Because Michiyo had passed out, Katsuki was unable to talk to he or ask her any questions. He was resting in his own room, but he couldn't sleep. There's too much going on that he couldn't just sleep. 

Yuuki came into his room with a plate of red bean mochi. She wanted to share them with Katsuki because food taste better when it's shared with someone else.

"Don't be like that, Master. Besides, your angry face would have scared her off so she had it off easy." 

"Yuuki..." Looking at Yuuki, it was like looking at a dumb, hyperactive, and white haired version of Michiyo. He wondered why Yuuki didn't react much to Michiyo's appearance. "Why didn't you say anything?" 

"I just did." 

"I mean when we saw the princess." 

Yuuki looked at him and then she looked up in wander before looking at Katsuki again, "Master, you idiot! You think I look like the princess?!" 

"You don't think you do?" 

"Of course I don't! Master, I am offended! There is a huge difference between the princess and I!" 

"What's that? Your hair color?" 

"No! That's not even the most obvious thing!" 

"Don't tell me you're talking about the ears and tail you have?" 

"Master, I can't believe you! My boobs are bigger by 0.01 mm!" 

"What the actual shit?! No one notices shit like that! You're just being stupid now!" 

"Hmph! Master is blind AND stupid!" 

"You're the one who is blind and stupid! Your voice and face are practically the same! The only obvious difference I see are the hair color, personality, your animal-like features are missing from her, and the fact that you are dumb!" 

"Master is so mean! Wahh~!" 

He sighed and cursed at her being loud. He sat at the table and he ate a mochi. He could have peacefully ate the mochi, but Yuuki started to struggle with him for his mochi. 

"What the fuck is wrong with you now?!" 

"I brought the mochi over! I have the rights to remove your rights to eat it with me!" 

"You won't be able to eat everything by yourself, you idiot!" 

"It's better than letting you eat it! Give it back!" 

Katsuki pushed her face away and then he ate the mochi whole. He looked so smug while eating it too.

"Uwah?! You ate it...!" 

"Heh, serve you right." 

"Master is so mean! Even though I was kind enough to share it with you!"

Katsuki just grinned and he ate another mochi despite her complaint. Yuuki could cry about it all she wanted but there's no stopping him from stealing her mochi! 

Maybe Yuuki and Michiyo were not connected. He could try and connect the dots between them based on their appearance but Yuuki's lack of reaction to Michiyo just tells everyone there's no connection. 

"Come out for a walk with me." Katsuki asked her. 

"Well since you asked me so nicely~." 

Katsuki ended up finding himself at the un-cared for garden where he first saw Michiyo. Michiyo had a beautiful voice and her fan dance was equally beautiful, it's a shame that she had become a hollow shell of her former self.

He watched Yuuki stand where Michiyo stood. Yuuki was a little clumsy, but she started to perform the same dance Michiyo did today. She wanted Katsuki to watch her the same way he watched Michiyo. Was she jealous? Who knows? 

Katsuki did watch her. His crimson red eyes focused on her.

Just like how Michiyo's dance made little balls of fire, Yuuki used her Magic to make little balls of blue aura float around each time she made a new step. 

"Heh, are you jealous?" Katsuki asked as he touched a ball of blue aura. The aura was icy cold despite its warm glow. 

Yuuki just hummed as she continued to dance for him. 

'Even though she doesn't think she and Michiyo have anything in common, I still think there is something about them that connects somehow...' 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shouto was still caring for Michiyo. He didn't dare to get a servant to serve her after what happened. He dismissed all servants but Eri because he couldn't trust anyone. Who could he trust? Who couldn't he trust? He's scared someone will hurt Michiyo. 

"I didn't know you were suffering...I'm so sorry..." He promised Touya he would protect Michiyo and he felt so useless. He ran away from everything only to come back to see what he had done to those he left behind. "I'm sorry, Michiyo..." 

"Shouto, are you okay?" Yuuki came to visit. She walked over to him and she looked at the princess, "Have you been up all night to keep an eye on her?" 

"I want to be the first one she sees when she wakes." 

"That's sweet of you." 

Shouto looked at Yuuki to see a tower of lumps on her head. "What happened?" 

"I ate Master's breakfast and he hit me." 

"I-I see." 

Eri rushed into the room and she got on the floor to quickly greet Shouto before giving him the news, "Shouto-sama! Prince Yuuga has arrived with the intention of marriage!" 

"Uwah?! Shouto, you're popular with both men and women! Good job!" 

"What? No. Prince Yuuga is probably here to try and ask Michiyo to marry him again. I need to deal with him. Yuuki, stay here and take care of Michiyo for me." 

"Will you be okay on your own?" 

"I will." 

When Shouto left the room, Yuuki looked at Michiyo and she smiled at her, "You're so lucky to have someone like Shouto protect you. Everyone is doing everything they can to protect you." 

The king and queen of Yuuei were already greeting the Prince who came from the West. 

"As I have said already, medicines from the Western land will surely cure Michiyo-hime and her illness. I heard that the Royal Court is very troubled by the fact the young prince married the first prince's wife even though the rules are she had to be buried alongside her dead husband. With so much dissonance in Yuuei, I have thought of the best solution! I, Prince Yuuga, shall marry Michiyo-hime and bring her to the Western land!" 

"Prince Yuuga, are you intending for both our lands shall remain on friendlier terms if we allow the Meiun Princess to marry you?" Enji asked him. 

"The Princess of Meiun Island...who wouldn't want to ask her hand in marriage?" Yuuga said to him, "Meiun Island is a land rich with important resources. Your Majesty just happen to be a step faster than the rest of the world but as things stands, the princess is ill and her whole person is causing your kingdom a lot of dissonance. How do you expect the people of the kingdom feel you are trustworthy when you cannot sort out your own issues?" The very sparkly prince asked Enji, "Meiun Island is still on fire, its residents are blaming Yuuei to this day." 

Rei looked at Enji with a concerned look. The queen wanted Michiyo to stay for sure because Touya wanted her to live here and remain happy, but it was a fact there were people who were not happy with Michiyo still remaining here and breaking the rules and traditions of burying the wife when the husband was dead. How do the Royal family expect its own people to follow the law when the family itself couldn't do the same? 

Enji looked at Yuuga, "Our issues with Meiun Island will be dealt with. I doubt we need the West's helping hand." 

"Oh but you do, Your Majesty. What do you think will happen to the unrest in your own people?" 

"Is that a threat?" 

"I never said it was. People of Meiun Island have lost their home and are dispersed to different places. Yuuei is such a huge kingdom housing a huge population...what if there is a civil war-" 

"Michiyo will not go anywhere. Even if you bring her to the Western land for the purpose of healing her, she is receiving enough treatment." Shouto arrived just to see the overly flashy prince. Shouto was a little annoyed that the prince from the Western land always come with the purpose of trying to ask Michiyo to marry him. He won't let that happen for sure! 

"Oh? Is the princess from Meiun Island up and well? If so, I'd like to see her. My Kingdom also have refugees from Meiun Island, I wonder how they would feel to know their princess is in poor conditions?" 

Listening in secret, Katsuki and Eijirou were both equally annoyed how the prince from another land were being so damn rude.

"I heard the Western lands have been gaining a lot of powers recently. Mostly it's their inventions and trade. That guy...I bet he's trying to gain favors from the East by marrying Michiyo-hime! What a piece of shit, that's not manly at all!" Eijirou doesn't like the game of politics and its affairs, it's too complicated most of the time. Why couldn't things be easier? Why couldn't people just take care of their own people and stop causing so much drama that's enough to go into a potential war? 

Katsuki decided he had listened enough. Something needs to be done or Michiyo will end up far away from this place! 

"Katsuki?" 

"Think about it, Prince Shouto, people of the Royal Court and the people will be in favor of you if you allow the princess of Meiun Island to come with me. That way, the problem becomes mine and people will not hate you." 

"I am aware my own people in the Royal Court and the citizens have mixed views about me." He's aware of it now, how could he not? "But if I let everyone influence my decisions based on how they disagree with me, how can I become a king fit enough to rule them? I made the decision to marry Michiyo because she is someone I believe is fit to become the future queen of Yuuei once it is my time to rule!" 

"T-that...!" Yuuga did not expect Shouto to burst out with that! Shouto's practically shining in his eyes right now! 

"Shouto...!" Enji was so proud of his son! Usually his son doesn't care much about ruling the kingdom! To hear his son say that, he was proud!  

"Those are word that sparkles with pride, Prince Shouto, but they are all meaningless. After all, I heard the princess and your marriage is only in name. Does the princess even want to be with you?"

"You..." Shouto wanted to strangle the prince from the Western land! How dare he! 

"Michiyo-hime, is here!" Eri announced out loud, walking into the Throne Room while holding her master's hand.

"M-Michiyo...?" Shouto couldn't believe his eyes! Michiyo was here?! She's supposed to be sleeping! 

She's wearing a very beautiful white kimono with pink cherry blossom petals on the sleeves and the skirt of the dress. She looked beautiful in it. 

"Michiyo, you're well today?" Rei was surprised to see her. 

She walked to the center of the room and she looked at Yuuga with a cold look before looking at Shouto with a warm smile. Shouto was happy to see her, it was clear in his mismatching eyes that she's the only one in them. "Since it is a nice day, why don't we go out and admire the flowers?"

The king and queen agreed. After all, Michiyo's feeling lively today so they agreed. 

"Prepare refreshments." Enji said to a servant.

Katsuki and Eijirou were watching in secret, the two of them made it in time! 

"Hopefully she doesn't do anything stupid." Eijirou whispered to Katsuki. 

"She will be fine. As long as it isn't windy, it's fine." 

...

They went to admire the Blooming Quarters. Because Rei loved flowers, Enji have a quarter dedicated to flower arranging and caring for them. This was also the quarter many of the ladies who wee part of the Royal Harem also liked to go. Right now no one was here because Enji asked the guards to keep watch from all entrances and no one was allowed in. 

They went to the center where most of the flowers were in full bloom and ready to be picked. 

"It's really rare to see the Meiun Island's princess." Yuuga said to princess, "And here I thought I would do the honor of taking you back to my kingdom as my bride."

"Seeing me is nothing. It's seeing the Western prince here that's rare." She replied back to him, "Also, I am Shouto-sama's wife. I belong to him and no one else." 

Yuuga was rather persistent though, "Your whole person is causing your husband a lot of troubles. I heard the people of the kingdom-" 

"You do not need to worry about us." She interrupted him, "Just like the Western lands don't like it when they're criticized by the East, I don't think it's fair for you to interject yourself into our problems. If we ever have a problem, we will solve it ourselves with our own methods." 

"B-but what I propose will immediately solve all of your problem-" 

"That will only prove all the citizens and people within the Royal Court and the kingdom all they have to do is show disdain and they could have their ways. People will eventually get used to things and get over it." 

"My! Michiyo-hime is very bold!" Yuuga was surprised! He heard rumors that the princess of Meiun was kind and gentle! 

Shouto looked at Prince Yuuga, "You see?"

Prince Yuuga didn't want to give up though. He came all the way here from his kingdom! He's not going to go back empty handed. "Your people would rather see you gone, Michiyo-hime. You are nothing but a bad omen to them." He picked out a red rose and he got down on one knee, "Marry me, become the queen of my kingdom. If you're going to become a queen either way, you'd rather become a queen everyone acknowledges, no?" What he said was true in a way; why become a queen for the people who did not like you? Becoming a queen here may lead to further dissonance. 

"What is this?" She asked him. 

"It's a red rose. The most beautiful flower in the center of this garden." 

She took the rose and she sniffed it once, "I see. But this isn't the most beautiful flower in the middle of this garden." She threw the grass back to the center, the rose was lost within all the other flowers. 

"Oh? There is no flower more beautiful than the red rose, Michiyo-hime." 

"Tell you what, I'll pick a flower right now from only the center of this area. If it's not the most beautiful flower, I'll marry you." 

"Michiyo?!" Shouto was shocked to hear that. Was she crazy?! 

"Alright."

"Michiyo, you don't have to do this-" Shouto grabbed her arm, trying to stop her. This was useless! Yuuga will just deny her flower's beauty! She couldn't win!

"It's fine, Shouto."

"What the..." He let her arm go, "You're not Michiyo..." He whispered so quietly only Yuuki could hear him.

Yuuki winked at him and she put a hand on her blue wig to stop the wind blowing it too much. She plucked a forget me not flower, it's much smaller than a red rose. However, that's not all...She threw a bottle of oil to the middle of the flowers, and then she threw a lit match onto the oil. The fire ignited quickly, setting the whole middle ring of the picking area on fire. No flowers were safe from the burning fire but hers. 

"Isn't this the most beautiful flower right now?"