Following Snowbell’s lead—sprawling on the floor, napping, letting her use him as a bed—helped Rei keep a semblance of normalcy. Maeko came to the palace so he wasn’t going in and out, as per Kyoumi’s request.

Rei had to keep himself occupied so he didn’t fall into worries. Sometimes that meant helping the festival, talking to Maeko, or sleeping. Reading was a hit or miss, same with any crafts or hobbies; he went out and pruned some of the trees, but that was probably his most productive moment. Kyoumi wouldn’t let him help with ruling things.

For now, Maeko used his desk to write a letter to her grandparents while Rei faded in and out of tiredness. Snowbell laid on his chest, letting out a tiny yawn and settling into a nap herself. Even with the silence, having someone else in there helped.

Maeko scribbled her signature near the bottom of the paper and sat down the pen.

“I hope they’ll actually send this over,” she murmured. “They live right across from Hiroki—it wouldn’t take that much, would it?”

“Sir Hiroki might make an exception,” Rei said. He gently pet Snowbell, earning a little purr from the kitty. She shed everywhere now that the weather was warming up; all the courtyard flowers should be opening up soon. “It depends on what ‘heightened security’ means to him.”

Most nobles agreed to give basic watch for Taiyo, mostly just consisting of writing down if anyone with a similar appearance came around. The nobles near the edge of the kingdom were specifically asked to screen anyone coming or going in both Taiyo’s interest and to keep more Kuro soldiers from sneaking in. Whether or not they flagged down everyone or just the ones that looked like they came from Kuro, he didn’t know.

“I just want to make sure they’re not panicking,” Maeko maintained, leaning back in the chair. “They treat the river like an ocean—as if every time we talk, it’ll be the last.”

“In their defense, the only way over is through Hiroki unless you want to risk drowning.”

“I know. I’m a little worried they’ll change their mind about me and Mother staying in Gin, that's all.” She glanced at him and gave a little smile. “You’ll never get out of the house if Snowbell’s always with you—if she even lets you get out of bed.”

“Kyoumi wouldn’t let you leave until it was safe,” Rei assured her. “Family ties or no, you’ve been in Gin for the last ten years and that’s enough to be a citizen.”

“That implies she would make some kind of…anti-emigration law just for me,” she pointed out.

“Not for you, specifically; it could be a blanket ‘don’t leave for safety reasons’ towards everyone,” he argued.

Maeko blinked at him for a second, then laughed—whole and lovely, succeeding in getting him to chuckle just by proxy. Even Snowbell purred.

“I don’t care what people say,” she began after a couple of minutes, “You, Gin-Fujita Rei, are hilarious. With your deadpan delivery of legal justifications, you could steal anyone’s heart.”

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Rei grinned. “Do I have permission to take yours?”

Maeko fell into a giggle fit. “You don’t have to ask—you already have it.”

Both blushed and Rei gave a smile so idiotic Taiyo would tease him for it. But for Maeko? He didn’t even care. Taiyo and Grandmother Suzu and his cousins could tease as much as they wanted—out of everyone his age, only Maeko fully understood and considered Taiyo’s disappearance. She might be the only person that never bothered him.

A light knock on the door startled him. Kyoumi offered a weak smile as an apology.

“Sorry,” she murmured. She looked at Rei. “I just wanted to tell you that Sir Hiroki sent a letter. The Roken family agreed to come to the palace and should be here in a few days.”

“The north’s chief, right?” Maeko asked. She paused for a second, then tried in the shared language, “Uh… Sólstaður?”

Kyoumi nodded. They didn’t have a word for it in Gin and Kuro’s native tongue. Only the royal families and leading people of each nation really knew the shared language—the rest, unless they were merchants or travelers, tended to stick with what they were raised with.

“Roken Andreas and his children,” Kyoumi replied. “They’re around your age—a boy and a girl, I hear. Maybe you two could show them around while Sorai and I talk with Sir Roken?”

“I’m being left out of the negotiation aspect?” Rei asked with a little frown.

“You hear enough of war as it is,” Kyoumi said firmly. “Sir Hiroki and Lord Tsujihara will be there as well—a room full of tired men and a hopeful queen would bore anyone.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to show some hospitality,” Maeko agreed. “I’d be willing to give them a tour of the city if Rei wants to be a translator.”

“Taiyo is better at it than I am,” Rei warned.

“You’ll be adorable while you do it, and that’s all that matters,” Maeko half-sung.

Rei’s blush returned and Kyoumi chuckled.

“Maybe I ought to leave you two alone more often,” she mused. “It’s nice to see things can still go on as normal.”

“More or less, as long as Taiyo not being here doesn’t become normal,” Rei reasoned. “Then this will be harder.”

Her smile shifted into something sadder.

“We’re doing what we can,” she promised. “And if Sir Roken would be kind enough to give us the north’s support, we’ll be able to push Kuro back quicker and look for Taiyo more thoroughly.”

Rei bit his lip a little, worry seeping through despite his efforts to fight against it.

“What if he isn’t in Gin by then?”

“Then I’ll write it into the peace treaty that Kuro needs to return our missing prince,” Kyoumi replied firmly.

Rei nodded. He had to believe that—he had to try to make sure he didn’t get dragged down too much. It would help him as much as Kyoumi.

Kyoumi shifted her smile into something friendlier.

“I have to get back to work,” she said. “Are you staying the night, Nesshin?”

“I was hoping to,” Maeko replied.

“Then I’ll see you both at dinner, then.”

She offered a little wave and disappeared. Rei half-smiled in the space she left behind before Maeko stood up and brushed herself off; Snowbell perked up at the movement.

“I want to take a quick walk around, get something to eat for lunch, invite my mom for dinner,” Maeko announced. “Do you want to come with?”

“Sure. A little exercise won’t hurt.”

He carefully picked up Snowbell and cradled her in his arms, then followed Maeko out. They maintained pleasant, mostly useless conversation as they went.