The Star Gazer

Chapter 4: Capricorn

| Capricorn: The sea goat constellation |

When Zeus was being raised by sea nymphs they procured a special goat named Amalthea that would produce milk for him. After breaking off one of Amalthea's horns Zeus took it as a sign to leave the comfort of the nymphs and fight his father Cronus to save his siblings. After winning the battle, Zeus put the Capricorn constellation up in the sky to honor the goat and nymphs that had sheltered and fed him.

The banquet room was beautifully decorated, light glinted off of the gold candlesticks and the aroma of flowers permeated the air along with the scent of foreign spices. The royal family of the Kou Empire, minus the Emperor and Empress, sat around a large rectangular table and chatted while they dined on foods imported from the island country Sindria.

Koumei gently swirled his spoon around in the shallow bowl filled with some kind of light brown soup in front of him. The Sindrian food being presented smelled great, but it all tasted like wet paper in Koumei's mouth. He had lost his appetite long before the banquet began, barely touching each bowl and plate of food placed before him. Instead, he nursed a large cup of red cherry wine that never seemed to empty.

Seated beside him was Tolui, chatting with the others and happily eating spoon after spoon of whatever was served. There seemed to be no trace of her earlier coldness, though Koumei could tell that there was something off about her.

"So, you come from the Plains, do you Tolui? How is it over there? Is it really as flat as they say?" Sindri asked after chewing on a piece of raw sea serpent dipped in a thick brown sauce.

"I wouldn't say that it's completely flat, there are some hills and cliffs. However, there are hardly any trees or big shrubbery. It's mostly grass and scattered bushes."

"That sounds so ugly and boring." Kouha huffed out. Koumei watched Tolui carefully from the corner of his eyes, hoping to see any changes in her face that would give away her reaction. 

"It may sound boring, but it's actually the best. The absence of trees and building means there's more space to ride the horses, and when the sun goes down the stars shine twice as bright." Tolui explained with a smile. She then reached down and scooped up some soup, gently blowing on it before eating.

Koumei stopped playing with his soup and looked at Tolui with curiosity. There was something different about how Tolui smiled at that moment. She had been smiling the whole time, but they never seemed to reach her eyes. This smile, however, seemed genuine as her eyes sparkled.

It was obvious to Koumei that she loved her home and missed it.

A small twinge of pity flashed over Koumei before he quickly dismissed it. He had no time to feel pity for his enemy. She was a hostage, and he had to remember to treat her like one. 

"Is there something wrong, Koumei? You've been staring at Tolui for a while now." Kouen asked with amusement in his voice. Koumei snapped his head toward Kouen, small patches of pink showing through his makeup. 

"Nothing's wrong, I'm just doing my job." Koumei sputtered out, but that didn't keep his brothers from laughing at him. Koumei scowled and took a deep drink from his goblet. The cherry-red liquid rushed down his throat and stained his lips, leaving behind a sweet flavor on his tongue. 

"Sure, sure. If my job looked that pretty than I would be happy to work all day!" Kouha laughed as he pounded the table with his fist. Koumei gritted his teeth and took another drink as Kouen and Sindri joined in the laughter. 

"O-okay, that enough. I'm sure we're making Tolui uncomfortable." Sindri said as she stifled her laughter. 

Koumei shifted his eyes towards Tolui, expecting to see an embarrassed reaction or something, but her face was like stone. With a polite chuckle, she lifted her own wine goblet and took a drink, her lips taking on a deeper shade of red as a result.