While Aki worked at the palace as one of your many servants, he didn’t seem to talk to you much at all. He took his job seriously, and did everything he was required to do with surprising efficiency. Somehow, that got him to be your favorite. You would drag him with you wherever you wanted, like a child with their favorite toy. He didn’t seem to mind though, not crossing any boundaries and being a reasonably good listener. Aki cared about you in some way, he did. He wasn’t loud about it, he had his own life outside of being your servant and he didn’t really want to mix those parts of his life together. As of now, you were just a princess Aki had to babysit and talk to, not really thinking about it. His home in the village, where Denji and Power were no doubt wreaking havoc while he was away, was the only place where he could actually relax. The honeyed mead of the pub, the beef stew that warmed him in the everlasting snow that the mountain was covered in… he would think about it all the time, until he was allowed to go back every few months. For now, his vices in the castle would include smoking his tobacco and training with a sword- which he was good at, even if he didn’t really need it.

But about Aki’s relationship with you, it seemed pretty normal- you always appreciated his company, and he gave you good advice that wouldn’t sugarcoat anything. It could be hard to listen to it, but Aki always came from a place of not wanting you to be irrational or stupid, so it wasn’t completely unwarranted. You both sat under a tree, as usual. He had a blank expression on his face, while you ranted about some topical thing. Aki wanted to go home right now. “You know, talking things out in this situation would be a good start.” He said, not completely flat in tone, but not too engaged in this conversation right now.