“At the hour of the Twin Stars’ separation, Kouei split apart a massive boulder and entrusted the Heavenly Swords to Ouei.”
That night, I sat by the window of my room in the Chou family’s manor and paged through Book of Tou. I wasn’t sure if it was thanks to the time I’d spent relaxing in the natural hot springs in the house—Koshuu had many natural hot springs—but I no longer felt the stress from the day. Every now and again a comfortable night breeze blew through the window.
As I looked at the reflection of the crescent moon in my tea, I considered. “The author described that night under the peach tree with such drama. It’s certainly odd, seeing how I’ve been presented to future generations...” I pushed myself to my feet and stood in front of the mirror in my room. Black hair, red eyes, and a slender body that had yet to reach its maturity. Over it, I was wearing simple black robes.
It’d been ten years since father found me on the battlefield and took me home. Ten years had passed since a fever had nearly killed me and, in doing so, allowed me to somehow recover the memories of my past life. Granted, the majority of my memories of that life were vague; it wasn’t as if I thought of myself as “Kou Eihou” at all. For the most part, I remembered events from his life like “Oh yeah, that sure happened.” The only thing that I’d fully inherited from Kou Eihou was his talent in combat.
I didn’t remember anything from before Chou Tairan adopted me, apart from the fact that my parents were merchants. We’d been traveling outside the borders of Keiyou when we were attacked by bandits. They were killed in the attack—or so father told me, anyway. I picked up the history book and then sat back down in my chair.
“But to think that Eifuu actually fulfilled his promise and accomplished unification.”
Apparently, after I died in my past life, my sworn brother convinced the emperor to expand the Tou Empire. Once he had, it had only taken the blink of an eye to destroy En and Sai.
The book read: “Though he carried the Heavenly Swords and stood at the front lines to command the Tou Empire’s forces, he never once removed them from their sheaths.”
That sounded like Eifuu. He had always had a strong sense of duty and honor. The second emperor, however, never learned how to be a good ruler. Even after he’d unified the lands, he’d imposed heavy taxes on the people to collect more money for his own enjoyment and preferred partying over governing.
When Eifuu chided the emperor for shirking his duties, the emperor accused Eifuu of conspiracy—of all things!—and threw him in prison. Right before Eifuu could be executed, however, he was saved—saved by the same young garrison captain from Routou who’d helped Kou Eihou before his death. Before I could read further, I heard steady footsteps from the hallway.
“Hello.”
It was Hakurei. She must’ve just finished taking a bath and her silver hair was untied. Despite her flat chest, she gave a faint impression of sensuality with her damp hair and the pale blue nightclothes hugging the immature curves of her body.
I should really give her a lecture one day about why she shouldn’t visit a guy’s room at night...
Hakurei didn’t notice my worries, walking into the room and sitting down on the ottoman as if her presence were a given. It used to be. We’d slept in the same room until we were thirteen years old; thanks to that, it had become habit for her to visit for a short chat before we went to bed. I massaged my temples with my hand and tossed her a cloth napkin from my table.
“You’ll catch a cold if you don’t dry your hair. Want some tea?”
Hakurei picked up the cloth with a delicate hand and placed it over her head before she opened her mouth. “Only a little bit for me. I won’t be able to sleep otherwise.”
“I’d prefer it if you slept in, because then no one would be around to wake me up before the sun rises,” I replied with a small smile. I poured tea into one of our rare glass cups and walked over to give it to her. Hakurei murmured her thanks as she took it. Leaning against a nearby pillar, from which hung a light, I stared out the circular window. Countless stars shimmered in the sky; however, despite my room facing the north, the twin stars were absent.
“Did you have...” my sister started.
“Hmm?” I turned my attention to Hakurei, but she was staring down at the cup in her hands. I tilted my head and waited for her to continue, which she did in a quiet voice.
“Did you have more fun in the city?”
Rinkei was the capital city of the Ei Empire, and its name—literally “Temporary Capital”—reflected its history. The Empire had established Rinkei as an interim capital about fifty years ago, after losing the land north of the great river. Our Keiyou was northwest of Rinkei, the Grand Canal connecting the two cities together. Rinkei had become a major city with a large number of bridges and waterways and a population of over a million.
While still staring at the crescent moon outside, I gave my honest opinion. “It’s true that the majority of the continent’s people, goods, and money can be found in Rinkei. Foreign ships from the Touei Sea dock there too.”
Hakurei stared at me for a moment, her expression irritable, before she said, “You didn’t answer my question.”
I put down my teacup and thought. Then I clapped my hands and raised my voice. “Oh, I see! Lady Hakurei, are you still pouting about how I left you behind and went by my—”
“Please kill yourself right this instant.” She considered for too short a time before adding, “Actually no, I shall be the one to end your life. Have you said your prayers?”
What a frigid response. D-Does this woman not have a conscience? Maybe my eyes are fooling me, but I swear that silver hair of hers is puffing up as well... I shrank back and stammered, “C-Come on, don’t be so mad. That’s not how the heiress of the Chou family should talk...”
“You’re the only person I would say such things to, and I am not pouting. For the record, I don’t care at all about how you broke our promise to have our first battle together, nor do I think you’re a liar for only writing us a letter once a month. That’s the truth. I’m not pouting!”
Of course after Hakurei said that, she puffed out her cheek slightly and turned away.
I was gonna wait for a better opportunity, but...
I tapped my cheek. Taking out a cloth pouch from the leather bag I’d pushed to the corner of my room, I handed it to the grumpy girl. “Here you go.”
“Hmm? What’s this?”
Hakurei opened the pouch and took out a small box that was decorated in a raden style—intricate flowers and birds had been carved into each side and inlaid with iridescent shells.
“It’s an imported box that’s popular in the city,” I explained with a casual wave of my hand. “Apparently, it’s from a country island to the east. You can use it to store hair ornaments. If you don’t wanna use it, you don’t have to...”
I trailed off and stopped talking. Ever since we started sleeping in separate rooms, the beautiful silver-haired girl before me now had become a much calmer person. Yet, as she stared at the little box in her hands, her expression brightened, making her look far younger than her actual age.
“It’s beautiful.”
Despite myself, I was captivated by her. That was why I could never win against her.