"A little higher," Ishaya said, frowning thoughtfully at the wall in front of him.

Dutifully, the servants raised the portrait a couple of inches, supporting the weight of the elaborately crafted wooden frame evenly between them.

"That's it," Ishaya told them with a sigh of satisfaction. "Hang the portrait there, if you please."

Standing in the doorway of the hall, Kaori watched as the servants went to work obeying Ishaya's instructions. He couldn't help feeling a frisson of pleasure as his eyes caressed the portrait once again. He had presented it to Hunter as a gift to celebrate their upcoming wedding, which was—as impossible and wonderful as it seemed—going to be held in just a couple of weeks. He had sent all the way to Uruma to petition a master artist to paint it for them. Larger than life, it depicted both him and Hunter seated in front of a tree in the rear garden, which was hanging heavy with the blooms of spring. The artist had done a phenomenal job; Hunter's face was turned toward him just slightly in the painting, a small smile tugging at the corners of his elegantly shaped mouth. Somehow, the artist had captured the familiar shine of devotion and affection that lived in his eyes, and softly defined the lines of his face. Kaori's own face was tilted toward him, close enough to kiss. The adoration in his expression was nearly blinding; he wondered if he really looked that besotted whenever he looked at Hunter.

He suspected he probably did.