“Hee hee hee! ♪ So, what’ll you do now? No matter how smart you are, I doubt you can figure this one out. You can always surrender if you want! ★” Meirin taunted.
She was sitting across from me in an extravagant chair, a triumphant smirk on her face as she watched me struggle with her most difficult puzzle to date. It looked like she was having the time of her life, kicking her little feet and playing with her hair. Since Shizuka wasn’t here, she didn’t have to put on any airs. That she seemed a lot younger than her actual age probably wasn’t just a trick of my mind.
The Ou family’s manor was situated in the southern district of Rinkei. Their piece of land was excellent, and was especially close to where the imperial palace was. Though the Ou family was a family of merchants, their property was more spacious than that of a lower noble’s. Flowers bloomed all over their prized garden, and there was even a pond in the middle.
We were currently spending time on the small island in said pond. Upon the impressively beautiful marble table between me and Meirin were three porcelain bowls, each containing different flavors of tea. This was a game called the tea-tasting contest, in which competitors would try and guess the brand of tea using taste alone. This game was pretty serious business and it’d been trending in Rinkei for a while now. Shizuka had perfectly prepared the cups of tea, and I took a final sip from each of them.
“I got it!” I yelled, pushing any doubts from my mind.
Meirin’s shoulders twitched slightly before she said, “Then, let’s hear your answer. If you lose then I’ll have you stay at my house for the night. Hee hee, I’ve prepared lots of interesting ingredients from both land and sea just for you, Lord Sekiei! Today, I shall emerge the victor!”
“I am pretty interested in the food, but...” I looked into Meirin’s eyes and, pointing at each cup as I spoke, gave her my answers. “The one on the very left is from Ryokukai, in the south of the continent—I can catch the faintest scent of fruits from it. The one in the middle is from Kuragejima. That tea tasted and smelled the strongest, which is probably because the farmers from that region dry their leaves longer than others. The last one was a foreign one... I assume you got it from Seitou?”
Meirin had been so confident in her victory mere seconds ago, but her eyes had grown wider with my every word. Now she bit her lip before tossing her torso across the table. “Y-You’re absolutely correct...” she managed to eke out in frustration.
“Yes!” I raised my fist in the air and then popped a sesame dumpling into my mouth. It tasted like the subtle sweetness of victory.
In contrast to my dignified restraint, Meirin was kicking her legs and pounding her fists on the table as she screeched. “I really thought I’d win this time! My husband is so amazing... But I’m so angry!” I couldn’t even call this childish anymore; it was downright toddler-like behavior. With her upper body still on the table, she raised her head and asked in a bitter voice, “How did you figure it out? I thought you’d never had these blends before! I never prepared these for you! Even the tea blend from Seitou was something I specifically ordered for today; it’s one that only the imperial family drinks!”
“Hmm... I guess if I had to give a reason...”
“Uh-huh?” Meirin puffed out her cheeks and narrowed her eyes. She was obviously pouting.
The tea cups Meirin used were of incredibly high quality. I picked one up and gave my honest reply: “I just guessed.”
Meirin’s mouth hung open and she slowly stood up. Then she clenched her hands into tight fists and jumped up and down, her pigtails following her movements. “Jeez, I can’t believe this! This is why you give me such a headache, Lord Sekiei! I put so much work into this tea-tasting contest and you just had to ruin all the fun! ‘I just guessed.’ Ha! What a convenient excuse!”
I cackled. “You’d be mistaken if you think I care what a sore loser has to say!” It was an obvious attempt to rile her up, and I followed it up by draining a cup of my victory tea.
To show her gratitude after I’d saved her from the pirates, the young merchant prodigy Ou Meirin had easily solved Keiyou’s perpetual lack of resources by sending a large amount of provisions on a regular basis. It was hard to tell that Keiyou’s savior was the same person as the girl before me.
She gripped her sleeves and growled, “Y-You’re a cruel monster! Does toying with a young maiden’s heart like this make you happy?! A normal person would let me win after seeing all the effort I put into the contest!”
“Oh, that reminds me. Since I won, I’d like you to find me a sturdy sword and a high-quality bow.”
“Lord Sekiei... You’re so mean!”
I ignored her playful insults and signaled with my hand for her to sit. Meirin obeyed, though there was still a dissatisfied look on her face. I reached out for a second cup of tea. “I have to say, I’m impressed that you were able to find so many rare teas.”
“This was all in a day’s work! ★” Meirin giggled, cupping her face in her hands and rocking her body from side to side.
The twin mounds on her chest, so out of place on such a small frame, bounced as she moved and I looked away, feeling awkward. Meirin could be so unguarded that I should probably warn Miss Shizuka about this later.
“And besides,” Meirin continued, “it’s not a hardship to put in an effort for the man I love.” Meirin held up her fists as if willing me to understand. “I, Ou Meirin, have no qualms about exercising my authority, as long as it’ll make you happy! What do you think about that? I’m adorable, aren’t I?”
“You’re a little terrifying,” I replied with brutal honesty.
“Agh!” Meirin gritted her teeth, but there was a delighted sparkle in her eyes. “You have walls up like an impenetrable fortress! I wouldn’t expect anything less from my husband.”
“But I’m not your husband.”
“Grr... Would it kill you to be nice to me for once?”
“Nah. Here, you can have this.” I picked up a sesame dumpling and tossed it to Meirin. She had apparently wanted to import some from Seitou—which was famous for its delicious snacks—and was disappointed when she couldn’t get her hands on any, having to settle for ones made in Ei.
Meirin might have only been a merchant, but she had impressive reflexes. She caught the dumpling in her mouth and smiled happily. “It’s delicious!” she giggled.
She was a really weird girl for liking someone like me. I waited for her to finish eating and as soon as she did, I set my cup aside. “Meirin.”
“Yes?” she asked, blinking at me with her big eyes. Even though she was older than me, her face made her look so much younger.
I watched the breeze play with her hair and then lowered my head in a deep bow. “The soldiers in Keiyou were delighted to see all of the supplies you bought us. Thank you. I could’ve had a thousand years and I still would’ve never figured out a way to solve the problem. I’ve worked everything out with father and the other generals, so I hope that you’ll continue to provide us with aid in the future.”
My father had given me a mission: “There are fifty thousand soldiers at the front lines to keep Gen in check, but there aren’t enough rations to go around. I’d like you to solve this issue for me.” It wasn’t an easy problem to solve. I had to take into account how the changing seasons would affect crops, as well as how many ships would be able to use the Grand Canal. Everyone had been of the opinion that even coming up with the foundations of a plan would be difficult; everyone except for Ou Meirin, that is.
After Meirin had heard about the issue from me, she took to solving it with surprising passion. Her solution had been for ships to depart on a sea route, and then return using the Grand Canal. The only thing I contributed was to suggest that we use the ocean and the Canal at the same time.
Though I kept my head bowed, Meirin didn’t reply. The wind brought with it the scent of water, flowers, and dirt. It seemed like Shizuka had brought in another guest. After a long moment, Meirin heaved a heavy sigh. I looked up to see her glaring down at me, her face resting on the palm of her hand. There was a faint flush on her cheeks.
“All I did was take your ideas, combine them together, and then organize them into a workable plan. Shizuka was the one most familiar with sea routes, since she used to be a traveler. And also...”
“Uh-huh?”