at stake!”
But Hisui turned to look at her for the first time when she tried to stop Juka and Ranran.
“Dream? What dream?”
Hisui asked in a beautiful voice that sounded like bells ringing, and Juka approached her.
“Consort Hisui, why are you talking to a lowly person…?”
“I’m asking Riri.”
Hisui flatly stated, and Juka held her tongue in a panic.
“You have a dream? Is your dream to become Kousho-sama’s Empress?”
Hisui’s expression didn’t change much, so it was difficult for Riri to read her emotions.
“My dream isn’t to become Kousho-sama’s wife. I’m here to pursue my dream of becoming a perfumer.”
She tried to explain her feelings, but Hisui’s expression didn’t change and she tilted her head a little.
“It’s impossible for a woman to become a perfumer. In this country, it’s a woman’s happiness to be the wife of a high ranking man and have him protect her. There’s no point in having a dream like that.”
Hisui’s tone sounded as if she had given up. Riri shook her head.
“I don’t think that way. I believe dreams are there to come true. If one believes that it’s impossible for their dreams to come true, then everything ends there. So, I don’t want to give up, no matter how much people tell me how impossible it is.”
Hisui’s expression changed slightly. Her eyes widened and she gulped.
“I’ll grab my dream with my own hands… Please don’t say such sad things like my dream is impossible. My life is my own.”
The women, who have gathered here to become Kousho’s wife, might not understand how she feels. But she felt sorry for the women who had grown up with the common knowledge that it was normal for women not to be able to dream freely.
Riri turned to look at Hisui, and Hisui stepped back as if something was pushing her. Junka raised her voice.
“What a rude thing to say to Consort Hisui! Consort Hisui, let’s burn this fragrant wood.”
Even though Juka had spoken to her, Hisui had stopped moving as if she was thinking about something.
“What are you doing?”
A voice came from behind Hisui. Hisui moved her body to look behind her, so Riri could see the garden behind Hisui. There stood Garan with a spear in his hand.
“I’m on patrol. Is there something wrong?”
His words were polite, but his eyes were so sharp that Riri could see the Consorts trembling.
Hisui, the only person unfazed by his gaze, slowly faced him.
“Nothing. We’re here to pick up Consort Riri since her dance rehearsal starts soon.”
“Kousho-sama has asked Riri-dono to make incenses for him. So, she has been exempt from dances and other inner palace practices. I’ve been told that if anyone tries to interfere with her concoctions, then they will be severely punished.”
Hisui glared, then smiled softly.
“Alright. I’ll stop inviting her to dance rehearsals if Kousho-sama says so.”
Hisui turned back to look at Riri, then she looked at Juka and Ranran.
“Let her go.”
“But…”
“Kousho-sama ordered her to make incenses. Do you want to be scolded by him because you interfered with this?”
Hisui’s tone was gentle but was undeniably powerful. The maids who were holding onto Riri’s arms let her go in a panic. Junka regretfully put the sacred bamboo wood back into the box and whispered into Riri’s ears.
“I won’t forgive you if you lied about not wanting to be Kousho-sama’s wife.”
Hisui left Riri’s room and the other consorts followed after her. When the room was finally silent, Riri let out a sigh.
She urged Ryouka, who had been sitting on the ground, to stand up and went out into the corridor. She saw Garan standing in the garden.
“Thank you very much for saving me.”
“Kousho-sama ordered that you mix without incident in the inner palace. I’m only following his orders… But don’t get me wrong. I hate perfumers. If it wasn’t because of an order, who would come to check on you?”
He had been hostile the other day, but this time, he was quite blatant. Riri got taken aback.
“Why do you hate perfumers that much? I’ve heard that the military and the Department of Incenses don’t get along well, but I’m not an official perfumer and I don’t remember doing anything towards you to make you hate me.”
“Yeah, I have nothing against you. But I have something against your father.”
Riri’s eyes widened when he said this.
“Against my father?”
“That’s right. Kousho-sama told me that you’re Ou Saido’s daughter. I don’t want to speak ill of the deceased, but that guy is despicable. I’ve suffered a lot because of his incenses.”
Riri had a very bad feeling when she heard him spit out those words.
(Father is a great perfumer, but he’s not a very good human being. He would do the most outrageous things for the sake of making incenses. For example, secretly bringing his daughter to the Department of Incenses or making completely unrelated people try out incenses he’d made.)
Riri glanced up at Garan. He had his arms folded and wasn’t even hiding his anger.
“Did Father secretly make you smell incenses with extraordinary effects? For example, did he make you smell incenses that made you laugh non-stop in any serious situation or make you fall asleep in important situations?”
“Th-that’s ridiculous! I would never do such stupid things!”
He denied this with his mouth, but his expression told her that she was spot-on.
“… I’m sorry. Father was an enthusiastic and hardworking man, but he’s also someone who is willing to use any means necessary to make successful incenses. He would try to concoct incenses by himself, and said that he couldn’t observe the effects objectively, so he often tried them on uninvolved people. I apologise for all the trouble he has caused!”
She bowed deeply and Garan looked flustered.
“There’s no need for you to apologise. The one who’s at fault is Saido; he doesn’t even care about how other people feel.”
“You might be right, but I must apologise for his actions as his daughter. But I’m certain that you’re a good person if Father used you as a test subject for his incenses.”
Riri smiled and Garan blinked in confusion.
“What do you mean?”
“Father likes to choose serious people who don’t lie as his test subjects. The more honest someone is, the more effective the incenses become. You must be a very good person to have been used as a test subject for Father’s incenses many times.”
“What are you saying? I’m the General! The wealthy and powerful Garan!”
Garan stormed up to her with his eyes wide open. When he was close enough for her to breathe on him, she suddenly smelled a certain scent.
“… Where does it hurt?”
She realised that the scent of sweat coming from him was from someone enduring pain. She often doesn’t notice the smell of people’s sweat when she was outside, but his scent got stronger the closer he got, and she could smell that he was enduring a lot of pain. When she looked up, she saw that Garan had widened his eyes in surprise.
“… I’m healthy. Nothing hurts.”
He looked composed but he couldn’t disguise his sweat scent.
“Please wait.”
She went back into her room, pulled out the only cloth bag she had brought from home from the shelf, went back into the corridor and gave it to Garan.
“Inside this bag is an incense that soothes pain. Please use it.”
“I told you nothing hurts! I wouldn’t rely on incenses even if I was in pain.”
Garan was being stubborn, but she gripped the bag and spoke slowly.
“Incenses can help you sleep well, purify your body and mind, unify your spirit and ward off misfortune. Unlike medicine, it can be used all the time without harm. You didn’t seem like you were in pain the other day, so you must have been taking painkillers then, right? You must have missed a dose or ran out of painkillers today.”
Garan looked away. It seemed like Riri was right.
“I want to become a perfumer who heals people. I want to use incenses to help heal people who are suffering from illness or mental and physical disorders. I helped out at a clinic before I entered the inner palace. People all looked so happy when my incenses helped their physical and mental ailments.”
She could still easily picture the faces of the patients she had helped. She wanted to use the incenses that she made to help people, who are suffering from mental and physical ailments, live a little more comfortably.
“You can’t accept incenses because you’ve experienced something else that incenses can do first-hand. But incenses have unlimited potential.”
Riri stared at him and his eyes widened in surprise.
“Constantly taking painkillers is harmful to your body, but this incense won’t harm you no matter how much you use it. I hope you will use this for your health, General Garan.”
“I don’t want…”
She forced the cloth bag into his hands even though he was still trying to refuse.
“I’m sorry for forcing this on you, but please take it… Please take care of yourself, General Garan. The fate of the army protecting this country rests on your shoulders.”
She gently bowed her head, signalled Ryouka, who was watching their interaction, went back to her room and closed the door.
“… Stupid. I’m not going to use this kind of thing!”
She heard strong words come from the other side of the door and felt him leave.
Riri visited the rear garden again at night.
As she made her way to the pavilion, looking at the pond with the moon reflection in it to her right, she spotted a figure.
“I’m sorry for disturbing you while you’re reading, Kousho-sama.”
“Don’t interrupt me if you feel bad about it.”
She couldn’t help but flinch at how cold he sounded.
She quickly stated her business since it wouldn’t be discussed if they kept being upfront with each other.
“I heard that there is a herb garden in the palace. I’d like to go in there to see if there are any herbs that I can use for fragrance, but I’ve been told that I can’t enter unless I have permission.”
It has been three days since she started concocting. She was still in the process of identifying the materials needed to make the treasured incense.
Garan’s words had been effective and Juka, Ranran and Hisui didn’t bother her anymore, but the process of making the treasured incense was proving to be extremely difficult. She presented a brush and writing paper that she had brought with her to Kousho.
“Please write that you are giving me permission to enter the garden on this piece of paper…”
“If you’re going to make me pick up a brush and write a permission slip then you must do something for me.”
Kousho looked at Riri and smiled. She had a very bad feeling about this and sighed.
“What would you have me do?”
“You’ll pay me for my time and effort. Since you’re taking up the Crown Prince’s time, you must do something that is equivalent to that.”
“I don’t have anything that would satisfy the Crown Prince even if you say I need to do or give you something of equivalence.”
“I don’t want anything. There’s nothing I can’t obtain myself… Oh yes. Tell me about your childhood. I grew up mostly in the palace, so I’m interested in what normal life is like. I want to hear what a normal childhood is like.”
Those words were surprising coming from Kousho. She was surprised that he had a delicate heart that yearned for a normal life.
However, it was certainly understandable that he would be interested in ordinary lives since he grew up as the crown prince.
“You want to know about my childhood? What age should I tell you about?”
Kousho quickly closed his book as she racked her brain for a memory.
“What did you do when you were ten?”
She was bewildered by how quickly he answered. It was as if he had prepared this question for her.
She realised that her father had passed away around the time she was ten as she tilted her head.
“… When Father was alive, we lived in a very nice house as nobles. But I don’t remember living a luxurious life. Father was a man who didn’t care about money or status. I feel like all I saw was his back as he was concocting incenses.”
“Did you have friends?”
“I don’t remember having many friends. I was always helping Father with his concoctions, so I hardly went out.”
“Really? You must have at least had one friend.”
(Why is he being so persistent? He probably didn’t have anyone close enough to call a friend, so maybe he wants to hear about friends?)
“… I’m sorry. My memory of when I was ten is vague. I think the shock from when Father died confused my memories. So, I don’t remember much of what I was doing then… I’m sorry I can’t tell you anything fun.”
When she bowed her head, Kousho seemed to be thinking about something for a while, but then he turned his attention back to her.
“It’s okay. It seems like your brain isn’t very good, so that’s all you remember.”
His smiling face was that of an ideal crown prince, but his words were as awful as ever.
She was going to reply in anger, but he suddenly stood up.
“Shh. Come here.”
When she entered the pavilion on his command, he grabbed her arm and motioned for her to bend down.
“What’s wrong…?”
“Be quiet. The Prime Minister is here.”
Kousho’s gaze was fixed on the shadows of the building. Soon after, a man came out from behind the building. The man was the Prime Minister, Jin Koudoku. She had heard that he is Hisui’s father.
“Where did Kousho-sama go? I was going to take him to watch Hisui and the others dance… Kousho-sama is unmanageable. I tried my best to make him an inner palace, yet he doesn’t seem interested in it at all.”
The sighing Koudoku lowered his voice.
“I have to make sure that Kousho-sama chooses Hisui as his Empress… Look for him!”
Several soldiers, who were standing behind him, dispersed. Koudoku also approached, close to us, while looking around.
(Does he not want to be found? If he doesn’t, then I need to stay quiet. But we’re so close together right now!)
The two of them were crouched down in the narrow pavilion with Kousho holding her from behind and covering her mouth. She could almost hear his heartbeat since his chest was on her back.
(Waaah! I can’t believe the Crown Prince is hugging me…! I can’t believe I’m feeling his body heat and scent so close to me. What should I do!?)
Her mind was in chaos. She had never been this close to a man before.
She didn’t smell perfume from him even from before. Instead, there was a sweet but somewhat sharp scent coming from him.
As soon as she smelled it, the image of a heavenly dragon flashed in her mind, and she almost bowed down to its power and majesty.
This must be his own scent. Her heart was pounding so loud that it felt like it was about to jump out of her chest, and it took her great effort to stay still, but she managed to hold it together while her face turned red.
“… He’s finally gone.”
She wandered how long that had been like that for. She managed to stand up when Kousho finally released her.
She quickly looked around and saw that the rear garden had regained its tranquility.
“Is it alright? It seems like he’s looking for you.”
“It’s fine. I’m here because Koudoku will pester me to go to the inner palace if I’m in my room.”
“Why do you dislike the inner palace? I heard that you have to marry a wife in order to succeed the throne. This inner palace was created so that you could find your wife. It’s full of beautiful women, and Consort Hisui, Consort Juka and Consort Ranran were practicing to dance for you.”
She had seen Hisui and the other girls practice their dancing several times even though she had never participated in the practice sessions.
“They want the honour and power that comes with being the Empress. Having an Empress in the family gives them a lot of advantages, so they’re pushing their beautiful daughters onto me. I don’t need a wife who doesn’t have a will of her own.”
It was a harsh statement, but it was also the truth. Kousho suddenly looked at her.
“What about you? Of course, you entered the inner palace because of the treasured incense, but don’t you have any thought about attracting my attention and gaining power as the Empress?”
She wasn’t sure how to answer, but she knew that she couldn’t lie or deceive him.
“Honestly, I’ve never thought about it. I needed to enter the inner palace to make the treasured incense, but as a woman, I can’t become a perfumer or join the Department of Incenses. So, I had no choice but to enter the inner palace as a talented person. Even now, I wished I could have entered the Department of Incenses as a perfumer.”
When she expressed her true feelings, Kousho smiled wryly.
“You don’t have any greed. You really are an interesting woman.”
She suddenly realised something when she saw him like this.
“… Is that the only reason why you dislike the inner palace? I feel like that’s not the only reason why you dislike it.”
When she put her hand over her mouth to think, Kousho looked surprised.
“Why do you think that?”
“It’s natural that they would gain benefits that come with becoming the empress. You should know that you will have to eventually accept it even if you run away because you dislike the inner palace.”
It hasn’t been long since she met Kousho, but for some reason, she felt like she understood how he thought.
“If you really didn’t like it, then you have the will to overturn the Emperor’s decree of you needing an empress to succeed the throne. But right now, you’re only avoiding the inner palace. So, it’s not like… you don’t want to marry a wife.”
For an arrogant and outspoken man like Kousho, his attitude of running away seemed strange to her.
“Oh. Then what do you think I want to do then?”
She shook her head at the amused Kousho.
“I don’t know. I just had a hunch that you had a plan.”
“I see… Then why don’t you try to guess why I’m avoiding the inner palace? If you get it right, then I’ll write the permission slip for you to enter the herb garden right here and now.”
“Eh!? Really?!”
She was delighted but reminded herself that it was difficult to guess what Kousho was thinking.
(Kousho-sama is a mysterious person. He’s arrogant, but I respect him as a Crown Prince who cares about his country. He seems to be very popular with women, but he avoids the beautiful women living in the inner palace. Is he not interested in them?)
“… For example, you have a woman in your heart?”
She meant it as a joke. She thought that the arrogant Crown Prince couldn’t be that innocent.
However, when she saw the surprise look on his face, she realised that she might have guessed right.
“What?! Was I right?!”
When she stared at him, he averted his gaze.
“Huh!? What?! What kind person is she? I’d like to hear everything about her!”
She was well aware of how rude she sounded, but her curiosity got the better of her.
He always acts like he’s looking down on people, so she wondered what kind of woman he liked.
“… It was a long time ago. There was a girl who gave me an incense that calmed me down when I was having a hard time.”
Kousho put his hand into his pocket. He took out a yellow cloth bag, opened it and took out the contents.
Inside was a small white incense container with purple wisteria flowers on it.
Incense containers are used to carry incenses and Kousho’s one was made from ceramic.
“It’s a beautiful incense container.”
Kousho frowned for a moment when she honestly expressed her feelings. She tilted her head, and he lowered his eyes.
“I can’t forget the girl who gave me this… Even though it was many years ago.”
Kousho looked at the incense container with great care, and it was the kindest expression she had ever seen on him.
She felt as if her heart was being squeezed tightly by the loving look in his eyes. She was surprised at herself.
(What?! What the hell was that tightening feeling?!)
“Wh-where is that girl?”
She managed to calm herself down and ask what she was curious about.
Kousho frowned again for some reason, then he bit his lips a little.
“She’s… I don’t know who she is. I only met her by chance when I was little. But I’ve been in love with her ever since I saw her.”
Riri couldn’t believe that he had such pure feelings. The pain in her chest grew worse when she thought about how hard it must have for him not to see the girl he loved for a long time.
“It’s been about six years since I last saw her. I can’t look at other women, maybe because I’ve been constantly thinking about her. I know I can’t go on like this. I’m the Crown Prince. I have to forget my feelings for her in order to marry a wife and succeed the throne.”
“… But you look like you’re in pain. Can’t you find her somehow?”
It was the first time she had seen that kind of expression on his face, and she became worried, so she spoke to him. He stayed silent for a while, then his mouth twisted in an unpleasant smile. He folded his arm with his usually ‘I’m looking down on you’ look.
“――― Did you take me seriously? You’re so simple.”
“What?! Was that a lie?”
She widened her eyes in surprise and Kousho laughed uncontrollably.
“I won’t prologue such a silly first love. I don’t like going to the inner palace because I can’t be bothered dealing with the women sent by the greedy nobles. Ah, that was fun. The worried look on your face looked so stupid.”
“Please don’t laugh! I really thought you were sad and almost cried myself.”
“Don’t be so mad. I’ll write you a permission slip to enter the herb garden as a thank you for making me laugh for the first time in a long time. Here, give me the brush and paper before I change my mind.”
Remembering her original purpose, she quickly handed him the paper, inkstone and brush. He put the paper on the desk in the pavilion and wrote the permission slip like he had promised to. A sudden thought occurred to her as she watched him.
“Here, your permission slip.”
When she took the paper and stared at it, Kousho tilted his head.
“What? Do you still want something?”
“Wasn’t the conversation just now about your first love true? You were probably trying to hide your embarrassment.”
“What makes you think that?”
“I don’t know how to put it into words, but your eyes were so beautiful when you were talking about your first love. It’s hard to believe that you were lying about her… But I’ll try not to pry any further. I’m sure your memories with her are very important to you and you don’t want others to know much about her.”
She bowed then left the pavilion. She turned around once at the surprised Kousho.
“I have a question. Assuming that what you just said is true then what would you do if you see her again?”
It was a genuine question. Kousho suddenly looked serious, then he put his right hand in front of his chest and grasped it tightly.
“If I can see her again then I would hold her in my arms and never let her go… That’s only if what I said was true.”
She couldn’t help but smile at the way he had said that.
“Yes, this is only if what you said was true. Now if you’ll excuse me.”
As she turned and walked away, she couldn’t hide her surprise at seeing an unexpected side of him.
“Dwelling on his first love, he’s surprisingly pure. I’m sure that girl will be happy if he told her that he’ll never let her go with a passionate face and voice.”
Riri had never been in love. She had been busy surviving ever since her father’s death, so she didn’t have time to fall in love. She wondered if she would one day talk about the person she loved with the same passionate look as Kousho. Her face turned red as she imagined herself doing so.
“Kousho-sama, are you here?”
Kousho, who had been left alone in the pavilion to think, turned his head to the right where the voice had come from.
The person who was kneeling and bowing at him was General Garan. Garan was a year older than Kousho and Kousho had known him since he was a child.
The position of the General, who unifies the army, has been held by the head of his family, a powerful and wealthy family, for generations, as far as the court records go. People widely say that Garan was better than his father, the previous general, in terms of martial arts, leadership skills, and stubbornness, the trait of those who come from wealthy and powerful families.
Garan was straightforward, but unaccommodating, and Kousho liked how he never lied.
In a year’s time when Kousho would become the Emperor, he needed those with the auspicious beast titles to cooperate with each other and protect the country. In that sense, Garan was a man who he could rely on.
“I’ll permit it. Come.”
Garan bowed and walked into the pavilion. Kousho pointed at the seat across from the desk with his hand and Garan sat down there.
“Preparations are underway for the perfumers meeting in a month’s time… Will someone who can make the treasured incense really appear at the meeting? As for me, I think it would be better to strengthen the army rather than make some mysterious and illusional incense.”
“You still hate incenses. Did you hate being teased by Saido with incenses that much? It’s been a long time so why don’t you let bygones be bygones?”
Saido, the previous head of the Department of Incenses, was quite eccentric. Saido loved to create incenses that had never been created before, and he liked to use Garan, who would accompany his father, the previous General, to the palace since he was a child, as a test subject.
Saido would say, “Garan is straightforward and simple, so incenses work well on him. Most importantly, he’s fun to tease!” Garan was often made to secretly sniff incenses when he was targeted by Saido, which led to some terrible things.
“Saido made you sniff the incenses he made, and they made you do this and that in front of the Emperor…”
“That’s enough! That was a lifetime ago. I’ve had enough of incenses…!”
Garan said and then suddenly fell silent.
“What’s wrong? Normally, you’ll be exploding with resentment towards Saido.”
“Nothing! … More importantly, let’s get back to the point. Wouldn’t it be better if you stop trying to make the treasured incense?”
Kousho wanted to tease Garan some more, but as the Crown Prince, he composed himself.
“However, the treasured incense does indeed have immense power. We will no longer have to fear attacks from the neighbouring countries if we have this incense. We definitely need the treasured incense to keep this country at peace.”
Garan looked unhappy but nodded reluctantly. He is one of the people who hold the auspicious beast title, who are said to protect this country. He had also been informed about the special effects of the treasured incense. Garan sighed a little.
“But the Department of Incenses seem to be struggling.”
“I know. But there is hope.”
Kousho lifted the corner of his lips a little and Garan widened his eyes.
“Is it… that girl Riri?”
“That’s right. Riri is Saido’s daughter. Saido did make the treasured incense just before he passed away.”
“What?! But I heard that he failed to present it to the Emperor. Saido was really rejected and then he died in an accident afterwards. Rumour has it that he lamented his failure and took his own life.”
“No. Think about it. Was Saido so sensitive that he would commit suicide over a single mistake?”
Garan, who knew Saido well, blinked in confusion.
“… You’re right. He’s so shameless that he won’t fret over a single mistake.”
“Yeah. He was the kind of guy who, even if he failed, would get even more fired up to succeed the next time. Besides, I know that Saido used the treasured incense. It was certainly extremely effective. Now that Saido’s dead, the only person who knows how to make the treasured incense is Riri since she was by his side when he made it.”
Kousho remembered the face of the girl who had been here a while ago, then smiled softly.
“I gave Riri special permission to make the treasured incense. It’s not an overstatement to say that the fate of this country will be determined on whether Riri succeeds or not.”
“… Kousho-sama, you look very amused.”
Garan looked at him curiously. It was true that he was smiling right now.
“Riri is an interesting girl. I couldn’t help but smile when I wonder what she’s capable of… You look like you want to say something, Garan.”
When Kousho said this, Garan’s eyes moved around as if he was choosing his words carefully.
“No, it’s just that you’ve been acting strange ever since that girl showed up.”
“Oh. What is strange about me? Be frank.”
“Okay… It’s true that the treasured incense holds immense power. But you have always been able to get what you want with your own power. I thought that you didn’t like the idea of the military relying on the treasured incense, but you suddenly showed a lot of enthusiasm for making it. I was wondering why.”
Garan is a straightforward man and he doesn’t pay much attention to other people’s feelings. Kousho reflected on his actions since he had acted strange enough for Garan to see. But there was a reason why he couldn’t help but act the way he was.
“… I might be able to get what I’ve always wanted if I use the treasured incense.”
He muttered, and Garan raised his eyebrow.
“What you’ve always wanted? What is it?”
“That’s a secret.”
His mouth loosened in a smile again. He knew that Garan wouldn’t understand even if he told him.
And Kousho didn’t want to talk about this to anyone since it involves something he’d cherished for a long time.
“… More importantly, how’s the matter we talked about before?”
Kousho wanted to change the subject. This was something that he was really curious about, so he kept his voice down.
Garan knew what Kousho was talking about right away, and his expression turned stiff.
“Are you talking about the ‘Dark Perfumers’?”
Only a limited number of people in the court knew who these people were.
“They seem to be laying low at the moment. But a subordinate under secret orders has informed me that there’s movement behind the scenes. What the hell are they planning?”
“I don’t know. But the Dark Perfumers have a lot of power. Now that we have information that they’re on the move, put more guards around the palace.”
“As you wish.”
Garan bowed at Kousho with his hands clasped together and held up in front of his face. Kousho looked up at the moon in the night sky.
“I will definitely protect this country and the people I love with my own hands.”
His voice was low and echoed in the moonlit sky.
“Ah! It really is no good!”
Riri screamed in front of the writing desk in her room while scratching her head. There was an incense burner and various fragrances in front of her. The room was filled with a choking aroma from over burning incenses.
“Riri-sama. Excuse me. I’ve brought you some food.”
Ryouka opened the door and spoke to Riri in a timid manner.
“I’m sorry, Ryouka. You’ve got to the trouble of preparing a meal for me, but I don’t think I have time to eat.”
“But you haven’t eaten much in the past few days. You need to eat something…”
“But I really don’t have time. The perfumers meeting is in three days…!”
After being in the inner palace for over a month, she managed to get permission to attend the perfumers meeting after some ups and downs.
However, although she worked hard every day with little sleep, she still couldn’t make the treasured incense.
“I’ve been able to identify most of the materials that Father used to make the treasured incense, but I don’t know how much of each to mix to make the treasured incense…”
She plopped down on her writing desk. It was a tremendous task to check each of the dozens of materials with her nose and compare them to her memory of six years ago.
She finally found the materials she needed, but she was about to run out of time.
“There’s no way I can finish this before the perfumers meeting. But if I can’t, then we’ll be punished…”
She felt a chill run down her spine as she said that.
It would have been fine if she was the only one being executed, but she definitely didn’t want Ryouka or Mokuren to be executed with her.
She glanced at Ryouka. If it came down to it, she would sacrifice her own life to get them out of the palace. However, if they knew what was going on, then the kind Mokuren and Ryouka would probably say that they won’t run away.
That was why she didn’t tell them about Kousho’s harsh words. Ryouka put the food on the small dining table and sat down beside Riri.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Thanks, but not at the moment. What I need is time. Actually, I’ve made something that’s pretty close to the treasured incense that Father made. So, I might be able to make the treasured incense if I had just a little more time.”
Ryouka’s eyes widened as she looked at the white package on the desk.
“You made something that’s pretty close to the treasured incense?!”
“But something’s slightly missing. If I burn it then I might find a clue.”
“Then why don’t you try burning it?”
“I’d like to, but the treasured incense is so powerful that it can repel any enemy. I’m sure it holds extraordinary effects. I don’t know what the effects are so I’m afraid of burning this pseudo treasured incense… But I can’t proceed if I don’t burn it.”
Ryouka looked frightened as Riri worried.
“Is it really that dangerous?”
“I’d say that the effects aren’t life threatening considering the materials I used to make the treasured incense. But since I don’t know the effects, I can’t test it on myself or anyone else.”
Her father wouldn’t hesitate to try something like this out on someone else, but she couldn’t do the same.
Ryouka pondered, and after a while, she looked up as if she had made up her mind.
“I’ll… I’ll try it.”
Her voice was trembling, but it had a dignified ring to it.
“You can’t make progress if you don’t try this, right? If there’s no risk to my life, then I’ll try it.”
“No! It’s dangerous. If I have to try it on you, then I’ll just try it out on myself.”
“But you won’t be able to observe the effects even if you try it on yourself. I believe it would be easier for you to observe the effects of the incenses if I try it out. If something does happen, then I’m sure you’ll save me.”
“I don’t even know what kind of effect the treasured incense has. I might be able to save you. You can’t try it.”
Riri shook her head and Ryouka looked at her with determination.
“I want to be of use to you, Riri-sama. On the day we came to the inner palace, you saved me from Consort Hisui and her followers when they were being mean towards me. A lot of maids aren’t treated like humans in the inner palace. But you protected me even though you knew that you would be in a bad position.”
Ryouka’s cheeks flushed slightly and she smiled slowly.
“I was really happy at that time. I want to help you fulfil your dream of mixing the treasured incense. I believe that you’ll help me no matter what happens. Please try the incense on me.”
Riri was happy that Ryouka felt that way. However, she closed her eyes and shook her head.
“No, I can’t put you in harm’s way… I’m going to get some air. I’ll eat later.”
Riri opened the door and went outside. The garden facing the corridor was bathed in sunlight.
She stretched and took a deep breath, then she looked up at the blue sky.
“The only way for me to save everyone’s lives is for me to try the treasured incense. I don’t know what condition I will be in afterwards, but I have to be prepared… Huh?”
She smelled a scent she had never smelled before coming from behind the door that her back was facing.
Her nose went numb when she smelled it, just like how her tongue went numb when she ate ginger.
Warning bells echoed in her mind. She quickly opened the door, and the nose-numbing scent filled the room.
There was an incense burner on the desk and the white package containing the pseudo treasured incense was opened beside the burner.
The pastille in the package was gone and Ryouka was lying next to the desk.
“Ryouka! Why did you burn the pastille?!”
She panicked and opened the door wide open. She didn’t know what effects the incense had, but the sooner she let the scent escape, the better. She pinched her nose and tried not to breathe as much as possible, then ran over to Ryouka.
Riri picked her up and checked her breathing. She seemed to have fainted.
“Pull yourself together! Ryouka!”
Riri shook her a few times, and she opened her eyes slightly. Ryouka looked at Riri and opened her trembling lips.
“…”
Riri was shocked by Ryouka’s words.
Ryouka’s words signalled that Riri was one step closer to finding out the secret of the treasured incense.