The Legend of the Reclusive Princess Zuicho of the Rikan Empire ~She Escapes From The Palace Everyday and Works as a Capable Government Official.~ - Chapter 2

In the Rikan Empire, a Zuicho—or “Auspicious Sign”—is considered a symbol of wealth and peace. There’s a strange belief that such a being, supports the empire’s long-lasting peace and must never be harmed.

This rare trait appears only once every few decades—or even centuries—and is always from the royal family. A person with this rare appearance is called the “Sun Prince” and is treated almost like a god.

That’s why the color black is forbidden. Dyeing one’s hair black or pretending to have that appearance is a serious crime. In the past, some people were even executed for it. It’s scary.

For Saya, who somehow ended up in this world accidentally, such superstitions are very troubling.

As a Japanese woman with naturally black hair and black eyes, she’s easily misunderstood. This misunderstanding could lead to trouble. It’s definitely something she wants to avoid.

So, she decided to make use of her bleached blonde hair—originally done for her college life—and kept it that way to avoid attention.

And now…

In this country, where no one has seen a “Sun Prince” for hundreds of years, the only man with black hair and black eyes was being avoided by the others. He looked upset and spoke up in protest.

“…It was just small talk. It’s your fault for smelling like moss.”

“Still, that doesn’t mean you can just smell someone’s hair without asking… Are you a pervert?”

“Wha—pe, per—?!”

“Hahaha!”

A cheerful laugh interrupted the man as he froze in shock.

It came from the person sitting at the central and biggest desk— Minister of Revenue Saeki Tousei.

“Well, even though you are immensely popular among the officials, let alone the ladies of the court, to our Tobe Samurai, known as ‘Ice Flower’, you are nothing more than a mischievous brat.”

Saying this, Saeki Tousei pushed up his round glasses. He was calm but very sharp. He was the one who kept the Ministry of Civil Affairs running smoothly. Everyone in the office, not just Saya, admired and respected his amazing work.

Hearing his comment, the man pouted even more.

“Tousei… This isn’t funny. Why is your subordinate acting so bold?”

“Excuse me, but don’t call the Tobe Minister so casually,” she said.

“—Hey! Aren’t you treating me and Tousei very differently!?”

“…I guess it’s because of how much we respect you.”

“Haha!”

Saya responded with a composed expression, causing the Tobe Minister to burst into laughter once more.

Whenever this man visited the Ministry, this kind of silly exchange was a regular routine.

The other officials in the room just ignored them and focused on their work, as if they had seen this too many times before.

…Well, the only one who looked shocked was the new recruit who had just joined this spring but give it six months, and he’d be used to it too.

“Ugh, I hope you get buried in paperwork.”

“Looks like you have too much spare time.”

“Spare time? I’ve got a mountain of boring issues to deal with—”

“You’re trying to make us help with them, aren’t you?”

“…Ugh…”

Even though his words were cut off without mercy, the man still seemed to enjoy the back-and-forth conversation. He wasn’t truly angry. They had known each other long enough to joke like this comfortably.

They both used this time to let out some stress. It was mutual.

“Ahaha! So funny… Seeing you like this—calm and clever as always—this side of you only shows up here in the Ministry.”

The Tobe Minister wiped tears from laughing too much.

Then his gentle eyes turned to Saya.

“Hehe… But Saya, as amusing as this scene is, let’s stop here for now. His Majesty is even busier than our paperwork—after all…”

Yes.

This man was actually the emperor—the ruler of this empire.

Born with the rare traits of a Zuicho (“Auspicious Sign”), he carried the people’s hopes as the Emperor of Riukan, Gyouga Gen.

Which means… he is the head of the Inner Palace—and my official husband.

Though honestly, I’m the only one who remembers that.

This man surely had no memory of the existence of a person named Kyosui Saya in the harem (Inner Palace)

Why?

Because in the past five years, he’s never called me a consort, never met me, and we’ve never even been in the same room.

“…So, Your Majesty. What kind of troublesome matter do you want to discuss today?”

Saya asked while watching his face, which still looked slightly annoyed. Then she reached out to touch her damp blond hair that still smelled a bit musty.

That big splash of water had happened just this morning…