The carriage Riri was riding on slowed its pace and she gazed ahead through the gaps in the lattice.
A volcano with white smoke was beginning to appear ahead of the carriage.
There wasn’t much greenery in this area even though they were supposed to be climbing a mountain path. The landscape was bleak, with only moss growing on the rugged ground that seemed to have been formed from lava. The strong smell of sulphur made her grimace.
She saw that Garan, who was riding his horse in the front, had stopped, so she knew that their destination was near.
“I think it’s around here.”
Five soldiers from Shinzui, including Garan, and ten soldiers from Koran were riding horses around the carriage.
They were escorting her to the estate of the noble who had the blue winter daphne. It took about half a day’s ride from the palace to reach there.
When she had visited Riyoku Saisei and showed him the letter that Aren had written, he readily promised to help her, but his face immediately clouded over as he told her a certain piece of information.
“I haven’t seen the blue winter daphne in the past few years.”
She asked him if it grew somewhere else since his fief was big, then asked him if he could show her where he had found the blue winter daphne before.
Garan dismounted and approached her as she stepped out of the carriage.
“There isn’t much greenery around because of the volcano. I wonder if the blue winter daphne really grows around here.”
“There are trees and plants all over the place. Garan, let’s look for it.”
She saw several areas with greenery as she looked down from the top of the mountain.
When she indicated them with her hand to Garan, he folded his arms and pondered.
“There seem to be several places with trees, but they’re all over the place. We have quite a lot of people, so maybe we can split up and look for it.”
Riri nodded her head in agreement, but one of the soldiers from Koran stepped forward.
“But His Majesty has instructed us to stay close to Riri-sama.”
Garan faced him.
“His Majesty also asked you to get the fragrant wood that Consort Riri is looking for.”
The soldier choked on his words.
“We have a better chance of finding the fragrant wood if we split up more. We can’t stay away from the palace for too long. Seirai-sama has ordered us to find the fragrant wood in three days for Consort Riri’s safety. We only have a limited time to explore this place since it takes time to return.”
Garan was right. The Koran soldiers nodded reluctantly.
“Then, let’s split into pairs. Consort Riri will stay with me. Everyone else, split up.”
No one objected to this since Kousho had ordered Garan to protect her personally.
The soldiers formed pairs, each with soldiers from their own nations.
“I will also ride a horse.”
She put a hand on her chest and Garan looked worried.
“But…”
“I can ride a horse. It’s easier to move on a horse than a carriage. Please, General Garan.”
She stared at him, and he quickly lowered his eyes.
“Understood. Then let’s release a horse from the carriage so that it can be ridden.”
The coachman immediately released one of the horses when Garan ordered this. Garan looked around at everyone when everything was ready.
“Signal a fire if you do find the blue winter daphne.”
Everyone nodded, then they mounted their horses in unison.
Garan looked to his left as the soldiers rode off in different directions.
“We’ll look around in the trees over there.”
Riri nodded and followed him on her horse.
(Garan is very commanding. The soldiers quickly started following his orders.)
She once again realised the ability of the General, Garan.
They headed to the dense wooded area. Perhaps this was the only place that was spared from lava damage when the volcano erupted. As they entered the forest, the sunlight was blocked by the thickly grown trees.
They slowly rode their horses through the dimly lit forest and Riri focused her attention on her nose.
(There are so many different scents, but I’m sure my olfaction will be able to find that scent.)
She inhaled through her nose. She couldn’t quite catch the scent she was looking for, but as they continued for a while, something suddenly caught her attention. It was as if her head was being pricked by a needle.
“… Hmm? Ummm?”
She stopped her horse and pondered. The scent wasn’t very clear, but it bothered her a lot.
She pulled the reins and headed to the right as if lured by the scent.
“What’s wrong, Riri?”
“Shush, let me focus a little.”
Garan didn’t say anything else as he followed her.
“The scent is sweet, but strong… It reminds me of the lullabies Mother used to sing to me.”
Her mother was fond of winter daphne. She would often display them in her room when they bloomed.
Scents have the effect of reminding people of memories.
She asked her sealed memory if this was the fragrance that her father had used.
“My nose remembers a slightly offensive fragrance that would irritate people. The fragrance my nose remembers is similar to the fragrance that the fragrant wood of pink and white winter daphne gives off, but that was the only difference. That fragrance was…”
She muttered as she dismounted her horse, then she went around a large tree and continued forward.
“Found it ―――.”
Beyond the trees was a small pond that looked like it had been formed from rainwater.
Beside it was a blue winter daphne which was glistening wet with dew. The mysterious appearance of the flowers made her heartbeat faster. The flowers still seemed young and were as tall as her waist.
The small blue flowers were numerous and were emitting a dense fragrance.
“Is this it?!”
She heard Garan’s voice from behind her. They both rushed at the blue winter daphne.
“I’m glad you found it!”
“Yes, but this isn’t what I’m looking for.”
Garan blinked his eyes. Riri crouched down on the spot.
“I’m looking for the blue winter daphne’s fragrant wood. Fragrant wood is made from broken or dead wood that have been buried in the ground for a long time. The blue winter daphnes that are planted here won’t do.”
“Oh, I remember you saying that.”
Garan also crouched down on the spot.
“If there are blue winter daphnes here then there’s a good chance that a broken branch has been buried in the soil and has turned into a fragrant wood. We need to find that.”
The fragrant wood will be different depending on how long it has been buried in the soil. She searched the soil with her hands, hoping and praying that she would successfully find the fragrant wood that gave of the fragrance she wanted. Then, Garan gently placed his hand on top of hers.
“You’ll hurt your hands. I’ll do it. Do you want me to dig here?”
“But it’s dirty. You can’t use tools because you’ll damage the fragrant wood.”
“I don’t care. Move.”
Garan dug up the dirt with his big hands. She said sorry and tried to dig again, but he shook his head and refused. How much time had passed since she had no choice but to watch him dig?
He dug holes all over the place, then his hands finally stopped.
“There’s something here.”
Garan carefully removed the soil, revealing an old branch about the length of an arm.
The wood emitted a rich, sweet and sour aroma.
A memory flashed through her mind as soon as she smelled the fragrance.
“Riri. You can only use the fragrant wood from the blue winter daphne to make the treasured incense. Don’t tell anyone, but I snuck into a certain fief in Koran to get this. I thought I was going to die.”
“This is it! The fragrant wood that my father used at that time!”
Although her memory was sealed by the treasured incense, a memory flashed through her mind when she smelled a fragrant that she had smelled back then. It was the first time that she had recalled her father’s face so clearly.
“That’s great, Riri.”
She smiled widely at Garan who was smiling at her, then Garan looked stunned for a moment.
“What’s wrong?”
Garan widened his eyes in a panic and then quickly looked down.
“Nothing. Let’s fire the signal now. We must let everyone know that we have found the fragrant wood and return to the palace. Kousho-sama… is worried.”
It was unusual for Garan’s voice to get quieter and quieter. She almost couldn’t hear what he had said at the end.
She raised an eyebrow, and Garan took a flintlock from his bag, which he had tied to his horse, to raise a signal. She placed the fragrant wood on the cloth bag that she carried around her waist and turned her attention back to Garan.
He quickly gathered the branches around them and crouched down with his back towards her.
She stared at his back and a thought that she had been suppressing exploded.
(He’s weird. He’s really weird! Garan seems to be hiding something, but it doesn’t seem like he wants me to know, so I’ve held back from asking him, but I’ve reached my limit!)
He had been her confidant many times when she was troubled or having a rough time.
She didn’t know what she could do for him, but he is an important friend. She wanted him to talk to her if something was bothering him.
White smoke slowly rose up when Garan lit a fire with a flintlock.
She took a step closer to Garan, who was crouching down.
“… Garan, what’s troubling you? I may seem unreliable, but I want to help you as much as I can. You seem to be having a rough time recently. Are you not feeling well? Or is something bothering you at work?”
She could tell by her olfaction ability since humans produce a distinctive perspiration when they weren’t feeling well.
But the perspiration emitting from Garan smelled different.
(The scent coming from Garan is sweet, yet painful, almost bitter, but happy.)
She had smelled the same scent several times.
Everyone had the same perspiration when they weren’t feeling well, for example, like when they had a headache, but the scent they emit is different for everyone since it mixes with their natural scent.
She felt as if she was prying and would be disliked if she sniffed out their emotions, so she tried not to think about it whenever she smelled it.
So, she tried not to think about it even though she smelled the same scent several times.
The scent that was wafting from Garan was certainly…
(Oh yeah. I could smell the same scent coming from Princess Keika when Garan drove Reitai-sama away. Princess Keika must have started to like him after he saved her that time. In other words, this fragrance is…)
She finally realised what the fragrance was after thinking that far.
“This is… the scent of love?”
Of course, she has smelled the fragrance that people emit when they think of the person they love, but this scent didn’t seem to fit the rugged, workaholic Garan, so she hadn’t noticed it.
“You have someone you like.”
She finally realised that Garan’s strange behaviour was probably due to him being in love. She had mixed feelings. She didn’t know how to react after hearing that her friend was in love with someone.
She had never been in love before, and she has never fallen in love with anyone.
She must have been reserved for her age. She struggled to survive when she lived downtown, and now she was in a special environment in the inner palace where the number of men she knew was limited.
She panicked since she didn’t know what to say since she had never been in love and Garan stared at her.
His eyes were full of passion. She was startled for some reason. She opened her mouth to speak since she couldn’t bear the silence.
“Hmm… If it’s alright with you… Kya!”
She wanted to support her friend if he had found someone he liked.
She wanted to tell him this but screamed because he had suddenly hugged her.
Despite his appearance, his well-trained arms hugged her gently.
Garan gave off a fragrance that was mixed with aloeswood.
She was the one who had made the fragrance and gave it to him since she thought it would suit him.
She never thought she would be able to smell it from this close to him.
She blinked repeatedly. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it was going to jump out of her chest.
(Why? Why is he hugging me? Why?)
“G-Garan? What’s wrong with you?”
That was all she managed to say. Garan gasped.
He immediately let her go and jumped away from her.
“Sorry. I’m really sorry! Give me some time. I’ll tell you everything. I’ll be back right away, so don’t move from this spot. I need to cool my head…!”
Garan’s face turned red, and he backed away.
He then turned his back towards her and ran to the other side of the big tree.
“… What the heck is going on with him?”
She could still feel the warmth of the hug.
She thought he was a friend, someone who she could talk to about anything.
But the size of his arms and the heat that enveloped her during the hug made her realise once again that they were of the opposite sex.
She looked in front of her as her heart throbbed. The large tree where Garan was standing was far away, but she was sure he could hear her if she raised her voice. But she didn’t know what to say to him.
“Garan… I… Ah!”
She was about to speak since the silence was awkward, but someone suddenly grabbed her from behind and bound her.
The cloth that was placed over her mouth smelled of sleeping powder. [1]
She inhaled the medicine by accident since everything had happened so fast.
(Oh no…!)
Her consciousness was already falling into the darkness by the time she thought that.
Kousho took a small breath as the discussion about the mining treaty came to a close.
Seirai was holding a document detailing the treaty in front of him.
The speed at which he was reading the document was astonishing.
Kousho wondered if he was reading through the document properly, but he gave accurate answers when Kousho asked him about the content.
He was indeed the smartest person in Koran.
“… Hmm. I think it went well. If His Majesty is satisfied with the treaty and presses the nation’s seal on this document, then there will never be another dispute about the mines in the future. You’re amazing, Kousho. You’ve created the treaty in such a way that both nations will benefit.”
“I’m glad to hear that from the smartest man in Koran. I am greatly honoured. It would have been completed much faster if you had helped me.”
Kousho was half serious, half sarcastic.
Seirai seemed to have guessed the exact meaning of his words and chuckled.
“Don’t say that. I’m not good with this kind of negotiation. I try to think about everything rationally and tend to forget to be considerate to the other party’s feelings and position. If I had created this treaty, then I would have come up with something that is perfect but would make both nations feel a loss.”
It was a surprising drawback for Seirai. Seirai stared at Kousho.
“But you’re different. You have a heart that cares for others and the ability to make calm judgements at the same time, that’s why both Shinzui and Koran can create a treaty that is beneficial for both sides. A person like you is worthy of becoming an Emperor.”
“… Gross. If you compliment me that much, then I might think something’s wrong with you.”
Kousho returned his stare and his mouth twitched in exasperation.
“You’re so cruel. It’s rare for me to compliment someone so earnestly! … I don’t want to make an enemy out of you. You and I are the future emperors of Shinzui and Koran. Now that we’ve signed the treaty, I only hope that we can build a friendly relationship from now on.”
These were Seirai’s true feelings.
Kousho had known for a long time that Seirai isn’t a bad person, although his personality isn’t straightforward.
“That’s a coincidence. I also think that. Then, wash your hands of Riri as a sign of our friendship.”
Kousho smiled and Seirai smiled back.
“I don’t want to. I really like Riri, besides…”
Seirai suddenly turned serious.
“His Majesty really likes Riri. Even if I give up, His Majesty will not… It’s a good opportunity. Actually, there’s something I would like to discuss with you.”
Seirai signalled the Koran guards on his right with his eyes, and they left the room.
Kousho realised that it was something that should not be heard, so he signalled the civil officials from Shinzui, who were also nearby, with his eyes. They also got up quickly and left the room.
He leaned forward after confirming that no one else was in the room and looked at Seirai.
“What is it?”
“His Majesty has been quite unreasonable these past few years, and if he wants something, he’ll take it from you. He wants to keep Riri with him. He has been acting like a good person to her even though he would have done anything to get her. I’m afraid of his calm pretence.”
Kousho had heard a lot about Koran’s Emperor from his father and had met him several times before.
“I believe that His Majesty Aren is just as you had described. Father said that His Majesty is a man who has a huge ego, but understands what people say.”
“That was a long time ago.”
Seirai looked pained and lonely.
“His Majesty always rages about getting his hands on the mines until recently. He seemed very disappointed that he had been beaten by Emperor Reibun during the Three Kingdom Peace Conference 20 years ago and even said that he would teach him a lesson. Then, he suddenly declared that he would create a peace treaty that will be favourable for Shinzui.”
Seirai put his hand over his mouth and stared at a spot on the wall.
“All I can think about is that he found something different that he wanted enough to be willing to give up on the mines.”
“What in the world could that be?”
Seirai is a clever man, and he and Aren are also father and son.
Kousho was beginning to think that there might be something like that since Seirai was willing to go to such lengths to talk to him about it.
Aren certainly wanted the mines a lot, but Kousho couldn’t understand why he would create a treaty to give up the mine as if he no longer wanted it.
He wanted to believe that Aren was doing it for the sake of peace between both nations, but he couldn’t deny that he had some doubts in his mind.
“I think it’s…”
Seirai continued with a bitter expression on his face.
“Pardon me!”
But his words were drowned out by Garan, who had opened the door and rushed in.
Garan was usually calm, but his complexion had changed, and his breath was rough.
The fact that he had rushed into the room in a panic when he was supposed to be looking for the blue winter daphne with Riri stirred up some unpleasant feelings within Kousho.
“What’s wrong?”
He tried to keep as calm as possible.
But his heart was pounding, and disgusting sweat was running down his forehead.
“Riri has… Consort Riri has been kidnapped by someone!”
Knowing that his bad feeling had come true, his body trembled with pain, worry and anger towards the culprit.
“How the hell did that happen?”
Kousho rushed towards Garan. Garan managed to catch his breath and immediately fell to his knees.
“We went looking for the blue winter daphne and got it. Then… I took my eyes off Riri for a second and she was kidnapped by two masked men. I witnessed the kidnapping and immediately chased after them, but they escaped on horseback…”
“What the heck were you doing even though you were there?! How could you let her out of your sight?!”
Kousho raised his voice. Garan wouldn’t have made such a blunder if he had been his usual self.
Garan choked on his words and bowed deeply.
“I am… terribly sorry!”
Kousho knew that blaming Garan wouldn’t bring Riri back.
He exhaled and tried to calm himself down.
“… Enough. I’ll try my best to find her. I’ll get her back!”
The biggest problem was that Kousho was in Koran and not his own kingdom.
He had brought soldiers with him from Shinzui, but they wouldn’t be enough for the search. He turned around and looked at Seirai.
“I want you to help me look for Riri, Seirai.”
He recognised Seirai as the Crown Prince of Koran, but he honestly disliked him personally.
But he knew well that Seirai was very dependable at times like this.
What was most important now was not what he liked or disliked, but Riri’s safety.
It was nothing to bow down to Seirai, whom he disliked, if it was for that reason.
Seirai seemed to be thinking about something, then he suddenly looked at Kousho as if he had realised something.
“Of course. The fief where Riri had disappeared is quite large. If she was taken by someone then it’s possible that she’s no longer there. If she isn’t there anymore, then the search for her would cover the entire Koran. I’ll tell His Majesty about the situation and ask him to prepare some soldiers for the search. Please wait a moment.”
Seirai left the room in a panic. Kousho watched him go, then folded his arms together.
“… Garan. Follow him.”
He whispered in a quiet voice and Garan widened his eyes in surprise.
“Why?”
“He knows something.”
It was just a hunch. Seirai had made a big fuss when he found out that Riri had been kidnapped, but he didn’t sound surprised.
“It’s as if… he was expecting Riri to be kidnapped.”
Garan’s eyes widened in disbelief when he heard Kousho mutter this, but he quickly bowed his head.
“As you wish.”
Garan quickly got up and left the room.
“Excuse me.”
Seirai said nervously in front of his father’s room.
He believed a flaw of his twas that he couldn’t understand people’s feelings well. He often forgot about other people’s feelings when he thought rationally.
He always believed that the reason why people’s feelings seemed insignificant to him when he was achieving some goal was because he lacked something as a human being.
But even he had exceptions.
His younger sister had been left alone in the palace ever since his mother’s death, and he felt that he must protect her no matter the means. And now, there was another exception, which until now had only included his younger sister.
He was once again trying to do something irrational for this reason.
“What’s wrong, Seirai?”
When he entered the room, his father, Aren, was lying comfortably on the couch.
He was alone as he had told his servants to leave the room.
His father and him had not had a private conversation in years.
It was agonising to face someone who speaks arrogantly and emotionally.
As a result, he would not talk to him unless it was necessary. When he spoke to his father, he thought about the most reasonable things to say so as to not provoke his father’s anger.
But, today, he was prepared to talk to his father even though he knew he would provoke him for the sake of the one other person except for his sister who he recognised as an exception… Riri.
“I need to talk to you about something. It is about Riri.”
He pondered about how to talk to him but knew that the quickest and surest way was just to ask him upfront.
“Riri was kidnapped. The culprit is you, is it not Your Majesty?”
He came to that conclusion after thinking about different scenarios. Seirai looked at Aren, who didn’t panic but smiled thinly.
“That’s right.”
He clenched his fist, I knew it.
“You proposed the treaty to give up the mining concessions to Shinzui so that you could invite Riri to Koran. You cannot take Riri out of the inner palace in Shinzui no matter who you are. That was why you pretended that you wanted to establish friendly relations with Shinzui and had them bring her here to Koran. Shinzui tried to respond to your wishes as much as they could so that they could conclude the treaty. As a result, Riri was brought to Koran as you wished.”
Seirai had always pondered. It was impossible for Aren to give up the concession rights to the mine when he was so attached to it.
But he could imagine one reason why Aren would.
He had found something that he wanted more than the mines.
“Ah, my plan worked well. Everything was done to keep Riri close to me since she could make the heart soothing incense. You’re young and healthy, so you understand me, don’t you? My heart and head is filled with fear about my life being drained away every time I have a seizure. I would do anything to escape from that pain.”
Aren was ecstatic.
“The incense that Riri makes keeps those painful fits at bay. I could escape from the seizures that are killing me if I have that incense, but the heart soothing incense only lasts for half a year. What’s wrong with keeping Riri close to me so that she can always make the heart soothing incense for me?”
A mine that produces gold couldn’t be a substitute for an incense that saves lives.
Seirai could understand this.
But what Aren did was incomprehensible.
“Didn’t Kousho promise that he would send you the heart soothing incense every six months?”
“How could I believe him!?”
He found himself cowering as his father yelled at him.
His life depended on his father when he was a child.
It was fine when his mother was still alive, but after she passed away, he was in danger of being expelled from the palace depending on his father’s mood. He could live with that, but his younger sister couldn’t.
He felt that it was his mission to live in a way that wouldn’t offend his father to protect his sister.
So, he couldn’t say anything back when his father yelled.
He also didn’t know how to deal with people who were driven by their emotions.
“Listen, Seirai. We cannot trust what the royal family of Shinzui says! Kousho is the son of Ju Reibun! That man tricked me so he could take the mining concessions!”
He had heard from his father that the Emperor of Shinzui had deceived him during the discussions for the mining concessions. He also said that he held a grudge against him for that.
“Kousho is a trustworthy man. I am sure he does not want to get into any more disputes over the mines. I am also certain that he will have Riri make the incense and send it to you.
Aren suddenly grabbed a jug on his desk with his right hand and threw it at Seirai.
CLANNNK
Seirai dodged just in time, but the jug fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.
He would have been injured if it had hit him directly. Aren glared at him.
“I can’t trust those words!”
Aren’s mood shifted. His eyes were full of anger and hatred. He almost retreated as a habit he had gained since he was a child. He put a lot of strength into his legs which were about to give way.
“Riri is Kousho’s talented person. He will soon realise that it was you who had kidnapped her. Kousho wants peace but he cares deeply for Riri. He will not hesitate to fight to get her back.”
Kousho wasn’t someone who you wanted to make an enemy.
He was someone who could read his opponent’s emotions unlike Seirai, so Seirai felt that he wouldn’t win.
Most importantly, he didn’t want war.
It was difficult for him to imagine the suffering of the people since he was incapable of sympathising with other’s emotions.
But the thought of his sister suffering made his heart ache.
“I don’t care. I did it because I’m prepared. There have been no wars with Shinzui since my reign, but my father was passionate about conquering Shinzui. I will follow my father’s example and take Shinzui for myself, then of course, the mines will be mine.”
He realised that his father had no intention of giving up the mines.
“I don’t want that!”
The cry came from the bottom of his heart.
He had always been at his father’s beck and call.
He felt that it was troublesome to disobey him and believed that obeying him was the rational thing to do.
But now it was different.
He was surprised that he could become so emotional, and the words came out easily.
“Please give Riri back. Your Majesty has no right to detain her. Many people will suffer if we go to war. I, as the Crown Prince of this kingdom, will abdicate you!”
There is a law in Koran that allows the Emperor to be abdicated if the Crown Prince, Chancellor, and all the civil officials deem that the Emperor is no longer able to make normal decisions due to illness or disorder.
He wasn’t sure if all the civil officials would obey him.
But he believed it would be possible to persuade them.
Above all, he didn’t want his father to hold the power of an Emperor.
The civil officials were also terrified of the Emperor’s tyranny. They would surely obey him if he spoke up.
“Hoh, is it alright for you to say that?”
“Yes. I have made up my mind.”
Seirai stared at Aren seriously and Aren held back his chuckle.
Seirai was concerned about his relaxed attitude.
“… What is wrong?”
“You’ve forgotten something important. Your most important thing has always been in my hand.”
Seirai immediately realised what Aren was talking about.
“Keika…!”
“Yes. Keika is in my inner palace right now. You’re the one who holds her life in your hands Seirai, not me.”
Seirai raised his eyebrow since he didn’t understand the meaning of those words and Aren slowly stood up.
“Seirai, I’ll tell you where Riri is. Go to her now and ask her to marry you.”
Seirai couldn’t believe his ears. Aren was all smiles, but his eyes were unfocused.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re going to marry Riri. Shinzui won’t be able to act that easily if you make her your wife. After all, she will be the bride of the future Emperor of Koran.”
Aren’s words, thoughts and expression was out of the ordinary, but it seemed that he was serious.
“I will build a new inner palace for Riri. I’ll lock her in there for the rest of her life and have her make incenses for me. Yes, yes, that’s a good idea. Seirai, you’ll have your wedding ceremony tomorrow. You must make her your wife even if she doesn’t want to be. Do you know what will happen to Keika if you refuse?”
This was the first kind smile Aren had directed at Seirai.
His mother was the only person who could make his father look like this.
When he was a child, he had hoped that his father would smile at him like this.
But now that he had done it, he was afraid of that smile.
“… Okay.”
Seirai wanted to say no but he had no choice but to agree for now. He couldn’t persuade his father any further.
He turned his back to Aren and left the room.
“Can I talk to you for a moment, Kousho?”
Kousho lifted his face towards the door where the voice came from. He immediately recognised Seirai’s voice and signalled Garan, who was standing in front of him, with his eyes. Then, he tried to keep calm as he replied.
“What’s wrong?”
He spoke quietly, and Seirai opened the door and entered. Seirai looked at Kousho and smiled thinly.
“Stop pretending you don’t know what happened. It’s a waste of time. You had Garan follow me, right? He must have heard the conversation between His Majesty and I.”
Seirai is brilliant. He saw through everything.
Garan had just reported the conversation that he had heard between Aren and Seirai. Kousho immediately knew the meaning behind Seirai coming here even after knowing that he had Garan follow him.
“I don’t want war, but I will also do whatever it takes to get Riri back.”
He only said what was necessary. Seirai is a rational man, and he doesn’t like talking in a roundabout way.
It was the same for Kousho when he had to make important decisions.
“I know. I don’t want war either, but I can’t go against His Majesty because he’s holding my sister hostage. So, I want to help you.”
Seirai sat down in the chair in front of Kousho. He looked at Kousho wearily.
“I want to help Riri. That’s the truth. My father did something unreasonable, but I also want to save my sister. So…”
“So, you want me to save Riri myself.”
Seirai smiled wryly when Kousho said what he wanted to say.
“I’m glad you’re quick. I’m going to meet Riri under my father’s orders. You can follow me to find out where she is. I can’t help you take her away, so you will have to rescue her yourself.”
Kousho was furious by Aren’s actions. He clenched his trembling fists tightly and took a deep breath.
He loves Riri. She is his first love. He had been thinking about her for years.
He swore that he would never let her go again when he met her again.
But he cannot only think of his beloved as the Crown Prince of Shinzui.
“But there’s a problem with that plan. If I take Riri out of the kingdom and return to Shinzui then the treaty we’re about to sign will be voided. Emperor Aren will not give up on Riri, so war is inevitable. I will do whatever it takes to help Riri, but I don’t want war.”
He revealed his true feelings as a Crown Prince. His father said that he never wanted to fight with Koran again.
His father’s wish will be fulfilled if the treaty is signed.
Seirai put his hand over his mouth and looked down slightly.
“It’s useless to say anything to His Majesty right now… Kousho, if you want to get Riri back then now is the time to do it. A wedding ceremony will be held tomorrow for Riri and I. If we take our vows as husband and wife, then Riri will become the Crown Princess of Koran. Regardless of the circumstances, if the Crown Princess is taken away by the Crown Prince of another nation, then it will give my father justifiable reason to attack Shinzui.”
Garan kneeled down and bowed his head.
“She was kidnapped because I took my eyes off her. I will go and save Riri. Please revoke my position as General. If I take Riri away just as Gou Garan then…”
Garan’s feelings were painfully clear to Kousho, but he quickly shook her head.
“It’s no use. It doesn’t matter if you have rank or not, it’s all the same if someone from Shinzui takes her back.”
Kousho put his hand over his mouth. There was nothing he could do now that things have gotten to this stage.
“――― Alright. I’ll take Riri and go back to Shinzui tonight. Garan, have your men prepare for the journey.”
It was a hard decision. He wanted the treaty to be signed, but he couldn’t sacrifice Riri for the treaty.
He wanted to protect his loved ones more than to fulfil his duty as the Crown Prince.
“That’s the only thing you can do.”
Seirai sounded frustrated. Kousho wondered if he could trust Seirai, but it seemed that he really wanted to help Riri.
In this situation, it was a blessing to have him on their side since he knew Koran well.
He closed his eyes and thought of his father’s face. He would have been happy if Kousho had brought the treaty back as a present.
But he would also tell him that he wouldn’t have to do something unreasonable to bring him back a present. He reasoned even though it was painful.
“A… rgh…”
Riri woke up in a small room.
The furnishing was quite nice and the carpet on the floor was long and fluffy.
The bed was a magnificent piece of silverwork.
The window frames were also finely decorated, and this room looked like it belonged in a noble’s mansion at first glance, but upon closer inspection, she could see that there were iron bars on the window. She woke up at once as soon as she saw the full, shiny iron bars.
“Where the hell am I…?”
Her head was pounding but she managed to remember what had happened before she woke up here.
After they had found the blue winter daphne, someone forced her to inhale sleeping powder from behind when Garan was a short distance away.
She didn’t remember anything after that. She had no idea where she was.
She quickly got up and went for the door.
She tried to open it, but it seemed locked and wouldn’t budge.
So, she went to the window. She thought she could open the window and ask for help, so she placed her hand on the iron bars, but the window wouldn’t budge.
Her heart beat painfully fast when she realised that she couldn’t get out of here.
Someone had kidnapped her. She was worried and anxious.
“Calm down. I need to find out what’s going on first. I can find a way to escape if I know where I am… I have to get in touch with Kousho-sama somehow. He’ll surely come to my rescue if he knows where I am.”
A Crown Prince wouldn’t normally risk their life for a mere talented person.
But he said that he would protect her, so she believed that he would come to her rescue.
Her head was in turmoil, but she exhaled and tried to calm down, then she focused her attention on her nose.
“I have only one skill, and that is my super olfaction. My nose will surely help me in a situation like this.”
Her nose, which had a keen sense of smell, brought her a lot of information.
The first scent she noticed was the fragrant wood of the blue winter daphne.
She reached down to her waist and found that the bag which contained the fragrant wood was still intact.
She couldn’t smell any other fragrances, so she turned towards the window.
The window was closed, so it might be difficult for her to smell something, but she closed her eyes and concentrated on her nose again, hoping to smell something.
She suddenly opened her eyes after doing this for a while.
“It’s the scent of water… Isn’t this the scent of the Snowflake Spring?”
Water also had a scent. The water from the Snowflake Spring which was welling up from Koran’s palace had a citrus scent. The water where she and Keika had their boat ride was apparently from the Snowflake Spring.
She remembered thinking that there must be a citrus tree planted near the spring because the water contained a citrusy scent.
“I was told that the water from Snowflake Spring flows out from the palace, but the fragrance would change if it flows outside and mixes in with different soil and water, but this scent smells exactly the same as the scent I smelled when I was on a boat ride with Princess Keika. Does this mean that I’m in the palace?”
She couldn’t believe it.
But she knew her nose better than anyone. There was no way her nose could be wrong.
“If this is the palace, then who kidnapped me…?””
She suddenly thought of the person who needed her incense the most in this kingdom.
He invited her to this kingdom as a perfumer.
But he backed down when she refused. She had heard many stories of his arrogance, so she was prepared for what would happen when he became unhappy.
But what if the reason why he had backed down was because he was planning on kidnapping her…?
The more she thought about it, the more she couldn’t help but believe it.
But she also didn’t want to believe it.
How could an Emperor of a nation now understand what would happen if he did something like this?
The door opened with a squeak as she was pondering. It was a very eerie sound.
She looked at the door as a chill ran down her spine and the person who she was thinking about was standing there.
“Emperor Aren…”
Aren had a kind, yet cruel smile on his face.
“You can call me Father, Riri. You will marry Seirai tomorrow and become the Crown Princess of Koran.”
Riri couldn’t believe her ears. She couldn’t understand what he was saying and was stunned, then someone stepped out from behind Aren.
“I’m sorry, Riri.”
But in this situation, she realised that Seirai, who wasn’t advising his father against kidnapping her, was not her ally.
“Why? Why Seirai-sama? If you do this then…”
“We will go to war with Shinzui because we’re stealing Kousho’s talented person. But I don’t have any other choice but to do this.”
She remembered seeing this expression on Seirai before.
It was when they were in Shinzui. He had teamed up with Mokuren to obtain the treasured incense for his younger sister. The expression he was making was the exact same as back then.
“What happened to Princess Keika?”
She asked without thinking, and Seirai quietly looked down. That was the answer.
Aren closed the door and took a step towards her.
“Riri, I’ll build you an inner palace before you marry Seirai. I will give you all the luxuries you want, but you won’t be allowed to leave the inner palace. You will continue making incenses for me. It would be a disaster if you accidentally get hurt and become unable to make incenses. I will confine you to the inner palace for the rest of your life to protect you.”
Riri couldn’t understand what Aren was saying since earlier.
“Locking me up to protect me? That is unacceptable. Please, Your Majesty. Please reconsider. I will make sure that the incense will be sent to Koran regularly. We can still pretend that nothing has happened. For the sake of Shinzui and Koran…”
She put her hands together as if she was praying and looked up, but Aren suddenly became expressionless.
“Shut up.”
It was a quiet voice, but it was a voice that made her tremble with fear.
“How can I trust your word? What if you change your mind or something happens to you in Shinzui? Then you won’t be able to make the incense. You won’t be in danger as long as you don’t leave the inner palace.”
Aren’s tone was stern. She was afraid, but she gathered up her courage since she knew that she would really be forced to marry Seirai if she didn’t do anything. Then, she tried to sound as calm as possible.
“Your Majesty. I will teach someone here how to make the incense if you’re worried. You will feel at ease if you have that person make it for you whenever you need.”
The treasured incense had erased her memories of her father, but some things remained.
One of them was that he had told her not to carelessly teach the incense methods she comes up with to others.
He said that some people will use incenses for good while others will try to misuse it.
She was reluctant to tell others about how to make the heart smoothing incense that her father had come up with since that was his belief.
But she didn’t have the time to worry about that right now.
“That’s not good either. Our nation isn’t as advanced in the art of incenses like Shinzui is. We haven’t trained any perfumers who can reproduce the incense you make. Even if there was someone who could make it, it would be better for me to have you make it since you won’t make any mistakes.”
Aren took another step towards her.
“If you don’t leave the guarded inner palace then your safety is guaranteed, and I can always get my hands on your incense. So, you can enter the inner palace as Seirai’s wife. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
Aren extended his hand towards her. His calloused hand touched her cheek.
His hand was cold. He was close to her, and he was smiling.
“I will see you in a bridal dress tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it. You can have children as soon as you’re married, then you can teach them how to make the heart soothing incense.”
Aren looked as if he was thinking of something fun. He was nodding to himself.
“Your child should be good at making incenses. I will make them make incenses for me even if something were to happen to you. Your child will be trustworthy… I actually wanted to make you my wife, but with my current condition, I can no longer hope of having a child. Seirai is young and suitable.”
Aren’s eyes were glazed over and looked eerie, and his thoughts were erratic.
“Your bridal gown should be the traditional blue costume of my kingdom. The royal family of my kingdom drink from the Snowflake Spring to seal their marriage. We will perform the ceremony tomorrow. You will be Seirai’s wife once you drink from the spring. Shinzui won’t be able to say anything. I will not give you away even if war happens.”
She opened her mouth to try and dissuade him somehow but couldn’t say anything in the end.
She knew that anything she said wouldn’t get through to the current Aren.
He was so ill that he had lost the ability to make normal judgments. She looked at Seirai who was standing next to Aren.
“Seirai-sama, please help me…!”
She was grasping at straws. Seirai casted his eyes down as if he was in agony.
“His Majesty won’t listen to me now.”
There was resignation in his words. Seirai had once been her enemy, but he changed his mind and became her ally. This time, however, it didn’t seem like he would become her ally.
“Riri, please rest. You’ll be busy tomorrow.”
Aren left the room in a good mood. Seirai followed him out of the room while glancing at her. The door closed and there was a sound of a key turning.
She recalled the conversation she had just had with Aren and Seirai now that she was alone.
(It seems like no one’s words will reach His Majesty now. Perhaps his illness has made him lose the ability to listen to others…)
Even Seirai, his own son, said that he wouldn’t listen to him.
She hadn’t received a clear answer from Seirai, but perhaps Aren was holding Keika hostage.
Aren wanted her since she could make the heart soothing incense even if it meant involving his daughter and son.
“This won’t do. If I, as Kousho-sama’s talented person, were to get married…”
Then Shinzui wouldn’t take it lying down.
It was obvious that there was going to be war.
Most importantly, the treaty that Kousho had worked so hard to create would be voided.
“I must get His Majesty to stop this marriage, but he won’t listen to anyone… Who in the world could tell him off?”
She suddenly thought of something.
“Huh? Perhaps if it’s that person… but how would I get them to tell His Majesty off? Ah, perhaps if I use that…”
This idea came about because of Seirai’s words.
It was a rather reckless idea, and she wasn’t sure if it would work, but it was better than sitting around and doing nothing. She was sceptical, but she formulated a plan in her mind and crossed her arms.
“I would need that… to carry out this plan.”
She wanted to do all she could, but she couldn’t prepare what she needed in captivity. She was puzzled over what to do.
“Garan, we’re stopping here.”
Kousho whispered to Garan, who was standing right next to him, in the darkness.
After confirming that Garan had nodded, he looked down the hallway to the room where Riri was held.
There was a single guard in front of the door.
As he kept looking, Seirai came from the other side of the corridor.
“I need you.”
“But…”
“It’s His Majesty’s orders. It’s locked, so it’s alright. Come.”
Seirai forcefully pulled the guard’s arm and the soldier followed him in bewilderment.
Seirai glanced at Kousho and gave him a small nod. He had said that he couldn’t help them openly, but he will do whatever it takes to help them get Riri out. He told them where Riri was held and gave Kousho a duplicate key. He also sent the soldiers away which was a big help.
Kousho moved to the door when they were out of sight.
He inserted the key he had received from Garan into the large lock and opened it with a clank.
“Garan, keep watch.”
“As you wish.”
When the door opened with a jerk, he saw that it was dim inside with only a single candlelight.
A figure sitting on the couch at the back looked up.
“Kousho-sama…!”
His beloved Riri’s cheeks were red as if she was elevated. She widened her eyes in surprise as if she couldn’t believe he was here, then she immediately smiled. He was relieved that she was safe.
She is his first love. She had forgotten about him because the treasured incense had erased her memories, but his heart couldn’t help but throb when he saw her smile like she did when he had first met her.
The sweet memories made him happy just by thinking about them.
He believed that he would never see her again, so he thanked God for the first time in his life when he did.
Ever since then, his feelings would get deeper every time he saw her.
That feeling exploded when he saw that she was safe and sound.
“Kya!”
He was so happy that he could finally see her that he ran up to her and hugged her tightly.
He was afraid her thin body would break from his hug, but he didn’t loosen his hold on her.
“I’m so glad you’re alright…!”
He was worried and didn’t know what to do when he heard that she had gone missing in another kingdom.
He was finally relieved when he held her in his arms like this and felt her warmth.
“Ko-Kousho-sama. It hurts…!”
Riri screamed in his arms. He was taken aback when he heard her voice.
“I’m sorry, are you alright…?!”
He said, but he didn’t loosen his grip. He wanted to keep her in his arms and protect her.
And he didn’t want to let her go again. Still, it was hard for him to see her in pain, so he reluctantly let her go. He put his hands on her shoulders, looked at her and saw that she was blushing.”
“How did you know that I was here?”
“Seirai told me… Do you know what’s going on?”
He briefly answered. Riri finally calmed down and nodded.
“Emperor Aren was the one who kidnapped me.”
“That’s right. Seirai’s sister has been taken hostage, so he can’t oppose His Majesty directly, but he said that he can’t obey His Majesty Aren since he had kidnapped you. Seirai has made arrangements for us to leave the palace, so I will take you back to Shinzui with me.”
He withdrew his hands from her shoulders and tried to take her out of the room.
But Riri didn’t move. He stopped and looked at her curiously.
“What’s wrong?”
“Emperor Aren will be angry if I go back to Shinzui. He might even go to war with Shinzui to get me back.”
It was possible. Aren was madly obsessed with Riri.
“I know, but you’ll end up marrying Seirai if you stay here. I won’t forgive Koran if you marry him.”
When he expressed his heartfelt feelings to her, she looked surprised but shook her head.
“The treaty won’t be signed if I run away. You worked so hard to conclude the discussions. Many people working in the mines will be left out in the cold if we fail to conclude the treaty with Koran.”
This was something that bothered Kousho.
There were four towns surrounding the mines in Shinzui.
The people in those towns all benefited from the mines in one way or another.
If they get into a dispute with Koran and Emperor Aren claimed the mining concessions, then those people will be deprived of their livelihood.
That was a situation that he, as the Crown Prince of Shinzui, had to avoid.
“… I know, but I want to take you back to Shinzui even if I have to give up everything.”
It was something that bothered him greatly. He would have to sacrifice Riri if he acted in the interest of his nation.
But he couldn’t do that.
He knew that he would never regret his decision to choose Riri no matter what happened from here on out.
Riri widened her eyes. Maybe she was disappointed in him as a Crown Prince.
She didn’t say anything critical even though she looked pained.
“I will do whatever it takes to get you back even if you stay here. I will talk to my father about the mines again and come up with a plan to deal with it. I’m sure he doesn’t want to sacrifice you.”
He embraced her once again, but gently this time. Riri is a serious and honest young woman.
He was certain that she had thought hard about what she could do for the people of Shinzui and Koran.
“Riri, as far as I can tell, what Emperor Aren is saying, and thinking is absurd. He won’t listen to anyone and no one in this kingdom can talk to him. You have no choice but to run away as long as he doesn’t change his mind.”
Kousho explained the current situation in a simple way.
Riri definitely understood the situation, but he knew it was necessary for him to persuade her to leave.
“War is inevitable whether you choose to run away or stay, so I want to take you home with me… I care about you, Riri.”
He put passion into his words. Riri blushed in his arms.
“Kousho-sama…”
Riri remained motionless for a while. Normally, she would have been busy fidgeting and blushing, so he was curious about what she was thinking about.
“Riri, do you perhaps have a way to stop Emperor Aren?”
He asked as he pulled away from her a little. He had no reason to think this, but Riri has been in dangerous situations, and she always found unbelievable ways to get out of them.
He believed that she was hesitant to run away because she had an idea on how to stop Aren.
Riri turned her strong-willed eyes at him.
“… I can’t guarantee that I can stop him. The possibility of failure might be higher, but there is one way to stop the conflict between Shinzui and Koran.”
Her voice was firm. Riri stared at him and continued to speak.
“I want to be of use for the peace between Shinzui and Koran. I want the treaty to be signed, and I want the many people who work in the mines to be able to live in peace. I know there’s a limit to what I can do, but I want to remove any worries that Shinzui has before you become the Emperor.”
Riri’s hands squeezed his sleeve.
“Riri…”
“I don’t know if my plan will work Kousho-sama, but I want to bet on it even if there’s only a small chance it would work, so please believe in me and help me.”
Kousho was anxious, but Riri has done what seemed impossible in the past.
So, he wanted to believe in her. He nodded and she produced a piece of paper from her pocket.
“I want you to bring the materials written in this paper from my bag. I can start if I have these materials.”
Honestly, he wanted to take Riri back to Shinzui with him.
But that would mean ignoring her will.
“If this fails, then I will bring you back to Shinzui even if it means war.”
He hugged her for the third time and whispered in her ears. Riri finally relaxed her tense body.
“I understand.”
Her voice was quiet and sounded cute. He wanted to lock her up in his arms and not let anyone see her.
But he knew that Riri didn’t want that.
She would have regrets if he forcefully took her back.
So, he wanted to let her do what she wanted.