Verdant Skies

Waving out the attendants who always seemed to flock to his brother's study during the early mornings, Kouen closed the door once they were alone. Koumei ignored him until he stepped up to his desk. Raising his head with a low sigh, Koumei set down his quill as he murmured, "Morning, En."

Taking a deep breath, Kouen ignored the slight sting as he noticed the emotions swirling within Koumei's eyes, "We need to talk, Mei."

Expression becoming guarded, Koumei turned back to the documents he'd been working on, "If it's about the noble, he's-"

"No," Kouen bit back the urge to scowl at Koumei's attempt to deflect, "You know exactly why we need to talk, Koumei," He grimaced at how Koumei twitched and just how tightly his younger brother seemed to be gripping the quill in his hands, "Please, Mei,"

There was a low sigh at his pleading tone, Koumei slowly set down his quill. He didn't look up from the documents though which was fine for the moment. Voice measured, Koumei spoke softly, "I...is now really the time, En? We both have a lot of work to do."

"Because you refuse to speak with me otherwise, yes," Kouen hadn't realized that was happening until he'd been laying in bed with Iris last night which stung, "Ever since the night I spent with Iris, something's been off with you," Koumei glanced up at him with his mouth starting to open, "Don't bother trying to deny it, I'm your older brother, Mei. I've spent years learning all the ways you tick and can tell when something is bothering you,"

Grimace forming, Koumei curled his hands into fists as he muttered, "I...It's not that easy."

Eyebrow furrowing as he eyed his younger brother carefully, Kouen wondered over his words, "What do you mean? Mei, I need to understand what's going on," He took a step forward and let one of his hands rest on the desk, "Whatever it is, we need to address it. I don't want anything to come between us, especially now."

Jaw clenching as he looked away from Kouen, Koumei let the slightly crumpled document in his hand fall to the desk. Hand sweeping across his hair, Koumei's voice sounded tired and irritated as he spoke, "It's not-En, I-" A pang of concern welled up inside of him at the way Koumei tugged at his ponytail, "I thought for sure that it'd be okay-I'd be okay. I never expected that I wouldn't be able to handle the situation. It didn't cross my mind for a moment...not until..."

As Koumei released a noise of frustration, Kouen realized what was going on and felt bad. He had no regrets when it came to taking the next step with Iris and had no doubt Koumei wouldn't either had their roles been reversed. But seeing how frustrated Koumei looked at himself and with him, he knew that things went deeper. He released a heavy sigh, "Until I slept with Iris."

"I just..." Koumei dropped his hand and looked at Kouen as his voice wavered, "It..." He seemed to hesitate for a moment before shaking his head, "En, I've always given up a lot for...for your goals. I've never had a problem doing that because I love you," Koumei sank back against his seat, "But...I...When it came to Iris, I think a part of me was almost hoping it would be different,"

Guilt flickered through him as he realized just what was going on with Koumei, Kouen felt as if someone had stabbed him in the chest. Slowly moving to sit down on a nearby chair, he rubbed at his face as he murmured, "Koumei, I never-" He shook his head as that didn't seem like the right way to word it, "Everything you've done for me-For the Empire, I've treasured, Mei. Don't ever think I've taken it for granted, Mei," Koumei nodded slowly though still wore that stormy expression on his face, "I never realized how you felt...I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. I'm usually your sounding board," Koumei snorted softly and reached over to grab his teacup, "But...This whole thing, it isn't about just Iris, you know. Now that I'm actually talking, I...I'm starting to realize that these feelings were festering for a while before she came into our lives. She just seems to be the catalyst," A slow smile quirked at his lips, "Like usual,"

Smiling in return, Kouen sighed, "I do appreciate what you do, Mei. Even if I rarely say it, I've little doubt that we would have failed to reach this point without you," Koumei smiled slightly, "I'm sorry if your needs have been pushed aside," He contemplated what to do, "I...make me understand, Mei. Tell me how I can help."

Stormy expression softened as their eyes met, Koumei slowly nodded as he set down his teacup. Taking a deep breath, he spoke after a long while, "When it comes to the sacrifices I've made for the empire...for you, En," He smiled slightly, "I don't have any regrets. I only feel pride because I love our home and what we've managed to build even if certain aspects piss me off. I love the challenges that I've had to deal with," A sigh left him and he looked at his hands, "With Iris...A part of me hoped that things would be..different. Even after we all agreed to see how a relationship between the three of us would go, I thought...I thought I'd have something for myself. And for the first part of her being here in Kou, I did."

Pang hitting him in the chest, Kouen muttered, "Then it changed after she ended up in my palace."

"Then it changed," Koumei nodded to him, "I...It feels as if the part of me who years for that is crying out," He let out a low sound and shook his head, "I thought for one stupid moment once we finally arrived in Kou that I'd have something for myself. Regardless of our relationship, I'd have the chance to have something for myself that wasn't tied to our duties or responsibilities,"

Regret tore at him, Kouen had enjoyed the time he'd spent with Iris, but he loathed to know it had cost Koumei so severely. He spoke softly, "Mei, I...I'm sorry. It isn't stupid that you wanted something for yourself," He stood up and walked around the desk to place a hand on Koumei's shoulder, "I wish I'd noticed sooner if only to make this easier. I-We'll figure something out, Mei."

Nodding his head, Koumei smiled slightly, "Thanks, En. I know you didn't do this intentionally, and I don't want to resent Iris for something she hasn't caused."

Squeezing Koumei's shoulder, Kouen tried not to wince at the fact that Koumei might have resented Iris, "We'll find a balance, Mei. This relationship is still new, and we're all navigating uncharted territory. But your feelings are valid, and we'll work through this together."

"Just...give me time to adjust," Koumei murmured and Kouen smirked at those words as Iris had said them quite frequently, "I just need to figure things out,"

"As we usually tell Iris, you can take the time you need and we'll be here for you," Kouen chuckled at the embarrassed smile that formed on Koumei's face, "Your well-being is just as important as Iris's or mine. I want you to find happiness in this as well,"

"I will do my best," Koumei turned back to the documents scattered across his desk, "Since you're here, En, mind helping me with some of these and giving some things your signature? Might as well cut out the middle man,"

Chuckling softly, Kouen nodded while walking around Koumei's desk once more after releasing his younger brother's shoulder.

Hearing the door to her studio open as she was cleaning up the materials she'd used for her latest project, Iris ignored it until she heard, "This looks a bit different from your usual works."

Turning to see Koumei standing by the door of her studio, Iris smiled softly at him as she replied, "That because Hakuei commissioned me for a painting, I always try to do something different with my commissioned works."

Making a low noise in his throat as he stepped further into her studio, Koumei made his way towards the canvas as Iris worked on cleaning up her mess. He peered at the faint images trailing across the canvas. Raising his hand, he paused before actually touching the canvas while murmuring, "It's... is it going to be Paimon?"

"Paimon and some creatures from her dungeon," Iris confirmed as she doused the last of her paintbrushes and began washing her hands, "Hakuei finally approved my sketches yesterday morning. Well, Paimon did, through Hakuei if we're being real,"

Chuckling softly in amusement, Koumei released a soft sigh as he said, "I'm somewhat surprised it took Hakuei this long to commission you though I am a little surprised Kouha didn't first."

"He did though I turned him down," Iris turned towards Koumei with a faint grin as she dried off her hands, "The brat thought he'd treat any explorations through Kou as my commission fee,"

Snorting with a shake of his head, Koumei turned towards her with a slight smile, "Somehow that doesn't surprise me," He eyed her as she walked over to him, "I came by to drop off some documents for En's signature, but he's out?"

"Some Generals came by earlier and wanted to spar with him. You know he isn't one to turn down a spar even when there's work to be done," Iris smirked slightly as she reached him, "I'm sure he wouldn't mind you leaving them in his office," Koumei nodded with a small smile, "It's about time for lunch. Would you like to join me?"

Koumei's eyes brightened with a genuine smile, "I'd appreciate that. It's been a busy morning."

Leaving her studio, Koumei parted from Iris briefly to drop off the documents before joining her in the smaller dining room where the staff was setting up a small lunch for them. Sitting down across from one another, she spoke as the staff left them alone, "So...are you doing okay?" She saw Koumei stiffen, "Kouen told me about your discussion."

Grimace forming as his eyes gained a small hint of guilt, Koumei released a sigh, "I...It's going to be a bit before I'm okay, Iris. I...I just don't know when that will be."

"Which is okay," Iris reached across the table to grasp his hand in a gentle grip and felt his fingers slowly relax before they shifted to curl around hers, "You two have always told me to take things at my own pace. It's about time for you to take your own advice," She grinned at the slight smile that pulled at his lips, "If there's anything I can do to make it easier on you, even if it's just to talk, I'm here,"

Squeezing her hand, Koumei nodded slowly, "Thank you, Iris. I...It's all a matter of finding my sense of balance again," He smiled weakly at her, "And from there, our balance," She smiled softly back at him, "I'm sure it'll work out."

Nodding to him, Iris gently pulled her hand back and they began to eat. She sipped at her wine as a thought came to her. Humming low in her throat, she murmured, "You know, I could visit your palace on certain days. We'd figure out which days would work out with your schedule of course," She saw the confused look on Koumei's face, "But the days I visit would be when we'd spend time together. Simply doing whatever, we could talk, you could try and teach me chess again," They both laughed at the memory, "Read and discuss our books," She offered and he slowly began to nod, "And just...use those days to help you regain your balance again. Of course, I'd also suggest implementing a few specific nights where all three of us eat dinner together and simply relax afterward. I miss when we used to do that."

"I do as well," Koumei cupped his chin and his head tilted before he nodded, "I will have to speak with En about it. And we will have to ensure any days you come over will be at random to anyone not in the know," She grimaced though nodded, "After all, Gyokuen will not have given up on trying to pin the blame for what happened on you,"

"So we need to be careful, but..." Iris smiled at him, "It's worth a shot?"

"Yes," Koumei smiled at her.

During the weeks that followed, Iris drifted between Kouen and Koumei's palace on days that the younger brother's schedule allowed him more free time. These days were spent in contentment, she often sprawled across her favored sitting chair across from Koumei and read from one of the many books that dotted the library. Occasionally, they wandered among the gardens, she filled her sketchbook with new images of flowers from his gardens and Koumei though she hid those in the back alongside the ones she'd done of Kouen. Talking came easier with each new day spent together, it began to flow as it had before, the touches that had once been stifled returned and she often curled up against Koumei's side towards the end of each day.

Dinners between the three of them were somewhat stifled at first, Kouen put in more effort than Koumei before it began to even out. The conversation started to flow more easily, the laughter flowed and they all smiled much more freely. As they piled into the upstairs sitting room, Iris found herself cuddled up on the couch against either Kouen or Koumei's side only for the other brother to join them eventually. As the later weeks found them and they started to fall asleep in the sitting room on these nights, Iris often woke up between the two and rarely felt the urge to move as of late.

Fingers drew small circles along her side, Iris's head was slowly growing fuzzy as she struggled against the urge to fall asleep. Her eyes were getting heavy and the words written on the page before her were starting to dance along the page, she bit back the urge to yawn and merely shifted slightly. There was a soft thump before she felt the soft brush of lips against her temple, she slowly turned her head to see Koumei smiling softly at her. He spoke softly, "You're tired."

Rather than deny it, Iris smiled back at him as she closed her book, "Working on those potions and painting commissions in tandem is tiring," She shifted to set the book down on the low coffee table beside them before rolling around to face him, "Had I known how many people would've wanted a piece of my work by finishing that commission for Hakuei, I might've held off."

"Really?" Koumei eyed her as she wrapped an arm around him to stabilize herself.

Humming low in her throat, Iris shook her head, "No though I think En is starting to murder the next person to try to commission me," They both shared a laugh and she laid her chin on Koumei's chest as his arms wrapped around her, "I might let him if they keep trying to have me paint nudes."

As he let out a chuckle, the vibration ran through Iris as Koumei held her close, "I can understand why that might be a bit much."

His fingers played with her hair, Iris felt the slight tugs and her smile softened. She murmured as her head shifted against his chest, "Yeah, I'm all for creative expression, but there are limits. Plus, I'd rather not have En go on a rampage," They both smiled at the thought of Kouen going on a murder spree because some old men thought it would be a good idea to shove their junk in her face, "How was today? I couldn't get a straight answer out of Kouen before I left."

"It could have gone better," Koumei sighed as the soft tugs on her hair stopped, "Our last link to the assassination attempts died," She let out a low sound, "He was poisoned by a servant. The man who did it was executed by one of Gyokuen's staff before we had a chance to question him,"

"Mother fucker," Iris dropped her head against Koumei's chest, "Of fucking course the bitch would have another plan," She sighed heavily, "Though...I am a little surprised it took her this long,"

"As are we, En is sure she's planning something that we can't see just yet," Koumei's fingers began running along her back and Iris bit back the urge to groan as they dug into the right spots, "And I agree,"

"Given how fucking crafty she is, I wouldn't be surprised," Iris murmured as tension that had been building her back all day released.

Finally releasing the sound that wanted to leave her, Iris groaned and burrowed her face into Koumei's chest earning a low chuckle. His fingers continued to dig into those spots and she was reduced to a boneless mess on his chest, a purr-like sound that wouldn't have been out of place coming from her dragon form slipping out of her. When his hands withdrew, she released a low wine that drifted off when Koumei tugged her into a gentle kiss. Slowly responding as her hazy mind registered the action, she shifted about to wrap her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.

Pulling away as his hand ran down her back again, Koumei peered into her eyes as Iris pressed their foreheads together. He smiled softly, "You enjoyed that, huh?"

"Mhmm," Iris hummed low in her throat, "I didn't realize how much my back hurt until you did that," She shifted to press a kiss to his lips, "Thank you,"

"No problem," Koumei chuckled softly though it petered off as a contemplative look entered his eyes, "Iris?"

"Hmm?" Iris hummed as she felt Koumei's fingers trace along her jawline.

"I wanted to apologize again," Koumei spoke softly, his eyes searching hers, "For everything," He held a guilty look in his eyes that made her heartache, "I know I've said it before, but I feel like I should say it again,"

Frowning at him, Iris shifted to tap his nose, "No apologizing, Mei," She inwardly snickered at how his nose wrinkled, "You've apologized far too much for something that was completely valid. Kouen and I have already told you more times than I can count that there's nothing to apologize for," She pressed a kiss to his nose before pulling back, "After all, you have feelings that are valid just like everyone else. And if I keep having to tell you this stuff, I will because I care about you. We both do."

Gaze never wavering even as the guilt slowly drifted away, Koumei sighed, "I just...I don't want my emotions to get in the way of our relationship, especially now when there are more pressing matters with Gyokuen's schemes."

Clicking her tongue, Iris started to run her fingers through Koumei's hair which she found helped him during moments like this, "During moments like this, Gyokuen isn't a pressing matter, Mei. The only pressing matters are your feelings, our feelings, and this relationship," She felt him nod softly and smiled, "Concern is good, we'll work with Kouen on the whole Gyokuen thing later since I'm sure he's probably working on something. For now, we are focusing on this," She kissed him briefly and felt him smile against her lips, "Got it?"

"Sometimes I wonder what I've done to deserve you, Iris," Koumei held her against him just a bit harder, "And Kouen as well,"

Leaning in to kiss him again, Iris murmured, "We're lucky to have you too."

As they kissed and her fingers flexed against his scalp, Koumei released a heavier sigh before he started to roll them about. Iris went along with the movement and almost smiled as Koumei deepened the kiss. The couch beneath them groaned a bit from the quick movement, but neither paid much mind as Koumei's tongue slid into her mouth. Teeth nibbling at her lips, she felt one of Koumei's hands slip beneath the tunic she was wearing. Warm fingers that were softer than Kouen's dragged against her skin, she arched into his touch as a low sound slipped from between her lips.

Another hand slid beneath her tunic and it slowly began inching upward, Iris barely paid it much mind as Koumei seemingly stole the breath from her lungs. Only when Koumei had pulled away from her did she realize her tunic was bunched about her chest, she barely even contemplated leaving it on before tugging the pale blue thing off and dropping it to the floor with her chest wrap following not long after. Koumei's hands were back on her moments later, he squeezed her breasts as he kissed her heatedly. Her bare back barely touched the satin pillow that was meant to support them, she arched into his touches as her own hands ran about his body.

Breaking away as one of his hands slipped into her pants, Iris heard Koumei let out a low curse as his fingers slid along her slit. Her head dropped back against the couch's arm, she bit her bottom lip as Koumei pressed a slim finger against her clit and began moving in slow circles. Her lips parted with a moan as one of his fingers pressed into her, Koumei captured her mouth again in a heated kiss that broke as a second finger sank into her. He groaned softly, "Fuck, you're taking my fingers so good, Iris."

Her fingers dug into the couch as the heel of his palm rubbed against her clit, Iris's mouth slid open as she felt his fingers curl with each movement of his hand. That low heat in her gut started to gather, she panted more heavily as her legs squeezed around Koumei's bicep. Her eyes clenched shut as his mouth found her chest, a low murmur left her lips as he nipped and sucked at her nipples. Back arching as her orgasm approached, she felt that familiar white-hot heat envelop her like a wave.

Fingers slowly withdrew from her as she was coming down, Koumei pressed a gentle kiss to Iris's lips and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Fingers gently ran along her legs, she leaned into Koumei's embrace though he was hard against her leg. Speaking softly as she laid her head against his shoulder, she asked him, "Mei, don't you want to...?"

"I'm perfectly happy if you've gotten off," Koumei pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I'm fine-"

"But what if I want to?" Iris shifted on unsteady limbs to straddle him, "I want to make you feel good too,"

Arms wrapping around her at first to act as a balance were now far tighter, Koumei wore a look of temptation and hesitance. He cupped her cheek, "Iris...I don't want you to think that you have to-"

"I don't," Iris assured him, "I want to,"

Eyeing her for a long moment, Koumei nodded as his fingers stroked along her sides, "Alright."

Ushering her off of him, Koumei undid his kimono and Iris took that as prompting to undress as well. As soon as she was bare, she climbed back onto his lap and wrapped her arms around Koumei's neck. Kissing him softly as she shifted to straddle him, she broke the kiss at the feeling of his cock brushing at her. His hands dropped to her hips, Koumei pressed their foreheads together as she reached down between them and grasped his cock. As she started slipping it inside herself, they both let out low sounds with Koumei's grip on her hips tightening.

Kissing Koumei as she slowly started to move on his cock after it finally sank inside of her, Iris struggled to find her pacing as each twitch and brush of his cock inside of her was almost an overwhelming sensation. Gripping his shoulders to steady herself, she worked towards a steady pace as she pulled away from the kiss and Koumei found her collarbone in return. She arched into his mouth as he nipped and sucked at the skin. Moans and whimpers began falling from her lips, she faltered when one of Koumei's fingers dipped between them and dug into her clit. Low heat darted down her spine, it came faster than before and she found herself faltering, "K-koumei," The whimper was a struggle to get out as her lungs seemingly refused to take in much right now, "I-Please, I need more."

Whine leaving her as she was pushed to get off of him, Iris was pressed to lay down on the couch with Koumei pressing back into her the minute she was settled. The pace he set was brutal and her mind went blank with that white-hot heat not long after they'd gotten resettled. She was coaxed into her third orgasm as Koumei found his own end and they both lay against the couch entangled together as they panted.

Cleaning up after their bodies had begun to cool down, Koumei tucked Iris into his side after they'd both gotten dressed and ensured she'd drank an entire glass of water. Head laid on his chest, she closed her eyes as his fingers ghosted along her side once more. Koumei spoke softly, "Would you like to stay here tonight?"

Contemplating his offer, Iris hummed low in her throat before shaking her head, "Not tonight, I have a meeting stupidly early tomorrow. Next time though if you're up for it, I'd love to."

It also didn't help that she hadn't exactly known that they'd be having sex today and thus hadn't packed a specific potion. Iris mentally shook her head as Koumei let out a low sigh, "Alright. I suppose I can work with that."

"So your father is calling for a meeting?" Iris asked as she walked beside him down the stairs and her expression twisted into one of worry, "Could something have happened?"

Shaking his head, Kouen had little doubt that something had happened again. As of late, he was always being called to the main palace because something had happened. He reached out to grasp her hand in his and smirked when Iris smiled at him, "More than likely, I've little doubt Gyokuen is behind it as well. I am getting tired of rushing to the main palace because she decided to fuck around."

Her fingers squeezed his hand as they reached the bottom steps, Iris hugged him as she murmured, "At the very least, we'd have some idea of what she'd been up to since that last asshole died."

"True," Kouen mentally chuckled at the sulky tone Iris held as he knew she disliked having her potions wasted, "I need to get going though I'm sure Koumei is already on his way there. When I return, do you want to spar?"

"If Lady Chiasko hasn't decided to pay me a visit," Iris rolled her eyes as she pulled away from him, "That woman is far too obsessed with a painting that isn't even hers, I'd have your staff toss her out if her husband wasn't so nice,"

Trying to keep his face straight despite wanting to grimace, Kouen knew that Iris wasn't paying much mind to any of her clients. Even if he knew Lord Avirun was attracted to Iris, the bastard had all but admitted it last week during a party. Merely smiling at Iris, he pressed a kiss to her cheek, "I'll see if I can't have the staff convince her to leave you be for a few days."

"Oh that would be wonderful," Iris smiled in relief and slumped against him, "I only need a few days of actual peace to finish things," She pulled away from him after a moment, "I won't force you to linger and leave Mei alone to deal with the vultures. Send a messenger if you won't be back until after sunset, alright?"

"I will," Kouen promised her.

As Iris started to turn away from him, Kouen caught her in a gentle hold and pressed a kiss to her lips. He savored the taste of the jasmine tea she'd begun to drink as of late and the spiced dates that had become her favored snack. Her fingers came up to grasp at his kimono, she slipped one of her hands to curl around the back of his neck. As he pulled away from her, he longed to kiss her again as she gifted him that longing look. But duty called, he released her and moved towards the doors to his palace.

Whispers filled the main palace as they walked along through the polished halls toward their father's meeting room, Koumei shared a glance with Kouen as they finally reached the double doors. Tension flooded the air so thickly that a knife could cut it, he slowly moved to take his usual seat beside Kouen not far from their father's raised one at the heavy wooden table. Gyokuen stood at their father's side and held a fan in front of her mouth. Despite her mouth being covered, he could see smugness radiating from her as if she were an overly large cat that had managed to bag a particularly annoying rat.

As his eyes narrowed, the doors shut and Koumei's mouth was forced to remain closed as Emperor Koutoku stood. Voice booming across the enclosed room of advisors and generals, the man glared out across them with a determined expression, "In these trying times, when the very fabric of our empire is under scrutiny, we must act decisively. The recent attacks on our nobility have sown seeds of doubt among our people. We cannot allow this unrest to fester!"

Koumei's eyes widened as he realized what was going on and he looked towards Kouen as whispers kicked up around them. Wearing an unreadable expression, Kouen cupped his chin with a palm though there was a subtle tightness in his expression. That told him that Kouen had realized the same thing he did, Gyokuen had been whispering in their father's ear since they brought their accusations forth. And based on the smugness radiating off of her, Emperor Koutoku had fallen right into her plans. Stomach sinking, he whispered, "No more guessing what she was planning."

Hand slamming into the table, Emperor Koutoku called everyone's attention back to them as silence reigned once more, "The proposal put forth by the esteemed Gyokuen has its merits. A campaign—a grand display of our might—will serve to reinforce the strength of our rule. It is a message to our enemies and our people: Kou will not be shaken!"

Between the manic gleam in Emperor Koutoku's eyes and the triumphant one in Gyokuen's, Koumei knew his stepmother wasn't stopping at something so basic as conquering another country. But the question was what she had planned, he bit back the urge to frown while glancing towards Kouen as he muttered, "She's planning something. Even she wouldn't rush something like this..."

"No, she wouldn't," Kouen's eyes narrowed at Gyokuen, "But Father believes in a swift resolution. He refuses anything other than total dominance,"

Subtly nodding as he tried to put together the pieces of what was going on and failing, Koumei felt a bolt of frustration. As their father continued to outline the new campaign and charged them both to work on it, he felt a bolt of dread rush through him as he realized that meant Iris would need to be left behind. As that realization hit him, he found his eyes meeting Gyokuen's and realized there was a gleam of satisfaction burning within the depths. His stomach dropped as coincidence or not, they would be leaving Iris vulnerable to Gyokuen on a far wider scale than before.

Draped across one of the low couches, Iris held one of her sketchpads and a makeshift pencil as she adjusted the sketch before her again. Tilting it about, she nodded to herself before holding the sketchpad out to the Noblewoman sitting across from her, "How does this look?"

"Oh, it looks just darling, Miss Iris," The woman clasped her hands together and beamed, "Though...how exactly is this going to transfer over to one of your paintings? It's just...all grey and black now,"

Chuckling with a light grin, Iris was happy that the noble was happy so far, "They help me figure out the composition and shading of our colors. Now you just need to pick out what colors we're going to be using-"

Both of them jolted as the sitting room door swung open, Iris nearly dropped her sketchpad as the noblewoman gripped at her heart, "My word!"

"Iris-" Koumei entered with a slightly frantic look on his face that smoothed away as he caught sight of her company, "Lady Yuki, I apologize for interrupting, but I need to speak with Lady Iris. It's an urgent matter,"

"Oh-I-of course," Lady Yuki stood slowly with a look of confusion on her pale face and turned to Iris, "I-uh..."

Seeing the conflicted expression on the smaller woman's face, Iris managed to shake away her surprise and stood as she let the sketchpad fall to the table. Smiling gently, she spoke in a coaxing tone, "Come by tomorrow at the same time, I should have a base sketch set up on the canvas you chose and we can start picking out colors then. I'm sure whatever's going on should be resolved by then," She carefully wrapped an arm around the woman and began ushering her out of the room, "Let's get you to those wonderful servants of yours, alright?"

"Yes...that sounds lovely," Lady Yuki slowly relaxed with a small smile forming.

As soon as the doors to the palace closed, Iris felt arms wrapping around her waist and she was being dragged against Kouen's familiar chest. Rather than fight the movement despite her confusion, she sank into him and let her head fall against his shoulder. She reached backward to thread her fingers through his hair. Voice soft, she felt his arms tighten as his nose pressed into her jaw as close to her neck as possible, "I take it the meeting didn't go well?"

At her question, Kouen's hold tightened and his nose dug into her jaw even harder. Her pulse jumped when she felt it dip beneath her jaw, Iris began running her fingers soothingly through his hair and loosened it from the tight braid he used to keep his headdress on. As it clattered to the floor, Koumei spoke behind them, "Gyokuen got her way," She stiffened and her fingers involuntarily clenched around Kouen's hair, "Father has declared a new campaign. We were put in charge of it."

Realization swept through her, Iris's skin felt cold despite the warmth that always came from being in Kouen's arms. She pressed herself even tighter against Kouen as she murmured, "Her entire plan after she couldn't manage to pin those assassinations on me is separating us, isn't it? I can't exactly go with you two on a campaign no matter how useful my potions might be."

There was a harsh nip to the soft part of her jaw, Iris hissed and jerked her head at the touch. She stilled as Kouen's tongue dragged against the stinging skin. Voice muffled by her skin, Kouen spoke as her fingers dug into his scalp, "No, you can't. But it won't prevent us from ensuring you're safe."

Almost wanting to snort, Iris opened her mouth to remind him that she could keep herself save when his tongue dragged across her skin underneath her jaw. Jolting at the feeling as her heart practically jumped into her throat, she could barely focus as Koumei added, "We'll increase security, ensure Kouha keeps an eye on you, En will limit the number of guests allowed in his palace."

Regaining focus as Kouen's touch remained gentle, Iris slowly pulled away from him. She spoke while turning to look at both of them, "You do remember that I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, right?"

"Of course," Koumei nodded to her, "I don't think either of us can forget that fact. After all, you'll happily remind us every chance you get,"

"Good," Iris crossed her arms and sighed heavily, "I don't like this, but it's not something we can stop, is it? You two can't disobey your father. He's the Emperor after all," She clicked her tongue, "And it's not like I'm keen on leaving. I'm getting comfortable here,"

"So...we work on increasing security while we're gone," Kouen suggested earning a nod, "And you'll do your best to stay out of trouble,"

Smirking at him, Iris nodded feeling amused that he knew she likely wouldn't be able to stay out of trouble fully, "Of course," She looked between them as dread slowly formed in her stomach, "How long until you two have to set out?"

"Little more than a month," Koumei answered with a grimace that was likely mirrored on her face.

Nodding even as she wanted to mentally scream, Iris forced herself to smile, "Well if we've only really got a month together, we should try to enjoy ourselves, right? I demand moments of your time whenever you're not busy preparing for the campaign."

As the two chuckled, Iris could see a wariness settle over them and her chest ached.