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tells me that I cannot limit myself to what only I can afford with my own labor. It seems the kingdom would lose prestige in the process."
    "That makes sense."
    "As it turns out, I'm not all that useful either. But if there is a Tentei, then he surely would have foreseen my shortcomings."
    Taiki gazed up at Seitaku, taken aback by this statement.
    "If a farmer like myself is to be the king, then that must have what Heaven had in mind all along. So not doing anything must be what I was destined to do. Tending to a kingdom seems to me a lot like tending to my crops."
    "Tending to a kingdom—"
    "A tree will grow just fine if left according to its own devices. And perhaps a kingdom will too. The tree knows what's best for the tree. All I can do is lend a helping hand. If the leaves wither, for example, I take that as a sign to add water. I think a kingdom is much the same. In other words, that is the kind of husbandry Heaven was looking for, and that is why Heaven chose a farmer."
    "And the Ren Taiho? When you're making yourself useful like this, how does she help out?"
    "Not at all," Seitaku responded with a smile. "Renrin isn't a farmer. She doesn't know the difference between a weed and a flower, or when to water and when not to water."
    "So there's nothing she can do?"
    "Hardly," Seitaku said brightly. "She can take delight when the harvest comes in."
    "That's all?" Taiki said disbelievingly.
    "That is no small thing. When it's cold outside and I'm tired and working in the fields is the last I want to do, when I think of the harvest going to waste and Renrin's disappointment, I buck myself up and put my shoulder to the wheel." Seitaku gazed at the orchard. "I am standing watch over the kingdom. Watching for hints of a bad weather. Watching for wells running dry. That is the duty of a guardian. The Taiho watches me in the same way. Making sure I am doing my duty. Watching for signs of hidden rot. Having eyes to see is very much something."
    Standing watch. Taiki turned the words over in his mind. "I could do the same thing. Just that."
    "It's not just that. You're like your bodyguard there. Standing watch is no small responsibility."
    He's right, Taiki thought, sneaking a peek at Tansui. At times like this, Tansui stood watch from a safe distance and kept his eyes peeled.
    "Staying on your toes, keeping your mind alert—that's a pretty impressive accomplishment, don't you think?"
    "Yeah," Taiki nodded.
    "Do you think Gyousou-sama would be happy about me standing and watching?"
    "Of course," Seitaku answered pleasantly. "I don't understand government or what kirin do, but when it comes to being a king and being a farmer, I get that. I think the Royal Tai as well will put a lot of faith in what you see with your own two eyes."
    I wonder, Taiki said to himself. He had a hard time believing Gyousou would ever put such faith in a child like himself.
    "If I am the watchman for this kingdom, then Renrin is the one who watches over me. Perhaps that is the true calling of the kirin."

Chapter 14
    T aiki and the others returned to Kouki a little more than a month after leaving Tai. The capital was buried beneath a blanket of snow. Taiki gazed down on the white mountains and valleys as they flew in a ragged formation toward the Forbidden Gate.
    As soon as they dismounted, the gate attendants emerged and greeted them, their breath condensing in small clouds. Guardsmen were called, the kijuu were handed over to the soldiers, and the gate doors were opened in the quiet stillness.
    Taiki said, "Ren really is different from Tai, and not just because of the weather."
    Seirai laughed. "It surely is."
    "Are you relieved, Seirai?"
    "A bit."
    Smiling, they passed through the Forbidden Gate and headed to the Naiden. Word of their arrival having preceded them, when they entered the Naiden, the ministers were already seated and the king occupied the throne.
    Taiki couldn't help but sense a tenseness in the atmosphere as he approached the throne. He