kinkfest | Queen of Hearts (Saiunkoku Monogatari, Shuurei/Ryuuki, G) (Reply)

Title: Queen of Hearts
Author/Artist:

raisedbymoogles
Rating: G
Word Count: 880
Summary: Ryuuki will do anything to cheer Shuurei up.
Prompt: Saiunkoku Monogatari, Shuurei/Ryuuki: role reversal - "The thing women have to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it."
Author's Note: This was actually due on this date last round. Mea maxima culpa. ...Almost typed Maximal culpa, lol.

"My empress," Ryuuki murmured, and Shuurei wanted to slap him.

She worked so hard. All her life she worked her hands to the bone for her family, her city, her country - wresting respect from the male-dominated government an inch at a time as she worked to secure a future for the people of Saiunkoku. And now she was married to the Emperor, and none of it mattered anymore. No more young women were coming forward to take the civil service exam, and she? She was just a woman. A walking womb, whose duty began and ended with producing an heir.

Shuurei stalked into the empress's suite and shut the door in Ryuuki's face.

She buried herself in silk bedding (wasteful ostentation, the bedspread alone could feed a family for a year) and stuffed her face in a pillow, breathing harshly through it in an effort not to cry. She'd married Ryuuki because she loved him, and because he loved her, but now she thought that wasn't enough anymore. She wasn't cut out to be an empress. She couldn't help anyone, hampered as she was by the trappings of her office.

Seiran... Father... I'm sorry.

Everyone. I'm sorry. You've done so much for me.

Ryuuki...

"Shuurei?"

Ryuuki was hovering just outside her door, calling her name. Shuurei dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve, shoved her pillow away fiercely and sat up. "Is it an emergency?" she called wearily.

"Of course," Ryuuki's voice floated back to her. "You're upset!"

Shuurei groaned and put her head in her hands. "Come in," she said finally. She didn't look up as Ryuuki hurried in and sat down beside her in a rustle of fine silks.

"Shuurei," Ryuuki began, low-voiced, but then hesitated. The silence stretched between them as Ryuuki nervously fiddled with his robe, until finally Shuurei started to laugh.

"I'm sorry," she said to Ryuuki's bewildered look. "I'm not laughing at you, honest."

"Does that mean you're not mad at me, either?" Ryuuki ventured, and Shuurei laughed again and hid her face against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you," she said, muffled by his rich robe. "I'm just not very good at being an empress."

With royal permission given, Ryuuki carefully put his arms around her. Shuurei allowed him to pull her close, resting her head near his heart. "Once, you promised to do, to be, anything I needed, to become an emperor," Ryuuki murmured into her hair. "Now I make the same promise. What do you need?" When Shuurei was silent, her husband continued, "You are a good empress, as far as I'm concerned. You support me, but you tell me when I'm doing something foolish. You don't let the ministers bully you. You're always searching for ways to help the kingdom." He smiled at her when she looked up, damp-eyed. "You've made yourself an empress already, Shuurei. You don't need my help for that."

Shuurei laughed again, but her laughter was thick with tears. "I think I just needed to hear that." She reached up to dab her eyes with her sleeve.

"Oh, I've made you cry," Ryuuki murmured, taking her hand. "How can I make it up to you?"

"Ryuuki, you don't have to..."

"Yes, I do," Ryuuki insisted, taking her cheek in his hand. "I mean it. Name it. Shall we have tea in the library with your father? Or play with your makeup kit? That always makes you feel better..."

The thought occurred to them in the same moment. Ryuuki trailed off, uncomfortable and willing at once; Shuurei grinned and got up gracefully to tug the emperor to his feet.

***

The maids had gotten used to most of the royal consort's eccentricities. Even so, the very junior servant bringing Shuurei her evening tea had expected her to be alone - diligently practicing her embroidery, perhaps, or nose-deep in a sheaf of obscure documents. She halted her feet a moment when she saw her mistress had company. "I'll just leave this here, Highness," she said quickly when Shuurei glanced over her shoulder. "Is there anything else you - oh!"

Shuurei's guest was leaning to one side to see her, and for an unbalanced moment the maid was about to ask what a strange woman was doing in the Emperor's clothes. "You - your Majesty!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry, I didn't - that is to say -"

Ryuuki looked positively consernated; Shuurei took pity on them both. "Thank you, that will be all," she said gently. The maid fled.

Ryuuki fidgeted, trying to keep from wiping at the carefully-applied cosmetics with his sleeve. "I frightened her with my face," he said mournfully.

"You just confused her," Shuurei laughed, taking his jittering hand. "The makeup really does transform your face. With the right clothes, I don't think even Kouchou could tell the difference."

Ryuuki blinked, then ducked his head down to look up at her through his hair, sly-shy. "Do you really think so?"

Oh, dear. Part of Shuurei thrilled guiltily within her, but her sense got the better of her as it usually did. "Ryuuki," she said sternly, "I absolutely forbid you to walk around with makeup on."

Ryuuki's face fell. "Without me with you," Shuurei sighed theatrically, and her husband laughed and embraced her.