Fate I

XXIV

"Finally," a sigh escaped her lips, turning white upon mixing with the cold air.

Kouen glanced down at her. "You should've just given a satisfactory answer from the beginning."

A bead of sweat rolled down her face as she gazed into the distance. "I thought my answer was satisfactory enough. You three just have unusually high standards."

"Do we?" he said, holding a hand out to her.

"You do," Lucy took his hand as he helped her down the icy steps of Koutoku's palace, the white fur lining their winter cloaks dotting with snow.

The two made their way to the Phoenix Palace as they paid no heed to the servants and maids that bowed to them as they passed. Koumei had lessons to attend to and had gone his separate way, promising to return quickly after his lessons. Compared to the weather earlier this morning, the snow had lightened up, pelting softly down as it stuck to the ground.

"How were your last few days in the Imuchakk nation?" Kouen asked.

"It was fun," Lucy grinned, recounting her experience there. "Though we had a few issues at first, they were all welcoming and nice. I read before that they were notorious as a barbaric nation but from what I've seen, they're not at all so. They're people who are proud of their strength but most of all, they're people who care about the well-being of their family more than anyone."

"Is that so?" Kouen softened his eyes as he reached out a hand and patted her on the head. "I'm glad you had fun."

"Mn!"

Seeing her elated face, he smiled softly with a pained expression. How joyous she looked as she talked about her expedition to the Imuchakk nation. Compared to how she was in the Imperial Palace, she looked much freer and full of energy. The Heartfilia Household was a family of merchants and naturally, that blood flowed in her, too. Rather than being confined to one place, they enjoyed the vast lands and open skies much more. Such was the reason why Jude and Layla often went on business trips and were rarely seen in the Kou Empire, even after they had officially decided to mark the Kou Empire as their base.

"But horse riding, huh?" Kouen thought about it. "Isn't it still a bit too early?"

"What do you mean?" Lucy tilted her head.

"Hakuei didn't start her lessons until she was seven," Kouen explained. "Though, the only reason why Father Emperor agreed to it is because her stature was much taller than the boys her age."

"Is that so?" Lucy said, gazing at the ground.

Kouen stared at her, feeling a little bit guilty for having dampened her mood. He was always the type of person to speak his mind and usually, he would think twice before saying something but in front of her, he was able to forget all about appearances and how he may come off for he knew that she would not judge. But right now, he wanted to punch himself in the face. He gloomed, wondering why he was like this.

"But," Lucy spoke up and turned to him, a smile upon her face, "I'm still glad Father Emperor agreed."

Kouen stared at her.

"Though I may be smaller in stature compared to others, once I've set my mind on something, I'll be sure to see it through the end!" Lucy clamped her fists together, her face lighting up. "So thank you for worrying, Kouen."

He widened his eyes slightly and though he kept a blank face, his ears were already beet red. She continued to walk along the path back to the Phoenix Palace and pursing his lips, Kouen turned the other way as he held a hand over his face. His crimson eyes flickered with hopeless affection and his face blushed a fervent red. He watched her small back as she gazed up at the sky and wondered just how much more would his feelings for her continue to grow. He wanted to know just how she was able to see through the facade he had carefully built for himself.