Rich tapestries, handsome rugs, polished marble floors and columns bathed in the shadows of deep night. The halls of the palace were silent as the grave, with nary a living thing to be found, save the occasional shadow of a stalking feline. Senji preferred the night, quiet as it was, still as it could be. His own footsteps gave not a whisper to intrude the completeness of silence. He both did and did not belong there.
Business had taken him out of the city days ago and he was not due to arrive back until the following day. Because of the late hour he was particularly concerned about disturbing the other inhabitants of the wing he was in; the one that housed the royal bedchambers. Even as his hand reached to open the door to the rooms he shared with his wife, he paused. There were whispers coming from within. Carefully pressing his ear to the door, he listened intently.
"...can't go on like this. This is wrong, it has always been wrong. What were we thinking? I've let this go on for far, far too long as it is. ...How can we even live with ourselves? My husband is your friend, and you're married to my cousin. Do you have any idea what would happen to us if either of them found out?"
The woman, his wife Danica, was pacing anxiously; he could hear her soft bare feet upon the floor.
"You worry too much, little flower. If you're not careful you'll let your fears destroy us. Would you really send me away from you?"
"Yes...I have to. We can't keep this up forever."
"...If that is your wish, then so be it. Senji will not be back until the dawn, please at least give me this last night..."
Senji had heard quite enough. Without a sound he moved back through the palace. At first he wandered aimlessly, letting his thoughts turn over in his mind, formulating a course of action. Oddly, he did not feel anger, rage, or indignation. He was perfectly calm and rational for a man who had just found out his wife was sleeping with another man.
Soon he found himself in the servants' quarters. He slipped silently into the room of his personal servant. The boy was sleeping soundly in his rather nice and large bed. For a servant's chambers it was quite finely decorated. This was of course because Senji provided some measure of comfort to his little bunny, no matter where they might go. How long had Adrian been with him now? Seventy years?
Silently he undressed and slipped into bed, cuddling up to his pet. The man stirred in his sleep and then cuddled into his arms, murmuring sleepily. "My prince? Wh-"
He put a finger to the boy's lips to silence him. He could have done anything he wanted to him. "Shh, shh. Go back to sleep, my little bunny. You're going to need your rest, because tomorrow I have something very important I need you to do for me."
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Senji was quite comfortable in the overstuffed chair, a book open in his lap and a goblet of wine in one hand. He had slept excellently the night before and was in a fairly good mood. There was a certain mirth in his crimson eyes, a slight twitching of his lips. It was hard not to smirk as he leafed through the pages. It was going to be a very lively day. The anticipation that surrounded him was almost palpable.
Already he felt like he had been waiting forever. Then he didn't have to wait any longer. There was a commotion, bells began tolling, and he could hear the scurry of feet in the hall. He allowed himself a brief smile before quickly making his expression neutral once again. It only took another few minutes for a servant to burst into his room.
"My Lord! Oh this is terrible my Lord! The Lady Danica, your wife, she's dead!" The servant burst into tears and sobs. This was obviously very distressing for the palace as a whole. His wife was the niece of the king, after all. He put on a shocked and grief-stricken expression.
"Thank you for bringing me this news so swiftly...How?" He set his goblet down and rose from his chair, letting the book fall carelessly on the floor. Going to the terrace he gripped the railing and pretended to sway unsteadily.
"On her morning ride, her mare, she threw her. Her neck was broken."
"Please, you're dismissed...I...I need to be alone right now." His voice cracked with emotion, just for added effect.
As soon as he was alone again, he straightened himself and returned to his chair, retrieving his book and taking another sip of wine. Today he was able to truly savor the flavor. Already he knew that there was one, and only one, person in the world that would suspect that the death of Lady Danica was anything other than an accident. It was not a long wait to have his thoughts proved correct.
Maverick burst into the room and slammed it shut behind him, eyes blazing in rage. He pointed an accusing finger at Senji, who merely gazed at him with a cold expression as he casually sipped his wine again. His friend howled in despair. "You did it! Why!?"
"You know very well why. Don't even pretend to think that I didn't know! Did you really think I would never find out? Now you have the audacity to ask me why?" Senji's voice remained dangerously calm, and soft. "You're such a fool, Maverick. You could have ruined everything. And for what? Some pretty little whore with a title? Speaking of, what kind of man sleeps with his friend's wife?"
Maverick let his hand fall to his side as he turned away, body quivering with rage. "You never loved her, why should you have cared? You never wanted her as your wife, so why should you care that I had my own fun with her?"
"You're right, I didn't love her, nor did I want her. But she was mine. You didn't love her either; don't even try to lie to me about it. You just couldn't stand the thought that she was mine and not yours, though, could you? You're a damned fool. The plan was always simple and yet you still manage to mess things up. If left up to your own devices we'd end up with nothing. No, you made a mess and I cleaned it up. Just think of it as me taking care of a...liability."
Maverick's shoulders slumped as he moved to the wall, letting himself lean against it he slumped down to the floor, obviously exhausted. "So where does that leave us?"
"It leaves us exactly where we should have been to start with. You're going to play nice and rub elbows with the king for a bit longer, and I don't know about you, but I have a funeral to plan. I'm supposed to be a grieving husband, remember?"
Draining the last of his wine he set the goblet aside and rose, his expression already morphing into one of devastation, disbelief, and agony. Shakily he stumbled out of his room and into the hall to begin his long and exhausting act of mourning.
