Disclaimer: I do not own this awesome anime/manga.
Characters, information and events that you've never heard of before most likely belong to me.
Every chapter is written at dawn, so it:
might not make any sense…which indicates exactly what the author is like. -.-
might have a lot of grammatical errors…so please inform the one at fault (me)
that's all…enjoy! (I hope)
Chapter 1
"Seiran, do we have any manju buns left?" a very pregnant young lady asked as she walked into the kitchen.
At once, a handsome man with silver locks rushed to her side and helped her sit on a chair. "Ojou-sama, you shouldn't be walking around in your current state," he chided gently.
"Just to remind you, Seiran, I'm pregnant, not invalid," she retorted haughtily.
The man ignored her and set a plate of manju buns on the table before her.
"And besides," she added. "I can't stay in bed all day! My back is beginning to sore."
Seiran sighed and stood behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "All right, all right. You win. Just don't do anything stressful."
Shuurei bit into a manju bun and sighed blissfully as Seiran started to massage her aching muscles. "Don't worry, with my wonderful stepmother around, there's nothing stressful to do in here."
Indeed, Shusui was a very capable housewife, and more than made up for her husband's lack of housekeeping skills. She was also a good substitute mother, and Shuurei was glad Shusui didn't attempt to replace her real mother in her life.
She didn't judge Shuurei when she had gotten pregnant suspiciously right after she returned to Kiyou to begin her new work as the assistant of the Senior Secretary of Finance. She supported her stepdaughter throughout her forced isolation, because being pregnant without a husband is something shameful and unheard of, especially since she was from the noblest clan in Saiunkoku.
As soon as she was beginning to show, she requested a year-long leave of absence, for health reasons. After a lot of carefully planned explanations, several rejections and finally with the help of Reishin (who finally introduced himself as her uncle), her request was finally-and grudgingly- approved.
Friends who come over for dinner, particularly a green-haired administrator who can never find his way to their manor without the help of a dark-haired general as well as a flute-playing genius and the occasional short boy and tall man with a scar, were led to believe she was in Kou Province, taking a needed break from work due to a severe illness. They were told not to bother visiting her, as Shuurei would only scold them for neglecting work just to see her. The only ones who knew about her pregnancy were Kouchou-neesan and Jyuusanhime, who promise not to tell her secret.
No one asked, yet everybody in the household knew it was the Emperor. Ryuuki was, is, and will always be the only man Shuurei loves. Of course, to become an Empress meant losing her position and everything she had worked so hard for, and adamantly refused all his proposals. Subsequently, all other engagement proposals were rejected.
Not surprisingly, it was Jyuusanhime who became the Emperor's only concubine. Like her, the Ran princess was also nine months pregnant, although there were speculations and doubts about the baby's father. The Emperor had buried himself in his work after Shuurei's final rejection and never had the time to visit the Imperial Harem. Nevertheless, the Emperor announced that the unborn baby would be his heir and the rumors lessened.
"Ojou-sama," Seiran said softly, interrupting her thoughts. "I hope you do not mind me asking, but have you thought of names?"
"Eh? Names?"
"For the baby."
"Hmm…well, if it's a girl, I plan to name her Yukiko, because she'll be born in winter."
"What if it's a boy?"
She was silent for a few minutes, finishing the last manju bun.
"Ojou-sama?" he prodded.
"If..it's a boy, he'll be named…Akatsuki…I guess."
"Unusual name. It means 'dawn', right?"
"Well yes, but if you split them...'Aka' means red and 'tsuki' means moon…" Her voice drifted off and she closed her eyes before adding quietly, "Because there was a full moon that night."
...shorter than i planned...
Like it? Hate it? Or don't care? ;)
Please review…no flames! I'm still new at writing for others to read.