That was the reality this shadow apparently couldn’t, or didn’t want to, see. A cold wind blew into my cell and I heard faint footsteps from the window. Someone had been approaching but stopped, maybe after a brief moment of surprise.
“I’ll keep what you said in mind, as well as your name, Chou Sekiei,” the shadow said in a weary voice. “You’ve a guest,” he added before he turned on his heel and left.
Almost immediately after, something fell down from between the bars of the window. I snatched it out of the air to find that it was a small, warm leather bag. Inside were zongzi and a bamboo bottle, along with a folded-up piece of paper. I strained my eyes and noticed a shadowy figure wearing a jacket peering in at me from outside. It was Hakurei. Her expression was blank, but her silver hair reflected the moonlight, shining like the stars.
“Wha... Listen, you,” I said, half in disbelief. “You shouldn’t have come all the way here. We may be in the capital, but it’s still dangerous for a woman to walk around at night by herself! How did you even get here in the first place?” The doors and gates into the imperial palace were all locked at night, so it should have been impossible.
Hakurei sat on the ground and explained, “I had the Ou family’s daughter tell me about a secret passage. Miss Shizuka was the one who led me down it.”
“Those two...” I pressed my fingers against my forehead as a migraine started to build. The Ou family consisted of highly influential and powerful merchants, so it wasn’t a surprise that they knew about a secret passage or two. I complained about them and their inability to leave well alone under my breath as I unwrapped the sticky rice dumpling.
“Before you eat...” Hakurei said in a cold voice.
“Yeah?”
“You’re not even going to thank me for bringing you that food, Mister Freeloader? Even after you tarnished my father’s reputation?”
Damn. She’s seriously angry. I looked around as if the cold walls of my prison cell could save me from my predicament.
“Th-Thanks. Oh yeah, that reminds me. You and father didn’t get in trouble, did you?”
“We didn’t.”
I breathed out a sigh. “That’s a relief.” With worry out of the way, I bit into the dumpling. As soon as the salt hit my tongue I could feel my strength returning. Ahh... That sure hits the spot. Within seconds I’d finished and I washed it all down with water.
“Why?” Hakurei’s trembling voice came from above. It was unlike her, who was normally so calm and collected, to sound like this. I set the bamboo bottle aside and looked up at her. “Why did you go that far? You’ve always been an idiot, but...”
“Hey, I resent that.”
“But you aren’t an idiot who’s ignorant of your standing. Back there, I only needed to hold my tongue and bear it.”
“Well, no, not quite,” I said, easily shooting down Hakurei’s interpretation of the events. I licked a grain of rice off my finger. Might as well tell her my honest feelings. “‘Women with silver hair and blue eyes will bring misfortune to the country.’ Except I’ve been with you for about ten years now and nothing bad has ever happened to me. In fact, I’d say that you bring good fortune. I won’t let you get hurt just because of a superstition.”
Hakurei fell silent. I didn’t need to see her face to know that she was pouting. I had started working on my second zongzi when Hakurei spoke again, her words rushing out.
“The first young man you knocked out hadn’t been lying. He truly was the old grand chancellor’s grandson. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they charge you with a felony.”
I hummed, focused more on the delicious zongzi in my hands. I was far more interested in eating than hearing about the potential ramifications of my actions.
“Do you have no sense of danger?” Hakurei said, her voice starting to regain its usual chill. “Things could get out of hand.”
“I’m sure it won’t be a big deal. If His Excellency is someone of low caliber like that, then I’d say it’s a relief since father can handle someone as pathetic as that in his sleep. What would the people say if they learned that the grand chancellor in charge of managing the entire country couldn’t keep his own grandson in check?”
Everyone, even those outside of the country, knew that the old grand chancellor of Ei was someone of great importance. He belonged to no specific political party and, for three generations over the course of the last fifty years, had contributed to the empire’s prosperity. I chugged the last of the water in the bamboo bottle and placed it, along with the leaves that had been around the zongzi, back inside the leather bag.
“But...” Hakurei said, sounding unconvinced.
“Besides... Catch!” I flung the bag into the air and Hakurei caught it with ease. I leaned against the wall of my cell and smiled. “Besides, if that idiot had continued to make fun of me, I’m sure you would’ve been the one to punch him.”
The night wind blew, making Hakurei’s jacket billow about her. With the cloth rippling, I could see a faint flush on her cheeks before she made a quick turn away from me and muttered, “You think too highly of yourself.”
Not that I’m surprised, but this little princess has no soft bone in her body. Instead of saying that, though, I waved my hand in acknowledgment. It was hard to tell if she caught the movement through the darkness.
Hakurei fixed her coat to make herself presentable again and stood. “I’m going back. By the way, I heard your verdict will be announced tomorrow morning.”
“Sounds good. Be careful on your way back and say hi to Miss Shizuka for me. And sorry to father,” I replied. Tomorrow morning, huh? That’s a lot sooner than I thought.
“Sekiei,” Hakurei said, quietly.
“Huh?” I tilted my head and waited for her to continue.
She hesitated for a while but then was quick to say, “No, it’s nothing. Good night.”
“Sure. Good night.”
Finally, for sure this time, I heard her footsteps fading away into the distance. I huffed out a wry laugh and held the piece of paper from the bag aloft, letting it catch the moonlight. I could barely make out the words, “Thank you.” What an awkward girl. Whoever ended up her husband would lead a very difficult life indeed. I could feel my mood take a turn for the better and quietly I closed my eyes.