The Star Gazer

Chapter 2: Libra

|Libra: The scale constellation |

The two-sided scale often wielded by the goddess of justice represents two sides of a whole and balance.

On Koumei's tenth birthday, his father gave him a gift.

 It was a fairly inexpensive gift that Koumei never asked for but was still happy to receive. Maybe it was Kouen or one of his sisters that noticed his sullen demeanor and mentioned it to their father and encouraged him to get the gift, but it didn't really matter. All that mattered was that Koumei finally possessed the gift. 

On his tenth birthday, Koumei was given the gift of a friend. 

He had total ownership of his friend. Koumei was free to name his friend, groom his friend, take his friend on walks, and even punish his friend for trying to run away. Of course, he never had to clean up after his friend for making messes, that's what the maids were for.

 Koumei gave his friend the name Shoji. 

The very first time Koumei took Shoji into his palace quarters he ran around with excitement and explored every inch of the room. It made Koumei laugh at how silly Shoji looked, running around like it was his very first time seeing a world that was different from the dark box he arrived in. 

Koumei could say that he grew very fond of Shoji. He liked to play with Shoji's caramel brown hair and just talk and talk about the new things he was learning. Koumei liked that Shoji would sit still and listen as he talked, not even Kouen could last as long Shoji when it came to listening to Koumei ramble about a new idea.

But what Koumei liked most of all about Shoji was his eyes. They were so expressive, even without words Koumei felt like he knew what Shoji was feeling. Shoji's eyes always had a sparkle, and it was that sparkle that fascinated Koumei the most.

He could see that Touli had the same sparkle in her eyes. Her head swiveled in all directions as she took in the splendor that was her new room. 

"Is this all really for me?" She asked with a voice filled with wonder. 

"Well, you are a guest, I intend to treat you like one. However, keep in mind that it can easily be taken away." Koumei said. He noticed that Tolui's smile slightly dropped before stretching back out.

There was a sudden knock at the door before it opened to reveal a maid. The maid had her head bowed and a bundle of cloth in her arms.

"My Prince, I have brought some clothes for the lady."

"Good, get her ready and then bring her to my study." Koumei instructed as he walked out the door. 

The hallways were empty, Koumei's footsteps seemed to thunder in his ears. His study was nearby, it was convenient to have it so close to his room even if he did end up falling asleep at his desk most nights. Now that he thought about it, Koumei couldn't remember the last time he fell asleep in his own bed at a reasonable time. 

Before long, Koumei reached the familiar sight of his study's chestnut wooden door. The brass doorknob felt cool under his touch. He opened the door and entered, letting the door close behind him with a soft thud.

He was greeted with piles of papers that spanned from one edge of the desk to the other. To the average person, the papers may appear to be in a messy and random order but to Koumei each paper had a specific place and pile. He could sit at his desk and work on paperwork for hours, but even Kouen would have trouble finding the right papers in what Kouha liked to call an organized mess. 

Koumei sat in the cushioned chair, a soft sigh of relief escaping his lips. His eyes grew heavy and closed for what he thought was only a few seconds.