Riri was sitting in a room at the back of the Fragrance Princess Palace with a mortar in front of her and her arms crossed.
This palace was her own private palace.
As a talented person, she wasn’t supposed to have the luxury of living in an independent palace.
However, the Emperor gave her this palace after the many twists and turns of last month’s beauty pageant. This palace had been unused for a long time, so it took a long time to repair and clean it, and it was only a few days ago that she had finally started to live in it.
The Four Consorts who were chosen by the beauty pageant and oversaw the Beautiful Flower Palace were also given their own palaces.
Their palaces were new, spacious and magnificent, but this one was old and cozy. But on closer inspection, the gold ornaments on the window frames and pillars were intricate and the curtains on the windows were made of silk. The floor was made of marble and shone brightly. It may have been built a long time ago, but after some cleaning and polishing, it was as magnificent as the palaces of the Four Consorts.
In the past, she had received complaints from other consorts about the scent of her concoctions, but she didn’t have to worry about bothering anyone with this palace.
She believed that she could finally concentrate on concocting, but immediately ran into a big obstacle and sighed.
“Garan told me that the perfumers from the Ministry of Incense told him that the treasured incense definitely contained daphne odora…”
It was said that only the royal family and a few perfumers knew about the effects of the treasured incense. The fragrances used to make the treasured incense was still unknown. She went to the medicinal garden to confirm what Garan had told her, but her super olfaction told her that what the perfumers said wasn’t true.
“I wonder if one of the fragrances used to make the treasured incense was made from the fragrant wood of the blue daphne odora.”
The daphne odora was a common shrub in Shinzui, and its flowers give off a sweet and strong fragrance.
But, as Garan had said, she had only seen peach-coloured and white flowered daphne odoras in Shinzui.
“My super olfaction is connected to my lost memories. If Father used the blue daphne odora to make the treasured incense, then….”
She tried to remember her late father.
“Argh…!”
She suddenly felt a headache as if she had been hit by something.
There are two types of treasured incenses: one that erases memories and one that brings them back.
She always got a terrible headache whenever she forced herself to remember the memories she had lost because of the incense.
She heard it was dangerous to force herself to remember, so she forced the daphne odora out of her mind.
The only way for her to remember the past was to smell the incense that brings back memories.
But her olfaction seemed to be linked to her erased memories, and something flashed through her mind whenever she smelled the fragrances that her father had used to make the treasured incense. She was trying to recreate the treasured incense that her father had made by relying on her olfaction. She had received many incenses with the help of Kousho since she came to the inner palace. She was able to guess to some extent, the fragrances that went into making the treasured incense from carefully smelling them one by one.
But no matter how many different fragrances she smelled, she still felt that something was missing.
She was confident that the blue daphne odora, which had flashed through her mind, was one of the ingredients needed to make the treasured incense.
There was only eight months left until Kousho, the Crown Prince of Shinzui, ascended to the throne. She had promised to make the treasured incense by then. She suddenly heard a voice from the other side of the door as she was pondering.
“Riri, are you there?”
She turned her head and the door opened before she could reply.
“Kousho-sama. Hello.”
She quickly bowed her head. The people of Shinzui all had black hair and eyes, but the royal family, rumoured to be descended from dragons, have a special hair and eye colour. The Crown Prince, Kousho, also had long red hair which was tied up in a ponytail and greyish-brown eyes. He wore an amber hanfu embroidered with a rising dragon, a pattern that only the royal family was allowed to wear, but he was so good-looking that the flamboyant design faded into the background.
He was accomplished in both literary and military arts and is a handsome man who is loved by the people of Shinzui. He smiled faintly.
“You don’t need to bow. I don’t like such formalities.”
He was blunt but his voice was gentle. When she had first entered the inner palace, he was arrogant and foul-mouthed, and honestly, she didn’t like him. But, after living in the palace for a few months, her impression of him had changed a lot.
There had been times when he was cold towards her and that confused her, but he said that it was to stop her from being threatened.
She came to realise the kindness and compassion that was hidden behind his foul-mouth.
She believed she had grown a little since she came to the inner palace.
“How is it living in the Fragrance Princess Palace?”
Kousho came into the room and sat down on a chair that was placed on the wooden floor.
Riri immediately reached for the tea utensils and prepared some tea.
“It’s very comfortable. The people who lived next to me in the inner palace often complained about the fragrances I produced whenever I concocted incenses, but I can mix without worry here since it’s a separate building.”
The only people who were allowed in this palace was Kousho, his guard Garan and her maid Ryouka. Since they all knew that she was making the treasured incense, she didn’t have to worry about being discovered.
“Please have some tea.”
She offered him a cup of tea, and he lifted it up and took a sip.
“Tasty… Speaking of which, where’s the maid that’s always here.”
“You’re talking about Ryouka. Her mother injured her hand, so she went back home to take care of her. She said she’ll be back as soon as her mother’s hand is healed.”
Ryouka taught her many things about the inner palace when she didn’t know anything. She couldn’t thank her enough.
Honestly, she felt lonely without Ryouka, but she can understand that Ryouka was worried about her mother.
Riri told Ryouka that it was fine, and that she should go look after her mother.
“Isn’t it inconvenient for you to do everything alone? Shall I send someone to help you?”
“No. This palace isn’t so big that I can’t clean it by myself, and I’m worried about people coming here when they don’t know what I’m doing.”
It was a secret that she was making the treasured incense. If people knew that she was making the treasured incense, then there might be people who want to get their hands on this powerful incense. Kousho nodded since he knew what would happen.
“I see. But let me know if you have any problems.”
He had said that lightly, but she knew he was worried about her.
It was only recently that she realised that there was a huge difference between what he said and what he thought.
(Kousho-sama tried to protect me from the jealousy of the other consorts in the inner palace by deliberately behaving coldly towards me when I was given poisoned sweets. I could have accidentally eaten those poisonous sweets if it hadn’t been for him.)
That thought gave her the chills. His mother had been assassinated due to the jealousy of the other women in the inner palace.
She felt angry that sweets had been given to her under the exact same circumstances.
It had been a while since then, and she no longer received any strange gifts, probably because Kousho had strengthened her guards.
(He didn’t find out who gave me the poisoned sweets in the end, but I can live in peace since Kousho-sama has ordered the guards to take care of the food and drinks. More importantly, it was hard for me to be cold towards Kousho-sama. I’m glad we can talk normally like this.)
“Thank you very much.”
She really wanted to thank him. She bowed her head and Kousho-sama smiled unkindly.
“I’ll be troubled if you die before you finish the treasured incense.”
“Are you saying cold things on purpose? I know that Kousho-sama is kind.”
She smiled and Kousho made an awkward expression.
“It would be boring if I were honest. Tormenting you is the only thing I enjoy.”
His hateful tone was still the same, but she had enough trust in him now to know that he didn’t mean it.
Kousho suddenly became serious.
“Riri. Sorry to change the conversation, but I came here today because I have a favour to ask you.”
“A favour to ask me?”
She blinked her eyes. She had her own palace, but her status wasn’t high in the inner palace. She had no special skills other than her olfaction and her incense making skills, so she wondered what kind of favour he wanted to ask her.
“Actually, I received a letter from Koran the other day.”
Koran was next to Shinzui. She had never been there before, but she heard it was a nation with a big lake.
The first thing that came to her mind when she heard Koran was a certain man.
“I’ll tell the rest.”
The door opened and the person who appeared was the person who she had been thinking of.
He was Seirai, the Crown Prince of Koran. He was in his early twenties. He had long silver hair which was tied up and light brown eyes. His face looked like something out of a painting, and he was said to be the smartest person in Koran. In fact, his memory was so good that it deeply impressed Riri, but the problem was his personality.
Kousho suddenly turned stern.
“Seirai-dono. I’ve told you many times, this is…”
“You want to tell me that I can’t enter this palace because it belongs to your talented person. I’ve heard it so many times, I’ve got calluses in my ears.”
Seirai folded his arms while grinning. Kousho seemed to be holding his anger as he spoke quietly.
“Why don’t you start obeying them if you’ve heard it so many times that you’ve gotten calluses.”
“No way. I’ve decided that I’ll bring Riri back to Koran as my wife. I have to talk to her a lot to make her like me, so it’s natural for me to come see her. Besides, you’ve already told me that your inner palace is my inner palace. Therefore, your talented person, Riri, is also my talented person.”
Kousho’s cheeks tensed up as soon as Seirai finished talking.
(Kousho-sama doesn’t like Seirai-sama, so his words and attitude towards him are like this, but Seirai-sama is amazing for not caring.)
She was almost impressed by his dignified attitude.
She would normally be amazed by his attitude, but perhaps his good point was that he had a part of him that was hard to hate.
But Kousho didn’t think the same as her. He made no attempt to hide his anger as he stood up.
“I’ve heard enough of your far-fetched arguments to get calluses in my ears. I’m sick of it.”
Kousho had a smile on his face, but his words were becoming rougher and rougher.
Riri rose to her feet when she realised this.
“Kousho-sama. Umm…”
Shinzui and Koran have been engaged in a long fight over the mines located at both borders.
Shinzui and Koran has been able to avoid war in the past few decades due to the leadership of Emperor Ju Reibun, but both nations were still in a state of tension.
Although they were both Crown Princes, there was a stark contrast between Kousho, who took the current circumstances into account and held back, and Seirai, who seemed like he didn’t care at all. Seirai put a hand over his mouth and stared at Kousho.
“Kousho, you look sexy when you’re a bit angry. It’s a shame. I would have flirted with you straight away if you were a woman. I’m quite fond of standoffish and arrogant women.”
Riri heard the sound of Kousho’s patience running out.
“Stop messing around, Seirai!”
Kousho stopped adding honorifics to Seirai’s name as he drew closer to him. Riri intervened.
“Please calm down, Kousho-sama. You told me not to take Seirai-sama seriously, didn’t you?”
Seirai was staying in Shinzui to study incenses. Kousho was supposed to act like a great host since Seirai was a guest, but the two of them didn’t get along, and they would always fight whenever they saw each other.
Kousho looked flabbergasted, then he took a deep breath.
“Whatever. I’m going to talk to Riri now. I’ll be the one who tells her important things. Get out of here.”
Kousho made a shooing motion with his hand. He had decided to stop respecting Seirai as the Crown Prince of the neighbouring nation.
Seirai didn’t mind Kousho’s attitude, in fact, he smiled and seemed quite happy that Kousho was acting this way.
“It’s better for you to talk like that since it sounds more you. You make me feel self-conscious when you speak formally.”
“I’m surprised you’re sensitive enough to feel self-conscious.”
Their conversation was so intense that it made Riri nervous. Riri raised her hand, hoping to quickly end the noble yet trivial argument between the Crown Prince of Shinzui and the Crown Prince of Koran.
“Let’s leave it at that. If the two of you start arguing, it might turn into war. You had a favour to ask me, did you not Kousho-sama? Is it to do with Koran?”
She looked at the two of them, then Kousho took a deep breath and looked at her.
“That’s right. Riri, do you know about the mines on the border of Koran and Shinzui?”
“Yes, I do. I know a bit about it since I had to study it during the beauty pageant.”
She was told that the mines on the border of Koran and Shinzui produced a lot of gold. Shinzui has been fighting with Koran for a long time over its concession. She recalled what she had learnt during the beauty pageant.
“Twenty years ago, the emperors of Shinzui and Koran had a discussion about the mine concessions at the Three Kingdoms Peace Conference. I heard that Shinzui agreed to give a quarter of the gold to Koran in exchange for the concession rights.”
She glanced at Seirai. He looked gentle but his eyes were serious.
“That’s right. But as I’ve told Riri before, my father didn’t really want to give up the mine concessions. He still grumbles about how he was tricked by Emperor Ju Reibun at the Three Kingdoms Peace Conference. So, my father isn’t very happy with the current situation.”
Riri tilted her head since the way Seirai had spoken bothered her.
“What happened? Can I ask what was written in the letter?”
Riri asked anxiously and Kousho nodded. It seemed to be a matter of national importance.
“Yeah, it has to do with you. But don’t tell anyone since it’s a diplomatic matter. Alright?”
“I understand.”
She nodded while feeling nervous and Kousho folded his arms.
“The letter was sent by the Emperor of Koran. He stated that he wanted to sign a treaty to entrust the mining concessions to Shinzui.”
Riri’s chest felt tight since she was nervous about what the Emperor of Koran had to say, but she widened her eyes when she heard this.
“He wants to sign a treaty to entrust the mining concessions to Shinzui? Does that mean that Koran will completely give up on the mining concessions?”
As Seirai had mentioned earlier, the Emperor of Koran wasn’t happy that Shinzui had the mining concessions, so she was confused as to why he would say such a thing.
Kousho nodded, then spoke again.
“Yeah. He also stated that he didn’t need us to give him anymore gold in exchange for the mining concessions. A treaty is a formal agreement, so it can’t be easily broken once it’s signed. You understand what will happen once the discussions are over and the treaty stating that the mining concessions belong to Shinzui is signed, right Riri?”
He asked as if he was testing her. Her eyes widened and she nodded slowly.
“We have a long history of conflict with Koran over the mining concessions. Even now, both nations are in a tense situation, and I’ve heard that war would occur should the opportunity present itself. But once a treaty which stipulates the rights of the mining concessions is signed, Shinzui and Koran will no longer be in conflict because of the mining concessions.”
Kousho nodded in satisfaction.
“That’s right. If the treaty is signed, it will be the first step towards peace between the two nations. I’m going to Koran to discuss the details of the treaty on behalf of my unwell father. Seirai will also be returning with me to participate in the discussions as the Crown Prince of Koran.”
“That’s… an extremely important task. But if you succeed, then the tension between Shinzui and Koran will fade, and real peace will be achieved. Good luck in Koran!”
She wholeheartedly said words of support. Seirai had told her before that he didn’t want Shinzui and Koran to go to war against each other and Kousho also said that he wanted to create a kingdom without conflict.
She sincerely hoped that both their wishes came true.
“I can only pray that the discussions will go well, but I will cheer you on from Shinzui…”
“You don’t need to cheer us on from here.”
She had clapped her hands together, but Kousho suddenly interrupted her.
“Eh?”
When she blinked her eyes and looked up at him, she saw that he looked somewhat troubled.
“Riri, you’ll be accompanying us to Koran.”
She never expected to hear those words from Kousho. She thought about what he had said and finally understood what he meant.
“I, I’m coming too?! But why am I going?”
She had never heard of a talented person from an inner palace who wasn’t even the wife of the Crown Prince accompanying him to an important meeting between nations. Seirai sighed.
“I also received a letter from my father asking me to return to Koran to participate in the discussions, but… he wrote that I had to bring you with me.”
Kousho put his hands on his hips and continued on from where Seirai had stopped.
“He also wrote to the Emperor of Shinzui saying that I must bring you there because he wanted to thank the person who saved his life after the treaty is concluded.”
One thing came to mind when the Emperor of Koran called her his lifesaver.
“Did he call me his lifesaver because I made the Heart Calming Incense?”
The Heart Calming Incense was an incense that calmed seizures caused by heart disease.
The Emperor of Koran had a heart disease and was suffering from seizures. To stop Seirai’s sister’s marriage, she gave this incense to him to bring back to Koran to calm the Emperor’s seizures. The incense was made from a rare fragrance called ambergris and only she knew how to make this incense since it was her father’s own unique recipe. She heard from Seirai that the incense worked really well and relieved the Emperor of his seizures.
“It’s too much for him to thank me directly. And the discussion about the mining concessions is incredibly important for both nations. I’m afraid of doing something wrong if I go.”
She had never left Shinzui before, much less imagined going to the palace of another nation.
She shook her head, and Kousho took a step towards her.
“I understand how you feel, but I need you to come with me. This treaty must be signed by all means. That mine has been the cause for countless wars in the past. A formal treaty can bring lasting peace to both our kingdoms. I need your help to achieve this.”
Seirai, who was standing next to Kousho, nodded.
“I don’t like war either. I actually don’t have any interest in the mines since it caused so many wars. Even if we don’t rely on the mines, Koran is rich in arts and crafts and the farmlands are nurtured with clean water. Arts and crafts and agriculture are enough to sustain the kingdom. But the emperors up until now, including my father, have been obsessed with those mines.”
Seirai frowned in annoyance.
“Koran has been in countless wars because of their obsession. It’s not often that my father changes his mind. Listen, Riri. We must not miss this opportunity. For the sake of peace for both our nations.”
It was rare to see Seirai speaking so passionately about something other than love. Seirai continued.
“He also wrote in his letter to me that he was extremely grateful to you for saving his life. I think my father’s change of heart was probably because of you.”
Seirai smiled gently.
She was so dazzled by the smile on his face since he was as good-looking at Kousho and she almost squinted.
“As the Crown Prince of Koran, I hope that this treaty will be signed. This is why I would like you to come with us, Riri. My father’s mood will definitely improve if you come with us.”
Seirai stretched out his hands and squeezed Riri’s right hand.
Riri could feel his passion flowing from his warm hands.
“My father is very hard to please. He took a liking to you and wrote letters asking for you to come to Koran. He will be furious if you don’t go. My father is very stubborn, and he gets out of control once he gets angry. It will be difficult to get him to sign the treaty if he gets angry. So… Ouch.”
Seirai scowled because Kousho had swatted his hand.
“Don’t touch my talented person without permission, you shameless bastard.”
“You didn’t have to swat my hand because of that. I was trying to persuade her for the sake of both kingdoms.”
“I’ll persuade Riri. You, go away.”
Kousho loudly rebuked and Seirai reluctantly let go of Riri and stepped back.
Kousho turned back to Riri and spoke seriously.
“Riri, like Seirai just said, I believe that the Emperor of Koran changed his mind about the mine because you, his benefactor, is in this kingdom. If you going there puts him in a good mood, then I want you to come with me. The execution of this treaty is a long-cherished wish of my father and I since we both want peace in Shinzui.”
The serious expression on Kousho’s face was enough to shake her heart.
“I understand. I’m very nervous, but if I can be any help to the peace of Shinzui and Koran, then I’ll come with you. It’s just…”
The first thing that bothered her was the matter about making the treasured incense.
She heard that it would take about half a month to get to Koran by palanquin. The round trip would take at least a month. Discussing the terms of the treaty would also take some time. She had to finish the treasured incense in about eight months, so it was quite a heavy blow if she couldn’t work on the treasured incense during that time.
“If you’re worried about making incenses, then I’ll make preparations for you to be able to make incenses during the journey and in Koran.”
Kousho glanced at Seirai and whispered.
The matter about Riri making the treasured incense was a secret. Seirai knew that she was making the treasured incense, but they couldn’t talk about it openly.
She breathed a sigh of relief in her heart when she heard this. Then, something that had been bothering her since earlier flashed though her mind.
“Thank you very much. Actually, I have something to ask you Kousho-sama. There’s an ingredient that I need for the treasured incense…”
It wasn’t often that she had the chance to talk to Kousho. He would be busy again since he would need to prepare for the trip to Koran. She was worried that Seirai was still in the room, so she chose her words carefully.
“I’d like to get my hands on some blue flowered daphne odora, but I don’t know if they exist or not.”
Kousho frowned, then covered his mouth.
“Blue flowered daphne odoras? I’ve never seen them before.”
Seirai’s eyes shone as he stood next to the pondering Kousho.
“I’ve seen blue flowered daphne odoras before.”
“Eh?! Really?”
Hope came from an unexpected person. Riri quickly turned to face Seirai and he nodded.
“Yeah. We call daphne odoras ‘winter daphne’, and a noble once brought blue-flowered winter daphnes to the capital. He said he had grown it at his fief. My father was happy about it since it was rare, but it withered away as soon as he planted it in the palace.”
“Where is his fief?”
“I don’t know. This happened a long time ago. I might be able to find out where it is once I get back to Koran.”
Riri immediately turned her attention back to Kousho after she heard the good news.
“Kousho-sama. I really need the blue flowered daphne odora. I’m going to Koran as a representative of Shinzui, so I don’t want to stand out, but can I at least find out where they’re grown?”
Kousho looked conflicted, but he nodded after a while.
“If you must, but you must consult me before doing anything… I’ll protect you no matter what, so don’t worry.”
The smiling Kousho looked really reliable. Riri was quite anxious about going to a foreign kingdom where she didn’t know her way around, but she felt much better thanks to what he had said.
“Thank you very much.”
She put her hand on her chest and bowed her head. When she looked up, she looked at both Kousho and Seirai.
“Then, I’ll go to Koran as well. I am more than happy to go if I can be of any help to both kingdoms. I look forward to travelling with you both.”
She bowed her head once more and thought about Koran while feeling anxious.
Riri went to the Beautiful Flower Palace with a guard.
Consorts normally weren’t allowed to leave the palaces where they stay, but there were exceptions, and only consorts who have their own palaces, like Riri, are allowed to go back and forth from the Beautiful Flower Palace and their own palace with a guard.
Exclusive palaces were normally built near the inner palaces that the consorts belonged to, so that they wouldn’t have to travel far.
However, the Fragrance Princess Palace originally belonged to the Master Perfumer, who was said to have saved the nation hundreds of years ago and was located somewhat far from the Beautiful Flower Palace.
The Fragrance Princess Palace was rebuilt several times to honour the great deeds of the Master Perfumer.
Riri felt proud to be living in a palace with such history. After she had learnt that the Master Perfumer was actually a woman and was the Empress, she set her sights on becoming a perfumer who could save this nation with incenses just like the Master Perfumer. Women weren’t allowed to become perfumers nowadays, but she didn’t want to give up.
She walked through the gates of the Beautiful Flower Palace after she said farewell to the guard and saw a garden full of blooming peonies.
Walking gracefully down the corridor in front of her were beautiful consorts who were just as beautiful as the peonies.
“Oh my, it’s Consort Riri.”
Ranran had called out to Riri. Her hair was tied up and she was wearing gold ornaments with delicate designs.
The hanfu she wore was also extravagantly embroidered with gold thread. She was a candidate for Empress and was one of the Four Consorts in charge of the Beautiful Flower Palace. Her appearance was befitting of her rank.
“Good afternoon, Pure Consort Ranran.”
Riri bent her knees and bowed her head. Ranran slowly approached her with the rest of the consorts.
“The incense you gave me the other day smelled really nice.”
“The incense was made from sandalwood. I’m glad you liked it.”
Officially, she was given her own palace so that she can alleviate the ailments of the consorts in Beautiful Flower Palace with her incenses. So, making incenses for the consorts was part of her job. She was happy that she had a job where she could work with incenses.
“But I’m almost out. Can you make some more?”
“Yes. I’ll make you some more.”
“I want you to make me some too.”
“Me too, me too. Consort Riri’s incenses are really popular.”
The consorts were asking for more incenses. Riri couldn’t help but smile at this.
(They bullied me when I first came to Beautiful Flower Palace, but they’ve been talking to me normally lately. I’m happy that everyone can use my incenses.)
Everyone’s attitude towards her started to change after the beauty pageant. The consorts often misunderstood her before, but they began to accept her after she burnt an incense to liven up the dance at the beauty pageant.
“Good afternoon, Consort Riri.”
Hisui, the highest-ranking of the Four Consorts, came up from behind Ranran.
Her hair was tied up in a single ponytail, she wore a gold and silver ornament that depicted a bird with its wings spread and was dressed in the finest silks. She walked gracefully towards Riri and the others and had more consorts following behind her than Ranran did. Ranran made way for Hisui, then kneeled and bowed her head.
“Noble Consort Hisui. I was asking Consort Riri to make me another incense. Didn’t you say you were running out of incenses? Would you like her to make you some too?”
“Yes, please. Is that alright, Consort Riri?”
Hisui’s doll-like face broke into a gentle smile.
Ranran and the Virtuous Consort Juka, who was standing next to Hisui, had followed Hisui ever since the Beautiful Flower Palace had been establie. Hisui was the daughter of the Grand Chancellor, and everyone expected her to become Kousho’s Empress.
Hisui was good at taking care of people and took good care of Ranran and Juka. Ranran still respected her even though she was one of the Four Consorts and had no qualms about showing her respect.
(Hisui is really beautiful. There are more than a hundred consorts in the Beautiful Flower Palace, but I think it’s safe to say that she’s the most beautiful… It’s a pity. We could have talked slowly if it were only the two of us.)
In truth, her and Hisui were friends who called each other by name, but they refrained from letting others know about this.
Hisui was one of the Four Consorts who was in charge of the Beautiful Flower Palace. Some people might get weird ideas if it was known that she was particularly close to someone. Riri slowly bowed her head.
“Yes. I’ll also bring some of Noble Consort Hisui’s incense… I actually came here today to report something to the Four Consorts. May I have some of your time?”
Looking closely, Riri realised that the Worthy Consort Shoei was behind Hisui. She was small and quiet, and although Riri had never spoken to her before, Riri believed that she was a lovely girl.
It wasn’t often that the Four Consorts were together. She decided that it would be better if she told them about her going to Koran now.
“I will be accompanying Kousho-sama to Koran. I came here today because I heard that I would need the permission of the Four Consorts to leave the palace. May I have your permission to go to Koran?”
“WHAT?! What do you mean you’re accompanying Kousho-sama to Koran?!”
Ranran widened her eyes in surprise. Riri cowered at the jealousy in Ranran’s voice. The consorts had come to the Beautiful Flower Palace in order to become Kousho’s Empress, so Riri had expected this kind of reaction. Hisui stopped Ranran with her hand while Riri was struggling to think of what to say so that she wouldn’t upset them.
“Stop. If that’s what you want to talk about, then I’ve already heard about it from Kousho-sama.”
Hisui’s beautiful, bell-like voice was strong enough to stop Ranran.
“Kousho-sama told me that the Emperor of Koran is incredibly interested in the incenses that Consort Riri makes. If Consort Riri can showcase her incenses in Koran and attract people’s attention, then the fame of the Beautiful Flower Palace where she belongs to will also rise. Please do your best to be recognised by the Emperor of Koran. I’m looking forward to hearing about your success, Consort Riri.”
Those words belong to the person who had the highest position in the Beautiful Flower Palace and everyone’s expressions changed.
“Oh my, that would be amazing if that really happens!”
“It would. I can’t believe that a consort from our palace is recognized by the Emperor of another nation!”
Ranran’s expression finally relaxed when she heard the other consorts say this.
“I suppose so. You can go if it’s to raise the fame of the Beautiful Flower Palace.”
Riri was relieved that Ranran finally smiled. She looked up at Hisui again.
Hisui slowly walked forward and put a hand on Riri’s shoulder, then she put her mouth next to Riri’s ears.
“Good luck, Riri.”
Those were the words of a friend. Riri nodded in happiness.
“Yes. I’ll do my best, Hisui.”
Riri whispered back and they both smiled at each other. Riri’s precious friend patted her on the shoulder again to cheer her on.
Riri went to the gate to return to her own palace after she had received permission from the Four Consorts to leave the palace.
The guard who had escorted her here was supposed to be waiting for her at the gate.
But the person standing there was Garan. He looked at her and smiled in relief.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t come earlier; I had a military meeting. My work is done now, so I’ll send you back.”
The culprit who had sent her poisoned sweets still hadn’t been caught. Garan was worried about this and was escorting her as much as he could instead of letting another guard look after her.
“I’m sorry. You must be busy with work, but you have to look after me too.”
She followed Garan as he started working. Garan continued to look forward as he shrugged.
“Kousho-sama ordered me to guard you as well. You don’t have to worry about it.”
When Garan turned around to face her, he had a manly smile on his face. Her heart raced when she saw the friendly look on his face. She was happy that she was the only one who could see this kind of expression on the strong General.
“Thanks… Say, Garan. You’re going to Koran too, right?”
“Yeah.”
Garan faced forward and replied while keeping an eye on the area.
“All I know about Koran is that there’s a big lake there, have you ever been there?”
“I’ve only been there on business, so I don’t know much about Koran…”
Garan continued talking while his back was still turned towards her.
“Koran is ruled by Emperor Tou Aren. The nation is thriving in the crafting industry. They’re especially good at silversmithing and they receive a lot of orders from other nations for them. Their agriculture is also thriving, and fruits from Koran are famous for being sweet and delicious.”
“Really? I’m so excited. I’ve never been out of Shinzui, so I was wondering what it was like in a foreign kingdom.”
She tilted her head as she spoke. There was nothing strange about the conversation, but she felt that Garan was acting differently from normal. The thing that bothered her the most was the scent of his sweat.
(I can still smell nervousness from his sweat, just like the other day in the medicinal garden. Why? Did I do something wrong?)
It was already evening, and no one was around. All sorts of scents mixed together in a crowded place, but in this situation, her super olfaction could pick up the scent of anyone nearby without her consciously noticing.
She became anxious when she realised that Garan was nervous around her.
She wanted to ask him what was going on, but she didn’t know how to ask since he still treated her like normal.
(Come to think of it, I think he started giving off this nervousness scent whenever he spoke to me after the beauty pageant.)
At first, she had thought he was being tense to protect her, but now she thought differently. She wondered if she had done something to make him feel uncomfortable, but she couldn’t come up with what that would have been.
“Garan, I…”
She spoke while trying to think of a way to start a conversation when Garan stopped in his tracks.
“We’re here at the Fragrance Princess Palace.”
There was a guard standing outside the Fragrance Princess Palace gate. Garan raised his hand and greeted the guard, then stepped through the gate. He was in charge of protecting the inner palace and was the only man outside of the royal family who had access to both the Beautiful Flower Palace and the Fragrance Princess Palace.
Garan finally stopped when they reached the entrance of the palace. Even Garan couldn’t enter the palace without permission. He opened the door and gestured for her to enter.
“We’re leaving tomorrow. It’ll be hard for you to pack without Ryouka. I can send someone to help you if you need help.”
She was grateful for his thoughtfulness. This part of him didn’t change.
“No, I’m fine… More importantly…”
She didn’t know what to say, so she just stared into his eyes. She had heard that eyes speak louder than words. She wanted to know how he really felt, so she put all her energy into her eyes.
“Uoah…!”
Then, Garan’s face suddenly turned red for some reason.
“Wh-what’s wrong, Garan?”
Garan quickly looked down. He suddenly got flustered and Riri widened her eyes in surprise.
“If you stare at me like that… No, it’s nothing! Hmm… Oh yeah, I have a fever. I’m not feeling well, so…”
He was red and sweating. Riri scolded herself for not realising that he wasn’t feeling well.
“I see. I’m sorry, I didn’t realise. Oh yeah, I know an incense that works well for fevers. I’ll make it for you right away.”
“It’s alright! You don’t have to. I’m all better now!”
She widened her eyes in surprise again when Garan quickly waved his hands around.
“You feel better? You can’t be serious.”
“I’ve been training myself, so I can bring my fever down. I’ll take my leave now!”
How did you train yourself in order to bring your fever down?
Garan quickly turned away and walked out of the gate as Riri was blinking.
“What’s wrong with him? Did I do something wrong after all?”
She muttered to herself while wondering what could have caused his attitude to change.
Garan walked quickly to the back garden in Beautiful Flower Palace.
This was the back garden that Kousho loved and everyone in the palace knew this, so they didn’t go near it.
Garan came here because he knew that Kousho wouldn’t be here for a while since he was in a meeting with the Emperor to discuss the treaty with Koran.
He really wanted to be alone to calm down. He leaned against a large tree and took a deep breath.
“Get yourself together!”
He said to himself. He hadn’t been able to control himself ever since he realised that he liked Riri.
He wouldn’t say that he had never been interested in women before, but this was the first time he had liked someone. He had never been nervous when facing an enemy, no matter how strong they were, but when facing Riri, his body froze, and his mind went blank.
Whenever he talked to her, his heart beat so fast that he felt it would jump out of his chest, and he was trying his best to talk to her normally.
His mind would be in chaos, and he wouldn’t even know what they were talking about if he even looked her in the eyes. It was the first time he had ever been in such a situation, and he was confused and even scared of the feeling called ‘love’ that had put him into this situation.
He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.
“I must never speak of these feelings. Riri is a Kousho-sama’s Empress candidate.”
He muttered and bit his lip. Kousho was a master worthy of serving for his entire life.
In the past, Kousho had helped him find out the truth and catch the real culprit when he was framed and caught for a crime he didn’t commit.
He would still be in jail as a criminal or worse, even executed if Kousho hadn’t helped him at that time. He had made up his mind to serve Kousho for the rest of his life when Kousho had saved him.
That belief hadn’t changed even now. He believed it was a ‘sin’ for him to have these feelings towards Riri, who was a candidate to be Kousho’s Empress.
However, it was hard to stop love once it had taken root.
“I have to stifle my feelings. I must not let Riri, or Kousho-sama know about these feelings.”
He believed that Riri was special to Kousho since he had served Kousho for a long time.
Kousho might treat Riri specially because she could make the treasured incense.
But Garan didn’t believe that was the only reason. He noticed that Kousho looked at her gently and more lovingly than he had ever looked at anyone.
He had never seen Kousho have any special feelings towards a woman before. If Kousho really likes Riri, then he had to stifle his feelings and shove them into the corner of his mind.
Riri was a close friend, and Kousho was his respected Master.
Both of them would surely suffer if he were to reveal his feelings to them.
He wanted to keep his feelings to himself because they were both important to him.
“But Riri noticed that my behaviour has been strange. I’ll be interacting with her more when we go to Koran. I can’t do anything to betray them.”
He told himself, then he covered his face with both his hands and sighed deeply.