Back in the ooku, in a room situated in the inner palace"s west wing, a woman was sitting on a cushion with her hands clenched into fists. Her beautiful face was distorted into an angry scowl, her porcelain skin was red from the rage she was trying to contain."What do you mean the shogun hasn"t replied to my note yet?" her eyes flashed vehemently. "Is it so hard to let him know of my current situation?"
"My lady, the shogun must be very busy," the woman"s maid tried to appease her. "Why don"t we let those who already know help us? Word of mouth might be much more effective."
"No!" the woman threw the cup in front of her, it shattered on the floor loudly. "I want to be the one to tell him myself! I want to see his reaction first-hand!"
Several maids scampered to clean the mess on the floor. Their hearts threatened to escape from their chests. The lady"s temper has always been short, if she doesn"t get what she wants then all h.e.l.l will break loose.
"T-then I"ll request the head nun for the door to be opened. I will make sure that the staff member of the shogun who will be receiving your note will pa.s.s it on to Taneyuki-san."
The woman"s face visibly brightened. She tapped her fingers on the table before her before giving her maid an angelic smile. "Yes, go do that, Mitsuki."
"Your happiness is my happiness, Lady Ayaka," Mitsuki made an obeisance and left the room to do her task.
~~~
Kaname was snoring softly when I opened my eyes. After being swayed by our s.e.xual desire for each other for the third time, we both fell asleep. Like always, he was wrapped around me like vine. Loose strands of his hair covered his beautiful face, I tucked them behind his ear. He stirred and pulled me closer. I responded by rubbing my nose on the hollow of his neck.
He slowly opened his eyes and gave me a smile. "h.e.l.lo, my wife."
My lips curved upwards, my heart felt full to the brim so suddenly. "h.e.l.lo," my voice shook.
"What"s the matter?" he caressed my cheek, a puzzled look on his face. "You look like you"re about to cry."
"Nothing"s wrong," I shook my head. "I"m just so happy right now."
The tension on his forehead relaxed. "Silly woman," he kissed my the tip of my nose.
Someone cleared his throat outside the shoji, interrupting the warm atmosphere. "My lord, it"s almost time for your second meeting."
"Thank you, Taneyuki-san. We"ll be ready in a bit."
I stood up and gathered our clothes. I helped Kaname into his robe before I dressed myself. I sighed when I saw my torn underwear.
He took the piece of cloth from my hand and fought his smile. "What are you going to wear now?"
I wanted to roll my eyes at him again. "Obviously, I"ll be bare underneath my hakama."
He nodded approvingly, "That has its own advantages. That entails easier access for me."
I elbowed him before tossing him the cloth that would cover my bosom. "Help me conceal my b.r.e.a.s.t.s," I told him as I gathered my hair in a presentable bun.
Knowing his teasing and playful side, he"d grope me before complying so I gave him a stern look of warning. Thankfully, he didn"t do anything funny and just helped me secure the fabric in place.
~~~
When we got back to the omote, I did my best to hide my discomfort upon seeing who our waiting visitor was. It was an unpleasant surprise. Kaname and our guest exchanged civilities before he sat on his throne. The man was offered his own chair, a sign of respect towards his own social standing.
"I see you have a new bodyguard, my lord," the man looked at me with interest.
"Ah, yes," Kaname nodded, a smile full of pride was on his lips. "He is Jin-san, he impressed me with his talent with the dagger and hand-to-hand combat so much that I decided to employ his services."
"You always seem to find the rarest gems," the man said meaningfully before taking a sip of his tea.
"Oh?" Kaname lifted his brows. "Your words seem to mean more, your highness."
The crown prince handed his cup to his waiting servant with a grace that I didn"t expect. He was arrogant and unscrupulous during our first encounter. "I met your latest wife days ago at the temple. She reminded me of the Angel"s Trumpet, beautiful but deadly."
My grip on Kaname"s sword tightened. I looked at the crown prince"s amused face then at Kaname"s surprised one.
Kaname rubbed his swollen lower lip with a finger as he digested what he just heard. As the seconds ticked by, I got more and more anxious. "Am I in trouble now for not telling him?" I screamed in my head.
"My wife is indeed very special. It took me quite some time to woo and make her completely mine but the rewards of my hard work are worth it," he smiled at last.
"She rejected you?" the crown prince looked genuinely shocked.
"At first," Kaname chuckled. "So I courted her even though no matter what she did, there will be no escaping me.."
"Hmm," the other man suddenly looked deep in thought. "Does she have a sister? I would like to meet someone like her."
"You already have a wife and several concubines, aren"t they enough?" Kaname asked. "Anyway, why did you say she"s dangerous? Did something happen that I don"t know?"
The crown prince waved his hand dismissively. "It was just pure misunderstanding. I accidentally interrupted her reverie so she pulled a dagger at me."
"Interrupted my reverie?" I almost blurted out. Thank goodness I was able to control myself, otherwise I would have unsheathed the sword in my hand and hurled it to the lying b.a.s.t.a.r.d sitting opposite my husband.
"She did?" Kaname pulled something from his sleeve and showed it to his guest. "Does the dagger look like this?"
The crown prince studied the dagger before nodding his head. "That is the exact same knife she threatened me with," he chuckled, it sounded forced and fake.
"This isn"t the dagger she used on you, this is its pair. My wife gifted this to me when I got back," Kaname twirled the small knife in his hand with a dexterity that reminded me of mine. "You"re lucky she didn"t cut you. She is more adept in using the dagger than anyone I"ve ever met. Her skills are on par with Jin-san here."
I almost wanted to laugh when I heard his words. Of course I"d be as good as "Jin-san," he is my other self after all!
"Jin-san seems to be a quiet man," the crown prince remarked.
The attention of both men were suddenly focused on me. I didn"t know how to react. Do I stare back at them? Do I bow? Am I supposed to say something? What do I do???
"He is a man of a few words," Kaname said, breaking the awkward (for me anyway) silence before motioning for the young male servant on his right to refill their cups. "Now I"d like to boast more about my wife and guard but that would mean forgetting about the purpose of your visit."
For a quick second, the crown prince looked disappointed that the topic has shifted to a more formal one. "Yes, I almost forgot that I came here due to some pressing matters!"