The Twelve Kingdoms: Dreaming of Paradise

that's part of your job too. As is eating and sleeping and crying and laughing.
    Taiki looked at the bright, red fruit in his hand. "But is that enough? The people of Tai are in a bad state. Tai is very cold in the winter. A lot of people are suffering amidst all that snow. Even though I'm Saiho and Province Lord, there's nothing I can give them. Just growing up with nothing to offer—"
    Seitaku interrupted, "I'm no great leader of men myself. A mere farmer who can hardly make heads nor tails of politics and government. Renrin's got a talent for that sort of thing, so I leave it up to her. Looking after the crops and livestock is about the best I can do."
    "Even when you're the king?"
    "I guess so," Seitaku laughed. "That's why I built this farm. It's the one way I know to make myself useful. Having plowed under the royal gardens, and thinking about the time and effort it takes to keep things all shipshape, I thought I should do my part to defray the public expenditures of money. At the very least, it'd be cheaper and easier than buying from the stores in Juurei."
    "So it's like you're paying your room and board."
    "Exactly," Seitaku answered with an earnest nod. "You can't live without somebody paying for your upkeep. I'm a farmer, see? That duty was given to me by the kingdom. But there's no way I'd be able to pay the wages of all the officers and officials, or afford the silk ceremonial robes, or wine and dine the guests of honor. That's why even Renrin 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