41 Ch. 4 - Tea and Trus

The antidote was finally made and I made sure that it was enough, if not, more than enough to cure the Emperor. I made sure to incorporate the antidote in something the Emperor wouldn't find weird or out of the ordinary. And there's nothing weird about an alien blue tea. I prepared everything and I called for Mei.

"Are you ready, my lady?" She asked. I double-checked everything to make sure that I haven't left anything behind. I followed Mei outside where the carriage was waiting. We went on our way to the Imperial Palace. At the gate, I took out the token that his majesty gave me. The guards recognized it and let me through. I was greeted by a eunuch when I entered the Palace.

"Lady Himawari, the Emperor is waiting for you in the pavilion by the lake." he said, I smiled at him and thanked him. He led me to the pavilion and to my surprise, Prince Shiro was also there.

"Ahh, Himawari! You're here. Come, child." The Emperor beckoned me. I smiled at him and went to take my place by his side. Before I sat down, I took out the tea I made. There was already a brewing set on the table.

"My dear, my son has told me that you went out yesterday in the mountains and almost got yourself hurt." The Emperor said. I was surprised that he reported that small detail to his majesty. I looked at Prince Shiro but he was looking at the lake and seemed to be ignoring me.

"Indeed, your majesty however, I was up in the mountain to pick a flower that I'll be using to brew you tea. I'm sure you'll enjoy this." I said reassuringly. He smiled at me and motioned for me to continue. I was meticulous in brewing the tea, making sure not to make any mistake. When I was done, the tea was a rich blue color, similar to that of the color of the ocean water. The Nanto Empire is in the south and we're the Empire closest to the sea.

"Where did you learn to brew tea?" The Emperor asked.

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"Shiro, could you please leave us for a while? There is something I'd like to discuss with Himawari privately." His majesty ordered his son. Prince Shiro nodded his head, stood up and left. I felt nervous all of a sudden. The Emperor and I were alone in the pavilion.

"At first, I thought I was pushing you too hard in marrying my son. Your father came to me and said that you were burdened by his problems. I even thought of lifting the edict about your marriage however, Shiro came to me and requested for the marriage to continue." He said, I was stopped in my tracks when I heard what he said.

"My son, he's been filial to me. He even agrees to my requests without thinking about what he wants. However, it was the first time I saw him ask for something for himself. As his father, I couldn't deny his request. When I found out that you wanted this marriage as well, it made me happy." He said, I suddenly felt my heart beating rapidly. Everything his majesty said made me think about Prince Shiro.

"He may be cold and a little arrogant but between the two of us, my son seeks warmth. His mother was one of my beloved concubines. I loved her deeply. When Shiro was 5 years old, she died of a disease. Shiro became cold and unforgiving after that however, his mother taught him well. He respected me and pledged his loyalty towards me. He wasn't ill-mannered like my other children and I had his mother to thank for that." The Emperor said, I finished brewing the tea and I poured a cup for his majesty.

"Prince Shiro is a good man, your majesty. Even though we've only met a few times, I can see that he respects me and protects me." I said. All this talk about his son has me blushing and my heart rapidly beating. The Emperor took the cup from the table and brought it up to his face. He took a whiff of the tea. He looked at me and smiled.

"This has a lovely smell. This is also the first time I've seen tea with such colors. It reminds me of the ocean." He said. I smiled and took my cup from the table. I watched him slowly as he took a few sips. His eyes widened.

"This is delicious! It's a bit similar to the tea I've had with the envoys from the kingdom in the east." He said, There wasn't really anything special about this tea except that I put honey in it to make it sweeter. I can never drink tea without any sugar in it. I would put milk in it to make it tastier but it would dilute the antidote and it would render it useless.

"I'm glad you like it, your majesty." I said, I only took a few sips from mine. Prince Shiro came back to the pavilion and his majesty beckoned for him to come.

"My son, you should try this tea that Himawari brewed herself." He said. Prince Shiro nodded and took a seat next to me. I poured him a cup and he immediately took it. One sip was all it took for me to get a reaction from him. He quickly regained his composure when he realized his father was still here.

"It is indeed delicious, father." He cleared his throat and turned to me.

"Your tea is delicious." He said, it looked like he was forcing himself to give me a compliment which made me stifle a giggle. His majesty looked at me and smiled. I suddenly felt embarrassed and I quickly composed myself.

"Please have more, your majesty." I offered him some more when I realized that he had finished his cup. He gladly accepted and I poured him a cup's worth. We spent the whole morning drinking tea and talking. When I was sure that the Emperor had enough of the antidote for the day in his system, I felt relieved.

"I had fun spending time with both of you. Himawari, please do come again." His majesty said. I nodded my head and gave him a grin. For sure, I'll be back to give him more of the antidote. When the Emperor left, Prince Shiro and I were left in the pavilion.

"Prince Shiro, his majesty told me a lot about you." I teased. He scoffed and continued to drink his tea. I wanted to laugh but it was inappropriate so I stayed quiet. A thought suddenly came to me.

No matter how much of the antidote I administer to the Emperor, it wouldn't do much if he's still being poisoned. I thought that if I could find the source of the poison, I could eliminate it from his diet but it was difficult for me since I can't readily enter the palace and follow the Emperor around. Tea time is our only way of meeting. If it comes to it, I need internal help. I turned to Prince Shiro who was still sipping his tea.

"Prince Shiro, I have a question that I want to ask." I said politely. He put his teacup down and looked at me.

"What is it?" He asked, I shifted in my seat and faced him.

"What does his majesty usually eat during the day?" I asked. Whoever is poisoning him must be putting it in his food. Thallium is colorless and odorless and the fastest way to get it in your system is by either ingesting it or being exposed to high concentration in the air. Prince Shiro looked at me suspiciously.

"Father Emperor eats what the chef in the Imperial Palace prepares." he answered.

"Is the Imperial Chef the only one who touches his majesty's food?" I asked.

"Yes." He answered. It would be too suspicious if the chef was the one poisoning the Emperor. He'd be the first to blame if that was the case. Even so, it's better to be careful. I could test his majesty's food but there's no way I could do that so easily.

"What about his majesty's routine? Does he eat or drink anything in between meals?" I asked.

"I do not keep track of Father Emperor's daily tasks. However, I know he has afternoon tea with the Empress." He said. Could it be? Could the Empress be the one who's poisoning his majesty? It was a huge accusation and I don't have any evidence. The important thing now is to be inconspicuous while gathering information. I need to lay low and not raise any suspicions from the people in the Palace.

"I don't understand why you ask so many questions about his majesty but I hope you're not trying to do anything to him. He trusts you and for that reason I'll trust you too." he said, Prince Shiro is someone I would enjoy teasing everyday. He acts high and mighty in front of me but I know he's just trying to find someone who would understand him. The thought of constantly having him on his knees for me made me giddy. But I'm not that cold and heartless to do that to him.

"Would you rather I ask questions about you, Prince Shiro? I wouldn't mind getting to know you better." I said, teasingly. He was taking a sip of tea when I said that and he choked on it. He was coughing and I was helping him by rubbing his back. I felt bad but at the same time I wanted to laugh.

"Are you okay?" I asked. He calmed down after a while and he looked at me.

" I don't know what to do with you." He said quietly. He stood up and walked away. I stood up and followed him.

"Hey, where are you going?" I asked but he didn't answer. I kept following him until he stopped by the lake. He turned to me with a serious expression on his face.

"What is your intention in coming close to the Emperor?" He asked. I was caught by surprise with his question. I looked at him directly.

"Why do you question my intentions for coming close to the Emperor? I thought you trusted me?" I said. He looked conflicted but he stood firm.

"For the safety of his majesty, I need to be aware of everyone who comes too close to father. He's an important figure in our Empire and I can't let anyone do any harm to him." He said, I thought about telling him the truth since he could help me but I don't want too many people knowing about his majesty's condition. Although, Prince Shiro isn't one to gossip among his men however, he could potentially alert the perpetrator once he finds out. The mastermind could be someone in this Palace and if it's one of his trusted people then he could compromise my plan and put the Emperor in even bigger danger.

"Do you trust me?" I asked him. He looked at me in disbelief.

"It's not a matter of if I trust you or not." he answered.

"I want you to trust me." I told him. He kept silent.

"I want you to trust me. Whatever I'm doing is for the good of the Emperor and the good of this Empire. There are certain circumstances where I can't tell you why I'm doing this but I want you to know that I'm on your side. I don't want anything to happen to the Emperor so long as I can do something about it so please trust me. If you can't trust me as the Prime Minister's daughter then trust me as your wife." I said. He was taken aback by my words.

"You can ask me to do anything for you. You can order me around, tell me what to do, watch over me. I'll be okay with that but I just want you to trust me. I know what I'm doing." I said. He was silent for a while now and I felt my chest becoming heavy. I had been too emotional just now and I understand if Prince Shiro still didn't trust me.

"I'll trust you." He said. I turned to him but was surprised when he pulled me closer to him as he wrapped his arms around me.

"I'll trust you but you have to stay with me," he said. My heart went wild in my chest but I was a little confused. His words were vague and I wasn't sure what he meant.

"What do you…" He cut me off before I could finish what I was saying.

"Stay with me where I can protect you, so that I know where you're going, what you're doing and who you're dealing with. If you can't tell me what you're planning then at least let me be there to help you." He said. I felt my face getting hotter.

"Okay, that's a promise." I answered. He loosened his wrap around me and eventually let me go. I took a step back and avoided my gaze. We were silent for a while and when i was about to break the silence, there was a voice from behind me.

"4th brother, I didn't expect to see you here. Oh, Lady Himawari, you're here as well." I turned to see the 1st Prince. Prince Shiro quickly took my hand and pulled me closer to him.

"1st brother, I was just taking a stroll with my fiance." He reasoned. he kept his hand tight on mine. I could feel the heat from his palm. The 1st prince looked at the both of us and smiled oddly.

"I see the two of you are getting along well. I heard you had tea with his majesty this morning." he said. Prince Shiro nodded and seemed to glare at the 1st prince. There was a weird tension between the two of them. I decided to take the matter in my hands.