Snippet #1969193

Daiki opened his mouth and then closed it, unsure how to respond. Whenever political matters were discussed, Daiki was beginning to notice that Fa Sheng would rub his temples. Was the stress really so strong for the emperor? Daiki sighed heavily and shook his head. "I've seen more of Katsuro in the past day than I have in the past three years. This girl has found a way to revive him I think. Don't give up on him yet, brother."

Daiki sighed heavily, looking at Fa Sheng through silent eyes. "Father was still around for us," Daiki added softly, turning his face away. "We did not have an easy childhood, but it was happy."

---

Kazumi watched Kisei with wide, unblinking eyes. Her hand had left his side as she merely clung to his hand encased in hers, fearful of what would happen if she released it. Would the prince also slip from her grasp in that case? It was a risk Kazumi was not willing to take.

As the attack subsisted and left a small, wheezing boy, Kazumi pressed her eyes closed in relief. The worse was over.

But no, Kazumi knew well enough that this was far below the worst this situation could have been.

Kazumi did not dare to move. She barely breathed in fear of stealing the precious oxygen from Kisei. Rather, she simply sat, wordless, wide eyes trained on the quivering prince. Unconsciously she squeezed his hand in a gesture of comfort but also to see how strong his pulse remained after the attack. It was weaker than she would have cared for, but strong enough to know this would not be the end for her dear prince. She closed her eyes softly, trying to get rid of the terror that settled deep in her stomach. Carefully she brushed the wild strands of hair away from his face, her mind blank of how to react. "You should let me braid your hair," she said at last, her voice weak as Kisei's. "It is a mess." Had Kazumi been thinking normally, she would have realized how foolish she sounded. But for now, she was lucky her voice even functioned properly.