Context: Ryuuki is on a boat after having left Kiyou. This I think should be around ep 35 of the anime, but I don’t watch the anime, so I don’t know for sure.

When Ryuuki awoke to the sound of the waves, he was lying face up on the deck, having rolled over in his sleep. In the endless sky, it was now already night, and the stardust of the horizon flickered in an instant as if even now rain were about to fall. It was just like the time Jyuusan-hime had elbowed him, Ryuuki thought with a small smile. The sound of the waves coming and going echoed in his ears gently.

The leisurely sound of the waves, and the occasional little sounds of the oars were the only things which held sway over this world of the night. There was no longer anyone near him. The only ones around who knew that Ryuuki was the king were Jyuusan-hime and Shouka, and right now, they were not there. Though he might fall over seasick again, wretchedly faint, sob or scream, there was no one around to find fault with him. Those who observed him…. those who were disappointed in him, those who were frustrated with him, were no longer there.

“We are not really making a mistake.”

While telling himself that, he had quickly left Kiyou. The frustration that he thought would vanish once he left Kiyou, rather than disappearing, little by little, began to weigh upon Ryuuki’s heart. He had ended up leaving important things behind. He couldn’t help but have that feeling, because the unrest in his heart would not stop. Deep within him, small bubbles rose one after the other, and Ryuuki’s breast was troubled.

Just like a fish on dry land, he could no longer breathe easily.

Up till now, Ryuuki had never left Kiyou. His first long journey was a series of surprises. Since both Shouka and Jyuusan-hime had traveled through the world, on the road they had dragged Ryuuki around and opened up a new world for him. In a way it was just like when Shuurei had come to the Inner Palace. Especially, Shouka was truly knowledgeable, and a surprisingly experienced traveler. Although his tea was as bad as ever, he was well-informed about geography, customs, information about each region, foods, to the point that Jyuusan-hime’s eyes grew round. It seemed that he had truly traveled here and there when he was young. He was not sea-sick at all. He had become the most reliable one. Despite this, Ryuuki had been unable to smile from the bottom of his heart even once since they set out. Some shred of a vague feeling, in some crevice of his heart, depressed him. [revise this sentence]

“As king, or as Shi Ryuuki?” [my note: This is Riou Jr.'s question earlier about why the journey is necessary to Ryuuki.]

Ryuuki had been unable to reply to Riou’s question.

“I understand. Then go.”

He kept hearing Riou’s sigh of resignation.

(Here there is not the necessity of being king, nor responsibility, nor work.)

Here this night might pass, and then even when the next night ended, he would not be buried in a mountain of paperwork, be pursued by U-sama calling “a bride~”, nor be criticized by Ou Ki, nor would Kouyuu or Shuuei yell at him. Neither would he be anxious about the judgments he handed down, nor would others be mad at him for making some mistake. Now Ryuuki should have been free. He should have been released from everything. But why were things more painful for him than when he had been in the palace? It hurt, hurt, hurt.

“Are you awake? How are—”

The face which looked in on him resembled Shuurei’s.

(But, she’s not Shuurei.)

The girl with the face like Shuurei’s looked at Ryuuki, then looked shocked. Then, with a rare awkward gesture, she sat down near Ryuuki’s sleeping figure, hugging her knees. Just like the night before.

Looking at him fixedly, the double of Shuurei then smiled slightly, and turned around. Suddenly, her profile transformed into that of a stern official. Then, leaving Ryuuki there, she advanced in the direction of her gaze. Although he tried to pursue her, he couldn’t move his body a bit. For some reason it was if he was tied up there, and couldn’t move. What should have been before Shuurei was himself, but why was he looking at her back? His body was heavy, as if it were sinking into some bottomless mire. Just a little bit, Shuurei turned back. Then she pointed at something. To the court—in the direction of Kiyou.

(Aaa…)

Then, for the first time, Ryuuki realized that tears were running down his face.

(….Really, I understand.)

The lights artlessly scattered by the goddess of the stars soaked into his eyes, distortedly. Jyuusan-hime slowly reached towards him, and trying not to look at Ryuuki’s face, patted his head.

“Ryuuki-sama”

Shouka, with a quiet expression, stood next to the collapsed Ryuuki. Then he softly muttered:

“It must be painful to run away.”

Still Ryuuki’s tears flowed. They flowed, and he couldn’t stop them. Shouka had known from the beginning. Knowing, he had silently come with Ryuuki. Ryuuki covered his face, but even when he wiped it with both hands over and over, he couldn’t stop. His face crumpled. A sob leaked out from his throat.

“…hurts.”

His strained voice was feeble and hoarse, so small that it was barely audible.

“We are not really making a mistake.

Because he was making one, he had needed to say that to himself.
The mountain of work had left, was being done now by someone else.

(Yuushun)

“Farewell, my liege. Travel safely…”

Unable to reply to those words, he had secretly snuck out like a spy. He did not want to display himself like this to his elder brother, so to the last he had been unable to ask Seiran to accompany him. Before he had used his brother Prince Seien as an excuse, and now again, this time using Shuuei as a pretext, had left everything unfinished, tossed aside all the work he should have been doing, and was now in this place.

He had left behind important things.

–He had run away.

From things that he absolutely should not have fled.

That’s why he was now in such pain. No matter what had happened, Shuurei never ran away. Despite everything, she bravely stood firm. Even at this instant. At the court that Shuurei was aiming for, yesterday, tomorrow, and the day after that, Kouyuu, Yuushun, Secretary Kou [my note: Houju, that is. :P] and Secretary Kan, everyone finished the work they were supposed to do. No matter how hard it was, even if others were angry at them or they were denied or criticized, even if it was not the work they had chosen, or the work they liked, grumbling or complaining, they did it.

Now for the first time, Ryuuki realized how foolishly he had spent the last two years. Less than half a month had passed, and then for this sense of guilt to be crushing him, why had he for half a year, no, for much more than that, without feeling that he was doing nothing, passed the time? He had not changed a bit from that time before.

“I understand. Then go.”

Probably at that time everyone had been within their hearts sighing, just like Riou. Everyone understood. And because they understood, not one of them had stopped Ryuuki. Even if he was tossing all of his responsibilities and running off, they did not get angry at him. They just sighed and stayed quiet.

How pitiful he was–So—

Ryuuki clenched his teeth.

(So can I say that I am king?)

After Yuushun had come, it was not as if anything had changed. Ryuuki simply did as he pleased at his convenience, using the throne as a shield. Relying simply on Kouyuu and Shuuei’s advice, until now he didn’t even take notice of the numerous sighs of the high ministers at Ryuuki’s various arbitrary decrees. When the two of them were no longer there, the gauze was forcibly ripped from his eyes. Then finally Ryuuki realized that he had become an isolated king.

“No matter what, I will be at your side. I and—my lady alone, without fail.” [my note: Flashback: these are Seiran's previous words.]

Ryuuki himself now realized that these words were to a meritless king.

Speaking of Seiran, he had put him aside along with Yuushun, who had been helpful to Ryuuki.

Now he understood clearly.

(I am not a king….)

He was not at all king.

Because he hated to recognize this, he had fled. But even though he now understood this, he still couldn’t return. Even though he knew the more he ran, the harder it got, for some reason he couldn’t return. It was hard for Ryuuki to be king. To be alone in that place was painful. He did not want to see himself bit by bit become unable to live up to expectations any longer.

Jyuusan-hime, hugging her knees, looked at Ryuuki, who was crying like a child in his sleep. It was only in this place that he could cry. Far away from the capital, in a lone boat bobbing in the great river.

If he hadn’t come all the way here, the king could not cry.

How sad that is, Jyuusan-hime thought.

(I–had others. Shuuei-nii-sama, Ryuu-ojisama and obaasama, —-And Jin, too.)

But, this king was different.

“He’s all alone.”

“I think he’s worked hard these past two years.”

It was painful for Shouka to see the exhausted, tearful face of Ryuuki. The one who had requested him to become king was none other than Shouka himself.

“Mmm..”

Why had Shuuei placed Jyuusan-hime there?

When she looked at the figure of the king, she understood.

“….He’s reached his limit, hasn’t he? The king.” Sitting alone on the throne was an extremely cold, lonely thing. That’s why the king needed a place he could return to…a wife he could always snuggle up to. Shuuei-niisama, Undersecretary Li, and Prince Seien couldn’t do it. No matter how close they were, it was no good.

“What he needs is a warm family, really.”

She recalled Jin and herself.

….They had been happy. They wanted to live together forever. She loved him more than anything else in the world. But, it was no good. It was not really the fault of either of them, just that they simply could not be together. Although she didn’t understand why, when they were together, Jyuusan-hime could only bring misfortune to Jin.

….The king and Shuurei, too, perhaps also shared that fate, she thought. Jyuusan-hime knew it wasn’t that Shuurei was being especially obstinate. She had had the information from the Ran clan, and confirmed it herself as well. Shuurei’s judgment was correct.

Even if he made Shuurei empress, they probably would not be as happy as the king had thought. He might even regret having made her a consort. Shuurei knew this.

(….With love alone, there are things that can’t happen.)

After she had separated from Jin, Jyuusan-hime had, more than feeling sad, been relieved. She could rest now that she wasn’t making Jin unhappy. Knowing Jin, he could always find happiness on his own. And she would also somewhere grasp some small happiness, thanks to the life that Jin had given her by sacrificing everything. She had thought if there was some laudable person who told her he didn’t mind if there was another person she loved best in the world, perhaps she and that person might be happy together. That was why she had accepted the idea of marrying the king, thinking rather that it might turn out well.

….Jyuusan-hime looked down on the king once more.

She understood. She and Ryuuki were alike in this way, and if they were together, they could only lick each other’s wounds. Jyuusan-hime’s number one wouldn’t change, and the king’s number one wouldn’t either. Perhaps for the rest of their lives. But in licking each other’s wounds, they could heal them. Even without romance, by understanding each other, with a love like trust and friendship, they could probably make a warm family. They could still be happy. From the beginning Jyuusan-hime had come with the intention of working for that, and when she actually met him, she thought that wouldn’t be a bad thing.

(He’s more good-looking than Jin—and I don’t dislike good-looking guys—-and he’s nicer than Jin, is he stronger than Jin? But probably he’s more foolish than Jin, eh…)

Probably together murmuring things like this to themselves in their heads, they could one by one find the good points in their partner, seeking a small happiness. If they weren’t greedy enough to want everything… they could become happy, she thought.

…Possibly if there was some time, there might be a way for things to go well between the king and Shuurei. But the king now, probably no longer had the time to wait for this.

So like this, the king was now alone, and very pitiful, thought Jyuusan-hime. Enough so that she thought she wanted to stay by his side.

(There is one way, though. A way that he can be happy together with Shuurei-chan)

A terribly simple thing.

Ryuuki could cede the throne to someone else, and stop being king.

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