There was a twinge of pain that stuck her chest at Haruto's words. A remenicence of the past, where the world's weight felt a little less heavy, and she was but a mere child of two rulers — a beautiful mother who left her clan in order to love and raise her children, and a powerful father who ruled with the power vested in him by Ryujin himself. Yet now…Izumi was in her sixth year of life — older than her mother was when she'd smiled at her daughters and son. Ruling the dynasty without the guidance of a woman who had more experience than she. Though Izumi has long since accepted the will of the sea diety's desire for her to carry their legacy, there were times where she merely felt like a child balancing the weight of a crown to heavy for her own head. She missed her

She missed her mother.

Tears had turned her lilac eyes glossy, but she did not allow them to drop. Not before blinking them away with a biter sweet smile upon her lips as she continued picking at weeds. ええ……やはり、故郷に代わるものなんて何もないのでしょうね。 (Yes….I suppose nothing can really replace home, can it?)

His next words made the empress stop what she was doing momentarily, seeking his gaze with a look of suprise. この一族の歴史の記録係になりたいと……? (You want….to be this clan’s historian?) The Rekishiya was not something usually reserved for the family — and honestly, she was expecting him to pick something within his status as a family member…yet …who else knew of their family's history better than someone like Haruto?

She sighs with an amused snort that escapes her nostrils, shaking her head. その鋭い眼差しからは、あなたが決して引かないという気迫が伝わってくる。……となると、私に本当に選択の余地などあるのだろうか？ (The intensity of your gaze gives me the feeling that you won’t let up, so do I truly have a choice?) Very well. It couldn't be helped — but at least the empress knew their history was in safe hands.

The cranebird settled down, focusing her attention back on the weeds she carefully plucked from the garden's flowering beds.

それなら、家系史を記録する者としての最初の務めとして、あなたが生まれる前に何があったのかを聞いておきたいとお考えでしょうね。 (Then I suppose, as you first duty of family historian, you'd like to hear what came before you arrived?)