As soon as the door closed behind the emperor, Keigetsu loosed a breath she’d been holding and slumped over, hands pressed flat against the table. “I can’t believe I mouthed off to His Majesty…”
“I know, Lady Keigetsu! That was incredible!” Reirin’s face lit up, and she clapped her hands together. “While everyone else acted in haste, you alone calmly stated your opinion. You uncovered the truth with a combination of your keen eye for detail and knowledge even the emperor does not possess, and I couldn’t be prouder! You simply dazzle me!”
“I was just caught committing treason and warned there will be no second chances! How is that your takeaway?!”
After showing off her forbidden magic and even speaking her mind to the emperor, Keigetsu had endured enough stress to last her a lifetime. And yet, the boar in butterfly’s clothing was as cheerful as could be.
“But you were so dashing, confidently pulling off things that would be impossible for anyone else!”
“True. Father only agreed to back down because he realized you had the upper hand in the argument,” Gyoumei chimed in. “You truly do have a godsent gift for magic. You rattled off fact after fact about the Daoist arts that Father never managed to learn from any of the cultivators he tortured. No doubt he was as surprised as anyone.”
“A-a godsent gift?!” This was the first time Keigetsu had ever been praised as exceptionally talented at anything. She was so startled that she tripped over her words. “I-I wouldn’t say that! I just happen to have a good deal of experience with body swapping, that’s all!” She flapped her hands back and forth, her face bright red.
Over by the wall, Keishou quipped, “That’s our magical prodigy for you. She’s built experience no ordinary person possibly could! Leelee, Tousetsu, why don’t you pour our dear prodigy another cup of tea?”
“St-stop throwing around the word ‘prodigy’ like it’s nothing!” shouted Keigetsu, jabbing a finger in his direction. “You clearly don’t believe it!”
Keishou was undeterred. “Come now, that’s a hurtful accusation. I mean it, ladies, fill her cup to the brim. It’s the ordinary thing to do here.”
“We’ll need some snacks to go with the tea. Shall we order some sesame balls, Brother Junior?”
“No need. I already asked the kitchen to make some.”
“You always do think ahead! I ought to go fetch them while they’re still ho—”
As the Kou siblings raced to reward Keigetsu’s efforts, the girl in question squared her shoulders and shouted, “Don’t get carried away!”
Reirin flung open the door regardless, only to go wide-eyed at the sight that greeted her. A trio of unexpected guests was standing around awkwardly: Kin Seika, Ran Houshun, and Gen Kasui.
“Oh, hello, ladies. What brings you here?” asked Reirin, putting a hand to her cheek.
“Er, well…”
The three girls exchanged embarrassed looks.
After a few moments, Seika was the first to bow. “We extend our greetings to Your Imperial Highness and our fellow Maidens.”
The other two Maidens were quick to follow suit.
“We apologize for eavesdropping,” said Houshun, her face falling.
“A short while ago, we witnessed you and His Majesty heading this way, and your expressions were quite grim,” said Kasui, a note of hesitation in her voice. “We were concerned something may have happened.”
Reirin and friends realized what the girls must’ve thought. These three Maidens had helped them to cover up Keigetsu’s magic. From their perspective, just as they had thrown the emperor off their trail, “Shu Keigetsu” had gone missing in the mountains, and “Kou Reirin” and Gyoumei had never made it back from their official visit. When the three of them finally showed up again, they were getting dragged off to the emperor’s room with palpable tension in the air. No one could blame the girls for assuming that Genyou had caught wind of the magic and passed down his judgment.
“That’s when Lady Seika suggested that we wait outside the door to get an idea of what you were talking about,” Houshun timidly added.
“I would appreciate it if you didn’t make me out to be a nosy busybody, Lady Houshun. I was concerned, so I simply suggested that we go check on what was happening.”
“Were His Majesty upset, I hoped that a fellow Gen like myself might be able to talk him down, so I decided to wait outside,” said Kasui. “However, His Majesty had just left the room when we arrived.”
Their responses gave a clear picture of the sequence of events. Seika had probably come over out of genuine concern, just as she claimed, while Kasui had been spurred on by a sense of duty and Houshun had tagged along for the ride. They’d made it as far as the door, but Genyou had come out before they could enter, and stopping to prostrate themselves as he left meant they’d missed their chance to go in.
“Apologies for the scare, my Maidens,” said Gyoumei. “The truth came out that Shu Keigetsu can use magic, and that she and Reirin have swapped bodies, but we managed to talk it out with His Majesty. We’ve established that if we successfully aid His Majesty with his long-held ambition, he will cease his suppression of the Daoist arts.” His succinct explanation deliberately left out their life-and-death gamble prior to bringing Genyou to the negotiating table, as well as the fact that they had been threatened with death upon failure.
“What ambition?” asked Seika.
Keigetsu and Reirin exchanged glances, unsure how much they could divulge of the emperor’s private affairs. An explanation would necessitate mentioning the string of graphic fratricides that had plagued the inner court, along with the fact that the former crown prince had been killed after his body was stolen with magic. All of these events were under a gag order.
Reirin wistfully dropped her gaze. “Well, you see…”
Keigetsu grimaced and stammered, “Th-the thing is…”
All of a sudden, Gyoumei turned around and leaned against the window. As he looked outside, he broke into a completely unprompted monologue. “Oh, I spy Father under the pavilion at the pond. I was wondering where he’d stormed off to. He must be in an awfully foul mood if he didn’t bring a page with him. It’s a worrying sight, isn’t it, Keishou?”
Reading between the lines, Keishou nodded. “Indeed it is, Your Highness. As one of the emperor’s most faithful servants, I’m too concerned to take my eyes off him.”
“As am I. We men have a bad habit of fixating so hard on one thing that we completely neglect to listen to the women around us, but I’m more concerned with keeping an eye on my father than my Maidens at the moment.”
“Understandable. We have to be sure he’s all right.”
As the two men theatrically stressed how worried they were, Reirin and Keigetsu realized what they were trying to do. Not even the crown prince could officially override a gag order, but this was his way of granting the Maidens permission to touch on the dark side of the inner court.
While Gyoumei’s back was turned, the pair led the other three Maidens deeper into the room and made sure the door was firmly shut. Only then did Reirin—still “Shu Keigetsu” as far as appearances went—whisper, “The truth is, His Majesty is out for revenge.”
“What? Really?”
“Yes. He has suppressed Daoist magic due to a personal grudge, not for fear of rebellion. His Majesty despises a particular sorcerer and has spent years searching for him. He placed Lady Keigetsu under surveillance because he suspected her of having ties to this man.”