A few hours after the rendezvous with the envoy, Kaguya retired to her room after writing a report to the rest of her family and having it sent to the main wing. She lied down on her lounging chair from her balcony, overlooking the forest, the beach, and the vast ocean.
Kaguya's room was high-toned and filled with exquisite furnishings, though it was not as posh as her brothers' quarters. But it doesn't bother her much, as Kaguya was fine with customary things as long as they were comfortable to look at and to rest on. It consisted of the usual amenities, like her bed, cabinets and drawers, a carpet, a work desk, and plenty of curtains.
Kaguya let out a sigh. She wasn't sure if she was exhausted or just lonely. Yes, she was surrounded by many attendants everyday, but it's clear that there's a distinction between her and them. It's made worse by the fact that she's the sole Lumien of the royal family that's unable to fly. She's still exceptional in every other skill, but her powers are weak compared to most other Lumiens in the Imperata, and she's heard all the gossip about her.
She'd rather not let it get to her, so she tossed and turned in her lounging chair while letting the afternoon grow long. In the middle of her boredom, she fell asleep. It was only until the sky turned from blue to yellow when she began to stir from her nap. She gently stretched her back and her neck, and then patted her stomach. Maybe I should request some food.
As she placed her foot on the floor, the door of her bedroom opened. Kaguya tucked away some of her hair as she squinted at the approaching figure, a voluptuous, bouncy girl skipped in with a spring in her step and a goofy smile on her face. She came bearing a small basket in hand. Kaguya clicked her tongue upon recognizing her.
Her clothing deeply reflects her outer presentation. She wore white blouse connected with a long petticoat and navy blue skirt. An almond-colored vest snugly hugged her torso, and a small scarlet ribbon wrapped around her neck. The most distinctive feature is the big black bow on her forehead, in place of any other accessories.
A panicking maid followed close behind. "Please do not upset her Highness, milady Fujiwara." Her wide eyes glanced at Kaguya's squinting face.
The pink haired girl winked back. "It'll be fine. Kaguya and I have been friends for a long time. I know for a fact she would never do anything to me!"
"Only because I hold back, you insolent ass," Kaguya muttered vehemently to herself. She curtly nodded to the servant, instantly dismissing her. Soon, the room was left between her and the newcomer, Lady Chika Fujiwara, one of the few human nobility of the Lumien Imperata.
Chika turned to her with a brilliant beam on her face. "Oh, Kaguyaaaaaa!" Immediately, she squeezed her in a deep embrace, almost flattening Kaguya in her chest to the latter's chagrin. "I missed you so much!"
"Stop! I can't breathe!" Pulling away her face, she put up a hand between herself and Chika. "You see me everyday, you idiot. Why would you miss me?"
"But you're my bestest friend in the world!" she squeals! "Of course I'd miss you!"
That doesn't make sense, Kaguya thought with resignation. Chika was always one for spontaneity. Admittedly, it's one of her strengths, a frustrating one at that. Kaguya knew no end to this impertinous villain, and as much as it infuriated her sometimes, Chika was indeed her best friend, in fact one of her only real friends in the entirety of the Imperata.
"It's been a busy day, Chika," she sighed. "I'm exhausted and want to rest. I'd rather you'd not disturb my leisure with whatever your plans are."
"Aww, Kaguya wants to relax," Chika chirps. "Don't worry! I brought some of our favorite desserts, right here!" She holds up her basket, shaking it playfully.
Kaguya frowned. "Chika, I am not to be treated as so. You may be my friend, but I'm not your plaything. You cannot coax me with sweets."
Chika merely dismissed her as she began to wave a raspberry pastry in front of her, grinning widely. "C'mon Kaguya, only one! Just one, just one, just one-"
"Control yourself, Chika." Kaguya was already half-taken by her charade, and internally debated if shutting up over a little piece of bread was worth it. She glared passively at Chika, who was making ridiculous faces as she munched on the pastry. Eventually Kaguya conceded defeat and said, "Fine, put your basket on my table."
Chika smiles winsomely with puffy cheeks, and proceeds to plop herself on the opposite chair. Kaguya tuts disapprovingly, but goes to prepare some tea. She prefers to prepare her own tea in these instances, usually with the servants keeping a hot container of water at all times for her to use as she pleases. She quickly mixes in her tea and joins Chika in front.
Sitting on lounge chairs in front of a beautiful view, enjoying tea and pastries as the sun rings the fifth bell of the afternoon hours. Chika indulges herself in her own basket, as if she never meant to share it in the first place. Kaguya let out a weary, exasperated breath as she cut into a pastry of her own. She will never change, this girl, she thought wistfully.
Chika had been Kaguya's friend since her younger years. She served as an extreme that balanced out her radical upbringing. Where she was imbued with a great dose of ruthlessness, Chika was there with her sense of compassion to keep Kaguya company as she was compounded by the isolation she received after her mother's death.
In a sense, she owes Chika for staying by her side through all of it. Chika was way more popular than her, both as a noble and as a person. Anybody near Kaguya is either afraid of her, or conspiring against her. Surely somebody who is her exact opposite would have better things to do than spend time with an isolated royal.
Though as cheerfully friendly as she may be, few have ever gotten to witness a more ruthless side to her, as almost all her rivals have. When those folk underestimate her, they find the tables turned on them before they know it. She matches her talent of charm with her discretion and intrigue, overrunning those who try to trap her. Although she wholeheartedly heralds she dislikes deception and deceit, when it comes to games involving trickery, it becomes an exception; politics is just another game to her, and there's nothing she excels at more than games.
But Chika was isolated too, in a way. People put her high on a pedestal, ignoring the fact that she's a human being, both figuratively and literally. They forget that Chika is also someone that seeks more than superficial conversations and practical things. She wants to be with someone who she can be herself with, and Kaguya's precisely that person.
In a sense, Kaguya appreciates and envies her. She's grateful, unknowingly, that Chika's company has given her a sense of life that wouldn't be there hadn't she entered into her life. And on the other hand, she loathes the fact that she's everything Kaguya wanted to be. Her petty vexations just hide her inner desire to emulate her.
"Kaguya…? Kaguya!" Chika shaked her out of her reverie. "Were you listening?"
Kaguya looked at her for a few moments, before giving a tolerant shrug. "Sorry, no."
Naturally, she pouted in annoyance. "I was talking about horses! Father took me to see the new horses he imported for me and my sisters. They're so pretty!" She pantomimed galloping through forest roads, complete with sounds that she herself is making. " I always wanted to ride horses super fast!"
Kaguya continued to watch Chika enthuse about her new pastime. In the process, she thought of her own father, and for some reason felt miserable. Lumiens don't need horses, she reasoned, but she knew that's not what upsets her.
"Oh, by the way, I got a copy of both envoys' reports. First yours, and then the second one. I wish I was picked to talk to the Volarian representative." Chika looked genuinely plaintive.
She looked at her. "You know, Srta. Nagisa had a very distinctive outfit. I wonder if other Volarians wear it too."
Chika leaned forward. "What do you mean? What did it look like?"
"She wore a fancy gown that seems to be made up of separate parts. The collar is actually another cloth draped over, and she also wore an apron in front of her skirt. It's unique Volarian apparel. I think it would suit you well, Chika."
She beamed. "Truly? I really want to visit Volaria and get one for myself!"
Kaguya shook her head. "Always getting ahead of yourself. The Imperata wouldn't allow long distance travel to the Centre-lands just yet. Even though we've allowed Volaria limited rights, we're still trying to restrict their influence as much as possible."
Chika stared into her tea. "Too bad. I've always thought that we didn't need to have such tight rules. I just want to travel and explore all over the world!"
Despite herself, Kaguya thought about it too. Of course, that begs a very important question. "Why exactly do you want to travel the world?"
Remarkably, Chika stopped to ponder. "I don't know if it's as simple as I make it out to be, but… don't you think there's so much we don't know yet? Can't you feel the desire to just go out there and see for yourself?"
"You feel strongly about… what exactly?"
"The Imperata waves its banner proud and high, yet secludes itself inside its own world. Meanwhile, it keeps both its own provincials locked away from the world, and the outsiders who may as well bring something different and enlightening, something that proves how rich the beauty of the wider world really is!"
"Orientals, Centrals, and Occidentals… you don't believe in the differences between us?"
She shook your head fiercely. "Oh, they're there. But they're made to look vast, to keep us from realizing what everybody has in common: that we're all heralds of the same earthly marvels that mark this new era! This is the present, the very edge of history. There's nothing in books about it because we're the ones writing it down. That's why we're here.
"That's why I think it's much better if the Imperata let me go across the continent and see what the other nations really have in store for us. The sooner we know, the sooner we can be able to tell tales about all the beautiful things they have."
Kaguya laughed by herself. Selfish as always, Chika. You will never change. She poured another cup of tea for the two of them. They turned their eyes to the reddening horizon.
"Say, Chika. Why did you decide to befriend me, of all people?"
She turned to her. "Why are you asking?"
"I never really asked you why, after all these years." She gazed at her imploringly.
"Don't you remember? When we were first introduced, I just thought you were interesting, and I started to follow you around as you go. It was at a banquet here in the Palace."
Kaguya thought back on the memory. "Yes. You had no end to your little questions."
Chika looked at her twinklingly. "You were with your mother, her Majesty, talking to many big adults like you were their equals. I was your age when I met you at that party, and I was curious to know what inspired such incessant bravery."
Actually, my father taught me that. Kaguya turned wistful.
"All the other noble kids were afraid of you, especially the boys. You were Lumien after all, and they were not. They didn't know you were a weak flyer yet, but I imagine they'd never have the guts to say it to your face. Or behind your back, either."
"Don't you think they were just wary that an heiress of the clan that conquered their territory was standing right before them?" Chika never had this problem, as her family was a subordinate of the Shinomiya clan, and were based near the capital. "And you also thought it was a good idea to befriend the daughter of the fearsome conqueror clan?"
"Perhaps," she added. "But… you looked lonely, despite everyone around you. You probably only followed what your mother and father said, but deep down, I thought really you wanted somebody to talk to, somebody who can keep you company."
"That was enough to approach me? There might have been other lonely children there."
"But I saw no one as lonely as you, Kaguya." Chika's expression was warped with sympathy. "I didn't care about who you are. All I knew was that you wanted a friend.
"You're very smart, and super cool. You have this icy demeanor that silences anybody that dares to oppose you. You make extremely difficult decisions look relatively easy. You always give your best. You're amazing. That's why you don't deserve to be alone. You should be happy, and seeing you happy makes me happy too." She winked.
"You seemed happy enough already. You didn't need me to be happy. You have a great many friends to keep your company too."
Chika became disheartened. "That's not true, Kaguya. I don't have as many real friends as you think, especially no one like you. Everyone treats me with eminence, but I can't join them without them fawning over me. I don't need admirers. You seemed to behave the same. You never cared about who I was when we met, just like how I never cared how scary you are.
"So… do you realize Kaguya? I love you dearly. I'd follow you over the edge of the earth and all the way back. I promise upon who I am." She was dead serious.
Kaguya let the silence hang for a minute, before eventually smiling. "Thank you, Chika. You're the only person I could ever confide in about this. You're equally as incredible as me." No, you're much better than me. You're someone that I want to be.
They looked at each for a few more moments. A cool, gentle breeze rippled across the balcony, the chilly wind replacing the formerly humid heat from hours before. The sun was about to descend into the horizon. The transcendent rings that trail across the sky completely on a clear night was appearing fully into view. On the opposite end, the moon was rising.
Then, Chika got up and pulled Kaguya to her feet as well. Together, they leaned on the balcony rails, hand-in-hand witnessing a spectacular scenery. Was the dusk always this humbling?
Chika was the first to speak. "If you ever had to go on a sudden adventure around the world, I'll be there with you, wherever you go. That's my promise."
Kaguya smiled, this time unreserved. That's a promise.