Snippet #1963229

To this, Daiki nodded and stepped away towards the stable so he could take out the horses. There were three purebreds in the main stable. One for each of the princes as a gift from their grandfather before Kisei's condition was made known to the public. It saddened Daiki that this steed was never ridden, but he could not bring himself to take out Kisei's horse without him. And the young prince was in no condition to ride. Leaning against the wall, Daiki waited for Fa Sheng, mental rehearsing dialogue that Kisei as all but ordered him to say.

---

Hatsue smiled softly, honestly, and accepted Fa Sheng's hand. She liked the way he escorted her around the palace himself rather then through servants as one of her friend's husbands had done. She liked that the first thing he wanted her to do was meet his brothers. Most of all, she loved how he offered her his hand whenever they traveled together. To Hatsue, this was not only a symbol of unity, but of equality. Females were often left to follow their husbands, but when holding his hand it allowed Hatsue to walk side by side with him.

"I agree," she said softly, not resisting in the slightest as she was led deeper into the palace. As they entered the room, Hatsue gasped softly as it was more than she could have ever expected. She smiled and shook her head, turning back to him. "Thank you, Fa Sheng. For everything. Now go off with Daiki and enjoy your time together. I will be fine until you come back. If anything, I'll just be napping."

---

To this, Kazumi's jaw slacked, her eyes growing wide with shock. She straightened, babbling softly in confusion and unsure how to respond to this. Her fist clenched and then released itself slowly as she breathed deeply to clear her mind. It almost seemed as if he was planning his death....

"He would never be alone. He has Daiki and the rest of the empire," Kazumi babbled, shaking her head. "And because he has a wife now, this does not give you permission to die!" she all but shouted at him. Kazumi did not understand why this statement angered her so much. "You can't die, not yet. I just met you," she whimpered, ashamed of herself.