The Twelve Kingdoms: Dreaming of Paradise

caused. Call it the product of righteous indignation or a mere settling of scores—at least Chuutatsu no longer sits upon that throne. You, the Marquis of Kei, thought no differently. Isn't that why you turned your back to the Way and led this insurrection?"
    Gekkei had no answer to Shouyou's question.
    "To occupy the throne without a Divine Mandate would definitely constitute a de facto usurpation. Are you so afraid of being accused of stealing the crown? If so, then why plot this coup in the first place? If you raised an army and struck down the king out of compassion for his long-suffering subjects, then shouldn't that compassion require you to carry out the kingly duties on behalf of the people, the label of pretender notwithstanding?"
    Hard-pressed to answer, Gekkei looked at the floor instead. At that moment, an undersecretary entered the room. He bowed and approached Gekkei and said something in a soft voice.
    "The Kingdom of Kei—"
    Gekkei eyes flew open. He spun around to face the undersecretary, his flustered gaze passing over Shouyou and the others. Excusing himself, he briskly left the Gaiden in the company of the undersecretary.
    "A personal communiqué from the Royal Kei?" was his first question.
    The undersecretary confirmed this with an affirmative nod.
    "To me?"
    He was a renegade who had trampled upon the Divine Rule of Law, assassinated the king, and usurped the throne. And yet he was being told that he'd received a communiqué from the rightful Empress of Kei. Not to mention that Kei and Hou enjoyed no diplomatic relations of any sort.
    An emissary from Her Highness had arrived bearing correspondence addressed to him? The undersecretary nodded again, clearly no less befuddled than he was. Gekkei gathered his confused thoughts together and instructed the undersecretary to escort the emissary to the palace annex.

Chapter 2
    S till dressed in his court robes, Gekkei repaired to the palace annex. With an unsettled air, he took his seat at the foot of the table and waited for the diplomatic mission to arrive.
    The emissary was escorted in by the undersecretary. He was wearing rather plain ministerial dress, and his entourage appeared to be ordinary civil servants. Yet he identified himself as a general of the Palace Guard.
    "This is not an official visit. I am here at the personal request of the Royal Kei."
    With that announcement, the general refused the offer to be seated at the head of the table. "My name is Sei Shin, and I bear correspondence for the Marquis of Kei from Her Highness."
    The man handed him the letter. Gekkei looked back and forth between the letter and the Kei General. "Please excuse me for asking this question, but are you sure that I am the intended recipient?"
    Sei gave him a perplexed look. "I was instructed to deliver this to the Marquis of Kei."
    "To me personally?" Gekkei pressed. "Not the kingdom?"
    Sei answered, a skeptical tone creeping into his voice, "We had gathered that this kingdom was being governed by the Marquis of Kei. So the one would be the same as the other."
    Gekkei sighed softly. "In that case, I cannot accept." After instructing the undersecretary to go get Shouyou, he said, "Please, make yourself at home. The Chousai will be with us presently."
    "Ah," said Sei with a nod, though the conversation to this point had clearly befuddled him.
    "I am nothing more than the Province Lord of Kei. Surely the general understands that a marquis is naught but a marquis."
    "Yes, well, that would be true." The troubled look on Sei's face did not diminish.
    Gekkei could understand his confusion. An kingdom deprived of its king needed somebody to lead it. If a king simply lost the Divine Mandate and abdicated, the customary practice was for the remaining ministers to inaugurate a provisional government and appoint a provisional leader. If there was Chousai, then as the chief minister he would assume the throne. This would not be in name only. The Chousai would climb the dais and rule as king. Though the usual enthronement ceremonies would be omitted, the Chousai would in actuality occupy the throne.
    In any case, a real throne was not the name of a chair that a king happened to occupy, but was the seat of power of he who led the kingdom.
    If a king had not lost the Divine Mandate, then his replacement was a pretender. Kings who had not yet exhausted the Divine Mandate had previously been toppled by those with their own designs on the seat of power. Gekkei and his fellow