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“THIS is my first time ever on a beach.” I looked down at the sand.
“Oh, it is?”
I turned to look at the emperor. He was standing barefoot, pushing down his hair as he smiled merrily at me. Likely because of the powerful wind, his wings were still tucked away. In their stead, the many intricate layers of cloth that wrapped around his body streamed around him, rippling like the wings of an angel.
If he unfurled his wings in such a place, the gusts would definitely send him flying.
Raising an eyebrow, he said, “You just thought about something kind of funny, didn’t you?”
“No, not at all.”
“Let me guess. You thought that I’d zoom off like a piece of paper if I stretched out my wings?”
“…Ah. You read me like a book.”
“Ha ha ha!” He kicked up waves of sand as he laughed without a care in the world. “Yeah, the wind’s pushing at us like a wall here, you’re right. I have to plant my feet so it doesn’t knock me over. Hey, Sai, take off your shoes and join me.”
He reached out his hand. It was fair as snow, and his fingers long and slender. It was the hand that had trapped me in his embrace until only moments before.
I must have been staring at it in a daze, because he asked, “Is something bothering you?”
I shook my head. “I shall do so right away,” I replied. I held my flailing hair while I removed my shoes. When I took a step forward toward the emperor, my feet sank into the sand. “Wh-Whoa…!”
The fine grains tickled my skin as it squeezed between my toes. I put more weight on that foot and wondered at the rough, gritty texture. Shrinking into myself, I nervously took one careful step after another.
The emperor materialized beside me and grasped my hands in his.
“Ah…” I gasped a little.
It was an odd but wondrous sensation. His hands were somewhat cool, firm, and much larger than mine. He guided me gently, and the flowing sand prickled my feet with every step. Both were too much for me, my senses on the brink of overload.
“Th-This is ticklish…” I stammered.
“Careful, don’t cut your feet on the shells.”
Chuckling, the emperor tugged me forward. He looked like a carefree boy as he grinned from ear to ear, and as I gazed into his eyes, I was once again reminded of the sky. Wanting to see whether they were the same beautiful ashen blue, I glanced up. Seagulls cried as they passed overhead.
“Hey,” the emperor said, “try putting your feet in the water.”
“…Won’t I fall in?”
“No, you won’t. It’s okay.”
I slowly placed my feet into the waves that came and went. The sand rustled beneath the water, and a chilly wave brushed against my ankles in greeting before ebbing away.
“Wow…” I stared down with widened eyes. Even though the waves only reached my ankles, whenever they crashed against the shore, they shoved me backward. When they pulled away, I felt as if they were dragging me with them. My feet sank deeper and deeper into the sand.
The waves were a transparent, emerald green. I could see everything under the water—shells and even the tips of the emperor’s bare toes. On instinct, I looked up. The emperor was watching me with a soft smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
He looks…so content. I was the one having fun with the waves, yet the emperor’s gaze was warm as he focused on me. Light reflected in his eyes, making them seem as clear and brilliant as the water below.
“Um… Is it interesting to watch my reaction?” I asked.
“Very. Yeah…” He nodded to himself before wistfully whispering, “If only I could arrange for more outings like this.”
Our joined hands felt hot. That heat, that warmth was entirely different from the many times Lord Hiaki had held my hands or the few times he had hugged me. It was a strange cocktail of sensation. The day was slightly cold, but as our hands pressed together longer, my palm gradually grew warm, as though someone had captured the light of the sun and tucked it between us. The emperor studied me intently as if to gauge my reaction— he was treating me like the most delicate glass sculpture.
“This is…this is embarrassing, Your Majesty…” My voice grew smaller toward the end of my sentence.
“Ha ha.” He chuckled at my honest admission, then turned to gaze at the horizon. Several ships winked in the distance. The emperor straightened his back as his eyes marked each one. “They’re fishing again. Ah, since I’m here… I guess I’ll bless them a little.”
“Bless them?”
“Yep. Can I let go of one of your hands?” After checking with me, he gently withdrew his right hand. He twirled it in the air, manifesting his staff in a shower of light.
He took a deep breath and intoned a verse. His melodious voice resounded along the beach, crystal clear like the water before us. He wasn’t shouting or straining his throat; in fact, the elegant chant seemed as effortless as breathing to him as he projected it out over the waves. The ocean shimmered, and light dashed across the surface of the water to the ships almost like the trail of a shooting star.
The poem he was reciting was a prayer for a good catch and in a mixture of both ancient and modern Orient. It celebrated and expressed respect toward those who lived on the ocean and their ancestors.
As I listened, I could feel fishermen’s pride oozing out of every line—an occupational dignity that was moving and compelling. My hand that remained in the emperor’s continued to warm as our heat melted together.
The emperor fixed his eyes on the ships as he chanted, giving my hand a mild squeeze. My head felt light. By the time I came to my senses, the blessing was over.
I couldn’t clap, so instead, I told him honestly, “That was lovely.”
“Thanks.”
“I am feeling a little lightheaded… Is that an effect of your mana as well?”
“You are? Hmm, I’m pretty sure I didn’t use my mana in a way that’d cause dizziness…” He started to tread back to dry sand, water splashing around his feet with every step. “You know, I learned all these poems and the art of crafting them from my father.”
He was walking in front of me, so I couldn’t see his expression. “My father was forced to step down from the throne in ignominy,” he said. “As for me, I was hidden away from the imperial court until my wings sprouted, so…even though I was the crown prince, I barely had any opportunity to receive the necessary education of an Amawashi directly from my father. It was only after my father’s abdication was officially announced that I first got to spend time with him. And…he taught me so many things, until the day he breathed his last.”
His chant had been powerful and vigorous, but his words about his father were like subdued waves on a windless day.
We climbed back up to the rocky area, where we cleansed our feet with cloths provided by servants before putting on our shoes.
Once again, the emperor took my hand gingerly. “Sai, there’s an imperial villa near here. Let’s take a short break.” Almost casually, he added, “It’s where my father lived before his passing.”