title Incandescent (2/3)
summary Vengeance is the best pick-up line.
pairing itasaku (of course)
It was a well-known fact that King Fugaku had bastard children. At least two, in fact. One, he had taken in as his "nephew" and currently served as a baron not far from the capital. The other, for some reason, he had never acknowledged. Never even spoken to. It had been a source of great scandal in the Cian Kingdom when it had first come to light. But now, no one batted an eye.
Which Sakura thought was absurd.
"He made him and he won't even speak to him?" Sakura complained.
"It's not as uncommon as you think, Sakura," Kizashi answered.
"That's right," Mebuki piped up. "If anything, Papa is the strange one for not having mistresses."
Sakura hid her smile behind her napkin as she watched her father sputter.
As Sakura recalled that conversation from a few years ago, she started when a servant arrived to set down tea in front of them. The plates and silverware rattled together. Her eyes met Sakura's. Sakura didn't dare look at her guest. She just nodded at the girl to dismiss her. She couldn't leave the room faster. The door closed with a click behind her.
Sakura sat alone with her esteemed guest. Emperor Itachi of the Bermellon Empire.
Bermellon was a powerhouse of military prowess and technology. It was much older than the kingdom of Cian, and its access to the ocean meant that merchants flocked to its ports. A plague several years ago, along with a civil war waged among the nobles had weakened the empire considerably. Rumors had spread of a new emperor who had seized the throne and brought stability to the lands. All that the rumors could agree on was that the emperor was a recluse who didn't appear in public for any reason.
"You must be uncomfortable. I beg your pardon for the sudden visit," the emperor said, lowering his head.
Sakura pinched her thigh through her dress. It hurt. So this wasn't some kind of strange dream.
"I... Please don't beg, Your Majesty," was all she could think to say.
Itachi was silent as he took that in. And then a smile curled his lips.
"Then instead of begging, let me ask you a question, My Lady. Is is true that you've been in a somewhat... vindictive mood lately?" he queried. Pointer finger on his cheek and thumb on his chin as he watched her.
Her curiosity overpowered the fear. She met his gaze. "Perhaps."
His smile widened. "Excellent."
Sakura didn't know why. But she felt quite comfortable recounting the last several months to a foreign monarch. Which, in retrospect, was probably a very stupid thing to do. Maybe it was his silence. It was hard to find someone who just listened.
"That is... quite a slap in the face," was all he concluded at the end of her story.
"What I resent most," Sakura began. She seized a cookie from the platter in the middle of the tray, "Is that I have brains. Why would he believe that I was going to seduce the son of the Knight Commander when I'm already going to become Queen?"
"That would be unnecessary," Itachi said.
"Exactly!" Sakura took a bite of the cookie. And then, settling back in her seat, she sighed.
"Well, there's no use in getting angry. It's what I get for underestimating the no-name niece of a baron," she mumbled, mostly to herself. After a moment, her gaze flickered up to Itachi.
"I'm not what you expected, am I?" Sakura guessed.
Itachi smiled a little. He wasn't so daunting when he smiled like that. "Am I that transparent?"
"No. You have to get good at reading faces when you're engaged to someone like Prince Sasuke," Sakura replied. And then she tilted her head to one side as she thought as she added, "You remind me of him."
His smile faded. "Which reminds me, we haven't gotten to the reason for my sudden visit."
She was aware that he had just changed the topic. But she gestured for him to proceed. She could always poke at that again later.
"Simply put, after the civil war, the farmlands and much of our infrastructure were destroyed. We've been able to make ends meet by importing crops from neighboring nations. Like yours. But the harsh tariffs your king has recently set against my country have hurt everyone. My people cannot afford to eat."
"Wouldn't this be the job of an ambassador to discuss this with His Majesty?" Sakura wondered.
"You're correct. It would also be his job to discuss how Cian has engaged in skirmishes along our border and attempted to blame bandits," Itachi added.
"So my country is provoking you to see if you're weak enough to attack?" she guessed.
Itachi nodded. He took a sip of his tea. "That's what I believe."
Sakura folded her arms across her chest. "Then where do I factor into all of this?" she asked.
"Even outside of your kingdom's borders, your family's power is well-known. And then I happened to hear rumors of the House Haruno's... falling-out with the Crown. Naturally, I thought we could help each other. We put on a show, feign closeness. We can use that to our advantage to each get what we need."
Sakura eyed him as she lifted her teacup to her lips to take a sip. She placed it back down on the saucer, soundlessly. "Do you plan to add Cian to your empire?"
Itachi didn't flinch from her gaze. In fact, she almost wanted to flinch. Meeting with the Queen had been unnerving enough. This man was on a whole other level. "You're quite blunt, aren't you?" he observed.
"Your question doesn't cancel out my question, Your Majesty," she pressed. Perhaps, a little foolishly.
Itachi chuckled. "True. That was rude of me. But I also have many things I'd like to ask you."
"Then we take turns. If you'd answer my question first, I'd be happy to answer one of yours," she suggested.
"Very well. My answer is 'no'. I don't plan on conquering Cian." And then he paused as he searched her gaze. "You're not frightened?"
"Terrified."
"Of this plan?"
"Yes. And of you. You're very intimidating," she answered. She didn't see a need in lying about that.
He chuckled, eyes flickering down to the teacup. "I wouldn't be a good ruler if I wasn't." And then his eyes moved back up to her. "Your next question?"
"Is it alright for you to be away from Bermellon like this?" she inquired.
"No, actually. But this was a special exception. In the future, I'm afraid our correspondences will have to be through writing," he told her. And then he tilted his head a little as he looked her over.
"Why do you ask?"
Sakura gestured around the room. "Because if you're going to continue to visit, Your Majesty, we're going to need to update these furnishings. My mother would have a fit if she knew you sat in the same room as out-of-season curtains," she told him.
Itachi's eyes sparkled as he pressed his knuckles to his mouth. It took him several moments for him to speak again. In which Sakura felt at ease because she knew it was from him trying his best not to laugh. Which would have been very undignified for a fearsome emperor.
"I look forward to working with you, Lady Sakura."
"Likewise, Your Majesty."
Itachi's departure was discrete. He slipped out through the servant's entrance, the hood of his cloak pulled up to cover his hair. As the carriage pulled up, Itachi turned back to look at her. Sakura lingered in the doorway.
"Do you have a pet name, My Lady?" Itachi inquired.
"Do I look like the sort of woman who would have a pet name, Your Majesty?" she retorted, forehead wrinkling at the very thought. Pet names were for little girls. Perhaps the only peer who could have gotten away with calling her by such a thing would have been the royal family. Just imagining Sasuke's look of disgust if she asked him to call her by a pet name made goosebumps rise up and down her arms.
"No. I suppose not. You're quite endearing enough as is," he mused mostly to himself as he turned to climb into the carriage.
The servants pretended to have seen nothing, and all Sakura informed her mother when she arrived a week later was that she had been dreadfully bored without her.
"You changed the curtains. Thank you, love," Mebuki observed as she sat in the parlor. She cast a confused look at the servant girl who stifled a giggle.
It began with a letter. A formal correspondence from the Emperor of Bermellon to Duke Haruno.
"What does it say, Papa?" Sakura asked, leaning on him as she read over his shoulder. Kizashi handed it to her once he was done reading.
"The Bermellon Empire has had trouble feeding all its citizens after the civil war. The nobles were fond of razing farmlands as a battle strategy, apparently," Kizashi informed her. He folded his hands under his chin as he waited for her to finish reading.
Sakura wrinkled her nose. "Bermellon had an agreement with the Crown. They sold surplus crops to Bermellon. In exchange for what, Papa?"
"For not attacking us. For a while, Bermellon's armies were a serious threat," Kizashi replied.
"But not anymore."
"Not anymore," he agreed. "I'd heard rumors that King Fugaku was planning to lay down strict sanctions against Bermellon. I never thought Bermellon would come running to us for help, though." Leaning back in his chair, Kizashi bit the end of his pipe.
"Well, we grow the crops. It would make more sense for them to deal with us directly rather than go through the Crown," Sakura commented. She stole a glance at her father, measuring his expression. He appeared to be lost in thought.
"Why don't we help them, Papa? It wouldn't do for people to go hungry," she suggested.
Her father's eyes flew to her. Sharpening.
"You know what kind of message that would send."
"I know, Papa."
Kizashi's eyes narrowed even more. His mustache twitched. "What are you planning, dear daughter of mine?" he wondered.
Sakura rested her chin in her palms. She beamed at him as she answered: "Wouldn't it be so much more fun if it were a surprise, Papa?"
Kizashi penned a reply that afternoon. Sakura sitting at his side as they brainstormed how to word the response. Mebuki eyed them as she watched Sakura pour wax onto the envelope flap. Sakura blew on the wax to cool before she stamped it with the seal.
"The royal family is moving to the Winter Palace. They should arrive in the next week or so," Mebuki announced.
"Do you think they'll try to make amends?" Kizashi queried.
"Of course. Although it seems like our daughter has other plans," Mebuki noted. Sakura just smiled at her. Mebuki reached out and stroked Sakura's hair. "Remember, darling. No treason."
"Yes, Mama."
As the weeks went on, letters went back and forth. Sakura started to pity the messengers who rode from the emperor's palace on the coast to the Haruno family's manor further inland.
Under the guise of lightening her father's workload, Sakura had taken on writing to the Emperor herself.
At first, the messages had been strictly business. Contracts and official documents that were signed and stamped to ensure a fair deal. There had been a few letters that had been a bit snippy as they negotiated about the money that would change hands. Sakura had to admit that the Emperor was a shrewd negotiator. The number they settled on wasn't exactly unfair to her, but it was certainly less than she would have liked.
But as the number of letters grew, Sakura found that their correspondences sounded less and less like business.
He didn't exactly spill his soul onto the page, but she could make some guesses. His palace seemed like a quiet place. And he worried a lot. About his people. About himself.
In one letter on a particularly dull day, Sakura mentioned off-hand that she missed the capital. Particularly the sound of the cuckoo birds that would wake her in the morning.
She stood dumbfounded in her garden a few weeks later. Inside a silver cage sat two birds. Their feathers were grey, almost blue. Their bright yellow eyes stared at her as she approached. One of them opened its beak to let out a familiar "cuckoo" sound.
"Those are..." Sakura trailed off when one of her servants handed her a letter. The imperial seal stamped into the deep purple wax.
A token of thanks for all that you've done, was all it said.
Of course, Sakura hosted a small tea party a few days later. And while she didn't say anything about the birds, she did place the cage in the middle of the garden, where everyone could see.
"Those are lovely, Lady Sakura," one of the ladies commented.
"They were a gift from His Majesty the Emperor of Bermellon," answered Sakura. Pretending not to notice Ino almost choke on her tea.
It didn't take long for rumors to spread from there.
Sakura told her chattiest servants about the latest thing the Emperor had written to her or sent to her. And in turn, those servants spread the gossip to her friends and family. Who in turn informed their friends.
By the peak of the winter, the royal court buzzed with speculation like an angry beehive. Was the daughter of Duke Haruno engaged to the Emperor of an enemy nation? Was this a plot on the Crown's part to gain Bermellon's trust? Hadn't Lady Sakura just been rejected by the Prince?
Sakura sat in the shade of the garden. It was a little cool, but the cloak around her shoulders kept her from feeling uncomfortable. The lavender the Emperor had sent to her several weeks ago had taken nicely to the soil. The stalks of silver-green leaves swayed back and forth, spreading the fragrance through the air.
"What's most scandalous, I think, is that it's difficult to tell whether he's courting you or not, I think," Mebuki observed. She gestured around the garden. "Flowers, birds, teas from his lands. Normally he would be sending dresses and jewels if he were trying to woo you."
"Oh nonsense, Mama. He's just showing his appreciation for our trading partnership," drawled Sakura. And they dissolved into laughter.
The cooler weather passed and it was time for a new social season.
Sakura took a deep breath. She rolled her shoulders to loosen up before she nodded at the steward. He opened up the doors. A servant girl entered bearing a large silver tray. Envelopes of every shape and size covered the surface. Some of the messages were doused in perfume, which Mebuki promptly plucked out and tossed in the discard pile. ("That's tacky, my dear. Anyone of good standing uses their name, not their nose to get attention.")
"Hm. Garden party. Garden party. Oh. Flower viewing- how novel. So different from a garden party," Sakura read as she shuffled through the invitations.
"Which ones will you go to, Mama?" asked Sakura.
Mebuki glanced through the names. "The sister of Earl Sabaku is throwing a stargazing party. She always has the most interesting ideas."
And then Mebuki picked up a few more envelopes. "Countess Inuzuka has continued to annoy me. But I might show my face at Marquise Nara's tea party."
"And Marquise Yamanaka?" Sakura prompted.
Mebuki laughed. "That goes without saying." But then Mebuki looked at her daughter's face and her smile fell. "Oh. You're... not planning on attending... any of these," she realized.
Sakura grinned. Pressing her hands together, she fluttered her eyelashes.
"Actually, Mama, neither of us is attending. We have somewhere to be," Sakura corrected her.
Mebuki sighed.
"...Let me go get your father."
"Duchess Haruno, it's so good to see you," the Queen greeted Mebuki a couple weeks later. Mebuki curtsied deeply.
"Thank you so much for meeting with me, Your Grace," Mebuki replied.
"Of course. We are always glad to see such a dear and trusted friend," Mikoto answered her. And they were all titters and smiles. Which did nothing to mask the frigid atmosphere in the room as they sat together.
"Now, whatever is this urgent matter that concerns you, my dear duchess?"
"The Haruno family won't be attending the spring banquet?" Fugaku barked. His voice echoed across the dining room. Mikoto wrung her hands, her food untouched. Sasuke stared at his plate, like he wasn't a part of the conversation. A servant walked in with a water jug, eyed the expressions of the royal family, and silently backtracked out of the room.
"...Or the summer ball," added Mikoto.
Fugaku's fork and knife clattered onto the plate. He threw his napkin on the table.
"This is unacceptable," Fugaku said.
Sasuke stole a glance at his father and found himself on the receiving end of a glare.
"This is your doing, Sasuke."
"How is the Haruno family's insolence my responsibility?" Sasuke retorted.
"Oh, Sasuke, don't," Mikoto sighed. But there was no point.
"Not only did you dissolve an engagement, you publicly humiliated the daughter of the biggest threat to our kingdom. To make things worse, you abjure the girl you chose to replace her with after less than a year. What sort of message does that send to our people?" Fugaku spat. Sasuke bit his tongue as he looked away.
"For years, Sasuke, Duke Haruno has been called the second king of this nation. Should he choose to rebel, it would plunge this nation into a bitter conflict. One that I'm uncertain we would emerge victorious from," the king then said in a softer voice.
Slowly, Sasuke turned his face back toward his parents. Fugaku was still scowling.
"I've been hearing unsettling strange rumors about the south right now. Fix this before it's too late, Sasuke. Lady Sakura has always been enamored of you. Use that to your advantage," the King demanded.
However, when Sasuke arrived at the Haruno mansion in the Capital the following day, it was empty.
"The Duke has moved here for the season, Your Highness, but there has been no word from the Duchess," the steward informed him. And then he added, "It's very likely that they are still at the manor, You-"
Sasuke stalked off before the steward could finish speaking. He had his fastest messengers sent south to the Haruno lands. They returned several days later empty-handed. Neither women was there, and none of the servants could say where they had gone.
Interrogating Sakura's usual friends was just as pointless. Lady Ino claimed that she was just as confused as to where her friend was, and then punctuated her words with some scowls and maybe even an eye roll. Lady Temari was less obvious about her disdain, but answered just as coldly.
"How am I supposed to fix this if I can't even find her?" Sasuke grumbled.
"Well, you probably shouldn't have messed things up from the start then," Naruto said, patting him on the back. Which was the sort of privilege he had by being one of Sasuke's only friends since childhood. And oblivious to Sasuke's expression, Naruto went on. "I tried to warn you. My cousin's crazy. And Lady Sakura would never do all those things Karin said. If I were you, I'd be really mad at myself for falling for any of that."
"Naruto."
"Hm?"
"Stop talking."
"Alright, Your Highness."
A few days later, a message arrived at the royal palace. It might not have caught anyone's attention except for the deep purple wax that sealed the flap in place.
As soon as Fugaku turned it over, his mouth tightened into a thin line.
"What is it?" Mikoto asked.
"Trouble," was all Fugaku could say.