Chapter Text
Uzumaki Yuuto loved plum blossom cakes with red bean filling inside. He loved climbing trees and swimming in the lake. He loved hunting pheasants and roasting them to eat.
Uzumaki Yuuto also loved his Haha-Ue and Chichi-Ue.
To everyone Chichi-Ue was scary, he was the emperor of the realm after all. Yet, when he saw Yuuto, he smiled unabashedly and ruffled his hair.
Haha-Ue was lovely, he smelt like oranges, Yuuto loved to be petted by his soft hands. Sometimes he would lay down on his lap and let him scratch inside his scalp.
Yuuto also loved to read romance poetry. He loved the idea of soulmates, he believed one day he would meet the person destined for him and they would also have a family like Haha-Ue and Chichi-Ue.
After hearing the story of red strings of fate while staying in the academy dormitory when he came back to the palace, he created a red string using the cotton threads. He wanted to bind someone with the strings with the person they loved.
“Chichi-Ue..” Yuuto approached his father, who was sitting in the garden.
This garden was the private garden of their palace, not the imperial one where anyone could enter. Except this garden had no colourful flowers, only plain wildflowers.
His father looked up from the document he was reviewing and said, “Yes?”
Yuuto went closer and showed Chichi-Ue the red string, “I made this.”
“Why?” His father blinked.
“I heard if you bind someone with the red string then you will be together in the next life.” Yuuto explained, “I wanted to bind two people together, so I thought if I bind Chichi-Ue and Haha-Ue together you both will be together in the next life and I can see you again!”
His father smiled slightly at his words, “Silly boy.” He ruffled his hair. Then he looked at the red thread and said, “If you want to bind someone then bind yourself and Haha-Ue together. So even in another life you two can be parent and child again.”
Yuuto pouted, “But what about you?”
“Silly boy.” His father petted his cheek, “You are the best gift that I could ever give him. Because in the next life, Haha-Ue and Chichi-Ue will never meet.”
Yuuto tilted his head. He did not understand such difficult words. So he obeyed Chichi-Ue and went to Haha-Ue to bind their wrists together. Haha-Ue laughed but he let himself be bound. However, Yuuto could not tell Haha-Ue what Chichi-Ue said. He had a feeling that Chichi-Ue didn’t want Haha-Ue to know it.