The Apothecary Diaries, Volume 10

2.1 | Boss & Former Boss

Rikuson heaved a sigh as he returned to his room, which at the moment was a chamber of the administrative building he had appropriated as his living quarters.

"Is this purely about making my life hard?" He muttered, shucking off his mud- and dust-covered outfit. A while ago, Rikuson suggested a tour of the farming villages, but Gyoku-ou only approved of the idea a few days ago. Rikuson had gone, but an unsettling premonition had brought him hurrying back—and now here he was.

"When I left for the villages, everyone told me they were going to arrive substantially later than expected."

They were the visitors from the capital he had encountered moments ago. He had to admit that he had never expected his former superior's esteemed daughter to be among the entourage.

"Of course, Master Lakan came," he mused. Even the seasick prospect of the ship's travel wouldn't have deterred him from joining the trip. With all due respect to the daughter, Maomao, Rikuson found the idea faintly amusing. When he had been told that his former boss would arrive in about ten days, he'd set aside the five days before that for his trip to the farming villages. But then...

Rikuson brushed off the overrobe, getting sand everywhere. He would have loved to wash properly, but there was no time. There was even hardly a moment for him to brush himself down. His only option was to take an incense cake and daub some around his neck. In these parts, 'incense' usually meant either perfume or cake like this one, and Rikuson only had one of each on his hand. One was a perfume Gyoku-ou had given to him as a prank, while the cake was one that he'd been hard-selling while walking around town. That was his choice of incense today. A cheap product like this one was perfect—incense in the Western capital tended to be strong, so something cheap that didn't smell quite as much was ideal. He rubbed in just enough to mask the smell of sweat, and as a final touch, he plastered a smile on his face.

His mother had told him that a smile was essential for doing business. Never let it slip in front of a customer.

Rikuson wondered what Gyoku-ou would think to see him back so much earlier than expected. Things could get a little awkward if his former boss was there, but so it went. He cinched his belt and left the room.

"It's been some time, sir," Rikuson said, forcing himself to act natural as he entered the hall. Gyoku-ou and his subordinates were there, along with the guests, enjoying a light meal. Servants bustled in and out with the food. It was too early for dinner, but the offerings looked sumptuous all the same. 

Rikuson recognized all the guests, naturally. He wouldn't forget them. The stubbly man with the monocle was Lakan. His former superior would know him anywhere. Beside Lakan sat his aide, Onsou. He had been around since before Rikuson had served Lakan; when Rikuson had taken over, he distinctly remembered Onsou coming to him with tears of gratitude in his eyes.

Onsou was a capable man, but he had an unfortunate tendency to draw life's short straws—a tendency to which he might as well have resigned himself the moment he found his way into Lakan's orbit.

Onsou saw Rikuson come in; he gave a slight bow and whispered to Lakan. Lakan looked at Rikuson with the same vacant expression he always wore. If Onsou hadn't said something, he would probably never have realized Rikuson was there. Rikuson was sometimes curious about exactly what he looked like to the strategist.

Lakan beckoned Rikuson over, but he wasn't sure if he should approach the strategist out of the blue. He looked at Gyoku-ou. The interim ruler of the western capital waved at him from his place of honor at the table to go pay his respects. 

Rikuson felt very awkward indeed. Onsou was looking at him with an expression that was hard to describe; he seemed to be wondering whose side Rikuson was on. Between his current boss and his former boss, Onsou ought to have understood to whom Rikuson's present position made him beholden. 

Lakan, meanwhile, munched on some fried food, seemingly indifferent to the situation. The food first passed through the hands of a lady-in-waiting Rikuson didn't recognize, who left only the merest scraps for Lakan's consumption. Rikuson might have assumed she was his food taster, but if so, she was keeping most of the meal to herself. Lakan simply got her leftovers.

He'd heard the Imperial younger brother would be coming to the city, but at the moment he didn't see him. This doesn't seem to be a public banquet; Lakan probably accepted the invitation without thinking about it. But Onsou's brimming eyes make it clear that he was supposed to have politely refused.

"Ahem, ah... Rikuson, I want to eat that one bun," Lakan said.