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When dinner was served at the mess hall in Wirant that day, Hisame noted the glaring absence of the prince and his aides. He didn’t think anything of it at first - sometimes the diligent trio had too much on their plate to make it in time for dinner. He sat outside the hall, idly thumbing through the book he had grabbed from the castle library earlier. It was an autobiography by a prolific noble, but not a very good one. This book would be returning to its shelf very soon.
Bored, Hisame decided to go search for Kiki and her companions. He was eager to eat, and sometimes, hard workers needed a little nudge in the right direction to take breaks at appropriate times.
It didn’t take him long to find them. They were in the first place he looked – the prince’s workstation. The prince was poring over some documents, with Mitsuhide beside him. Kiki was putting something away in a cabinet.
“Still hard at work, I see,” he said. “Are you able to pause for dinner, or shall I ask the dining hall to send in some food for you?”
“Is it that time already?” Mitsuhide gazed outside, startled. The days were short in the winter months. Past sunset, it was easy to lose track of time. At least for some people. Not that something like that would happen to Hisame. “We must have missed the dinner bell.”
“For those of us keen on dinner, that could never happen. You three truly do win the title of most industrious, if such a thing existed.”
“Ahh, having dinner sent in does sound nice.” Prince Zen grinned. “I don’t think we’ve ever done that yet at Wirant. But it’s okay, we can wrap up for today.” He started gathering the rest of the papers on his desk, putting them in piles.
“Rough day?”
“Rough days, more like. There’s so much to learn before Mother officially transfers her duties to me at Wirant. I heard from her a few days ago that she wants to officially handover responsibilities in the spring! Staying on track means many more nights like this.”
“The Queen Dowager is enthusiastic about retirement then. Sounds like someone else we know,” Hisame looked at Kiki. “Of course, after all their years in service, they do deserve it.” He added politely, just to cover all his bases. He was talking about other people’s parents, after all.
“Speaking of enthusiasm about retirement, you three should head to dinner first." Kiki said. "I have to write to my father. There was something related to House Seiran that he wanted my opinion on, and I’ve already blown past the date I said I would write to him by. I need to get to it today.”
“Do you want our assistance?” the prince asked. “Like, would it help to talk to us about it?”
“It’s not exactly a four-person job. My father may have let me stay in your service a bit longer, Prince Zen, but this is his way of slowly roping me into administrative matters.”
“Sorry for the trouble, Kiki,” Zen said contritely. “I’ll get some food sent in for you. By the time you head to the dining hall, dinner may be over already.”
Hisame asked, “What the count asked for your opinion on… Is it about the property dispute between two barons?” When Kiki nodded, he said, “Let me keep you company, then! I know a fair bit about the incident since Count Seiran spoke to me about it last time I visited.”
“I appreciate the insight… but didn’t someone say something about being keen on dinner?” Kiki asked dryly.
“I may be keen on dinner, but I’m even keener on my fiancée,” he said with his most disarming smile.
“Okay, Mitsuhide, that’s our cue to leave,” Zen started pushing Mitsuhide out the door. “Let’s leave before they start getting all touchy-feely.”
Hisame caught Kiki’s eye, she seemed mildly amused. Not that Kiki was demonstrative around him, but if they ever got to that point, he would wear it as a badge of honor.
“Let’s get this over with.”
Kiki shared what she knew of the situation, Hisame filling in the gaps. The count already knew how he wanted to resolve the situation, Hisame was certain. He just wanted to see how Kiki would handle it. By the time Kiki started putting pen to paper to compose her reply, someone from the kitchens stopped by with a tray of food. The prince was true to his word.
After setting up the food, Hisame sank into the couch. He had heard rumors from Kiki about how exceedingly comfortable their couch was – comfortable enough for the prince to take nap breaks in, apparently. He could now vouch for it himself.
He leaned against the pillows, sighing with bliss. “Want to eat, Lady Kiki?”
His fiancée didn’t look up from her letter. “You go ahead. I’ll join in a little while.”
Normally, he would be perfectly happy to do so. He wasn’t of much help to Kiki any longer anyway. However, in this case, leaving a workaholic to their own devices when they were clearly past their capacity wasn’t the best idea.
“Not a chance. Leaving my fiancée to work while eating on my own… rumors of my lack of manners will spread like wildfire. Hmm, should I feed you instead? Now that’s an idea.” He could sense Kiki was getting annoyed, so he added gently, “Even if you finish your letter now, it won’t be sent until tomorrow. Why not take your time? Your father isn’t going to hold it against you.”
Kiki finally relented with a sigh, sitting beside him.
“Even if he held it against you… What’s the worst thing he could do? It’s not like he’s going to find another successor.” He happily took his first bite.
“That’s not the point,” Kiki said, transferring her plate from the table to her lap.
Hisame didn’t find out what the point was, because for the next few moments his attention was entirely absorbed by his food. His day today had been particularly strenuous, and he was starving. He wouldn’t have waited this long for anyone else in the world.
Having a private audience with Kiki wasn’t so bad though, even if she was this preoccupied.
“Want to call it a day?” he suggested after they finished eating. Kiki had neatly stacked their plates back into the tray. “I noticed you rubbing your eyes throughout dinner, you must be exhausted.”
“It’s not that, it’s been stinging for a while. I think I got something in my eye earlier. I rinsed it though.”
“Perhaps you’re coming down with something. You could ask the castle pharmacist for a remedy.” For him, stinging eyes was a surefire sign of an upcoming cold.
“I’m fine. I just need to close my eyes for a bit…” He stiffened with surprise when he felt her head rest against his shoulder. He breathed out, trying to calm his quickening pulse.
He was just starting to relax and enjoy the moment when Mitsuhide entered with a knock.
“Hey, I just wanted to check on you two before heading off to-“ The prince’s aide froze mid-sentence. Hisame didn’t miss the look of dismay on Mitsuhide’s face that he was trying desperately to mask.
“No need to look so scandalized, Sir Mitsuhide. Nothing salacious going on here.”
“I wasn’t scandalized! I was just surprised Kiki was asleep, that’s all.”
“Uh huh.”
“I’m not sleeping,” said a dry voice from his shoulder. “How could I, with the way you two are bickering beside me.” Kiki’s eyes were still closed. The fact that she didn’t move away from him, despite being awake in front of company, conjured up an emotion he couldn’t describe.
“See, Mitsuhide, what did I tell you?” a new voice emerged from the door. Prince Zen had also resurfaced. “I told you they would get touchy-feely. Your fault for wanting to come back here.”
“You two seem to be disappointed at missing all the fun. Want to cozy up with us here? There’s plenty of space on the couch.” Hisame said pleasantly.
Kiki lifted her head, fashioning all three of them with her classic glare. “You three enjoy yourselves. I think I’m going to call it a day.”
Hisame grinned. Mission accomplished.
“I think I should leave too. Mitsuhide and Hisame seem like they have a lot to talk about. I don’t want to be a third wheel.” Prince Zen was beaming.
“I certainly don’t mind,” Hisame smirked. “The last time Sir Mitsuhide and I hung out together, during the Seiran Harvest Festival, we truly deepened our bond.”
“Ha, ha.” Mitsuhide didn’t look amused in the slightest. “Everyone is a comedian today.”
The four of them dispersed for the night, with Hisame and Kiki taking a short stroll around the premises, as was their recently acquired habit. Hisame let her go quickly today though; his fiancée looked dead on her feet.
Giving her a brief hug and tucking a lone strand of hair that had slipped past her ponytail, he said, "Get some rest, Lady Kiki. Count Seiran wouldn't want you to overstretch yourself either. And you can also lean on me. It's part of my responsibility as your future husband to help you with your duties."
"Mmhm. Thank you for your assistance earlier. Your insight was very helpful." He stilled as she kissed his cheek. "Goodnight, Lord Hisame."
"Goodnight, see you tomorrow."
Some other time, when she wasn't so exhausted, he would ask her why she pushed herself so hard when, from his perspective, she had everything she could possibly want. A coveted position as Prince Zen's aide. An earldom waiting for her back home. A father invested in her complete success. Bonds with close friends that he only wished he could recreate.
Perhaps she had a greater drive that was unseen to him. What was it that she strove for? He didn't have such a desire himself, not anymore, but he would like to help her achieve hers if he could.
Because whether she realized it or not, she had helped him achieve his.