Slowly, heavily, a breath passes between her lips, her eyes closing as she leans her head back in readily-apparent frustration. Where most would hesitate with showing such blatant displeasure for fear of his temper, neither Kaguya or Riruka are predisposed to care about any such thing. What the pseudo-servant needs said will be said, regardless of the consequences. Rolling her head forward again, her body untenses as she slides into easy, languid motion, pushing herself to sit upright with the slightest of sways.
“I’m going to ask you something, Sword Emperor,” she begins, leaving no room for interruption as she crosses her legs and leans on one arm, eyes narrowing at him, sharp and glimmering burgundy. When you were young, you had tutors, right? And when you were older, advisors, certainly? And while you learned from them, did you find yourself thinking you knew better than them? That the things you could learn from them were unimportant because you surely knew best?” Though come to think of it, she’s sure that’s just the sort of person the Sword Emperor eventually grew to be. But she has a point to make, and make it she will.
Her lips purse momentarily, pensive as she considers herself, and–
“So then why do you think you’re above listening to someone who knows what love is better than you?” Or at least, knows how it feels, how it should be expressed, even if she’d never found it for herself. Not in the romantic sense, in any case. Even her host’s experience is limited, though how she feels things… oh how grateful Kaguya is to feel things with such intensity now. “I told you, just because you’re fine with calling that selfishness ‘love’ doesn’t make it true and it certainly doesn’t make you right.”
❝ Tutors were to equip me with what I needed to rule. Advisors were there to remind me of other options. But in the end — everything was my choice alone. My judgment superseded all. Who, if not me, knows best? ❞ Arching an eyebrow, he questioned, ❝ Do you expect one of the common people to make a decision for an empire? ❞ No one else was suitable. No one else could be, when it was he who once sat upon the throne to one of the greatest empires. Yet, Lucius was contradicting himself by asking this woman about a topic he really could not make any sense of, even if he was turning away from acknowledging so.
Was it deliberate, or was it what was ingrained into him — that everything was his birthright and he was to carry Rome’s dream of eternity?
He saw little purpose in considering the idea beyond the scope with which he was familiar. But the fact of the matter was that his view clearly differed from Kaguya’s — and he found himself unknowingly shifting his weight from one leg to another, the restlessness he felt from before returning at an even greater degree. How could she speak as if such a nonsensical and abstract concept was something obvious to grasp? His jaw tightened, one finger tapping on the upper part of arm opposite, and he scoffed.
❝ Unconditional love is a fool’s errand. Life as a whole is give-and-take. Everyone has that which they seek and that which they expect from others. When either is not met, do they not cry or become frustrated? Do not they not lament over heartbreak when their feelings are not returned? ❞ His expression twisted into one of disgust and irritation. So many had come to him, wanting favors and whatever he could offer, only to throw fits when he refused to give more than they deserved.
❝ There is no reason for me to ‘give’ freely to anyone who has no use for me — and even more so those who do not stand on the same ground as I do. I am not a charity. ❞
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