Chapter 65: Princess Akane's Change

The shared dining room of the four consorts was usually peaceful—

But this morning?

The atmosphere was different.

Akane, as usual, sipped her tea calmly.

But something felt off.

She could feel intense stares boring into her from across the table.

She sighed, finally looking up.

Suzuki, Rei, and Miharu were all staring at her.

And not just staring—

They were glaring.

Akane raised an eyebrow. "…What?"

No answer.

Just continued staring.

She clicked her tongue. "Seriously, what's with you three?"

Suzuki leaned forward, crossing her arms. "…You."

Rei nodded. "You."

Miharu squinted. "Definitely you."

Akane blinked. "Excuse me?"

Suzuki sighed dramatically. "Of all people… It had to be you."

Rei huffed. "An innocent Rin trusted you."

Miharu smirked. "A Rin without walls, without defenses, without his usual unreadable mask… And he said he trusts you."

Akane froze.

Ah.

So that's what this is about.

She sighed, placing her teacup down. "…You're all ridiculous."

Suzuki pouted. "You don't even like him properly."

Rei narrowed her eyes. "Yet he trusts you the most?"

Miharu grinned. "You went from being a nuisance in our way… to an actual rival overnight."

Akane scoffed, leaning back. "I never asked to be trusted, okay? He just did it on his own."

Suzuki tapped the table, frowning. "You better not waste it."

Rei crossed her arms. "Or take it for granted."

Miharu rested her chin on her hands. "And you better not think we'll just sit still and let you have an advantage."

Akane smirked, lifting her teacup. "Oh? I thought I wasn't even in the race?"

Suzuki, Rei, and Miharu gritted their teeth.

"…You weren't."

"…But now you are."

Akane paused.

For the first time—

She was actually considered a true rival for Rin.

And strangely enough—

That realization didn't bother her at all.

Akane sighed, rubbing her temple. "…You three do realize you're consorts to the Crown Prince, right?"

Suzuki, Rei, and Miharu shrugged.

"So?"

Akane blinked. "So? That's a huge deal! You're tied to the imperial family! You can't just throw that away!"

Suzuki, without hesitation, replied, "We can."

Rei nodded. "If it means staying with Rin, then yes."

Miharu smirked. "Living as a commoner? Hiding our identities? If it means we get to have him, we'd do it."

Akane froze.

…They were serious.

Their determination was almost terrifying.

For the longest time, Akane thought these three just had foolish infatuations.

But no—

They were completely devoted to Rin.

And what was worse—

They were willing to throw everything away for him.

Akane leaned back, crossing her arms. "You guys are crazy."

Suzuki smiled. "Maybe."

Rei chuckled. "You only realize that now?"

Miharu sighed dreamily. "Love makes people do ridiculous things~"

Akane gritted her teeth.

Damn it.

She didn't know why, but hearing them say all that annoyed her.

She took a deep breath. "Fine. Whatever. But you realize Rin has to deal with this, right?"

The three consorts paused.

Akane smirked. "He's bedridden right now, sure. But when he recovers? Do you really think he'll accept this?"

Silence.

Then, Suzuki hesitated. "…We'll figure something out."

Rei nodded, though a little less confidently. "Rin will come around."

Miharu hummed. "If we just keep showing him how much we love him, he'll understand."

Akane stared at them.

"…Idiots."

The three glared. "What?"

Akane shook her head. "You really think Rin is the type to just accept being loved so easily? He'll run the moment he senses your intentions."

The three flinched.

Yeah.

That was true.

Rin wasn't someone who let people in easily.

And now that she thought about it—

Maybe his bedridden state was a blessing in disguise.

At least for now, he didn't have to deal with this mess.

Akane sighed. "…You know what? I should help him."

Suzuki frowned. "Help him?"

Akane leaned back, arms crossed. "If I don't, you three might actually corner him into a panic attack."

Rei narrowed her eyes. "And why would you help him?"

Akane hesitated.

…Yeah.

Why would she?

It wasn't to make him indebted to her.

…Right?

She scoffed, shaking her head. "Tch. Who knows? Maybe I just feel bad for the guy."

Suzuki, Rei, and Miharu watched her closely.

None of them believed her.

But they didn't call her out on it.

Because deep down—

Akane wasn't sure she believed herself either.

In the back of the dining room, four headmaids stood silently, observing their mistresses engage in their latest Rin-centered debate.

They had long since mastered the art of being present yet invisible, but even they couldn't ignore the chaos unfolding before them.

"…So," Fumiko, Miharu's headmaid, finally spoke, "I assume we're all thinking the same thing?"

"That our mistresses have completely lost it?" Yori, Rei's headmaid, sighed, rubbing her temple.

"That we might need to start planning an escape route for Rin?" Rina, Suzuki's headmaid, muttered under her breath.

The three turned to Emi, Akane's headmaid—who, up until now, had been deep in thought.

"Emi?" Fumiko nudged. "You okay?"

Emi exhaled. "I'm just… thinking."

"Thinking about?" Yori raised a brow.

Emi narrowed her eyes toward Akane. "…Something happened."

The others followed her gaze.

Akane was visibly on edge, unusually defensive.

For someone who constantly mocked the other three for their love-struck behavior, she was suddenly very invested in stopping them.

Too invested.

"…She's changing." Emi murmured.

The other three stared at her.

"Changing?" Rina tilted her head.

"You saw it too, right?" Emi looked at them. "Princess Akane was always focused on using Rin to her advantage. She was never interested in him romantically."

Fumiko nodded slowly. "Yeah, and?"

Emi's eyes narrowed. "And yet, today, she's acting like she's trying to protect him."

Silence.

The realization hit them all at once.

Yori sighed. "…Gods help us, has she started falling for him too?"

Rina groaned, massaging her forehead. "I was hoping it was just indigestion."

Fumiko exhaled. "If that's the case, then we're doomed."

Emi crossed her arms. "I'm not saying it's love yet, but…" she trailed off, eyes flickering back to Akane, "it's something."

And that something was enough to send a chill down their spines.

The four mistresses—once rivals with different goals—had now seemingly formed a truce.

A truce that revolved around one man.

Fumiko muttered under her breath, "…Shimuzu Rin better live another second."

Yori sighed. "At this rate, he'll need divine intervention to survive."

Rina nodded grimly. "May the heavens protect him."

Emi exhaled. "Or at least, may Harumi protect him."

They all shuddered at the thought of what Rin would wake up to.

As the morning sun filtered through the curtains, Rin sat upright on his bed for the first time in a month. His body still felt weak, but at least he was awake.

Just as he was taking in his surroundings, the door opened.

Harumi entered, carrying a tray of food. Her expression was calm, yet there was a slight expectation in her eyes—another illusion trial, perhaps?

But it never came.

Instead, she was met with Rin's gaze, clear and steady, fixed on her.

For a moment, they simply stared at each other.

Then, Rin spoke. "How long was I out?"

"One month." Harumi answered without hesitation.

Rin blinked. "…That bad, huh."

"Yeah."

Their conversation was short, efficient. No unnecessary words. They understood each other too well to need them.

Rin exhaled, leaning back slightly. "Who handled my work?"

Harumi placed the tray of food beside him. "Initially me, but after two weeks, Princess Akane took over most of it."

Rin raised an eyebrow. "Akane?"

Harumi simply nodded.

He glanced at the food before looking back at her. "…Did you cook this?"

"No." Harumi replied instantly.

Rin smirked. "Yeah, you wouldn't."

Thwack!

Harumi's hand came down in a swift chop against his head.

Rin winced. "Ow."

"Eat." Harumi ordered, unfazed.

Rin sighed, rubbing his head before reaching for the food.

Some things never changed.

Harumi watched as Rin slowly stretched, testing his body after a month of being bedridden. She tilted her head slightly. "How are you feeling?"

Rin exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Lighter... but also lazy."

Harumi raised an eyebrow. "Lazy?"

Rin nodded. "Yeah... like I could just stay in bed for another month."

Harumi chopped his head again.

"Ow—okay, okay, I get it!" Rin complained, rubbing the spot. "No more sleeping."

He swung his legs over the bed, placing his feet on the cold floor. His brows furrowed slightly as he focused, checking his mana.

Then, he froze.

His usual elements—fire, lightning, enhancement, shadow, and wind—were all still there. But now...

Illusion.

Psychic.

…Supreme-tier magic.

His breath hitched. His mana had broken through.

Rin clenched and unclenched his fist, feeling the newfound power settle into his body. The weight of mana that once pressed against his limits was now completely under his control.

"Did... anything happen while I was out?" Rin asked, his voice carefully neutral.

Harumi simply looked at him, her expression unreadable.

"...A lot."

Harumi made her way to the White Elder's quarters, her steps brisk but controlled. Despite her usual composure, there was a sense of urgency in her movements. The White Elder was still weak, bedridden from the aftereffects of his own injuries, but he needed to be informed.

"White Elder, I bring news," Harumi said respectfully as she entered the dimly lit chamber.

The old man slowly turned his head towards her, his once piercing eyes dulled by fatigue. "Go on."

"Shimuzu Rin has awakened."

There was a brief silence. Then, a weak chuckle.

"That boy… he really does defy expectations." The White Elder sighed. "And his condition?"

"Stable. He has achieved Supreme-tier magic."

That made the old man pause, his fingers twitching slightly against the blanket. "…I see. Then things are about to become much more complicated."

Meanwhile, outside, Rin stepped into the open air for the first time in a month.

The sun was bright, the wind crisp against his skin. As he moved forward, he noticed something—eyes.

People had stopped working, stopped talking. They were staring.

Whispers spread like wildfire.

"He's awake?"

"Already? He was bedridden for a month!"

"I heard the Azure Empress herself visited him."

"Did you see? He doesn't look weak at all!"

Rin ignored the murmurs, his eyes scanning the reconstruction efforts. The progress was impressive. Far better than he expected.

But what caught his attention the most was the name that kept popping up in the reports.

Princess Akane.

Rin narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I need to confirm things for myself."

Rin stepped into the office, his gaze immediately landing on Princess Akane.

She was standing at the front, speaking confidently to the gathered imperial officials, her tone firm yet composed. It was almost eerie seeing her in his usual place, explaining the updates and managing affairs as if it were second nature.

"She really took over my work, huh…" Rin thought to himself.

The moment Akane turned and saw him, her eyes widened slightly in surprise. She wasn't the only one—the officials, too, paused, as if seeing a ghost.

But in the next second, Akane schooled her expression back into calm professionalism. She stepped forward, her gaze sharp as ever.

"You're finally up," she said, stopping in front of him. "Took you long enough."

Rin raised an eyebrow. "I didn't exactly plan to be out for a month, you know."

Akane crossed her arms, smirking slightly. "Well, while you were sleeping, someone had to handle things."

"I see that." Rin glanced at the documents stacked neatly on the desk. "Looks like I owe you… a lot."

Akane waved him off. "It's fine. You were dealing with an illness, after all."

Rin tilted his head. "You're surprisingly nice."

At that, Akane took a small step back.

Her lips parted slightly, and for a second, she seemed thrown off. "Oi… don't say weird things all of a sudden."

Rin chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Right. Wouldn't want to say anything that makes you uncomfortable."

Akane narrowed her eyes at him but didn't press further. Instead, she lowered her voice slightly and leaned in.

"Just so you know, you've got a lot to deal with when it comes to the other three."

Rin let out a long sigh. "Yeah… I figured."

Akane hesitated. Then, she turned away, biting back a small, pleased smile.

"...Thanks."

Rin blinked. "For what?"

She shook her head. "Nothing."

Rin looked around at the busy office, noticing how much work was still being handled. "Is there anything I can help with? I should start pulling my weight again."

Akane smirked. "Oh? If you insist."

She picked up a stack of papers and held them out. "Here. Start with these."

Rin reached for them, but as he took the papers, his fingers brushed lightly against Akane's hand.

It was brief—so brief that Rin didn't even react. He simply took the documents and started flipping through them.

But Akane?

Her fingers twitched slightly as warmth spread from where they had touched.

She clenched her jaw, forcing herself to look unaffected, but inside, something was unsettlingly different.

She shook her head. "Focus, Akane. Don't overthink this."

Meanwhile, Rin had already started going through the documents, his focus completely on work.

Akane, however, was still trying to make sense of herself.