Important matters

As the uninvited guest hesitantly stepped across the threshold, Lady Miyashi turned, her elegant silk kimono rustling softly, and fixed a gaze upon them both – a look of pure, unadulterated curiosity appeared in her serene features.

Only when her eyes were able to distinguish the peculiar individual standing in the doorway did a flash of recognition light up in them. At that moment she was able to roughly distinguish his origin.

"By the grace of God!" she exclaimed with a voice that sounded genuine surprise, yet softened by a rather enthusiastic and impeccably polite smile that didn't quite reach her watchful eyes.

"What sudden circumstance brings someone so closely related to the crown to our humble abode?" she finished, with a tone that showed respect and courtesy and different demeanor.

In fact markedly submissive, and her every movement and word carefully calibrated.

She remained very attentive, observing whether the unexpected visitor displayed any hint of discomfort, as if the very notion of imposing her own pride in this situation was unthinkable.

"Good afternoon, Lady Miyashi," said the guest in a measured and slightly formal voice as he approached.

"Please accept my sincerest condolences for your recent and profound loss," he added with an expression carefully neutral, demonstrating just enough reservation to make Shiro instinctively suspect that it was performance of sympathy.

"I am here today to discuss certain matters concerning the late Professor Ishi," he reiterated, and his words had a weight that hide their direct nature.

"Yes! Of course. I can still barely believe it," Lady Miyashi responded, with a forced worrisome smile that instantly was replaced by a tremor that reflected her inner turmoil.

It was obvious that the subject at hand, or perhaps the individual before her, made her nervous, her delicate hands showing a hint of anxiety with a faint but persistent tremble.

Shiro, silently observing the situation and the tremor in his mother's hands, couldn't help but feel unease towards this formally dressed stranger who had so abruptly entered their residence.

"Forgive my intrusion, but could I know your name? I would find it helpful to know with whom I'm having conversation." Shiro remarked, his voice deliberately soft asking politely to mask his suspicion.

"I am Lord Vincent Miller, dispatched from the Imperial Bureau," the visitor announced with a hint of self-importance.

Certainly a person of high importance, claiming to be directly from the official Bureau.

His gaze swept around the room, searching for an appropriate place to rest.

Shiro, noticing his momentary hesitation, wanted to help.

"Here," Shiro suggested, gesturing towards a section of the polished wooden floor, "you can sit here."

"…"

Lord Vincent looked surprised. For a moment, he seemed confused because the place offered didn't match what he expected for sitting. The bare floor was clearly not what he had envisioned.

Shiro, sensing Vincent unspoken confusion, offered a slightly nervous explanation.

"Ah, I almost forgot. Here, we traditionally kneel to sit… it is a common usance in our culture. " he clarified, quickly offering a plush, embroidered cushion.

"Ah, yes, of course. I must have momentarily forgotten. That is one of your… unique customs." Lord Vincent responded, his tone still carrying a trace of bewilderment.

The small bit of calm they had felt as they got ready to talk was broken.

Lord Vincent carefully put his official-looking papers on a short table. Then, something unexpected happened. More and more people quietly came into the Ishi residence.

Lady Miyashi and Shiro looked at each other, surprised, as they saw the house slowly surrounded by these new people. It looked like they were protecting someone, and they were all watching Lord Vincent.

"… that's a lot of people…" Shiro whispered, looking around the crowded room.

"Well," Lord Vincent said calmly, not seeming bothered by all the people coming in, "recent circumstances made it necessary to have more security, you see…"

"Oh, I understand," Shiro answered, but he didn't really understand.

When Lord Vincent finally looked like he was ready, he started to explain why he was there.

"Well," he began, his voice sounding more serious, "now that Lord Ishi has passed away, the issues between him and the crown have become… quite complicated." He stopped for a moment and sighed.

"And since we sadly can't talk to Lord Ishi about it anymore, we had to come here to try and find a way to solve things." His words were careful but not very clear, and Shiro really wanted to know more.

It seemed like Lord Vincent was trying not to give away important information. Shiro couldn't figure out why he was being so secretive.

"I'm very sorry to hear that, but my mother and I were never told about any of these problems," Shiro said, trying to stay calm even though he was getting more and more worried.

"My fath... Lord Ishi didn't usually talk about things related to the empire, especially if there were still issues." He hoped to learn something from Lord Vincent's reaction.

"I know you might not know all the details, and you don't really need to understand everything right now," Lord Vincent said smoothly, taking a small sip of tea from a fancy cup.

"The important thing is that because your father isn't here, we need you to come with us to Concordat to solve these problems in person," he finished, a small, almost hidden smile appearing on his lips.

I really want to tell them no and kick them out of our house, Shiro thought angrily, but that would probably cause some problems... I need to stay on good terms with the crown.

He couldn't stop the bad feelings he had; anything involving the empire and its officials had always been bad news for his family.

Just then, Shiro looked at his mother, hoping to see that she was worried too, that she understood how serious this was.

But when their eyes met, he was confused because he didn't see fear. Instead, it looked like she was… convinced?

"Of course, he can go!" Lady Miyashi said with surprising excitement, her voice sounding very sure.

"I'm sure that wherever they need to solve these problems, having Shiro there will be a big help!" She smiled brightly, but it felt strange to Shiro, who just stared at her in disbelief.

He whispered, his voice full of confusion and a bit of hurt, "Mother… what are you saying?!"

"What? Am I wrong? You'd probably have to go there someday anyway, so why not take this chance?" she replied, sounding surprisingly practical.

Shiro was completely shocked by his mother's quick agreement. He never thought she would so easily… give him up to these strange people.

She can't be serious, Shiro thought, his mind spinning, unable to understand why she had suddenly changed. But before he could say anything to argue, Vincent spoke up.

"Excellent! Then let's leave right away," a sneaky smile on his face.

"Perfect! He'll be ready in just a moment!" Lady Miyashi echoed, her smile looking just like Lord Vincent's eager one.

Wait… what is happening? Shiro felt like the ground was moving under his feet. Everything was becoming confusing and unreal.