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Kiki stepped out into the balcony, leaning against the railing to observe the Seiran estate gardens in all its glory. Her bedroom had one of the best views in the mansion. It was still dark out, but the gardens had a different sort of beauty under the moonlight.
She hadn’t planned to be up so early, but she had woken up naturally, head full of policies she wanted to implement in the earldom, disputes between nobles she was working on sorting, among other things. Maybe she needed to get into the practice of clearing her mind before going to bed.
Even if she was awake before she would have liked, she did enjoy the stillness of this pre-dawn hour while everyone was asleep. There was no sound except the rustling of leaves from the calm breeze that was sweeping through the gardens and the melodious notes of birdsong.
She was just considering doing some stretches and sword drills to get the blood flowing before the day started, when the glass door opened behind her.
“Good morning, my love.” The newcomer waved at her lazily.
Kiki hid a smile at the sight of her husband’s bleary-eyed, bed-mussed self. “You’re up early.”
Hisame hugged her from behind, nuzzling his cheek with hers. “It was cold without you.”
“Oh? I thought that’s why we have an extra blanket at the foot of our bed. Is the blanket not satisfactory for you?” she teased.
“It can’t compare to my beautiful wife. Blanket never had a chance.”
Kiki chuckled.
Hisame soon plopped down on a nearby chair, guiding her to sit on his lap and sighing contentedly, his face resting in the crook of her neck. When she felt his breathing slow down, she said, “You’re not falling asleep in this position, are you?”
“…Maybe.” He said languidly. “But if you want to tell me what’s on your mind, I’ll listen.”
“Mm, I will take you up on that, in a moment. I want to watch the sunrise first.” The first rays of sunlight had just begun to peek out from the horizon, pretty shades of orange interspersing with the darker night sky, which was a deep purple today. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Yes, exquisite,” Hisame agreed. A bit too quickly.
“Says Hisame Seiran, with his eyes closed,” Kiki said archly.
“I like it when you call me Hisame Seiran. Please do it more often.” Her husband smoothly changed the subject.
She sighed, in mock exasperation. Mostly, she was amused. He did open his eyes then, snaking his hands around her waist.
“I’m glad I was able to keep you company.”
“But sleep comes first?”
“Exactly.”
She told him about the issues that she had been mulling over that morning. She didn’t have to go into too much detail, since he knew about most of them already.
“You know, when a problem arises that doesn’t seem to have an immediate answer, it’s best to step away from it. The right solution will come in due time. You don’t have to solve every problem as soon as you hear about it. No-one expects that from you either.”
“Since when have you held so much wisdom?” she teased.
“This is the wisdom that comes with sleeping in when the occasion calls for it.”
“So, you keep reminding me.”
“But seriously, Kiki, I don’t think there is anything in the earldom that is worth you losing sleep over. You are putting in your best effort every day and doing a stellar job. Even your father thinks so.”
“Father said that?” She was surprised. Her father had been travelling a lot lately and while he had been helping her with her duties from time to time, he hadn’t exactly given her a performance review on her first year as countess.
“He did not, but do you think he would be so relaxed and travelling all over the country if he didn’t have the utmost faith in your abilities?”
“You’re right…” She hadn’t thought of it that way. “I do wish he was here more often though. There are matters I need his input on.”
“Ah, give him some time. He was on the job for 25 years. I would have done the same thing.”
“Who knew you were such a huge advocate for Father,” she said playfully.
“Heh, yes, I’m not sure he would do the same for me.” Hisame said ruefully. Kiki laughed.
Her father would advocate for him. These days, he would.
“Well then, my beloved countess, now that I’ve solved all your problems, can we go back to bed?” Hisame asked hopefully. “It’s our day off after all.”
She went with him, Hisame gently leading her by hand. He had listened to her so patiently in his sleep-addled state; he deserved her full attention.