A guide to redemption

Chapter 1: And so, he rests

Yamizuru's title was a well-deserved one. Spiteful he may be, he never lacked in terms of politics and court duty. He performed his job well, managing kingdom affairs without so much a hitch, as though he were born for it.

To any other person, this would've garnered them respect and even admiration but to someone with a reputation like his, it only brought out more jealousy from the prying eyes of those who deemed him lower than themselves despite the gap in official titles.

More rumors were spread, undermining his efforts to remain cordial and civil by keeping quiet. It didn't take long before he retreated more and more into his room, barely being seen lest it was for publicity.

Deep in the night, Yamizuru lay awake in his chambers as the only thing lighting up his room was a flickering candle on his working desk. Papers of importance were sprawled on the hardwood as he wrote an appropriate response for each problem stated.

His penmanship was smooth, each stroke easily made with elegance after years of practice and effort. Despite all that was spoken against him, there were still a few things that even his deepest haters could never disagree with.

The first one would be the unanimous agreement that even though he came from a shady and unknown background, he at least looked the part of an Empress. His elegance and allure were second to none in terms of any other royal or noble the common folks had ever seen. The second would be his natural talents for skills like calligraphy and embroidery. And lastly, his cunningness and sharp tongue which had diligently kept the Empire afloat when it came to formal arrangements and negotiations.

It was stupid, all truly stupid in his opinion. But it's not like anyone would care for his thoughts.

Knock Knock....

All except one, he mused in his mind. "Come in." He spoke without a single glance behind him, already knowing full well who would dare knock on his door despite the late hour.

"'Zuru..." A faint mumble came after the quiet thump of the door, the only sign that it had been opened and closed in an instant. "You're still doing paperwork?"

The Emperor couldn't help but glance at his beloved with faint eyes, a small frown tugging on his lips at the sight of Yamizuru all but slouching across his desk. His usually prompt hair was a bit askew and the elegance he so strictly tried to maintain was long gone in replacement of the sheer amount of tiredness he must have felt.

A small sigh left the Emperor, no, Jun'ichi, as he approached Yamizuru. He shook his head as he grabbed the untouched blanket on the bed before draping it over the other's shoulders. Yamizuru practically melted at the warmth as he leaned his weight backward, finally letting himself relax.

Jun'ichi couldn't help but smile at the sight, his hands moving to slightly pat down Yamizuru's hair. Right at this moment, they weren't the reigning Emperor and Empress. No, whenever it's just the two of them in the comforts of each other's presence and no one else's, they were merely lovers.

Jun'ichi watched Yamizuru's face, softened by the tiredness that's been building up after a day of hard work, and felt turmoil build up within him. He bit his lip in quiet contemplation. He knew this matter had to be addressed but he didn't know when.

He wanted to push it back far away into his mind, push it back so far that he could freely say he forgot about it if anyone were to ever ask, but he knew he couldn't do that. Not when his council, the nobles, and simply everyone who had witnessed the scene in the previous gathering complained about the matter and demanded retribution.

In the end, he managed to steel his resolve and opened his mouth to start speaking. "I've heard about what happened in the ball yesterday..." He started out with a heavy tone, his tone airy as though it pained him to say those words.