The Guarded Princess

XXIV

Night had fallen upon the Kingdom of Sindria and all had retired back to their rooms while the servants and guards switched duties and went on their nightly rounds. The guards passed by the greenhouse and one guard noticed something odd.

"Has the light always been off in the Princess's quarters?" he asked.

Another guard came over and waved his hand in a carefree manner. "You're just overthinking it. I'm pretty sure the lights have always been off."

The guard looked at his fellow soldier in question before deciding that it might have just been him imagining it since he hadn't been here for long. The two of them along with the other soldiers continued their rounds in the vicinity of the greenhouse.

The night was silent with the exception of the occasional whispering of soldiers along with night owls and other nocturnal animals. Lights dimly lit up the castle and though everyone had already fallen into a deep sleep, the light within the Kou Empire's manor that was situated in the castle was still on. The wax of the candlestick had melted significantly and before it could fully blow away, a woman stepped softly into the room and replaced it with a new candlestick, the fire flickering gently atop of it.

"Still working?" she asked.

The man put his scroll down - something that he never did even amongst the people and siblings he were close with - and looked at her with a smile as he gazed into the eyes that he loved. She sat down on the cushion that was located next to the table and picked up one of the scrolls.

"So you came, Lucy," he rested his face on the back of his hand as he watched her.

She smiled at him and looked back down at the scroll. "After seeing Kouha and Kougyoku today, I came to help. You should've called me over if the work was that bad."

"Did the two pester you again?" he knitted his eyebrows together.

"They didn't," Lucy reassured him and flicked his forehead. "You're going to get wrinkles if you constantly worry about meaningless things."

"There you go again," he sighed. "Defending them."

"Kouen..." she gave a helpless smile.

"I know you," he said, picking up his scroll once more and reading over it.

She looked at him and wanted to say something but found nothing to say. He really did know her and she had to admit it, she might be a little too soft on them but to her, it didn't seem so. It seemed like regular affection that one would give to their friends. Looking back down at her scroll, she shook her head and focused back on the work.

The two worked in perfect sync with one another, both being at the same pace and relying on one another if there was something that one of them couldn't figure out. Within just a few hours, they had finished the mountainous work that couldn't be finished within the week even with Koumei, Kouha, and Kougyoku's help. Lucy stretched her arms and Kouen straightened his back and letting out a sigh. The candlestick had gone down again and just as Lucy was about to change it, Kouen took her hand.

"There's no need to change it. We'll be resting soon enough," he said.

Lucy looked at him and nodded her head, smiling. "Understood."

He smiled back and Lucy stood up, tidying up the finished scrolls and putting them away into a neat pile so that they could be sent back to the Kou Empire and back to the ministers and officials. Kouen watched her with a fond gaze as she worked. He noticed it the first time she had entered but looking at her now with no worries on his mind, he noted to himself that she really did look beautiful in everything she wore.