All the consorts who lived at the Beautiful Flower Palace were gathered in the great hall.
Riri was sitting at the very back of the hall staring at the backs of the consorts who were sitting in front of her.
A maid had announced that Kousho had an urgent matter to discuss a few moments ago, and everyone rushed to gather in the great hall.
The gracefully seated consorts were all dressed elegantly and adorned with flittering accessories and hairpins. They were all in their teens, so their skin was smooth, and their radiant auras filled the room.
But the ‘scent’ that was emanating from these girls was completely different from the aura they gave off.
(The disgusting smell of mutual hate is overflowing from everyone. I feel like I’m going to choke.)
The only skill she possessed was her super olfaction which allowed her to even smell the emotions of people from the scent they gave off. The smell of disgust and hatred was the worst thing in the world.
She almost felt sick but managed to hold it in and look at their backs once more.
The Four Consorts, the representatives of Beautiful Flower Palace, were sitting in the front row; Hisui, the Noble Consort, to her left, Juka, the Virtuous Consort, and to her right were Ranran and Shoei, the Pure and Worthy Consorts.
Behind them, the consorts who supported Hisui and those who supported Ranran were seated on their respective sides which created an unnatural gap in the middle of the hall like a trench.
The division at the Beautiful Flower Place had become so serious that it showed.
The door at the front side of the hall opened wide while she was worried that something bad would happen in the future.
Kousho, the Crown Prince of Shinzui, entered with several aides.
Everyone in Shinzui had dark hair and eye colours, but the royal family, who is said to be descended from dragons, are different.
Kousho had long, fiery red hair which was tied into a simple knot and greyish-brown eyes. His handsome face was enough to captivate all the women in the palace. His tall and muscular body was dressed in an amber Shenyi that had a rising dragon, which only the royal family can wear, embroidered on it.
He was still young at around twenty years old, but he was scheduled to become the emperor of Shinzui in half a year, replacing his father, who was ill and bedridden. When she first came to the palace, she honestly disliked Kousho because of his arrogant attitude, but her feelings towards him gradually changed as she interacted with him.
(Kousho-sama may have a sharp tongue, but he is really kind. He always helps me in times of need. I want to do what I can for him.)
If something were to happen in the Beautiful Flower Palace, then Kousho will be responsible since he is the master of the Beautiful Flower Palace. She believed that the thing she could do for him now was to find out the cause of the conflict in Beautiful Flower Palace.
She turned her attention once again to the consorts who were sitting in two sections.
(Consort Ranran used to follow Hisui around, and had been really loyal to her, and yet she suddenly rebelled against Hisui. What on earth could be the cause of this?)
Although this was a secret from everyone, she and Hisui were close enough to call each other by name.
She also wanted to do something about this situation for Hisui since she was her friend.
“Thank you for gathering here.”
She heard Kousho’s low voice while she was thinking.
She quickly looked up to see that Kousho was seated at the front and was looking around.
“I have gathered you all here today because I have received an imperial order from the Emperor.”
Riri could feel the other consorts tense up at those words.
(An imperial order from the Emperor? It’s been half a year since I’ve arrived at the Beautiful Flower Palace, but it seems no one here has experienced this before.)
She tilted her head, wondering what the order was about when Kousho slowly spoke again.
“The palace will hold a big event in a month called the ‘Elegant Incense Gathering’. As you all know, the ‘Elegant Incense Gathering’ is an important event that occurs once a year where the Ministry of Incenses present the incenses they have researched to guests both inside and outside of the nation.”
In Shinzui, incenses were used not only to calm the mind, but also to cure pain and illnesses. Perfumers who can manipulate incenses have the same status as a doctor.
She dreamed of becoming a perfumer who could heal people ever since she was a child.
However, being a perfumer is a government-recognised qualification, and one must pass a strict exam to become one.
On top of that, women weren’t allowed to take the exams, so the chances of her dream coming true was low.
Still, she didn’t want to give up, so she continued studying incenses.
She knew about the Elegant Incense Meeting. When she lived downtown, the whole town would get excited like when a festival was being held whenever the Elegant Incense Gathering was held. She looked forward to the gathering every year since new incense techniques which were invented by the Ministry of Incenses were presented to the public.
Kousho slowly looked around at the consorts.
“The Elegant Incense Gathering is an event hosted by the Emperor. Nobles from our nation and the royal families of other nations are invited to the gathering and the Ministry of Incenses will present their research over a period of three days. The Emperor entertains the guests and the banquet that is held on the last day is an important occasion to foster friendship with the royal families from other nations, but as you all know, His Majesty’s health hasn’t been good recently.”
Kousho looked down slightly. He must have been worried about his father even though it didn’t show on his face.
“His Majesty intended to make preparations for the Elegant Incense Gathering while keeping a close eye on his health, but he is distressed that there hasn’t been any progress. He discussed this with his aides, and thus has decided to entrust me with hosting the gathering.”
“Oh my! What an honour…!”
“How wonderful. Being ordered to host this gathering is proof that His Majesty trusts you, Your Highness.”
The hall was noisy. The consorts were all excited and all of them were blushing.
“I’m not done. Quiet.”
Silence soon returned with a single word from Kousho.
“But the Elegant Incense Gathering is in one month. As I said before, the preparations for the gathering haven’t progressed very much due to various reasons. It will be very difficult to prepare for it now. Nevertheless, I have taken on this task.”
His strong gaze seemed to reflect his unshakeable confidence.
“There’s only about half a year left until I become the emperor. Another reason why His Majesty is entrusting me with hosting the gathering is to officially present me as his successor to the royal members of the other nations. Therefore, His Majesty has stated that he would like to entrust the preparations for the banquet, which happens on the last day of the gathering, to the Beautiful Flower Palace.”
The consorts gasped. Kousho continued talking.
“As you all know, Shinzui has three auspicious beast titles. The first title, the ‘Dragon’ title belongs to the emperor who rules Shinzui, the ‘Phoenix’ title is bestowed to the general in charge of the army and is considered as the emperor’s guardian deity, and the title of ‘Qilin’ who is said to protect the nation with a benevolent heart is bestowed to the master perfumer.”
Everyone in Shinzui knew about this.
There are two people who hold the title of ‘Dragon’ and ‘Phoenix’ in Shinzui, but the title of ‘Qilin’ is currently held by no one.
Only those who can make the treasured incense can be bestowed the ‘Qilin’ title, but the method of preparing the treasured incense was lost several hundred years ago since the death of the master perfumer who had created the incense. Many perfumers have tried to re-create the treasured incense, but no one has ever succeeded.
“I will become the emperor and inherit the title of ‘Dragon’ from my father. I intend to rule in a manner that will live up to that title. I believe hosting this Elegant Incense Gathering will be the first step towards this.”
Kousho paused, then smiled gallantly.
“It will be a great honour for the consorts of Beautiful Flower Palace to prepare the Elegant Incense Gathering banquet. If this banquet is a success, then the Beautiful Flower Palace name will spread to other nations, but if we fail, then the rest of the world might laugh at us. We also only have one month to prepare.”
Kousho was smiling but his eyes weren’t.
“I apologise for the last-minute notice, but I want to make the Elegant Incense Gathering a success and make it known everywhere that I am a worthy heir to the ‘Dragon’ title. Please help me with this. I believe you can all do it, so please don’t betray my trust and work hard on the preparations.”
When he finished his speech, the consorts all bowed at once.
Kousho nodded in satisfaction and looked at the Four Consorts who were seated at the front row.
“I will give you your duties, so I want you to lead the consorts of Beautiful Flower Palace and start preparing immediately. First, the Virtuous Consort, Juka.”
“Yes!”
Juka’s eyes turned white when her name was called, and she bowed.
“I want you to arrange the food and wine for the banquet, then choose the consorts who will entertain the guests at the banquet. I don’t believe the consorts here will cause any trouble, but please make sure they will behave in a manner that will not come off as rude to the guests.”
“Please leave it to me.”
She bowed once again.
“Next, the Worthy Consort, Shoei.”
“Y-yes…”
Shoei replied in a thin voice. Her body was trembling slightly as if she was nervous.
“I heard that you’re good with needlework, so I want you to prepare small accessories for the banquet and arrange the costumes for the dance performance.”
“Certainly.”
Kousho’s eyes fell on Hisui and Ranran.
“The Pure Consort, Ranran. It seems that you’re good at dancing. I remember that you had danced wonderfully at the Beauty Pageant. I will leave the dance to you. Please make the banquet as lively as you can.”
“Yes, of course.”
Ranran replied confidently.
“The Noble Consort, Hisui, will be in charge of the banquet. Make sure the banquet goes smoothly and the guests leave satisfied.”
Hisui slowly bowed her head.
“I will do my best for you, Kousho-sama.”
The consorts who heard the exchange between Kousho and Hisui were talking among themselves. The consorts sitting behind Hisui were emitting a happy ‘scent’, but the ones sitting behind Ranran were emitting hatred and anger ‘scents’. The scent that Ranran was emitting as she glared at Hisui was close to a killing intent scent.
(I’m sure the person who is in charge of the banquet will become the empress. Hisui was probably nominated for this position because she is the representative of Beautiful Flower Palace, but it almost means that she has leaped to the number one spot on the list of candidates for empress. That’s why Consort Ranran is jealous of Hisui…)
It was a great honour for the Beautiful Flower Palace to prepare the banquet.
But it was possible that this would result in further conflict with the way the Beautiful Flower Palace was now.
Riri was worried that this would make things worse when she suddenly heard a voice.
“Consort Riri, I also have something for you to do.”
It was Kousho’s voice. She looked up in surprise.
“Huh?! Ah, yes…!”
She turned to look at him and saw he was sullen.
“Why are you panicking so much?”
“I-I am so sorry!”
“Well, whatever. I want you to prepare the incenses for the banquet. The Ministry of Incenses will normally prepare the incenses for the gathering, but I’m going to leave it to you this year. I want our guests to know that there is a consort in Beautiful Flower Place who can make incenses.”
It was an unexpected request. She smiled with joy since it felt like her skills at making incenses had been recognised.
“Yes. I will work hard to prepare incenses that will satisfy our guests.”
Women in this nation weren’t allowed to become perfumers, so this was probably the most prestigious job she could do.
She bowed her head, then Kousho nodded and stood up.
“I’m going to be busy preparing for the gathering. I’ll leave the banquet to you all. Obey Consort Hisui and act as one to make the banquet a success.”
All the consorts bowed their heads in unison again.
The consorts who were seated in the hall looked graceful at a glance, but they emitted fragrances containing various emotions that were invisible to the eye. Those fragrances blew away all the happiness she felt over being entrusted with a prestigious task.
Her heart filled with anxiety as she watched Kousho leave the hall.
(How can we work as one to prepare the banquet like this…!? If the banquet fails, then the fault will lie with Kousho-sama since Beautiful Flower Palace belongs to him. It is also the unveiling of the next emperor, so failure isn’t an option.)
The hall got even noisier when Kousho left.
She felt anxious as she saw the consorts from Hisui’s faction and Ranran’s faction glare at each other.
“Consort Hisui, may I have a moment?”
Riri quickly called out to Hisui in the corridor.
Hisui and the several consorts around her turned around.
“What is it, Consort Riri?”
Hisui was unusually nervous. The person in charge of the Elegant Incense Gathering has an important role.
It may be too much for Hisui who is still in her teens.
Even so, Riri believed that Kousho ordered her to do so because he believed she could do it.
“I would like to discuss what incense should be burnt at the banquet. I won’t take up much of your time… I would like to talk with just the two of us if that’s possible.”
She glanced at the consorts around them. They looked a little peeved.
“Consort Riri, Consort Hisui is very busy.”
“That’s right. We’ve just started preparing for the gathering, so show some restraint.”
“Wait.”
Hisui stopped the consorts with her right hand.
“I also need to talk to Consort Riri about the banquet. I’m sorry, but could you excuse me for a moment.”
The consorts looked at each other when they heard Hisui’s quiet voice.
“Alright. Then, we’ll go first.”
The consorts walked down the corridor, seemingly reluctant to leave.
Hisui turned to Riri when the consorts were out of sight.
“What did you want to talk about, Riri?”
Hisui was often described as being like a doll because of her pretty, poker face, but she was a passionate person.
She had shown her crying face and smiling face to Riri because Riri was her friend.
“I’m sorry for bothering you when you’re busy, Hisui, but there’s something I really want to ask you… It’s about Consort Raran.”
Her expression didn’t change but Riri immediately smelled the scent Hisui emitted when she was upset.
“Why did Consort Ranran behave like that? What’s stranger is that you’re staying silent no matter what she says. Why don’t you tell her off?”
That was the strangest thing. Hisui scolding her would change the situation.
Hisui quickly looked away. Riri found Hisui’s attitude weird as well.
“… Did something happen between you and Consort Ranran? You can tell me. I want to help you. Besides, Beautiful Flower Palace will fall apart if this situation continues.”
Hisui looked pained. Riri knew that something had happened, but she suddenly heard a voice before she could ask.
“Consort Hisui!”
She was startled by the voice that was coming from ahead.
This voice was the last voice she wanted to hear right now. She looked up to see Ranran walking towards them with a group of consorts.
She was staring at Hisui harshly. Hisui looked down to avoid Ranran’s gaze.
Hisui’s attitude was unusual and Riri widened her eyes. In addition to her beauty, Hisui is the object of admiration of the consorts because she has the ability to make calm decisions and holds enough knowledge to manage the Beautiful Flower Palace.
She was always dignified and Riri had never seen her looking down like this.
Ranran stood in front of Hisui and looked angry.
“Being in charge of the banquet is the empress’s duty. In other words, it is my duty since I am the best candidate for the empress position, so you should refuse to oversee the banquet. I’ll be in charge of entertaining the foreign royals.”
Ranran’s argument was strange, but the consorts behind her looked as if she was speaking the obvious.
“… I can’t do that. Kousho-sama ordered me to do it.”
“So, it’s fine for you to refuse. Why don’t you say you’re not feeling well or something like that.”
“It is discourteous to lie to the royal family.”
Ranran bit her lips as Hisui stared at her.
“Are you going against me?! I’ll let everyone know about that!”
Ranran was startled by the thing she had blurted out.
“Consort Ranran. What are you talking about?”
Riri asked sharply and Ranran quickly put her hands over her mouth.
“Nothing. Anyway, refuse. Otherwise, the other consorts and I won’t listen to you.”
With that, Ranran turned and walked back from where she came from. Riri watched her walk away then looked at Hisui.
“Hey, Hisui. What was Consort Ranran going on about…”
“Riri. I have lots to do, so I have to go now… I’m sorry.”
Hisui turned her back towards Riri and quickly left.
There was a small garden behind the Beautiful Flower Palace. It was surrounded by shrubs and only had a small poor excuse of a pond and a pavilion. Riri visited the back garden and looked around.
“May I have a bit of your time, Kousho-sama?”
Kousho was reading something in the pavilion. He turned his head towards him as she approached.
“Riri? I’m busy right now. We can talk later.”
This was Kousho’s favourite garden.
She believed she would be able to talk to him here, and she was right.
“I am sorry, but I have something important to tell you. May I have a bit of your time?”
It would have been impossible for Riri, who had the low status of a talented person, to talk to the Crown Prince alone, but Kousho didn’t tell her off and turned towards her.
“Is it about Consort Hisui and Consort Ranran?”
“So, you know about it?”
“Well, yeah. The consorts are split into two factions, Consort Hisui’s faction and Consort Ranran’s faction. Conflicts between consorts are quite common in the inner palace.”
Kousho shrugged. Riri entered the pavilion and stood in front of him.
“But there is something weird. Consort Ranran has never rebelled against Consort Hisui before. It is also strange that Consort Hisui doesn’t tell Consort Ranran off for her attitude. Besides, everyone must work together for the Elegant Incense Gathering, but if the consorts are at odds with each other then…”
Kousho put down the paper that was in his hand and leaned against the wall of the pavilion.
“Consort Hisui certainly has the brains and skills to do something about this before Consort Ranran could lead the other consorts. Her father assigned her to organise the consorts before she entered the Beautiful Flower Palace.”
“Really?”
Riri had never heard this before. Kousho slowly nodded.
“Yes. Consort Hisui has overwhelming popularity and she is good at unifying people. Hisui’s father raised her that way because he wants her to become the future empress. She herself also entered the Beautiful Flower Palace because she wants to become empress.”
Kousho spoke indifferently as if it was about someone else even though they were talking about a woman who might become his future wife.
“It is definitely weird for her to just sit back and watch as Consort Ranran expands her influence.”
“It is. The preparations for the Elegant Incense Gathering might not go well if things continue like this…”
Kousho folded his arms when she spoke of her uneasiness.
“I suppose it would be possible for me to chide Consort Ranran and make her change her attitude, but there will just be more trouble behind the scenes. If I protect Consort Hisui, then Consort Ranran may become even more jealous and use more malicious methods. There’s nothing more terrifying than jealousy among the consorts in the inner palace.”
Kousho’s gaze sharpened.
(I heard that his mother was poisoned by the consorts at the inner palace because they were jealous that she was receiving the Emperor’s love all the time. I’m sure Kousho-sama understands the feelings of the consorts at the inner palace…)
Her heart ached. She didn’t know what to say and Kousho continued.
“But we cannot afford to make any mistakes at the banquet since foreign royal members will be invited. If something does happen at the banquet, then Consort Hisui may have to take responsibility and leave the inner palace.”
Kousho’s words were heavy. He turned his gaze towards her.
“Riri, if I interfere with the affairs of the inner palace then it might have an opposite effect, but I can’t just leave them like this, so will you help Consort Hisui?”
He looked at her and she nodded.
“Of course. That was what I was going to do, but I just do not know how to help her.”
She put her hand on her chest and looked down. Kousho patted her on the shoulder.
“First, you need to find out why Consort Ranran is being demanding towards Consort Hisui, and there must be a reason why Consort Hisui doesn’t say anything about her attitude. You need to find out that reason. Beautiful Flower Place might be unified if you can stop them from quarrelling.”
“I understand. I will try to find out those reasons.”
Kousho stared at her while she was pondering about how to find out those reasons.
“I have something I’ve been meaning to ask you. You said that you could make progress with the treasured incense if you used the blue winter daphne that you got from Koran, right? How is that going?”
“I am preparing it right now. It’s not completed yet, but I am closer to completing one of the treasured incenses, the Memory Erasing Incense.”
She gently closed her eyes and could smell the incense at the back of her nose.
Her father had erased her childhood memories. She had watched him prepare the legendary treasured incense from start to finish, and it was her father’s love that kept her out of harm’s way.
(My father completed the treasured incense six years ago, but he failed to present it to the Emperor. He was murdered soon after that by an enemy who wanted the treasured incense…)
At first, she had entered the Beautiful Flower Place because she had wanted to restore her father’s honour.
She had lost her memories, but her super olfaction remembered the ‘scent’ that her father had created. She believed that if she could re-create the treasured incense by relying on her olfaction, then she could prove that her father had made the treasured incense.
In fact, she had succeeded in erasing someone’s memory with the incense before, but the treasured incense was one that manipulated memories. She had to improve its efficiency to the point where it could freely manipulate memories for as long as needed. This had been difficult until recently, but she was finally getting a feel for it.
“I am already in the final stages of creating the Memory Erasing Incense. I should be able to complete it if I can figure out how much of the blue winter daphne fragrance wood is needed, but I still have not started on the Memory Retrieving Incense. I am sorry.”
She bowed her head and Kousho shrugged.
“You don’t need to apologise. It’s only been half a year since you came to the Beautiful Flower Palace. It’s extraordinary that you are able to perfect the Memory Erasing Incense in such a short time. The perfumers at the Ministry of Incenses have not been able to reach your level even after decades of research.”
“It is because of my super olfaction. I promised that I will re-create the treasured incense by the time you are enthroned. There is not much time left, but I will do my best.”
She couldn’t say yes if asked if she was confident, but she had no choice but to move forward.
“Alright. The Elegant Incense Gathering is important, but the treasured incense is even more important than anything else for this kingdom. I know it’s a lot of work, but please do your best with both.”
“I will.”
Kousho supported her desire to complete the treasured incense and clear her father’s name.
She was delighted about that. She made up her mind that she would succeed in making it for Kousho’s sake. Kousho crossed his arms and sighed.
“Riri, what do you think about the current Shinzui?”
Her mind raced quickly at his sudden question.
“… The current Shinzui is peaceful and there are no wars, but I may not be able to say yes if you ask me if the people are happy.”
She knew it was disrespectful to say this to the Crown Prince, but she couldn’t lie to him.
“I was happy just to be able to eat every day when I lived downtown, but I realised that nobles and high officials are living much better… when I came to the palace.”
The nobles and high officials were dressed in luxurious clothes, they drank heavily and had more food than they could possibly eat. The amount of money that they spent in a day would surely be enough for a family in the downtown area to live on for a few years.
“I do not know how to put this into words, but I feel that it is unfair sometimes. We are all people.”
She was surprised that she had spoken her true feelings.
“I apologise, I should not have said this to you.”
Kousho listened with his eyes shut, then he opened his eyes and smiled.
“It’s alright. I’m glad I got to hear your honest opinion. You have lived both in the downtown area and in the palace. Your opinion is valuable.”
Kousho suddenly became serious.
“Riri. I want to change this kingdom from its roots when I become the emperor. The current government is one where nobles and high-ranking officials are able to live in wealth because of the taxes that have been extorted from the citizens.”
The sincerity in his voice almost took her breath away.
“But I believe that royals, nobles and high officials should put people’s livelihoods first. It is my dream to govern like that. I want to build a nation like that when I become the emperor.”
She listened attentively, drawn by his powerful words.
“I am in charge of every aspect of the Elegant Incense Gathering this year. Making this gathering a success is my first step towards being recognised as an emperor since foreign royals will be there.”
The smile on Kousho’s face as he spoke of his dream was more dazzling than any expression she had ever seen.
(Huh…? I have seen this smile somewhere before…)
She suddenly felt nostalgic when she saw that smile.
She tilted her head while thinking about where she had seen this smile and Kousho continued.
“When I become the emperor, I will aim to create a kingdom where talented people, regardless of status and gender, can contribute to the nation. I would also like to change the system that prevents women from becoming perfumers. A capable person, regardless of whether they are a man or woman, has to work hard.”
This was something that Kousho would say. His words were in line with her own dream of becoming a perfumer.
“Will I be able to take the perfumer exam when you become emperor?”
She leaned forward and asked and Kousho smiled mischievously.
“You could probably take the test, but whether you pass or not is up to you.”
“I know, but the thought of maybe being able to take the exam will encourage me to practice more.”
She smiled happily and Kousho shrugged.
“Good luck…. Oh yes, I was going to tell you that I heard the new technology the Ministry of Incenses developed that will be presented at the Elegant Incense Gathering is amazing.”
“Eh? How is it amazing?”
“This is supposed to be a national secret until the Elegant Incense Gathering, but I’ll make an exception and tell you about it. This year, the Ministry of Incenses will announce a new technology that will allow us to identify the raw materials of an incense. There are tools to find out the materials of incenses, but it wasn’t possible to determine their amount, but with this new technology, it is possible to identify the materials that were used in the incense and their amounts with near accuracy.”
Riri widened her eyes in surprise and gasped.
“Really!? Does that mean that we will be able to analyse incenses made by other nations!?”
There are many great incenses that can be used for medical treatment even if they were made in foreign nations or weren’t made by a perfumer.
But the people who make these incenses don’t tell others about what materials they made or the quantity of the materials.
So, if one really wanted the incense, then one would have no choice but to buy it at the price the creator set, which can often be quite expensive and often problematic.
But if they had the technology to find out the materials and quantity used in an incense, then they would be able to make it themselves without having to pay a lot of money to buy it from someone else.
It would be quite revolutionary if a technology like that had been developed.
“I can tell from the aroma of the incenses what materials are used and in what proportions to a certain extent, but how on earth did the Ministry of Incenses identify the materials and measurements?”
She couldn’t resist but get excited when she heard about new technology for incenses.
“I don’t know the details myself. Kansou didn’t talk to me about it since it’s a waste of time to repeat it. He just told me to look forward to the big announcement at the Elegant Incense Gathering. That stubborn man must be very confident since he reported this to me with a grin on his face. He was happy since we may eventually be able to identify the materials and quantities of the treasured incense if this technology improves even further.”
She remembered Kansou’s face. He was the head of the Ministry of Incenses, and although he was famous for being strict, he was a serious and capable person. If he was this sure, then the new technology must be superb.
All the perfumers at the Ministry of Incenses are also working hard to re-create the treasured incense. This new technology must be good news to them too. Thinking about it made her tingle.
She clasped her hands together without thinking and held it in prayer in front of Kousho.
“I want to see it! I know I am not worthy of seeing the new technology since I am only a talented person, but I want to see it no matter what…! What kind of technology is it? Incenses are often made by refining fragrant wood or plants, so I suppose it is something that can identify the different types of fragrant woods and plants.”
She exclaimed excitedly, and Kousho smiled wryly, then he put his right hand on Riri’s head.
“I’ll arrange for you to have a close look at it at the Elegant Incense Gathering.”
“Really?!”
Her eyes sparkled with excitement and Kousho nodded.
“I knew you would ask, so I talked to Kansou about giving you permission to see it. Kansou is strict, but he thinks highly of you. He agreed to give you special permission to participate in the Elegant Incense Gathering. Look forward to it.”
She was surprised at how well he had arranged everything. She almost burst into tears because of his kindness.
“Thank you very much!”
“It’s too early for you to thank me. You need to deal with the conflict at Beautiful Flower Palace first. I want to make my dream come true, so I need to make the Elegant Incense Gathering a success.”
Kousho looked serious and she nodded.
“I will help you make your dream come true.”
She spoke her true feelings. Kousho reached out and gently touched her cheek.
His large, warm hands caressed her cheek, then he widened his eyes.
“I can do my best if you support me.”
Those sweet, kind words and expression made her heart beat faster.
Lately, she often found herself in this state whenever she spoke to Kousho.
(My feelings are fluffy, and I feel embarrassed when I look at Kousho-sama’s face. What is this…?)
She didn’t know how she felt, but she was sure that her feelings towards him being arrogant and foul-mouthed had changed recently.
(Do I like Kousho-sama?!?! No, no, no, no way, I don’t! And…)
She suddenly felt down since she remembered something.
(Kousho-sama has someone who he has been in love with for a very long time.)
During the beauty pageant, he had told her to become one of the Four Consorts and refuse to be empress so that he could bide his time until he could meet his first love.
She felt as if her chest was being pricked by something at that time too.
And now, she couldn’t stop the pain that was making it hard for her to breathe whenever she thought about this.
“What’s wrong? You have a strange expression on your face.”
Kousho looked at her curiously.
“Nothing. Let’s make the Elegant Incense Gathering a success.”
She tried to sound as cheerful as possible.
I can’t let Kousho-sama know about these feelings, she thought.
“It’s really wonderful to see Kousho-sama talk about his dreams.”
Riri muttered as she walked down the corridor at Beautiful Flower Palace.
Kousho always saved her when she was in danger.
How many times had he protected her with his broad back?
He also helped her when someone had poisoned her sweets. She would have died if he hadn’t noticed that something was weird about those sweets.
That was a few months ago. She had received some sweets that were said to have been given to her by Kousho.
Kousho casually took the sweets off her just before she was about to eat it.
“Come to think of it, those sweets were weird since I didn’t notice that they were poisoned.”
Her olfaction can even detect people’s emotions through the smell of their sweat, but she didn’t notice that there was poison in the sweets at all. It must have been a very special poison.
“The culprit hasn’t been caught at all, but Kousho-sama said that he will definitely catch them.”
Perhaps the consorts at the inner palace had placed poison in the sweets because they were jealous that she and Kousho were close.
Kousho had made arrangements for her food and drinks to be checked since then, so nothing else had happened since then.
“I’m really grateful to Kousho-sama. I want to make the Elegant Incense Gathering a success for him.”
She walked with that in mind then suddenly noticed some men in the garden.
Beautiful Flower Palace was an inner palace, so only men from the royal family could enter, but there were exceptions: the guards of the inner palace. She looked at the men and noticed a familiar face.
Her body stopped as if time had stopped moving.
“Garan…”
She felt as if she had stopped breathing when she called out his name.
Garan, the General who leads the Shinzui army, was a young man with a large build and sharp eyes. He held the ‘Phoenix’ title, the protector of the emperor, and although he looked scary at a glance, he had a gentle aura around him when he smiled.
He was strong and considerate and was always available to give advice when she needed it.
He was her only male friend at the palace. She used to smile with happiness when she saw him, but now she didn’t know how to act around him.
Garan had been away from the palace to patrol the border, but he was back. He probably noticed her since he turned to look at her.
She felt her heart skip a beat when he looked at her with his dark eyes.
He confessed that he loved her and hugged her. She still remembered the warmth of his arms.
Garan sighed deeply and spoke.
“Riri…”
He called her name, but she didn’t know how to act, so she looked down.
(What kind of expression should I make? What should I say?!)
――― Her thoughts were chaotic. She had never been involved in a romantic relationship before.
So, she didn’t know what to do. Her face and body stiffened, and she shook her head slightly.
Garan widened his eyes in surprise and immediately clenched his fist.
“Garan!”
Kousho, who had been standing at the entrance of the garden, called out to Garan.
He had rushed towards Garan while looking unusually flustered.
“You should have at least contacted me if you were coming back. You were supposed to come back the day after tomorrow.”
Riri felt relieved as soon as she heard Kousho’s voice. She could breathe again as if a thread of tension had been cut.
Garan turned to Kousho and kneeled.
“I apologise. The Elegant Incense Gathering is coming up and I have to arrange the guards, so I came back early.”
“I see. Then, let’s talk over there.”
Garan stood up and quickly turned his attention to Riri.
“What’s wrong, Garan?”
Kousho was smiling but he ‘smelled’ really nervous.
“――― Nothing.”
Garan turned away from Riri and she felt relieved from the bottom of her heart.
(I’m sorry for acting strangely, Garan, but I don’t know how to act around you~.)
Riri swallowed her scream and watched as the two walked away.
Garan walked while staring at Kousho’s back.
He had been away from the palace for about a month, and he believed that this time away was good.
His feelings had built up so much that he had confessed to Riri, but he had time to think over it calmly.
He came up with an answer after thinking for a month.
He didn’t regret confessing his feelings at all.
He felt freed since he had confessed his feelings honestly.
The only thing that worried him was that he had fallen in love with one of the consorts in his master’s inner palace.
Kousho had saved him when he was arrested for a crime and thrown into jail three years ago.
If Kousho hadn’t saved him, then he would have been executed.
Kousho had saved his life.
He believed that Kousho was worthy of serving for the rest of his life and that he would never betray him.
He felt that Riri was a ‘special person’ to Kousho.
Kousho was really happy when he talked to her and Garan knew he was happy since he had served him for a long time.
So, he thought he had betrayed Kousho when he had confessed to Riri.
And… he whispered in his mind.
He still hadn’t heard from Riri how she thought about him.
She looked tense when he had spoken to her earlier.
He felt heartbroken as if his heart would burst at the thought of that being her feelings towards him.
And most importantly, Riri looked relieved and happy when Kousho arrived.
She might like Kousho more than him. An emotion came over him for the first time in his life when he thought this. He felt hurt, irritated, and sad. He wanted to scream.
He wanted to monopolise her and snatch her away.
He finally realised that this feeling was called jealousy and could also be known as possessiveness.
He didn’t know what to do with this burning feeling in his heart. He realised that this was what it meant to fall in love with someone. He pondered about what he should do from now on.
“Kousho-sama, I need to talk to you about something.”
Kousho stopped and turned around. There was no one around. Garan believed now was a good time to tell Kousho.
“What is it? You’ve become serious all of a sudden.”
Kousho put his hands on his hips. It took a lot of courage for Garan to say this out loud.
But he couldn’t lie to himself, and he couldn’t lie to his master either.
“I would like to give up my position as General.”
He had been wondering about what he should say for a long time, but it was surprisingly short when he said it.
Kousho was surprised, but he only raised his eyebrows.
“I see.”
Garan was expecting him to ask him why, but he did not.
There was silence between them for a few minutes, then Kousho finally spoke.
“The Elegant Incense Gathering is coming up soon. I’ll be busy until then, so wait for my answer.”
Garan planned on working until the Elegant Incense Gathering, so he had no objections.
“Okay.”
“His Majesty is waiting for your report on the border security. I have some business to attend to, so go ahead and report to him.”
“Understood.”
Nothing was said and it was a let-down. He was satisfied that he had expressed his feelings, but he didn’t know what Kousho was thinking.
He wondered if he wanted Kousho to stop him.
What am I thinking? I’m the one who asked to leave the palace. He chuckled to himself.
He bowed his head to Kousho and left.
After parting with Garan, Kousho made sure that no one was around and sighed.
Garan had requested Kousho to relinquish him of his position.
Kousho had expected this since he had witnessed him confessing to Riri.
“I guess this is the answer he finally came up with after thinking over it seriously.”
Kousho knew Garan’s personality well enough to know that he wouldn’t be able to confess to Riri and then show up to work without a care in the world. Garan was one of the few people he trusted in the palace, and probably the only person who he could call a close friend.
He trusted the serious and stubborn Garan more than anyone else and would risk his life to save him if anything happens to him.
“But I won’t hand over Riri even to you.”
He could feel his own expression tightening.
Riri had forgotten this because of the treasured incense but they had met in this palace when they were little.
She didn’t know he was the Crown Prince but still tried to save him from kidnappers.
From that moment on, Riri became special to him.
Looking back, she was his first love. He couldn’t hand her over to Garan even if Garan is his close friend.
But he couldn’t kick Garan out of the palace just because he’s his love rival either.
Kousho hadn’t told either of them that he had seen Garan confess to Riri.
When he heard that Garan had returned, he didn’t want him to go near Riri, so he rushed to the Beautiful Flower Palace.
He was relieved that he was able to separate them before they had a conversation, but he couldn’t keep this up forever.
“You look as if you’re pondering about what to do.”
He turned around in surprise when he suddenly heard a teasing voice.
There stood Seirai, the Crown Prince of Koran. He was currently in Shinzui to learn more about incenses. He was a handsome man who made everyone stare at him in surprise with long, flowing silver hair and light brown eyes.
“What do you want, Seirai?”
Lately, he had stopped respecting him as the Crown Prince of the neighbouring kingdom even in public.
Seirai wasn’t bothered by this and put his arms around Kousho’s shoulders in a friendly manner.
“I went to the Beautiful Flower Palace to see Riri earlier…”
“Hey. I’ve told you this many times before, but don’t enter the Beautiful Flower Palace without permission.”
“Isn’t it fine? Your inner palace is my inner palace since we’re close friends.”
“We’re not!”
He asserted resolutely, but Seirai didn’t seem bothered.
He hated the easy-going, womanizing, and lazy Seirai.
“Well, that’s enough of that since we talk about it all the time. Anyway, when I went to the Beautiful Flower Palace, I saw that there was something strange going on between you, Garan and Riri. Riri stiffened when she saw Garan while he was looking at her passionately, and you intentionally dragged Garan away to separate them.”
Kousho thought that Seirai was as sharp as ever, but he didn’t let it show on his face.
Seirai quietly lowered his tone.
“Garan said he wanted to give up his position as the General, right? I have a vague idea of what happened, but please stop fighting over Riri without me there. I like Riri too.”
Seirai grinned but his eyes weren’t smiling.
He had been watching them ever since they were at the Beautiful Flower Palace. He was close enough to hear their conversation and had completely hidden his presence because neither Kousho nor Garan had noticed him.
He really couldn’t be careless around Seirai.
A lot of things happened with Seirai and he boldly declared that he would take Riri back to Koran as his wife.
Kousho’s instincts warned him that he would suffer greatly if he let himself be deceived by Seirai’s frivolous appearance and attitude.
He shook Seirai’s arms off his shoulder.
“I won’t let you have Riri.”
“Hmph, that sounds as if you’ll be fine letting someone else have her as long as they’re not me.”
“I won’t let anyone have her. She’s mine.”
He put his hand on his chest and declared. Seirai smiled.
“You look like you’re stuck in the middle between your close friend and the person you love, but you’re pretending to be strong in front of me.”
Seirai looked as if he knew everything.
“I’ll tell you something good, Kousho. Sometimes, we get stuck when we have many things that are important to us, and you will have to choose one of them in the end. I wonder who you will choose.”
Kousho hated this condescending attitude, but he managed to keep enough reason not to say it.
“Is that all you wanted to say?”
“Oh, I forgot the most important thing. My father wants to attend the Elegant Incense Gathering, so I’m going back to Koran to accompany him here. He’s feeling a lot better thanks to the incense that Riri made for him. He wants to see her.”
Emperor Aren, from Koran, had put Kousho through hell recently.
But since an invite had been sent to him, Kousho couldn’t ask him not to come.
Seirai turned his back to Kousho and waved his hand in the air.
“I’ll be riding a horse back to Koran, but I’ll be travelling slowly on a palanquin from Koran to Shinzui since I’ll be with my father, so I’ll be away for a while. Don’t force yourself on Riri while I’m gone. I won’t allow you to have a head start. Also, keep an eye on Garan. That serious and clumsy man might get so worked up that he’ll do something like kidnap Riri and flee from the palace.”
“Garan wouldn’t do that. He’s not shrewd enough to do that.”
“You place a lot of trust in him, but that’s fine. Well then, it’s about time for me to leave.”
Kousho sighed after seeing Seirai leave. My love rivals are all formidable men.