If I were to review this piece myself, think I'd say 'Poor Keiki!'

Actually the plot wasn't meant to end this way, but was glad that it ended this way.

Edit → Thanks to those who had commented on the "Shoushu", "Shuujou" and the measuring system thing. I'd finally decided to move my butt and had corrected it...

"Hmmn ..." Kei-Ou turned to her right. "Mmmn ..." then to her left. "Huh?" She's now standing squarely facing the bronze mirror.

"Ou-Sama. Would you like to put on your robe now? The weather is chilly; you could easily catch a cold this way." The maiden just couldn't help but blush seeing her Empress bare for so long after her evening bath.

"Huh? Oh! Okay." Realising with the mention of cold, she was really getting cold despite her hot bath earlier. Much earlier, as she had dwelled too much into her suspicions.

Extending her arms like how she had pretended that she was an airplane when she was a kid. The palace maidens finally got to finish with their job in getting their Majesty dressed.

Too much adventures and she had actually got use to it. She hadn't remembered 'this', until after she remembered 'that'. 'That' was when her period didn't report as it was supposed to. After remembering 'that', it had led her to remember 'this'.

She headed for her chest immediately when the maidens summoned the servants to remove that large wooden barrel, filled with water and petals from, she had lost count of how many types of, flowers.

Digging and borrowing her way right to the shallow bottom of it, she found what she was looking for. Slipping her arms from the large robe and letting it hang by its sash, she stood again in front of the highly polished bronze and put it on.

The maidens were wondering what their Empress was up to but could only cocked their heads, puzzled. Relief that the male servants were already out, their Empress wasn't someone who was weary about her surroundings, let's say, when it wasn't life threatening.

Smiling to themselves that they were thinking about the same thing, when all jumped from their skins upon hearing the terrifying screech.

"Arrrgh! I've drooped!"

"Youko! What else is bothering you now?" First thing in the morning, Shoukei was being questioned who tailored the clothes for everyone in Kinpa.

"Just tell me! I've got to see her, or him, I'd rather her, urgently!" Anxiously holding an exquisitely embroidered pouch in her hands, Kei-Ou just had to see this tailor, hopefully seamstress, fast.

"There was a group of Imperial Seamstress back in Hou. But I think Keiki would be the better person to ask about this." Since that incident, Youko had been discovering weird differences between Japan and the Twelve Kingdoms. Shoukei wondered what it was this time.

"Keiki? Right!" Without another word, she turned and sped out of Shoukei's room.

"Yo ..." dropping her outstretched arm back to her side, shaking her head and sighing.

"You don't have to go there yourself, Shuujou. She can be summoned here if you wish to see her." Having 'that' experience, Keiki had learned not to poke his nose too deeply into his Shuujou's odd discoveries, and most importantly, seek the correct person for advice when needed.

That glint he had saw from En-Ou's eyes, even if it was just for a split second, still made him quiver.

"Then get her here, quick!" Not that Keiki would know; Kei-Ou had not once let go of her pouch since she had grabbed it in the morning.

"Yes, Shuujou." He then proceeds to sent summons for the Head of the Imperial Seamstress.

The little lady, in her forties, had been staring at the piece of garment for, slightly too long. Squinting at the fine seams, feeling the complex lacy patterns with her fingers, testing the elasticity of the shoulder straps and lastly, squeezing the push-up sponges.

"This is like nothing that I've seen before, Ou-Sama." She had resigned to the fact that her years of experiences had led her to a dead-end. "I'm afraid that I could not tell what it is."

"You don't have to guess what it is, for I KNOW what it is! I'm asking you if you know how to make this?" Kei-Ou gestured the surprised woman to sit with her when she realised that she had raised her voice at her.

Recovering from her shock, "I would try. And since Ou-Sama knows what this is, your advice on its materials would be greatly appreciated." Trying to calm her nerves on the thought that she had angered her Empress.

"Right, right! Let's get to work now!" Pulling the Head Seamstress by her hand and running out her own chambers, then she halted in the corridor. Turning to ask the woman, "Which way to go?"

"You take my measurement here ..." Kei-Ou wrapped the piece of string, which was supposed to be a measuring tool, under her arms, high on her back and around the top of her chest. "Then here ..." Now wrapping it loosely around the fullest part of her bust.

"Okay!" Handling the Head Seamstress the piece of measurement. "The difference, in centimetres, between these two measurements will tell my cup-size..." Kei-Ou paused when she discovered the petite woman staring at her. From the look on her face, she doesn't understand a word Kei-Ou had said.

Kei-Ou returned her gaze, then suddenly, "Oh!" Slapping her own forehead, she had forgotten that the people don't use the metric system here. Let alone that they will know what 'cup-size' is.

She started pacing around the room, leaving the roomful of seamstress confused as to what their Empress was doing or talking about. Stopping suddenly, the red-head announced to all in the room, "I'll have to educate all of you!"

Holding up the completed product, Kei-Ou couldn't help but admired the skills of the Head Seamstress. She had perfectly reproduced another of the, alien, garment given to her. Satisfied with it, Kei-Ou instructed the petite woman to impart this skill to all her seamstress and finally, all women in Kinpa, from palace maidens to Ministers, should start wearing it.

"I should start with the various Heads and let them pass on this." Returning to her own thoughts. "Maybe I should start with Shoukei and Suzu. That's right!" And immediately sent for both to have their measurements taken.

On her way back to her chambers, she was still deep in her thoughts when she nearly bumped into Keiki, if he had not dodged her, "Shuujou!"

"Keiki? Why are you here?" The thought of it's a pity that Keiki isn't 'Keirin' flashed across her mind when she realised he was standing in front of her. She had flushed a little while keeping her thoughts in check.

He had often wondered why his Empress had a habit of blushing, "I was checking to see if you would need my help." He had been wondering what she was doing, spending whole days in the Imperial Seamstress wing.

"Huh?" Keiki helping on this? That just doesn't sounded right, "Err ... it's alright Keiki, you're busy enough." She was avoiding Keiki's eyes, "Oh! Can you send for all the female Heads, Officers and Ministers to my study tomorrow?"

"Yes, Shuujou." He saw her blushing again. Had she over exerted herself? Or was she unwell? He was about to ask should he sent for the Imperial Physician.

"And you can be excused from the meeting tomorrow. It's nothing important, really. See you." Kei-Ou turned and hurried back to her chambers.

Leaving a worried Keiki thinking about if his Empress was really ill.

The entire Kei-Koku was bustling, from the day of the meeting in which Keiki was excluded. The women in Kinpa could often be found in groups discussing about something that only they knew. Then giggles behind sleeve covered faces would be heard.

These were driving the male officers to the state where they wouldn't want to walk pass a group of female officers in such discussion, unnecessarily. Despite these, being curious was just natural. The men had their own male-bonding sessions discussing what could the women be discussing about.

Rumour had it that, their Majesty had introduced a new type of garment, from Hourai and made it compulsory for all women to wear it all day except when sleeping. But none had really seen how the garment looked like, for they were too decent to sneak peeks into the Imperial Laundry.

Further news were added from the men who had to walk pass female officers grouped for discussion. They had caught some stray comments from those women that it was 'tight' and 'constricting' and made breathing difficult if one chooses the wrong fit.

Now, that was one piece of 'juicy' news that would circulate between the men for sometime.

Conclusions were formed in such male-bonding sessions that, their Majesty had wanted to put all women in Kinpa to an ordeal that will tone them up in time. It was bad enough to have her predecessor killing all women in the palace for her own selfishness; their new Empress had her subject's well-being in her mind constantly.

This conclusion had raised the respect for Kei-Ou in the hearts of her male officers, without her knowing it of course.

"Keiki, aren't you happy that your chosen Empress is ruling Kei-Koku well?" During a visit from the sovereign of En-Koku, Kei Taiho was being questioned.

"Yes. Shuujou always puts in her best." Keiki thought En-Ou wasn't one who would speak for no intentions.

"Haven't you noticed that everyone, especially the women, looked excellent? What could be Youko's secret?" Having heard her first decree, he was very interested to know what had the scarlet-child done this time.

"Nothing much, really." Keiki shifted his eyes onto a row of bushes.

"Not willing to impart your wisdom?" En-Ou was now as curious as a cat.

Shaking his head, Keiki was too embarrassed to tell that he doesn't know the reason.

~End~