Eijiro and his entourage were soon to follow, slightly larger with their staff included than the Morelander delegation, not that it was a competition of course. It was a comparatively short trip for them, at most a little over an hour as it wasn't economical to travel by SST over such a short distance, but that far from diminished its importance to any of those present. Indeed, they had come in some of their finest outfits, truly putting on display the Empire's wealth while maintaining the traditions of old. For his part, the Emperor wore a robe dyed red, covered by other layers of light and dark purple as well as a white outer robe, with a
kanmuri hat to finish the ensemble. Hung from his waist was a tachi forged many centuries ago, its hilt and scabbard ornately decorated with gold and ivory, and its blade, though not visible, featured a mirror-like finish. For her part, Mayumi wore a red
furisode kimono featuring paulownia tree and phoenix motifs; while for formal ceremonies back home, the
jūnihitoe might've been worn, for events abroad it was deemed too troublesome to wear, akin in many regards to the
sokutai worn by men in the Imperial Court. They were joined by one
Rikugun-Tai-i Natsuki Uematsu, the couple's bodyguard and a close friend of the Emperor.
The Emperor was no doubt surprised by the lack of poise with which the soon-to-be Empress of the Rokkenjimans conducted herself on the day of her enthronement, after all, from his perspective it was meant to be a day of religious significance, filled not with such foolishness as going out into the city to mingle with fans like some Daitōjin pop idol but with prayer for the future of their people and for a peaceful reign. Such a shameful display, no doubt portending the decline of good public morality within the state. Nevertheless, he knew full-well that such misgivings were best voiced in private, away from prying eyes which would, of course, take them to mean something far from how he felt.
Eventually, they would reach Pyrena Castle, whereupon Eijiro would meet with the welcoming committee, as it were.
"Your Highness, its a pleasure." He said with a mere nod, which was certainly more than he had offered on his last visit; he would never be seen bowing to a Rokkenjiman, actually, pretty much to anyone as he was, by merit of his station, above such a need. "By now, I'm sure you know my wife, Empress Mayumi, so I suspect introductions won't be necessary. If you don't mind, Captain Uematsu here can assist with security for the duration of the ceremony, just as a formality of course."
"Heika, I must object." Natsuki spoke up. "My place is by your si-"
"Your place is where I say it is, Uematsu-tai-i. Besides, its just Rokkenjima, not some far off land like Lechia." Eijiro said, briefly looking at the young captain before turning back to his hosts. "I must apologize for that, he means well. I assure you he won't cause any trouble, right, Natsuki?"
"...Hai, heika." Natsuki said with a nod after a moment.