♦⊱ Chapter 23 - Trouble Brewing ⊰♦

Ruka pov:

I woke up feeling refreshed thanks to a good night's sleep after two days of near-insomnia. I sat up while rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, glancing at the empty space beside me on the bed. I pouted slightly for Kichiro sama wasn't there, however, immediately blushed as I recalled the kiss that we had shared yesterday.

Sparing a soft laugh in fluster, I got off the bed to go to the bathroom and wash up for the day. As usual, dressing up was aided by Kyo chan followed by doing my hair in a simple hairstyle, though getting into the kimono dress was completed on my own thanks to having got the knack of it over the days.

I walked to the dining hall with a skip in my step, my smile widening when I spotted Kichiro sama already at the table waiting for me. He met my eyes when he heard me walk to him and I took a seat in his lap after a moment of flustered squirming. Breakfast was served as usual and we ate in comfortable silence. I ate slowly, enjoying the food while Kichiro sama waited patiently for me to finish after he was done with his meal. He then wrapped an arm around my waist and we stood before I stepped away from him so I could face him.

"Um, Kichiro sama?" I called softly, blushing and keeping my eyes averted to the floor. I could feel his penetrating gaze on me and I took the courage to look up at him though my lashes, "May I hug you?"

I noticed him twitch at my question but said nothing, only watched me silently. Assuming that he didn't mind me hugging him, I closed the gap between us and wrapped my arms around his torso while resting my cheek against his chest and shoulder. The content of this physical contact as well as the warmth of his body flustered me, rising a blush upon my cheeks. I involuntarily cuddled into him just as he wrapped his arms around me to hold me in return. My smile widened at that and we remained as we were for several minutes.

When I pulled away, I looked over his handsome features. I was tempted to reach up and touch his features but resisted. My blush darkened though, when his eyes darted to my lips. When he met my eyes again, I smiled more and raised my head a little. I closed my eyes and barely seconds later felt Kichiro sama's lips on mine.

I think Kichiro sama really liked kissing...okay, I liked kissing him too but for someone who was experiencing love for the first time in his life, I found it adorable that he had come to like this gesture. His kisses were soft though, tender and innocent, and it made me adore him even more. A man who was so intelligent, so skilled, and so powerful was so pure at heart and I just couldn't get enough of him.

It seemed to me that he was testing the situation. He was unsure of what we were doing, unsure of what he was doing, fear, hope, and perhaps even a sense of contentment clearly felt in the softest contact of our lips. He often copied what I did to kick the passion up a notch between us and it always had my heart racing and my mind completely muddled.

All said and done, I felt honored and jubilant that I held a special place in his heart and in his life.

I was sure that if Kichiro sama hadn't had a dark and unfair past, he would been the kindest and most affectionate person in this world. He would have been an emperor loved and supported by all. If he could be so kind, so gentle, and so generous with me when I had given him affection and importance, I could only imagine just how kind and generous he could have been if he had been loved for who he was while growing up. I'm sure there would have none who could even be compared to how much of an amazing person he would have been.

Well, he was still amazing now, even if he was overly stern in most matters.

I suppose I could say that I was a little selfish no matter what I had thought about. I was happy that I was the only one who got to see this gentle side of his, to be the one to receive this tender affection from him. It made me feel even more special than what I probably was.

When Kichiro sama broke the kiss – which I was rather reluctant to do – I allowed myself to drown in the depth of his scarlet eyes. I couldn't resist my desire to caress his face this time so I raised my hand. I hesitated a moment before I did touch him, waiting to see if he was alright with what I was about to do. When he made no move to stop me, I placed my hand on his cheek. Curiosity swirled in his eyes but there was also gentleness, an emotion I had never before seen in his eyes until now. It made me flustered and I blushed while lowering my hand to his chest. Thankfully, I was distracted almost immediately by the soft, silky strands of his hair that were under my hands on his chest.

"Kichiro sama, may I brush your hair?" I asked, playing with the strands.

He tilted his head sideways in childlike curiosity before nodding. Smiling gleefully, I made him let go of me and took a hold of his hand. I tugged him to follow me to our room. I had him sit down on the bed and wait while I got my wooden comb and a hair tie. I took a seat behind him comfortable, tucked a few strands of my hair behind my ears, and proceeded to brush his hair gently.

I suppressed a laugh that wanted to escape at how stiffly Kichiro sama was sitting while I brushed his hair. I did, however, take a few strands of his hair in my hand to rub them, liking how they felt like silk. My lips curled up into a smile as I said, "I've always liked your hair and wanted to touch it like this – it's really soft."

He turned his head to glance at me for a moment. My smile widened when our eyes met and he relaxed at that. He turned to look ahead and I continued brushing his hair.

"Should I tie it up?" I asked, having untangled all the knots.

"Do so you please," he responded.

I gathered all his hair in my hand, combing it to make sure it wasn't sticking out oddly anywhere before I put down the comb and reached for a hair tie. I tied it securely in a neat bow, then combed through the strands of his hair once. "I'm done!" I said, giving a satisfied nod at my handiwork.

Kichiro sama then stood and turned to look at me, "I do not have any work this evening. Do you wish to go horse-riding?"

I tensed, my expression faltering immediately at his question. He noticed it, obviously, and narrowed his eyes. I averted my gaze from his nervously and answered, "No, I don't want to go horse-riding."

"You do not want to?" he pressed, sounding a little annoyed.

I wrapped my arms around my frame to suppress a shiver. I shook my head in a silent no. My voice came out weak and airy, "I'm afraid, Kichiro sama. I-I don't want to get kidnapped again."

"Are you doubting my fighting skills?" he questioned sharply and in obvious displeasure to the misinterpretation of my words.

"N-No! Of course not," I said immediately, worried that I had offended him unnecessarily. I continued to clarify what I really meant though couldn't stop a lone tear from falling from my eyes, "I know that you are strong, dependable, skilled, and...so much more. It's me who is weak, me who is neither strong nor can fight to protect myself in any situation. I'm well aware that it is difficult to protect me when you are fighting against a strong opponent, let alone more than one who are clearly stronger than foot-soldiers. Those people, even if their leader is a friend from the past, want to kill you and I don't want that. I don't want you to get hurt because of me, because of the lack of strength or skills or whatever it is I am lacking. I know even more that if they attack at full force, which they will, I will get caught and...I'll never get to see you again."

I noticed a spark of pure rage come to Kichiro sama's eyes. He growled like a predator while pushing me onto my back on the bed. He hovered over me with a tight grip on my neck, his eyes glowing menacingly, "I dare you to say that again!"

I was not afraid of his anger even though I probably would have been at any other time. My heart hurt more for I was afraid of being separated from him...and I wanted him to know that I didn't want to be separated from him.

I brought the back of my hand over my eyes to hide the embarrassing tears that escaped from them and fell to the bed. Taking a shuddery inhale, I said, "Tomoki has changed. I know that if he catches me again, heaven forbid, he will make sure that I never see you again. I don't want that to happen, Kichiro sama! I love only you and I'm only afraid that stepping out of the palace compound could result in something terrible, something that will make me lose you!"

His grip on my neck loosened and I took the chance to raise myself off the bed a little to embrace him with my arms around his neck. "I don't want to leave you ever again, Kichiro sama," I said. "I don't want him to take me away from you. I'm scared that he's already waiting to take me with him if I step out of the palace walls. Please, I don't want to go anywhere."

He let go of my neck to place his hand on my back. He shifted so that we were both sitting in an embrace, one that he tightened, burying in face in my hair. I bit my lip hard to hold in the few sobs that wanted to escape and soon calmed down. When we pulled out of the embrace, I wiped the tear stains on my cheeks before meeting his eyes that were back to expressing gentleness.

"I'm sorry for being so weak, Kichiro sama," I said, mildly ashamed of how helpless I was. Keeping one hand still wrapped around me to hold me to himself, Kichiro brushed the back of his fingers over my cheek in response. He then cupped my cheek and I smiled, feeling comforted and warmed. A thought came to me and I said with a wider smile, "If it's alright with you, we could visit the Royal Strolling Garden. It's one of my favorite places in the palace."

He merely nodded in agreement. We got off the bed and walked out of our room hand-in-hand. As he walked a step ahead of me, I observed him. I was happy here with him, I had told him that I always wanted to be with him, that I loved him, and yet, he seemed uneasy. Anything that even hinted us getting separated in any way made him so angry.

I looked down at our interlocked hands only to feel a prickle in my eyes – he still wore the bracelet that I had given him on the night I was kidnapped. I touched the chain and pendant I wore at that, smiling. I was so happy that he had kept my gift even though it wasn't anything amazing. In the same joy bubbling within, I momentarily pulled my hand out of his hold. He halted in the hallway to regard me with a displeased frown which turned curious when I held his hand with our fingers entwined together.

I smiled at him with a blush as he gazed at our hands for a moment. We continued to the Strolling Garden after that.

Just as we had done on our first and numerous visits to the Strolling Garden, we walked the pathways at a comfortable pace, stalling every now and then so I could stand on my toes and touch the flowers that fell from the gazebo above. When we were halfway through the garden, I ushered Kichiro sama to sit with me in the small shelter just off the pathway.

I held his arm and rested my head against his shoulder with a content sigh. Feeling blissful being with him like this, I said softly, "I love you, Kichiro sama."

He tensed and my smile widened. He soon relaxed though and we sat in silence until a thought when through my mind. Straightening up, I beamed at Kichiro sama, "I'm going to make us lunch today!"

He nodded in approval and I tugged his arm to get up after that so we could continue our stroll through the beautiful garden.

>>Timeskip

Humming a cheery tune to myself, I headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner for me and Kichiro sama. With his permission, I had taken the responsibility of cooking for us often these days, every day in fact, except every now and then when spent more time together. Kichiro sama had come to enjoy the taste of my cooking and I couldn't be more happy to cook for him every day.

A few days after I had returned to the palace after nearly marrying Tomoki, Kyo chan had told me that she was really glad that I had returned. If I hadn't, she didn't know how she would have continued to serve in the palace. Her words had made me curious so I had asked her what she meant. Much to my surprise, she had confessed that she and many others in the palace thought that their lives in the palace had become a lot less stressful thanks to how I had been able to change Kichiro sama.

She had told me that Kichiro sama had become a lot more patient than what he used to be before. He was especially calm and composed when I was with him. Many people who worked in the palace were relieved that I was around to keep Kichiro sama calm but there were, of course, several who didn't accept me in the least. Most of them were the officials who saw me as nothing more than a slave who had been brought to the palace on a whim but given royal treatment, as if I was a consort.

I was actually rather flustered when called a consort but I did sort of feel like a royal consort. I mean, I loved Kichiro sama, hugged and kissed him every so often, shared a room with him, and was treated as any consort would be treated. I was quite certain that he loved me too, though he never said it or expressed it as obviously I expressed my love for him.

Besides, the craftsman who had made my guitar had referred to me as the royal consort and I was sure the news had spread across every part of Kichiro sama's empire. I guess being called Kichiro sama's royal consort was...apt.

I shook my head with a light laugh at my thoughts. I took a turn in the hallway, barely a block away from the kitchen but came to a halt next to double doors when I heard voices.

"Yes, I would think that is the best way. No one will suspect us then." I frowned ever so slightly at what I heard. It was very rare for this room to be occupied and I couldn't help but let curiosity take over me. I peeped in through the slightly ajar door only to see four officials, ministers to be precise, talking with each other rather seriously. I remembered their faces from when I was welcomed back, having returned after being kidnapped.

"The emperor, Lord Kurai trusts her very much, even letting her cook for him," one of them said, chuckling in amuse at the end. They were obviously talking about me.

"So, what is the actual plan?" another asked.

"We use her as bait," answered the first minister. "We will use this chance to get rid of Lord Kurai once and for all."

My heart skipped a beat at his words. Surely they didn't mean they wanted to kill him, right? I mean, why would they? They were his ministers!

I clenched my jaw and fists and remained absolutely silent listening when the third minister spoke, "Since he trusts that slave consort so much, we can deal with Lord Kurai by mixing poison in the food he eats. Everyone will assume that it was the girl who killed him and will sympathize with her since she was forced to be with a cruel beast against her wishes."

I covered my mouth with my hand before a gasp could escape and alert the ministers that they were being eavesdropped on.

"But won't the girl get in trouble?" the fourth minister asked. "Killing an emperor will not be without dire consequences."

"She'll probably be killed for treason but we'll be safe," said the second minister. "It doesn't matter if she's killed anyway, since she's just a peasant. No one will care if she's hanged for her crime. All that matters is that we will be safe and free from that beast's tyrannical rule."

I stumbled back and ran to the kitchen, unable to listen to their conversation anymore. When I was just outside the kitchen, I leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor, the energy having drained out of me. How could those ministers be plotting to kill Kichiro sama? And by poisoning the food I prepared for him with nothing besides all the love I had for him, no less?!

How could they be so cruel?!

I took a few deep inhales to compose myself. I couldn't panic if I wanted to protect Kichiro sama. He had been through enough till now and I didn't want him to suffer anymore. If anything, I wanted people to start seeing him for who he truly was on the inside and respect him and look up to him and be grateful to him like he deserved to be. I was not going to allow these traitors to step all over him let alone try to kill him, especially using food cooked with love from me.

The only person I could trust with this matter was Kijima san. He would help me protect Kichiro sama – I had confidence in that.

Inhaling deeply, I stood. After requesting the chefs to cook our meal today, I retraced my steps to the central palace where Kijima san usually was when attending to matters of the empire. I clenched my fists as I walked, narrowing my eyes in sharp determination to do everything I could in my power, despite it not being much, to protect Kichiro sama.

I love you, Kichiro sama, I thought, and I won't let you get hurt by anyone, especially by the likes of those ministers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hueueueueueueueue...love is in the air! 8D

'Nuff said!

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