Royal Intrigue

Like Leaves In The Fall - So The Time Goes

For the next few weeks, life in the palace fell into a bit of a routine. The hot summer nights and the muggy weather made it hard for anyone to want to plot or really care about anything but their own comfort. Long hours in the baths and walks in the gardens whilst trying to get cooler and iced drinks from deep dug cellars kept most of the nobles and their attendants busy. The emperor adjourned himself to the more open summer palace, taking with him his favorite wives. Metori opted to stay in her own quarters, the small shaded pond off of them, a gift from her youth when she had cried because she couldn't see the herons every day, providing an unparalled view and cool breezes even on the hottest days. Her screens remained open most nights and during the days dark silks were draped across the entrances, ensuring the heat of the day did not warm her chambers but allowing in some ambient light.

During this time, her ladies tried to find out more about the various different ambassadors. Trading gossip about their masters while waiting for food in the kitchens or making subtle inquiries when they found themselves in the bathhouses at the same time. Many of the loyal servants did not have mastery of the common tongue, making their task much harder. Those who had learned other languages were truly tasked to put them to the test to get the information being sought. Most of their reports were less than heartening. A number of the ambassadors were already married or promised for other political marriages. To become a second wife would be an unbearable demotion in status for Metori, ensuring that she would never be able to gain the freedom she so wished for. Others still, were so old that they would not be long in this world. The princess found upon reflection that she did not wish to be a widow, nor did she wish to have to remarry. She wanted someone she could love and grow through the ages with. The candidate pool was shrinking fast.

Still, a few ambassadors stood out. A representative from the land beyond the cold north, where eyes like water could be found, was young and virile, known to be kind to his servants, and skilled in languages, the Rus man was a possibility. Still, his homeland was far and very cold, and Metori was aware that their culture did not value women the same way hers did. A problem that would likely arise over time.

The ambassador from Gojoseon was also rumored to be kind, but he rarely made appearances outside of his duties, choosing instead to spend all his time in his chambers. The princess and her attendants worried that he would choose to spend his life in a library, never traveling, and would expect his wife to do the same. Stranger still, messages sent to his servants inviting him for tea in the princess's chambers were ignored. It did not seem that he wished to form an allegiance.

Finally, a member of one of the seafaring tribes from far away lands was considered. A large and broad man, covered with branching tattoos that told his history as well as any book, he was loud and quite fond of travelling. Appearing and leaving as he wished from the court, he was never quite easy to track down. Those who served him spoke well of him and his respect for women and prowess as a lover was well known throughout the court. He, however, had found the summer heat unbearable and had instead chosen to journey through the summer, making it impossible to meet with him. The princess also worried about her own ability to journey with him, not used to the rough work of rigging boats that she had seen the women in his party do. She had barely been on the water herself, taking in only a few small cruises with her father on placid lakes, the largeness of the ocean scaring her.

That left, of course, Kaiki, the ambassador who seemed to fit her needs the best. After his gift of the book, his sister had been reading to the princess every night, making sure that the princess slowly began to understand their culture and skills. She had even begun to teach some of the traditional embroidery patterns to the ladies, hoping to spark a fashion trend where things that felt like home were better represented. Kaiki himself maintained his distance, sending small messages through his servants with tidbits of information for the princess, but never anything that would hint at a deepening relationship should it be intercepted. In a way, this frustrated Metori more than an oblique exclamation of his feelings would have, making her feel that she was not important enough to be worthy of his attention. Tsukimine had to hide her smile more than once as the princess looked upon another missive, wishing for even a hint that her suit would be welcomed.

Kaiki felt that it would be better to let the princess come to him, to allow her the choice she was so often denied in her day-to-day life. A sentiment that his sister shared. She did not tell him about the growing discomfort of the princess, instead letting him move on with his life as if nothing was happening. She noticed that he too was nervous, reading over the replies from the princess with trepidation, looking for hidden meaning in the barest of communications. Tsukimine knew that the letters were not as polite as they seemed, multiple compositions for each being thrown out lest they be read into too deeply. He had also not received an invitation to tea, Metori instead, waiting for the day he would invite her to his quarters for discussions of history as they had previously planned. Both of them being nervous suited her purposes, ensuring that their feelings would grow over time without her interference. While she herself might be in a loveless marriage, she had high hopes that her brother would be able to find happiness and peace.