"You're not allowed to visit Sir Kirayo, my apologies." A guard answered, his tone dull and sordid, eluding all arrays of eye contact with you. An irritated sigh left your lips as you decided to press him further. The guard was ensuring nobody entered Octavi's bedroom as he was still in a poor state and desperately needed rest. Yesterday, the Emperor had ordered nobody to leave or enter the palace moments after his return, and the occurring of the incident. The Emperor also restricted who could go into Octavi's bedroom. Hence the only people allowed inside were him and Oriin Kirayo, nobody else. It felt as though the Emperor was teasing you. He knew well enough that Octavi was one of your only friends in the palace. Though the knight could be considered a friend as well by now, couldn't he? You pondered the thought, despite never knowing where he ran off to. He seemed to disappear in and out of thin air at any given opportunity, like it were part of his many capricious antics: which, instead of amusing you, exasperated you.

"You're not getting through, so don't even try, Ma'am. If you push on any further and continue disturbing Sir Kirayo's slumber, I'm afraid I will have to ask the other guards to drag you away." The guard instructed you, a more tense and strict tone now lacing his voice as he glared you down.

"I guess I was somewhat rude. He deserves to rest after the whole dilemma, doesn't he? I probably just miss having somebody around." You mumbled to yourself, knowing full well that the guard didn't care enough to listen to a single thing you had said past his last statement. With a heavy heart, you, therefore, departed the hallway within which was nestled Octavi's bedroom.

"Ah, [Name]!" A voice called out. You looked around frantically, your eyes eventually meeting those of primary assistant Eli. "The Emperor wishes to meet with you about an important matter. I have been searching all over for you, and I'm quite glad I was smart enough to think you would be here. Please, follow me." He ordered rather than asked, already beginning to lead the way to wherever the Emperor supposedly was.

It always felt so frightening and formal to meet with the Emperor. However, you were sure that your nerves would be much calmer now, especially since that night where he had fallen asleep on his desk. It truly felt like you took a peek at the secret yet more relaxed side of the monarch who always seemed uptight to stay behind that mask of his.

Lost in your thoughts, you nearly didn't notice your arrival to the tearoom where you had first met the Emperor. Eli stepped in first, the royal guards closing the door as you followed close behind. Grasping what to do by now, you sat at the same chair you had sat on when you'd both first talked, distinguishable nostalgia hanging in the air. Meanwhile, Eli walked silently to the other side of the red curtain which separated you from the Emperor. It was somewhat translucent, enough to make out - though barely - his figure. There he was too, sitting on the same seat he had the first time your eyes had laid upon his striking silhouette.

"Eli, you are dismissed." The Emperor stated, and Eli inevitably came back from the other side of the barrier. He flashed you a comforting smile before leaving through the door in utter silence, putting the stealth of a ghost to shame.

"[Name] Fuyomui. I want to thank you once again. It seems as though I am seriously indebted to you." The Emperor began, his voice a bit more hoarse than usual, like he had been depressed lately, and his throat had grown tired of crying.

"Whatever for?" You questioned the Emperor, upholding the conversation as you could already feel droplets of sweat begin to rise from your soft [S/C] palms.

"I summon you here this early afternoon to give you my thanks for staying once again. Second of all, I'd also like to thank you for aiding Sir Kirayo when he was in need. The Kirayo family has a very precious bloodline that has always been by the royal family's side. I feel as though if something were to happen to him, it would be my fault. I visited him earlier in his private chambers. He said he wished to be alone for the rest of the day as he's been entirely drained of energy. We've found that the bullet was laced with a poison meant to be fatal. However, we had the anecdote prepared by the royal doctor in time, as it is quite a slow-acting poison, readily identifiable." He continued, before seemingly eyeing your figure.

You remained in silence's company. You could hear the Emperor rise from his seat and walk over you, his footsteps steady like a beating drum, before halting nigh the curtain. Raising the curtain, the Emperor made eye contact with you. A small chuckle escaped his lips as he looked down at your sitting figure, his soft and long black locks tickling your cheeks.

"Well, somebody still requires etiquette lessons. You still don't know that you shouldn't be making eye contact with me unless granted the permission to do so, little tailor." He grinned sincerely at the sight of your face before ultimately pushing the curtain aside and sitting at the once empty chair opposite from your seat.

"Please forgive me," You begged of him, yet you did not bow your head apologetically: rendering your apology a rather sarcastic remark.

"Your reactions truly do amuse me." He admitted, a smile still present on his face, his wine-red eyes inspecting your dismayed expression. He had become surprisingly open with you and more informal in manner. He still sat up straight on his chair though and carried around with him the same aura of high status that just seemed to be stuck to his skin like a strong, floral perfume odour.

"Octavi had asked me for quite the favour. He asked me to look after you while he was absent, as though he had completely forgotten who he was talking to. I have decided to take him up on his offer. If he has been shot and harassed so badly like this just for being my assistant, I feel as though I must repay the favour. Even if I am, indeed, the Emperor. Neglecting such a duty would put a heavy weight on my shoulders, along with my soul, until the day it'd happen to slip my mind. Which, I'm sure it won't." The Emperor said, his smile slightly fading as the mention of Octavi.

"Do you have feelings for Sir Kirayo?" He questioned you, one of his eyebrows raised with curiosity as he grabbed one of the baked goods from a triple-tiered tray of pastries.

  Slightly caught off guard by this question, your eyes widened. "E-Excuse me?" You responded, hardly any words coming out clearly. "No, no. Not at all.." You proceeded. The thought of you and Octavi in a romantic way had never once crossed your mind, and being asked about it directly made you unsure about your feelings. You could feel your heart pounding in your chest from the very thought - but quickly snapped out of it as the Emperor spoke up.

The Emperor did not respond to your answer and instead, slowly stood up from his seat. He grabbed your hand. It felt like such a familiar touch. You flinched slightly, surprised that the Emperor executed such a bold move.

"I, the Emperor himself, swear to look after [Name] Fuyomui, for the rest of the day." The Emperor stated, letting go of your hand once his words died out and standing up straight.

"Follow me, little tailor. Do not get the wrong idea; I am only doing this to repay Sir Kirayo for his large sacrifice and effort." He asserted in a severe tone while heading toward the doors. The guards deeply bowed their head and opened the door, only raising their head after the Emperor had left, along with his tailor.

The Emperor led you down a hallway that just seemed to be endless, venturing to the far end of the palace. Whenever the Emperor passed by anybody in the hall, they would suspend their tread and step to the side, bowing their head to him. They only continued on their merry way after the Emperor had passed by. Soon enough, there was barely any palace staff around, and the both of you reached a somewhat secluded corner of the palace. It was reasonably suspicious of the Emperor, but you didn't dare question the young man's actions.

"Granted my generous mood this afternoon, I will let you choose one of these plants from my indoor garden for you to keep as thanks for not resigning yet. I am thoroughly impressed." He offered you. Unlike a lot of the big doors you had seen, there were no guards by this one. The Emperor opened the door himself - which was a fairly strange sight to see, acknowledging the fact that whenever you'd seen him, unknown guards had opened the doors.

You both stepped into a relatively small room: its roof made of Venetian glass, with windows scattered about. "The windows are quite small here, and we're near the top floor, so there's no way we can be shot from this room." He assured you before opening one of the windows and leaning the top half of his body out of it, catching a spectacular glimpse of the outside. You heard him inhale and exhale profoundly, as he looked towards the sandy beach that was quite a great distance away.

"Everywhere I look just reminds me of painful memories." He said, a soft sigh leaving his lips as he remembered how his grandma had forced him to try and find his betrothed at that beach. He closed the window and turned around to spot you looking around at the plants. There were seemingly hundreds of plant boxes full of exotic plants growing here despite the cramped conditions. All the plants were intriguing and bold in colour; you had never been able to see them anywhere else in the country that you had visited.

"Do you enjoy my private indoor garden? Now, do not go blabbing about this room to anybody. It is a secret. This is my secret hideout from those pains in the-" He cut himself off, deciding to refrain from using any curse words in his language in order to keep a positive impression of himself on you and his clean image as the Emperor.

"Well, the plants are like nothing I've ever seen before." You answered honestly while continuing to inspect the plethora of plants that littered the room.

"The only good side to this whole predicament is that I have much more time on my hands now. Yes, the paperwork is still bothersome. However, I am now able to enjoy myself more in this wretched place." He said as he nonchalantly stood next to you, inspecting the same golden flower that you were looking at with such great curiosity in your eyes.

"Wretched place? How can this palace, filled with more than a million wonders, ever be wretched?" You questioned him, eyes still gazing toward the flower's beautiful ivory and golden petals that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight: as if there were little pieces of gold dancing upon a sheet of snow.

"Well, I shall let you in on a secret. Please refrain from telling anybody my words. Despite being Emperor, I feel a very heavy loneliness follow me around day after day, dragging my shoulders down. Subjects surround me at every waking hour of the day, and yet, I have never been able to quite open up to anybody I know. I don't see my grandmother often as she is quite fragile due to her old age, but when I do, she is a joy. But even with her, I still feel lonely and separated from my true self. The only thing she ever discusses with me is potential lovers - just anything about my love life really. Octavi is a good friend of mine, nevertheless. He gives me daily reports on how you are doing, and at this point, I feel as though I know much more about you than you do about me." He confessed, a soft look in his eyes, as if the ice inside them had melted away for a small moment before they returned to their usual, fiery barrier.

"Do you like this one? It is one of my favourites, but I believe you deserve to keep it. I have given it a name, and my only request in return is that you keep that name." He told you, and his eyes left the flower, staring at you instead, a small smile creeping onto his lips and breaking his habitual cold features.

"I would hate to force you to part with your favourite but if you insist." You responded, a similar grin forming on your face - a reflection of his own.

"Its name is Nathaniel. It's - he's the noblest of all my plants. He was gifted to me by somebody dear." He introduced you to his plant, a little chuckle leaving his lips as he gazed at your dazzled face.

"You seem to have a deep fascination in plants, little tailor. Do you not?" He asked out of wonder, his head tilting slightly. It seemed as if the Emperor had somewhat relaxed to you. It must have had more to do with the fact that Octavi had made his usual reports about you to the Emperor which you knew full well of but pretended not to.

"Yes, indeed, I do. I have quite the wide arrangement of plants back home. I have left most of them in my brother's care while the rest I have gifted to close neighbours. I do not want to give him too many tasks to deal with regularly without any aid during my absence." You explained your fascination with him, your eyes finally leaving the plant.

"Would you like to attend my flower arranging practice? I will be doing it soon." You turned your head to look at the Emperor, who was beaming at you as he spoke. When your eyes met, and he realised you had noticed him examining your features, his eyes immediately regressed, and his face returned to its usual listlessness.

"I would be honoured, your majesty." You stated, a modest blush dusting your cheeks as you gazed up at the porcelain-looking figure of the young man. The Emperor found it funny how you had nearly never bowed your head to him and treated him like an average person of no particularly reputable status unless addressed about a serious affair directly.

"I will deliver this plant to your chambers tomorrow, then. Nathaniel is a fairly heavy plant, and I would hate to tire your muscles or my own, for that matter. It takes three guards to carry this plant. It may look fairly small but do not be deceived. His roots weigh like boulders." The emperor disclosed to you before proceeding to the door and pushing it open once again. The Emperor led you back down the corridor in silence, walking in front of you. He held his head high upon his body, which was fixed in a proud and elegant posture. Soon, Eli arrived from around the corner at the other end of the hallway, an alarmed look on his features as he seemed to jump slightly.

"There you are! Your majesty, you must stick to the schedule! We are running ten minutes behind! It is of utmost importance!" Eli exclaimed before hastily shuffling towards the Emperor. His arms helped him quickly advance towards both of you. Yet surprisingly, the Emperor grabbed your wrist and turned around swiftly, dragging you along with him as he ran in the opposite direction. Was the Emperor really running away from his responsibilities? It was a strange event, and it left you puzzled as you struggled to keep up with the Emperor's pace as it was much faster than yours: his height and practice giving him an advantage. You repeatedly stumbled over your feet but notwithstanding the Emperor refused to let go of your wrist. As he gripped onto it, his clutch was not too tight or aggressive, instead, caressing and firm.

"Your majesty! What in the world are you doing?! You have never acted like this before! We have important matters to attend to!" Eli bellowed, strong and tired pants in-between every word as he chased the monarch down the long hallway. Despite his many efforts, he was slowly losing momentum and consequently disappearing behind a corner, as the Emperor and you were slowly building distance away from him.

"The palace is closed until further notice! I can do whatever I please! I have no matters to attend to other than paperwork!" The Emperor yelled back in a forceful tone. You suddenly fell to your knees, tripping over yourself due to the problematic pace of the Emperor. Eli began to catch up to the both of you, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. You looked up at the Emperor, feeling as though you had disappointed him. You had injured your knee, and it was difficult to get up, no matter how hard you tried. The Emperor seemed to look down at you in disgust as he towered above your injured figure. Despite his cold expression, it came to your surprise when he stooped down and swept you up bridal style in his arms. The Emperor then resumed his sprint down the hallways, holding you close to him as he carried you along. Soon enough, both of you were running down the stairs, but Eli refused to give up. The Emperor then reached the staff closet where you had first bumped into and met that one particular maid with the large glasses.

The emperor swung the door open and shoved the both of you inside before quickly closing the door, making sure to do so gently so the door could not be heard closing, in case Eli would hear. The Emperor dropped your legs and panted, his hot breath fanning your neck as he hunched over, one hand by the side of your head while you were pressed against the wall. The uncomfortably small closet was dark, and you were barely able to make out the young man's exhausted features. Your head snapped in the direction of the door, staring at it as you heard Eli's footsteps approaching, beating the floor at a steady tempo.

"Emperor, please!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, continuing past the closet, his footsteps soon fading into the distance. A soft chuckle left the Emperor's lips as he looked down at you and murmured, "So this is what freedom feels like, hm? I could get used to this."

"You're too close." You stated fiercely as a delicate blush crept onto your cheeks. The Emperor's face was still several inches away, and he had you cornered by using his arm as a barrier near your head on the wall. The Emperor gave no reaction whatsoever; no expression could be read on his facial features while he swiftly pulled away, only to bump into the wall behind him since the closet was so small.

"My apologies, it is only because it is cramped in here. I believe the coast is clear, little tailor. It seems as though we shall spend most of the day hiding out from palace staff. Of course, I hope you do not mind if I do some paperwork with you later on into the day." He apologised for the intrusion of space and then proceeded to confidently open the door, stepping out of the closet as though he had just left the oriental spa.

"Not at all, your majesty." You made a mental note to address the Emperor correctly, even though his somewhat childish behaviour today had caused you to speak to him informally several times - or, at least, without addressing him properly. You followed the young man outside of the staff closet and back into the palace's bright and gleaming interior that stung your eyes slightly due to the fact you had just left a dim room.

"Let us now make our way towards the flower arranging station prepared by my butlers earlier today." He said, leading the way once again down the twisting hallways of the palace. You followed him like a puppy did to their owner and you couldn't deny that following the Emperor was a significant benefit as nobody now dared to bump into you in the hallways. It seemed as though the palace's people were not very nimble on their feet until you were accompanying the emperor. Thankfully, the servants that you had passed by did not realise that the Emperor was wandering on his own accord and that Eli was despairingly trying to find him.

The two of you entered a round room, wallpaper decorating its walls, featuring mostly paintings of bamboo. The floor was bamboo,