[YUZUKI]
The meetings between Yuzuki and Ayami had become more frequent.
Every three days, like clockwork, they'd meet each other, spend the afternoon together before going back to their respective lives and kingdoms. It was a routine for them, one that worked pretty well for Rinko.
Because for once, the mad Kurayami queen wasn't filling her ears whining about wanting Ayami's kiss.
But slowly, the tides were changing.
Yuzuki had started a change in the realm, one that she was not even in a hurry to see to fruition. Her reluctance was the horror for every other kingdom that had gotten an invite and wasn't sure what to do.
By the second month of the sent invites, the kingdoms beyond Kurayami began wondering if Queen Kuramitsu really meant what she had said.
The woman couldn't be trusted with their safety, especially after they had spent so many years trying to invade Kurayami and failing spectacularly.
It was something neither of them was ready to face, but who was to tell them that the woman in question didn't mind waiting? After all, she had waited twenty-eight years. What was a few more to her then, especially if her Matsui was alive in this current lifetime?
"Maybe we should go," the kings and queens of the seven kingdoms said to each other through their messengers.
The fact that Queen Kuramitsu's offer didn't come with a deadline scared them, too. Because royal decrees and requests always had timelines.
Yuzuki had kept hers open. As if to tell them that whenever they were ready to have a chat with her, she would be ready.
That should have been comforting because she was giving them the choice.
But then Queen Kuramitsu and patience weren't exactly the best of partners. That woman could burn a city just to send a message that she felt like.
"They won't come," Rinko said to Yuzuki as they walked from the river toward the palace.
Ayami had come today, too, and of course, Yuzuki had gotten kisses and gotten to learn more about Ayami's likes and dislikes. The courtship was insane, but then no one other than Rinko and Kujo knew the truth of either side, no?
Perhaps that was why it was so easy for Ayami and Yuzuki to bond. Because at the end of the day, they were just two pieces of one soul.
"You need to start having faith in people's desire for more power, Rinko," Yuzuki just chuckled like she knew they would eventually come.
Power was always a great motivator for rulers.
And there was nothing they yearned for more than the chance to get more power.
Coming to Kurayami through the front gates instead of the broken borders intentionally left unmanned by Queen Kuramitsu, on the other hand, was the exception that many would always be.
Because Kurayami and its army were no child's play.
They were the best for a reason.
"What if Enforcer Ayami comes with King Kazuya?" Rinko asked like she was worried about the enforcer recognizing her face and learning that Yuzuki had never been a servant girl from the very beginning.
It was a genuine concern.
Just not Yuzuki's greatest concern.
"If I were to go on a hunt, would you let me go alone?" Yuzuki asked like that was the simplest explanation she could give for her decision.
"You're in love with her, that's different. Besides, she doesn't know you're the queen. What if she comes and sees you sitting in the council? Hell, leading it?" Rinko asked worriedly.
She was thinking of the logistics, of what things could turn into, because honestly, the realm finding out the mad queen of Kurayami was mated to the most lethal enforcer in the realm wasn't exactly a bonus point of safety.
It would be the one relationship King Kazuya would exploit just to make things work for him. He could even use Ayami to try to get to Yuzu.
Rinko knew that, and it wasn't a risk she was willing to take.
"Yes. I'm in love with her. I love her. I've always loved her," Yuzuki said, like that was the whole point of all this.
Was she even serious right now?
Goodness, Rinko was about to lose the last strands of her hair because of this crazy woman.
"Yuzu…"
"I need to start looking for the perfect gown for when she comes with Kazuya. First impressions absolutely matter, and I don't want her to think I'm unworthy of her," Yuzuki beamed, much to Rinko's discomfort. This woman was unhinged.
Really unhinged.
"You could be a target!" Rinko sighed frustratedly.
"I'm always a target, Rinko… Even YOU can be used to betray me. Someone could take your family and hold them against you just so you can betray me. And that's okay because this is the life I was born into and chose to keep going in.
"The least I could do is at least live my life and let myself be loved, even if it's by a lethal enforcer, don't you think?" Yuzuki said like the weather was calm and she was appreciating it.
She was talking about the chances that her enforcer would betray her as if it was nothing to be concerned about. As if the world had to keep going and she wasn't going to pause because of that.
"I don't have family that can be used against me," Rinko said instead, determined to prove that she was useful to Yuzuki. But then it wasn't like Yuzuki had said she wanted to discard her enforcer now, had she?
"I wouldn't hate you if you chose them or your mate over me. If Ayami were to ask me to marry her, I'd say yes without thinking twice. Maybe get pregnant for her and have babies forever and ever.
"I'd let her us—" Yuzuki said dreamily, only for Rinko to interrupt her with an exhausted groan.
"If you finish that sentence, I'll tell Ayami about Hirano," Rinko warned, and Yuzuki stared at her, the betrayal evident on her pouty face.
"You wouldn't," Yuzuki glared at Rinko, pausing dramatically as if this woman was stabbing her in the heart repeatedly. Damn, that was cruel, right?
"Oh yeah? Try me, Yuzu."
"I'm changing enforcers. My current one is mean as fuck."
"Everyone is scared of you, and if you change me, you won't have someone to deal with Hirano the way I do."
"You unbelievable emotional merchant!" Yuzuki shrieked, surprised and impressed at the same time.
"If you're going to make me have nightmares, the least I could do is return the favor… Don't you think, Your Majesty?" Rinko teased, laughing at the pose Yuzuki was striking.
The queen looked like she was contemplating between disappearing and glaring at Rinko the whole walk home.
"Ayami looked beautiful today, though," Yuzuki chuckled sheepishly.
"How will you deal with Hirano, though? If Ayami comes with King Kazuya, I doubt your very precious consort, who is starved of affection, will just sit and watch," Rinko said, a knowing smile on her face.
"Hold on… What is that supposed to mean?"
"Well, you always let the consort eat you out as a way of distracting her during long council meetings."
"I WHAT now??" Yuzuki asked like that was the most unhinged thing she'd ever heard.
She wasn't opposed to it, really.
She wouldn't mind going down on Ayami if that was what Ayami wanted.
If Ayami asked her to bend the knee before she could get a kiss, she would give in. Totally. It wasn't even up for discussion. That was her Matsui, and she'd burn the realm for that woman.
But Hirano???
Amaya Hirano going down on her during council meetings?
What the fuck???
"Why the hell do you think she's obsessed with being your favorite consort? The realm knows her as the one with your heart," Rinko snorted like this was the greatest relief for her after the stress of the day.
"You can have the crown. I'm going after my mate," Yuzuki said, horrified as she turned to go back to the river.
"Not so fast, Your Majesty... Don't you want that dress so you'd be a darling for your Ayami?" Rinko laughed, pulling Yuzuki by her hair so the queen wouldn't run away.
"I'm giving you an entire kingdom, and you're still pulling me back?" Yuzuki feigned horror, turning to Rinko, who was still holding onto her ponytail.
"I live my life to serve you, Yuzu. You can have the crown, and I'll protect you and it till my last breath… But you have to sit there first. Now come along, the seamstress will need your measurements," Rinko said, ignoring her queen's tantrums.
Yuzuki huffed in disbelief, mumbling about how Rinko should have just accepted the crown and let her go sleep in Ayami's arms.
But as they walked home, they both knew the storm they'd been quietly preparing for had finally arrived.