003　Rainy day

"Is it raining?" 

I strained my ears as I heard the faint sound of rain. It looked like it was going to rain since the morning. I also like rainy days. I was listening to the soft sound of rain with a somewhat nostalgic feeling.

"Hikaru! Where are you now?" 

The loudest voice I've ever heard came from the hallway, and I couldn't help but tremble. The sound of noisy footsteps seemed to be coming towards us. 

"Oh, no! He's coming." 

Hikaru frowned slightly and hurriedly stood up. 

"Sorry, Suza-ni. See you again."  

He apologizes to me, looks at Hotaru, and quickly leaves the room. Is this a hideout that no one should know about? I carefully held my breath until the loud footsteps faded into the distance. 

"Who is that person, Hotaru?" 

"Ah, he's Tono-Chujo. It's tough for Hikaru, having a brother-in-law like that." 

Hotaru said and shrugged his shoulders in sympathy with Hikaru. 

"You know Lady Aoi, right? She's Hikaru's marriage partner and Chujo is her older brother. Lady Aoi's four years older than Hikaru, so he must be older." 

"Oh, he is much older than Hikaru." 

"Hikaru seems to be having trouble cause Chujo's relentlessly trying to compete with him." 

I was worried about Hikaru's safety. Chujo had a very loud voice, so I wonder if he is also big and strong.  

"What does he do on a rainy day like this?" 

"It's probably about women. That's what he does all year." 

When Hotaru explained this, the ladies around him giggled, which made him feel a little annoyed.  

"Hey, don't laugh! Well, I like women too, but unlike him. I'm kind to them. Chujo is training his muscles so that he can pick up the woman he likes and push her down, I think so." 

"Oh, no…" 

Hotaru said such amazing things so easily that I widened my eyes in surprise. 

"Suza-ni, what are you surprised about? Even Hikaru has enough muscles to lift a woman. If it's a petite woman, he can easily pick her up and take her away. He's dangerous!" 

"Wow...I was surprised." 

Hotaru said as he rolled up his sleeves to show off his toned biceps, and I nodded in interest. 

"Romance among aristocrats is difficult cause there're many betrayals and usurps. Even if I get a girlfriend, it's hard to keep her safe from other men. It would be nice if he could marry her and live with her, but Hikaru already has an important lady, Aoi, entrusted to him by the Minister of the Left. Since Hikaru married Lady Aoi, Lady Kokiden is glaring at him even more. It's tough!" 

"Why does my mother glare at him?" 

I had a bad feeling and immediately asked Hotaru.

"It's a famous story. When the Minister of the Left chose Hikaru as his son-in-law, Lady Kokiden was very angry. She thought Hikaru was too young and Lady Aoi should have married the Crown Prince Suza-ni." 

"I just got to know..." 

My mother is the daughter of the Minister of the Right, so I thought that the Minister of the Left did not want his precious daughter to marry me. Even if I ascend to the throne, I will have to respect the opinion of my grandfather, the Minister of the Right. It seems that the Minister of the Left consulted with Father and made Hikaru his son-in-law, so my mother's wish would not have come true anyway. 

"Lady Aoi's also beautiful like a doll, but it seems that she can't get along with Hikaru. She was raised with expectations she would become an Empress in the future, so naturally she must have a lot of pride. I think it would have been better for her to marry Suza-ni, but I heard the Minister of the Left was overjoyed to have Hikaru as his son-in-law and was taking great care of him. Maybe this is her destiny." 

After listening to him, I was unable to say anything; I remained silent for a while. How hard it must be for these ladies to survive. They cannot freely decide who to marry. But Hikaru must have had a hard time as well; he was the favorite of Father and Minister of the Left, so he couldn't refuse this marriage offer. 

"I thought they all lived in a hard world." 

I said with a sigh. 

"Do you think it's someone else's problem? Mikado will be the hardest! Everyone will try to marry their daughter to you. If you think about the political balance of power, such as whose daughter she is, you won't be able to fall in love." 

"Oh...I see." 

"You're so laid-back. Get it together! Chaos in the Imperial Palace is chaos in the country. If Hikaru's mother hadn't been loved so much by Father, she might have been able to live a long life without Lady Kokiden's jealousy." 

That's right. I thought what Hotaru said was completely correct. I don't want to speak ill of Father, but Mikado's favoritism creates conflict and jealousy. To avoid this, I think that treating the ladies according to their father's official rank will lead to political stability and peace in the country. I thought Mikado didn't need romance; isn't it enough for Mikado to love ladies in an orderly manner? Am I too cold? 

"Ah, what I just said is not a criticism of Father, so don't tell him." 

"OK." 

I smiled and nodded, and the ladies also chuckled elegantly, which made the room feel more relaxed. Hotaru is interesting and important to me. He talks clearly about everything. Is he in love too? I listened to the continuous rain, hoping that everyone's love will come true as much as possible.