"I'm so happy for you both," I told Mami the afternoon the imperial edict was announced.

"He will be given his own property in the west as part of his compensation," she replied just as happily. "He will be able to live well there for the rest of his life."

"What are your plans now?"

"I received a note from him earlier saying that he will be arriving in the evening. Kaname-sama has already approved his stay," she blushed. "I… I still don't know what will happen tonight."

~~~

"I shall be leaving for Kyoto to meet with the new emperor tomorrow," Kaname announced while stroking my bare back.

"Then I'll come with you," I moved a little, my smooth legs brus.h.i.+ng against his.

"There's no need," he replied. "What we will be talking about is bound to be boring. I do not want to subject you to that."

I looked at him with questioning eyes. Since when did his activities become boring?

He chuckled. "I just want Jin-san to lay low for a little while."

"But I want to go with you," I pouted.

"It's been decided. Only Arimsan and Taneyuki-san will be accompanying me in this official trip."

"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously.

"My beloved, don't be silly," he s.h.i.+fted so I was beneath him. "I would never hide anything from you."

I was about to reply but he silenced me with a kiss. As it deepened, I remembered what he told me earlier: I shall wash away all the bad memories Nagahito gave you.

"Anata," I moaned when his fingers touched me there.

"Always so ready for me," he murmured against my jaw.

"Yes, only for you…" I parted my legs to give him better access.

"Hina, I want you… I will always want you," he said, making my insides melt. "I will want only you."

When he entered me again, it felt different. There was a special tenderness in the way he held me that made me emotional for some reason. It was as if each time our skins touched, he was telling me a promise.

~~~

Kaname left the early next day. Although I was too spent from last night to see him off, I made him promise to return to my side by tomorrow.

"I shall return as soon as we finish," he promised before kissing my forehead.

"I love you," I told him while caressing his beautiful face.

"And I, you."

~~~

Mami and Kaname will be divorcing, the new emperor just announced the truth about their marriage and it spread like wildfire on a hot summer day! When I heard the news, I hurriedly went to search for Mami but was told that she was still with Iursan.

I wanted to ask her if she knew this. And if this meant that I was going to be the official wife now… I shook my head. That's not what's important right now! I paced my quarters the entire day, restless and impatient. Aside from Ryuko-san and I, the rest of the inner palace was unaware of the news. I only found out about it because I had to quickly sneak into Kaname's chambers in the nakoku to retrieve something I left there. I was about to head back to my room when I heard two of his servants talk about the latest news from the country's capital. I was so shocked I almost knocked off one of his precious porcelain figurines and made my presence known.

"Who would have thought that the tenka bito was only s.h.i.+elding the official wife?" servant number one said.

"But it is typical of our liege to be protective of those who are oppressed," number two said. "I must say, though, Lady Hinata is very understanding. If it were a different woman, she would have announced this herself just to become the official wife."

"Lady Hinata is a paragon to women. She is the exact definition of a supportive wife."

"She just raised the bar for women the same way Lord Kiris.h.i.+ma raised the bar for men."

Midnight came and went but Mami was still not back. It had been several hours since I heard the news but I still felt like I was thrown in an ice cold river. My shock has still not subsided. I needed to talk about it with someone but that someone was still nowhere to be seen! Kaname won't be returning until the later part of the day as well. For the first time in years, I wished that planes and bullet trains already existed in this time. I thought I was going to go insane!

~~~

Since I couldn't calm down, I decided to sleep in the rice b.a.l.l.s' room. As usual, Miyako was hogging the futon. Carefully and gently, I rearranged their positions so no one was sleeping on the tatami-lined floor instead of the mattress. I smiled when Riku subconsciously clung to me in his sleep. This little one always seemed to know when I'm around.

"Mama," he murmured then sighed contentedly, still asleep.

Ryuko-san, who refused to sleep as long as I was still up, laid out a futon for me to sleep on. She only left when I a.s.sured her that it was okay for her to retire. I tossed and turned for a long time before sleep finally stopped evading me. As my eyes closed, I made a vow to grill both Kaname and Mami about their divorce when they get back.