Aiko felt her stomach burn angrily. She groaned in pain as she clasped it. The Emperor looked down at her. Worry spilled in his chest. He tried pushing it away. He didn't like worrying about other people, especially a maid.

"That was meant for the maid. Hitting you without a reason isn't fun." He said, his voice low and angry. He wasn't sure if he was trying to make a bad joke or not.

Aiko turned her head and weakly glared at him. "What?" He snapped.

"She didn't deserve to be hit," She whispered, feebly jabbing his chest with her finger.

"I can do whatever I want. I'm the Emperor." The Emperor said, his voice sharpening. Yes, she was hurt, but this didn't mean she had the right to disrespect him.

The two entered the garden, and the Emperor scanned the area to find somewhere to place her.

His Majesty's turned his gaze back to the front, glancing towards the pond in a corner. Unfortunately, a rock was right in front of his shoe and he didn't see it. The Emperor stepped on it; Aiko lurched in his arms.

As the Emperor managed to keep her in his arms, Aiko felt something rise from her stomach. It was acid and burning, bringing tears to her eyes. She pushed herself out of the Emperor's arms and landed on the humid grass with a thud. The Emperor looked at her, confused.

She put her hands on the ground to stabilize herself and started vomiting.

The Emperor's eyes widened. He stayed still, not knowing what to do. He awkwardly placed his hand on her back and patted it, covering his nose with his sleeve. He tried remembering what his mother did for him when he felt sick, but nothing came to his memory.

Aiko continued vomiting. And that's when the Emperor heard some tinkling laughs and low voices. Women from his harem were approaching.

"Aiko," He whispered, as he tried to pull her arm. "Let's go away. Now. I ordered it." He said, his voice not as composed as usual. He didn't want them to see Aiko like this, vulnerable.

Aiko didn't hear him and kept emptying her stomach, heaving, and panting. He groaned in frustration. Akihfumi's word became clear. "I received some extremely expensive brocade from the household department. I'll make some new clothes for myself with it. I'll leave the scraps to you." Akihfumi was talking to two other girls. One was called Kiko, with short, black, cropped hair, and the other one was called Maiko. Her hair was so long it brushed the ground. All three wearing beautiful kimonos, their strong perfume intoxicating the air around them.

They were all laughing when they turned the corner and all three caught sight of the Emperor and Aiko.

Akihfumi stopped in her tracks, eyes wide. Akihfumi slipped a silk foulard out of her sleeve and covered her nose. She smirked behind it, and stuck an arm out to block her friends, her eyes twinkling as she saw her. "Your Majesty! What a pleasant surprise!" She bowed, followed by the others. "Oh, but Your Majesty, someone is with you...who has the great honor?" She asked as she tried to peek over the Emperor's body, having him covered her.

Maiko, meanwhile, had managed to step behind him.

She gasped and started giggling. "Oh, lady Akihfumi, it's the maid. She seems to be... sick!" She exclaimed in disgust, grabbing a fan from her sash, and fanning the air around herself. This women had appeared a few days ago, and was already passing most of her day with His Majesty. News of her upgrade still hadn't reached the harem's ears. Akihfumi was too hurt and angry to spread the word, keeping it tightly pressed to her chest, hidden for as long as she could. 

Maiko started walking closer to the Emperor, losing interest in Aiko. "Your Majesty hasn't come to visit me that often," she sighed, pouting childishly, kneeling down and starting to fan him. "Would Your Majesty like to accompany me to visit the gardens today?"

Akihfumi and Kiko quickly followed suit, all bowing down to be smaller than His Majesty. They fanned him, keeping the smell away, and trying to rip him away from AIko. "Your Majesty! The snow is starting to melt!" Akihfumi said, placing her hand on his shoulder. The other concubines didn't dare.

The Emperor closed his eyes, the incenses and perfumes sickening him. He roughly pushed the three women away, standing up.

They all stumbled back and fell on the floor, their eyes wide. Maiko's upper lip wobbled before she burst into false tears. "I have offended His Majesty dearly! My dull mind cannot comprehend what foolish mistake I made! Would Your Majesty please enlighten me? Did I displease Your Majesty? Does Your Majesty not desire me anymore!" She sobbed. Her hand was lightly placed on her chest. The girls imitated her, begging for enlightenment. They tried dragging the Emperor in their arms with crocodile tears.

The Emperor felt his glare harden into fury. What he once found attractive now was just repulsing him. He pointed at Aiko. "Her Majesty, soon to be Empress, is sick." He made sure to stress those words. "I will attend to her now. You will leave, and you will not come back. It is my order." He said, waving his sleeve. His eyes were furious.

All the ladies looked at each other in shock, the news falling upon them like lightning except for Akihfumi. Her hand dropped from her forehead and clenched into a fist. She got up, real tears falling from her eyes now. "Of course, Your Majesty." Her voice trembled, the wound already present in her heart deepening.

The Emperor's eyes sparkled with flames as they left.