Hibari eagerly followed Hotohori to dinner. He let her enter the room before him, and the first thing she saw was Nantar's disapproving glare. Then he saw Hotohori enter behind her and take her arm again, and she thought she saw the glare turn into a smug smile. She decided to ignore him, for now, and concentrate on eating dinner.
Either by accident, luck or protocol, Hibari was placed on the left side of Hotohori, with Nantar across from her and the general on her other side. Sitting by the silent general was not Hibari's idea of fun, and with Nantar being able to see everything she did, she wished for a brief moment that she could have eaten in her room, alone. Or with Hotohori, a little voice said in the back of her mind, but she quickly shook the thought out of her head as dinner began.
No one said much for the first few courses, but Nantar did give Hibari a few threatening looks when she finished her plates, apparently trying to stop her from a second helping. She wanted to kick him under the table, but a part of her was afraid she might hit Hotohori on accident, and she stopped herself.
About halfway through dinner, Nantar started talking politics with Hotohori. The emperor stole a quick glance at Hibari, but listened to him politely.
"I thought we weren't going to talk about political affairs until tomorrow." Hibari asked Nantar, although it wasn't really a question. Inside, she was a little angry with him for spoiling her dinner.
Nantar shot her a cool glance. "I was merely making conversation, your Highness." He said with steel in his voice. "Unless you'd rather talk about it now, of course." He said, almost daring her to say no.
"Actually, I'd rather not." She said calmly, before she could stop herself.
Nantar nodded in submission, but she could see that he was angry. She applauded herself silently on her small victory, and began asking Hotohori questions about the people in Konan. She made sure to call him 'Highness' in front of Nantar, although she wanted to show him that she was already far ahead in matters of diplomacy. The general didn't say a single word throughout dinner, which Hibari was glad of, but not surprised at.
Finally, dinner was over. Although Hibari wanted to talk more with Hotohori, Nantar insisted that she get some rest after her 'strenuous journey'. Unable to convince him that she wasn't the least bit tired, she finally gave in and followed him to her room. After the long lecture that Nantar gave her, she was angry and somewhat tired, and she all but pushed him out of her room. She slipped her feet out of her shoes and yawned. Now that she was going to bed, she was finally able to take off that horrible crown. As she brushed her hair out of it's coils, she glared at the horrid thing as it sat on her vanity, and decided firmly that she wouldn't wear it tomorrow. She knew Nantar would have a fit, but she could have cared less. Suddenly, there was a soft knock on her door.
"Who is it?" she asked, setting down her hairbrush.
"It's me, Hotohori." His voice rang sweetly through the door, and she smiled to herself. "May I come in?" he asked.
"Of cour--No!" she said, thinking better of it. If Nantar, or anyone for that matter, saw the emperor going into her room at night, she'd never hear the end of it. She quickly pulled the door open.
"I'm sorry." She said, looking up at him. "I just...don't think that's a good idea..." His eyes widened when he realized what she meant.
"You're absolutely right." He said quickly. "I can't believe I didn't think of it."
Hibari took a look down the hallway to see if Nantar was still around. "That's alright-I almost didn't." she admitted, looking up at him again. "You wanted to speak to me?" she asked after a moment of silence.
"Oh, yes." He said, as if he had just remembered. "I was wondering if you might like to watch the sunset with me. It's very beautiful to watch from the gardens." He asked hesitantly.
She smiled delightfully up at him. "I would love to." She said sincerely. He took her arm and the two walked quickly to the garden. The instant they stepped onto the grass, Hibari realized that she wasn't wearing any shoes, and remembered that she had left her hair down. Not very princess-like, but she smiled to herself and decided that she didn't care.