Crown of the Empire

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Kyoto had a way of slowing everything down.

Maybe it was the way the mist clung to the tiled roofs in the morning, or how the gravel paths in the gardens seemed to hum with patience. Or maybe it was the fact that I was sitting at breakfast with Hiroshi and Estrella Takedo, who didn't look at me like an intruder to be weighed, but like someone who had already arrived.

Estrella was a force of warmth. Every time I reached for something, she nudged another dish my way, insisting I eat. "You need energy," she said, as though she'd adopted me overnight. "You're too thin. This life is demanding."

I tried to argue once. Big mistake. She clicked her tongue like she'd known me forever and said, "Don't debate me, child. I raised men who thought they were cleverer than me. I buried that notion with them."

I nearly choked on my rice.

Beside her, Hiroshi was quieter. His presence was like stone—solid, unshaken. But when he looked at me, it wasn't with judgment. It was with a kind of recognition. Like he already knew who I was, and didn't need me to prove anything.

"You remind me of someone," Estrella said suddenly, setting down her chopsticks. Her eyes softened, a flicker of memory crossing her face.

I tilted my head. "Who?"

"Our son," Hiroshi said, voice low, steady. "Nikolai's father."

The air shifted. Even Nikolai paused mid-bite, his face unreadable but his hand stilling just slightly on his bowl.

Estrella sighed, her smile gentle but tinged with sadness. "He was a man of contrasts. Serious like this one"—she nodded toward Nikolai—"but with fire beneath the ice. People thought him cold until he spoke. Then they realized he had already measured the whole room."

I glanced at Nikolai. He didn't flinch, but the resemblance was too clear to ignore.

"You see it," Hiroshi said, watching me.

"I do," I admitted quietly. "He carries himself the same way."

Estrella's gaze warmed even further. "And you—" She leaned closer, lowering her voice as if sharing a secret. "You soften him. Just a little. He won't admit it, but I can see it. The way he looks at you."

My cheeks burned. I opened my mouth to protest, but the words tangled. For once, my usual arsenal of wit deserted me.

So I reached for the tea, hiding behind the rim of the cup. "Maybe he just needs more iron in his diet," I muttered.

Estrella laughed, clapping her hands together. Even Hiroshi's lips twitched, which I suspected was the equivalent of a full grin for him.

After breakfast, we walked through the gardens. The koi pond shimmered, orange and white scales darting beneath the surface. Estrella pointed to the blossoms, talking about seasons, cycles, how beauty never stays but always returns.

Hiroshi walked beside me in silence until finally, he said, "He resembles his father. But he carries the weight differently."

"How so?" I asked.

Hiroshi's gaze shifted to Nikolai, who was a step ahead of us, listening but not intruding. "His father bore duty with discipline. Nikolai bears it with isolation. He does not let others carry it with him."

Something in my chest tightened. Because I knew exactly what that meant. I'd seen it in Moscow, in Manila, even here in Kyoto—the way he cut the world with facts, leaving no room for anyone else to lighten the load.

Estrella touched my hand lightly. "Perhaps that is why you are here."

I blinked. "Me?"

Her eyes sparkled knowingly. "You make him less alone."