Disclaimer: The characters and settings of "Saiunkoku Monogatari" belong to the author, the artist and their publishers.
Shi Seiran sat in the sun. Milady had unceremoniously ejected him from the kitchen and commanded that he go and rest, so here he was, out by the woodpile, listening to her work. There was comfort in the clatter. This was what he wanted from life, Seiran thought. Peaceful anonymity, enjoying a quiet life with his adopted family: Kou Shouka, the restrained and retiring court archivist, and his daughter Kou Shuurei, the only princess in the direct line of the Kou clan.
He loved this family. And they loved him. He knew they loved him. They told him so. In fact, Milady had said there was no one she loved more than Seiran except her father. That was—that had been unexpectedly difficult to hear, though Seiran wasn't quite sure why. After all, Milady was the most important person in his world, and she knew it. She even fretted about it sometimes, worried that he was neglecting his own opportunities for happiness to take care of her.
Well, he would lose the opportunity to take care of her soon enough. Milady was of marriageable age. People were noticing that she was lovely. Intelligent. Accomplished, Kind. Gentle. Graceful. When girls became women, marriage was inevitable. It would be no different for Milady.
The thought of Milady marrying made Seiran fidgety, but if Shouka made a good match for her, Seiran would be satisfied. He could give her over to Ryuuki, for example, who in addition to being the emperor was also his own flesh and blood. Milady would be an ideal helpmate for Ryuuki, and Ryuuki adored her. He would care for her properly. Milady would be a wonderful mother, and any child of hers and Ryuuki's was bound to be both beautiful and bright, and as long as Seiran didn't think too hard about how those children were engendered he could be content living as the protector of the next generation of his family.
Other possibilities? Well, there was Li Kouyuu. Seiran felt he could stomach the thought of Milady married to Li Kouyuu. He was being groomed to be head of the Kou clan, he was intelligent and capable, and he thought highly of Milady. He would treat her well, and the two of them together would throw their powerful joint influence behind Ryuuki without hesitation, so Ryuuki and the empire would both benefit. Any children Li Kouyuu got of Milady would be brilliant, determined and ambitious, and Seiran could see how that would benefit the Kou clan's fortunes for years to come. Seiran realized he was clenching his fists and carefully directed his thoughts away from how those children would be gotten.
He could just about, if he gritted his teeth, bear the thought of Milady married to the flute-playing Ran brat. An intermarriage between the Kou and Ran clans would benefit both the clans and the country, and if that was what Milady's family wanted it would have to be the flute-player, because there was no way Seiran would countenance a marriage between Milady and that skirt-chasing lecher Ran Shuuei.
The flute-player was one of the greatest minds of his generation, evidently, though unwilling to do any sort of responsible work. The Ran clan was rich enough that he didn't have to. Milady would never have to trouble herself over money again. Milady would have the sole responsibility of running the household, though, because her feckless husband would spend his days out wandering the countryside. He'd never be home.
Hmm. Perhaps that option was worth further consideration.
Well, there was one option he need not consider. The Sa clan no longer had a suitable candidate for the Kou princess. He had seen to that.
Seiran held out a trembling hand and observed it dispassionately. The poison was slowly working its way out of his body, but his strength had not fully returned. An unavoidable inconvenience. Seiran had promised Milady that he would let her solve her own problems, and for the most part he had stood back like a good and faithful servant and let her do what she wished.
But there were limits. Seiran was not made of stone. And Sa Sakujun had signed his death warrant the moment he had put his hands on Shuurei. Seiran tilted back his head to feel the sun on his face, trying to enjoy its warmth. It had been a superior murder: cruel, subtle, elegant, and effective. Worthy of his heritage. His late imperial father would have been proud. Seiran allowed himself a moment of vicious satisfaction.
His only regret was that the body had disappeared. Seiran hadn't just wanted to kill the man—he had wanted to put him in the ground. He wanted to watch the dark earth cover Sakujun's too-pretty face and his too-familiar hands and his too-knowing eyes; he wanted the pleasure of knowing the worms were eating him, stripping the flesh from his long white bones.
He was getting tense again. Seiran heaved himself to his feet, fetched the axe and went to the woodpile to split logs. The thud was very satisfying. It didn't take much imagination to turn it into the dull sound of an axe cleaving a man's brainpan. Seiran lined up Milady's suitors on the block and dispatched them cleanly, one by one.
"Seiran!" He turned around to find Milady frowning at him, hands on hips. "Why are you chopping wood? You're supposed to be resting." She held out a hand to him. "I just made manju buns. Would you like one? Shall I make you some kan-ro tea?"
Seiran smiled at her, his amiable mask firmly in place. "I'd like that very much, Milady."
Yes, he would. Milady made kan-ro tea only for him.
Milady's charming smile flashed out, and she took his hand and tugged him back into the warm kitchen. There were still dark circles under her eyes, but she seemed less worn today. Sakujun had left scars, but she was unbroken. She was still Shuurei.
Seiran sat in the kitchen, drinking the tea she made only for him, and thought about marriage again. It would really be best if she married Ryuuki. He could give Milady over to his beloved little brother. Ryuuki could reasonably be placed in the box in Seiran's head marked "Mine." Milady was "Mine," and Ryuuki was "Mine," so if Milady married Ryuuki, Seiran could continue to think of them both as "Mine."
Because that was the one thing that would never, never, change.
Shuurei was his.