Treasure Read Free

literally every place of importance in the palace.
    Right then, Taka was grateful. If he'd had to wait until Taiheiyou and his flower actually made it into Taiheiyou's room, Taka would have spared the king having to kill him. Huffing out an irritated breath, he shoved back loose strands of his dark green hair and slipped from his hiding place, making his way more quickly through the halls.
    When he at last reached the hall where Nankyokukai's rooms resided, Taka let out a sigh of relief. Reaching Nankyokukai's room, he did not bother to knock, simply opened the door and slipped inside. He closed the door quietly behind him and padded across the sitting room floor to the rightmost of three doors, sliding the door open and calling out, "Highness?"
    "Here," Nankyokukai replied, stepping out of the shadows that had cloaked him. He looked unusual with his long hair braided and bound instead of loose as he normally wore it. "Really, Taka—your presence is not required."
    Taka rolled his eyes. "Highness, I am not stupid enough to leave you to your own devices. If you insist upon gallivanting about, I insist on going with you, and I really think we may as well leave off discussing the matter further."
    Nankyokukai laughed softly, and Taka was reminded all over again why the king was stupid for favoring Taiheiyou. If Taka had dared to speak so to Taiheiyou, he would have found himself cuffed at the very least and more likely publically humiliated the following day. "What has you so cranky, Taka?" Nankyokukai asked. "Do not tell me that delegate from Pozhar was attempting to win your favors again. I thought I took care of him."
    "You did, Highness, and I believe his grace further addressed the matter, though he said nothing of it to me."
    "No, he wouldn't," Nankyokukai said softly. "That is not his grace's way. So what, then, has you so irritated, hmm?" He drew up the length of fabric he'd been holding and wound it around his head and shoulders to make a hood, securing the fabric in place with a plain silver clasp in the shape of a dragon's head.
    Taka snorted. Even when Nankyokukai took pains to look perfectly ordinary, he failed miserably. He was too beautiful, too royal, too Nankyokukai, to ever be ordinary. "I really wish you would tell me what all of this is about."
    "I really wish you would tell me what has you angry," Nankyokukai replied. "As I am the prince, and you the secretary, speak."
    "Brat," Taka muttered, then gave up. "I saw your brother taking Lady Etsuko off to his room. Nearly ran into them, which would have been decidedly awkward."
    Anger flickered on Nankyokukai's face, but he almost immediately smoothed it out and flapped one hand dismissively. "Tai will get his comeuppance. Even a crown prince does not get away with everything forever. His day is fading and will shortly turn to night."
    "I wish that sounded less like a certainty and am glad I do not know why you are so certain," Taka said with a sigh and stepped out of his palace slippers to pull on the town boots he had tucked into the fabric roll. When his boots were in place, he mimicked Nankyokukai in wrapping the fabric about his head and shoulders, though his silver pin was of much simpler quality and a plain square in shape. "Come on, then, Highness. Let us get this over with."
    "We will not get far if you continue to call me that," Nankyokukai pointed out.
    Taka did not bother to reply, simply led the way to the balcony and swung neatly over the railing, then out onto the rough stone of the palace wall, making short, easy work of climbing down it to the ground below.
    Nankyokukai was only moments behind, leaping neatly down beside him and brushing dirt from his loose, dark pants. "We have become rather skilled at that, haven't we, Taka?"
    "I prefer not to think about it, Kyo ," Taka replied. "Where are we going?"
    "The warehouse district, the half-moon quadrant," Kyo replied and led the way away from the palace and down into the city.
    The royal city