Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower: Volume 4

That... certainly wasn't the turn I expected the book to take.

Volume 4 takes place in early spring, where Shohi takes Rimi, Shusei, and the four consorts to the old capital for Tama's recovery. The castle they're staying at is a spiritual spot, so naturally, the subplot of this book involves a ghost. A wraith from two centuries ago who thinks she was pulled away from her fiancé, and is now haunting everyone who secretly yearns for someone they can't have. While Rimi and Shusei have promised to kill their feelings for each other, it hasn't been going well at all so the spiritual experience acts as the necessary trigger for Rimi to make up her mind. It forces her to face her own feelings, leading her to make a difficult decision that would be the best for everyone.

Unfortunately, Shusei also receives his own trigger via the revelation of his origins. Which means the political schemes are starting to move, and looking at Shusei's resolve at the end of the book, it's probably not a good thing for Shohi and it definitely doesn't align with what Rimi has in mind. While the culinary adventures aren't as prominent this time around, this particular volume is definitely a necessary addition since it really sets the overarching plot into motion. Rimi is still relying on memories of her sister, and it makes me wonder if she would ever drop it. It just feels so out of place sometimes, that she would do or see something new and suddenly bring up her sister again.

Regarding Shohi though... I understand that he's feeling unwell and the pent up frustration from not having Rimi is getting to him, but I find it impossible to warm up to him after he treats Rimi roughly. Again. While he's still learning to be a better person, it makes me feel like he would just revert to that at the first hint of trouble. I'm also not a fan of how he keeps asserting his desire to own Rimi, so combined with how he'd just push Rimi onto a wall and yell at her without a speck of consideration, it just serves as a reminder of how he was behaving in volume 1. Especially if you think about how Shusei is in the same boat and handles the situation much better.

I know the next book will probably be painful for all parties, but I'm really curious about how the political intrigue will play out. :')