The timid rays of the rising sun were sneaking between the slightly ajar window shutters of a nursing room, inside the medical area. Meshed curtains were preventing the light from invading the room. A fabric angel hanging from a corner of the window was occasionally dancing in and out of the room, carried by timid airwaves. The place was a simple wooden bedroom, without the expense of closets and furniture. The room was furnished with a bed and a cabinet. The bed was in the centre of the room, with the cabinet behind. Attached to the room was a bathroom with a tub in the centre, a toilet in one corner and a small cabinet in another corner. A ramp was fixed on the wall beside the toilet seat.

Two maids were inside the nursing room. One wearing gloves and the other carrying a basket filled with a piece of clothing and a toiletry bag. They walked on the tip of their toes to not wake the sleeping toddler. The maid carrying the basket had just opened the window to renew the air in the room. Squatting down, she opened a cabinet. She untied the basket and retrieved a neatly folded yukata along with two little socks and slippers. She placed the piece of clothing and slippers inside the cabinet before closing it and placing the basket on the cabinet. At the same time, the gloved maid walked inside the bathroom towards the cabinet. She collected a single-use floor towel and sanitiser. She sprayed the liquid on the towel and placed the bottle back in the cabinet. Walking outside of the bathroom, she wiped the floor in silence. Trying not to disturb the sleeping toddler. As she was getting close to the head of the bed, she stole glimpses of the sleeping toddler who was being cleaned by the maid who carried the basket.

They had heard bits of what happened the day prior. How the tiny kid disappeared from the study room right under her tutor's nose. And how she fainted afterwards. Could it be the kid's quirk? For the past ten months, the Imperial House and the employees had been on edge. The toddler had turned four on July the first of last year. The expectation around her quirk had been an elephant in the inner palace. The Imperial House was disturbed by the idea of a child making people fall in love with her at every turn. This ability had refrained her Mother from attending high school and wreaked havoc in many people's lives. By the time the then-teen girl had been invited to live in the Imperial House with an infant that had been forced upon her, some of her aspirant lovers had ended their days in desperation. Regarding the toddler, the Imperial House considered registering her with a distraction quirk. People seemed to lose their focus when the toddler was around. Like the tutor did the day before. However, they couldn't quite grasp the process. There had been no evidence. It happened on sparse occasions. And there was no pattern. It could have been mere episodes of fatigue or heat-induced distraction. The episodes mostly occurred during the night.

The first notable episode was during the last winter. When Ms Nobu let the toddler open multiple boxes of sweets in one of the Empress Dowager's cabinets. The Young Hyori was sleeping in the nursery on a December night when the Emperor visited her Mother. The small child had been agitated that evening. To calm her down, the Empress Dowager had requested warm milk infused with bits of orange peels. Once the concoction was delivered to her tea table, close to the inner terrace, she urged Ms Nobu to add a spoonful of honey inside. Ms Nobu had retrieved the honey from a low cabinet and poured a string of the golden liquid inside a cup. She then filled the cup with the infused milk and mixed the content. She had been mixing for a while when the Empress Dowager reprimanded her. Ms Nobu had been startled. Looking around, she noticed the toddler had made her way to the cabinet and was indulging in the candied fruits. She had also bitten some dark chocolate sculptures. At that time, the adults decided to blame the incident on Ms Nobu's fatigue.

The second notable episode occurred on Girls' Day, three months ago. A trio of maids had been tasked to bathe and groom the toddler for the celebration. They retrieved a basket and selected scented ointments, along with some towels and a bathing dress for the toddler. Fresh rose petals were floating on the warm water of the women's indoor spring. The flowers' fragments immediately caught the eye of the toddler who wanted to play with them. The whole point of the process was for the small child to get used to rest and bask in that kind of luxury, not to play around. Still, the maids didn't have the heart to contradict the childish antics. They decided to let the toddler entertain herself with the petals as long as she was only blowing on them. After a few minutes, they ousted the waters with the infant. They used soft towels to tap the toddler's skin and massaged ointments on her body and scalp. Once the toddler was dressed in her bathing robe, one maid went to put the basket and ointment bottles away while another retrieved the celebration's clothes. The third one was combing through the toddler's curls with her hand. When the two former maids came back from their errands, the maid cradling the toddler hadn't moved an inch and was unresponsive to her coworkers' calls. She only reacted when one of the others retrieved the toddler from her arms.

The third notable episode had been the day prior. This time, unlike the previous episodes, neither fatigue nor wonder were to blame. The episode occurred during the afternoon and the chirping creaky sounds of the nightingale-floored hall should have alerted the tutor of the child's departure. The adults had to wait for the toddler to wake up and recount her side of the story. And they wouldn't have to wait for too long. The toddler was blinking her eyes open while the maid was still cleaning her. Said maid looked sideways to face her coworker.

"Can you inform a doctor? I will dress the Young Hyori in the meantime." She requested. The maid who was cleaning the floor stood up, got rid of her gloves and exited the nursing room.

When the maid came back from the doctor's office, the toddler was sitting on the edge of the bed. She had already been dressed in the clean yukata and her hair was pulled in on the back from where her own petals were now forming a lavender bouquet. The same doctor who had auscultated the toddler was now crouching in front of the small child.

"Good morning, Young Hyori." He said.

"Good morning, Mister Doctor." Answered the toddler.

The doctor seemed satisfied with what he saw and stood up.

"She's clear to leave the medical area." He addressed the nurse who was standing by the bedside.

"Thank you." Responded the maid. Heading toward the cabinet, she came back with slippers that she fixed on the toddlers' feet. Then, she picked her up and exited the medical area.

In the women's area, the ladies were still going through their morning routines. The maid headed towards Ms Shinsou's suite and knocked on the door before letting herself inside. The door was unlocked, meaning the inside was privy to the discreet eyes of the women's maids. The bedroom and living area of the suite was soulless. Water could be heard from the bathroom, though. The maid squatted down to let go of the toddler who rushed towards the bathroom. The small child knocked on the door before entering. The waterfall sound stopped as the woman was probably exiting her shower. After a few minutes, the woman entered the bedroom area, clad in a bathing robe and holding her daughter with a gracious smile on her face. The toddler was mirroring her expression.

"Thank you. You may dispose." She addressed the maid.

"Yes, Madam." Answered the maid with a bow before exiting the suite.

In the halls, the maid came across Ms Nobu. As she was passing her with a bow, the latter addressed her.

"Could you wait?"

The maid stopped in her track and turned around to face Ms Nobu while keeping her gaze downcast.

"Would you help me with the Empress Dowager's breakfast? In her quarter."

It wasn't an actual question. It was a command to follow the woman. Ms Nobu resumed her walk with the maid trailing after her. When they arrived in front of the Empress Dowager's quarter, Ms Nobu urged the maid to open the door with a gesture of her head. Once inside, Ms Nobu walked toward the private terrace where the Empress Dowager was enjoying her morning infusion. She sat on her legs in front of the elderly woman, a koto lying right before her. Slowly, she started stroking the horizontal chords and a melody was filling the silence. Facing the scene, the maid was standing before the entrance door.

"A specialist is going to audition Young Hyori today. I want you to pay attention and report all the details of what he will say. Don't omit a single word." Commanded the Empress Dowager.

"Yes. Your Highness." Answered the maid with a bow

"You may dispose." Prompted the Empress Dowager.

"Yes, your Highness".