Sei sits on the white blanket they've spread under the tree in the park, spreading out the food from the picnic basket and watching as her husband, Kyo corals their two daughters, six year old Meg and four year old Jo. Kyo picks up Jo and smiles at his wife; they both now know their private joke that the children can be even more difficult to manage than their namesakes.
Her husband, her children, the sun shining down on their picnic in the park - Sei drinks the moment and the love filling it, her eyes never leaving Kyo. The boy she once saw waiting on a street corner for what would be the strangest job interview ever has become the man she will spend the rest of her life with…
… Sei woke up and for a moment, wondered where she was and what had happened to her family. Then she remembered it was only a dream - one of the recurring dreams that had plagued her since she'd met Kyohei. Was her subconscious on the police's payroll?
Sei got out of bed, shuffled over to her vanity, turned on the light, and looked at herself in the mirror. She wore only a small amount of makeup during the day, but even without it, she was still beautiful. 'Beauty befitting a princess,' grandfather often joked, 'a face that launched a thousand ships,' not realizing the part of the flattery that always cut her: A princess is nothing without a prince to marry her.
And Sei had always known that as long as she pursued the mission she had given herself, she would never have a prince.
'You knew the reality going in,' she silently told the woman in the mirror. 'A husband, children - not for you. You should have had your tubes tied, instead of holding out the tiniest glimmer of hope it's still possible. An Imperial princess has a better chance at a "normal life" than you. You've known that all along. You may not even be alive in a year, so why even think about a family? And Kyohei? Don't be ridiculous! You made your peace with this years ago. Suck it up and get with the program. And don't you dare cry again.'
But whatever part of herself she was trying to talk to didn't listen again, and once more, she wept for the life she would never have and the children who would never be born.
But at least she knew she would stop crying by the time the others got up, and they would never know it had happened….again.