"Rise and shine…"
A sleepy voice stirred me from my sleep, and I opened my eyes to see my husband lying in bed next to me. Strings of sunlight seeping through the closed curtains illuminated his smiling face. His silvery blond hair lay around his face and pillow, mixing in with my own.
"Good morning, Takumi," I replied, matching his smile. "What's on the agenda for today?"
Before responding, he planted a soft, quick kiss on my lips. "Reconstruction meetings all day, unfortunately."
"Again?"
He shrugged. "It's my duty as Ryoma's chief adviser. Don't worry. We'll have plenty of time to spend together after dinner," he assured, kissing me again.
Just as he pulled away, the bedroom door creaked open. Jakob and Felicia entered the room and closed the door again, making as little noise as they could.
Takumi let out a sigh and sat up, glaring at my servants. "For once, couldn't you two be just a little late?" he grumbled. All the same, he had already swung his legs over the edge of the bed and was on his feet. "Corrin isn't a child anymore. She doesn't need your wake up calls."
"Apologies, Lord Takumi. But it is under Lady Corrin's own orders that we arrive precisely at this hour each morning," Jakob responded, as calm as ever. He had never been one to let Takumi's moodiness agitate him. This came in handy, since Felicia was already a quivering wreck, despite her attempts to hide her fear of Takumi. "And if memory serves me right, we have never once awoken either you or Lady Corrin. We simply wait for the time at which you wake on your own."
Though he was turned away from Jakob and Felicia, I saw Takumi roll his eyes. I crawled over to Takumi's side of the bed and got to my feet, immediately seizing his hands and holding them in my own. "Don't be angry with them. They're only following orders. You're usually out of bed and in meetings with Ryoma by this time anyway." I hesitated, trying to judge his reaction to my words. "But if it bothers you that much, I can change their orders," I added with a gentle tone.
"Excuse me for wanting to spend some private time with my wife," Takumi said. His tone was still bitter, but I managed to hold my tongue along with Jakob and Felicia.
"We'll get our private time later," I assured. "Now get ready for the day. You don't want to keep Ryoma waiting." With that, I released his hands and started towards my faithful maid and butler. "I'll see you after dinner, Takumi," I said to him over my shoulder.
He responded with only silence. I took that as a cue that it was okay for me to leave the room. Jakob opened the door for me, and I exited with Felicia following close behind. "Good morning, milady," she sputtered as we stepped into the hall. Jakob followed us, easing the door shut behind him. "We'll be using the second washroom today," she informed, stepping ahead of me to lead the way.
"Thank you both. I know Takumi isn't easy to get along with, but I appreciate your effort," I said. I stole a glance back at the bedroom door but looked forward again after just a second.
"Anything to make you happy, Lady Corrin," Jakob said with a wide smile. "Please think nothing of it."
Felicia's ponytail bobbed up and down with a vigorous nod. "Yeah! He's worth putting up with as long as we get to keep serving you, Lady Corrin," she affirmed.
"Still, you have my thanks," I repeated. My servants' loyalty never failed to put a smile on my face. We soon neared the washroom of Felicia and Jakob's choosing, and Felicia opened the door. She held it open for me and Jakob, and Jakob set about his work as soon as he entered.
After changing, I sat down to have the two of them wash my hair. I always insted that I could do something like this on my own, but Jakob and Felicia remained unrelenting in their desires to serve my every need. With my head leaned back into the washbasin, I closed my eyes and waited for them to finish their task. As I was waiting, the door opened and closed abruptly. I kept my eyes closed for fear of getting soap in them, but the newcomer wasted no time making their identity known.
"Good morning, Lady Corrin," Orochi's cheerful voice rang through the washroom.
I responded, "Good morning," unable to hide a shred of excitement. A morning visit from Orochi usually brought along good tidings. She only visited when her daily divination included something interesting, which my life had been in dire need of since the end of the war. I would have traded anything for something to occupy even a single day. "What brings you here so early?" I asked her.
"Your cards were quite telling today, Lady Corrin," Orochi answered.
"Do you care to tell me what they were telling you?" I asked with a smile showing on my face.
Orochi was silent for a short moment, and I could hear the quiet flick of her fortune telling cards. "It's going to be a big day for you, Lady Corrin."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
Another flick of her cards before continuing, "You've been bored lately, correct, Lady Corrin?"
I hesitated. "Yes…" I answered finally. Life in the Hoshidan palace had been noting but mundane since the end of the war. I knew that peace was nothing to be taken for granted, but I missed the thrill that battle brought. I wished for something a little less dangerous to replace it.
Flick."There's a big event coming your way, Lady Corrin… An old desire is soon going to come into your reach…" Flick."Something is to occur at the lake…" She continued, and my smile grew bigger and bigger, as I awaited further details on what was to come. Flick."Midday… With a…" Flick.And silence…
"Orochi?"
"With a happy ending!" she said, a little too abruptly. "Make your way to the lake around midday. That's all the advice I can give you for now, Lady Corrin," she explained in a rushed tone. I could hear her shuffling her cards around to get them cleaned up. "I'll be leaving now, milady, if that's alright with you."
"Of course, Orochi. You're free to go."
The door opened and closed again, and I was left to ponder Orochi's sudden departure. But daydreams and hypotheses about what awaited me at the lake today soon overtook my thoughts instead.
I'm getting back into the habit of planning out stories, writing one or two chapters, and then abandoning them to plan new stories. It is what it is, eh?
I hope I can keep this one up. I know this first chapter is a little draggy, but I needed to establish some things with Corrin and Takumi, so it's a necessary evil. I'm excited for the rest of it, though. So I hope you guys like it ^u^