The woman continued to marvel at her ability to speak my language. Her entire face lit up in awe and wonder; she was quite immersed in her own little world; her animated face was as bright as her name suggests. I looked at the sky and reckoned that the day was about to end. If my guess is correct, it"s already the hour of the pig."Time for her to return to the real world," I thought to myself before I loudly cleared my throat. She looked at me and stopped mumbling to herself.
"Are you done?" I asked her, she nodded in answer while her cheeks reddened again. Under the pale moonlight, her flushed skin made her look ethereal. Her charm was not something I"ve seen before, it was unique and unlike any other beauty I"ve known. "Could she be a youkai?" I almost laughed at the ridiculous thought. Afraid that my mind would wander any further, I decided that it was time we continue our journey home. I got on my horse and didn"t say more.
Along the way, I noticed that she was squirming behind me. Her arms around my waist were also starting to loosen. "Is she starting to get tired?" I wondered. "It"s her first time riding a horse, after all." With this in mind, I purposely slowed Kuro"s pace so she wouldn"t be so uncomfortable. I felt her tensed muscles relax a bit, I smiled to myself. I was right, she was getting exhausted. "Just a bit more, we"re almost there," I almost wanted to tell her out loud.
~~~
For the first time since becoming the great leader of the country, I felt relieved to see the gates of the castle. There was something about the woman behind me that made me worry about her… I couldn"t explain it but I"d rather make sure she"s comfortable than reach the palace quickly.
"We have arrived," I announced.
The main gate of my residence opened and my right hand, Taneyuki-san, as well as several pages and servants came out to greet me.
"My lord," Taneyuki-san and my welcoming committee paid their obeisance to me.
"I am tired. I wish to retire as soon as possible," I lied casually. It wasn"t me who"s tired, it"s the other person riding my mount.
"Yes, my lord," Taneyuki-san replied before he and every staff member he took with him escorted us to the omote.
As if by magic, the woman behind me suddenly recovered her energy. I felt her move behind me as she took in the vastness of my property. If I didn"t hear her stomach"s protests and felt her squirming behind me earlier, I"d have thought she was really alright. I heard her little gasps, my lips curved upwards once more. I stopped Kuro by the entrance of my castle"s administrative building, handed the reins to my right hand man, and walked towards the main door.
"Bring her to The Great Interior. a.s.sign her her own people," I ordered before entering my palace. "Make sure she is given a proper room and meal. She is to become my newest lady-in-waiting."
"What!? But Kaname-sama!" Shouta protested. "She—"
I gave him a look that never failed to shut him up. I then smiled at him, causing his eyes to widen. He knew he would be paying for his carelessness for the next few days. I glanced at the woman, she appeared to have turned into stone as she remained seated on my steed without moving a muscle.
"Hmm… Let"s not be too harsh on Shouta," I said to myself. "I have to give him credit for bringing this interesting woman to me."
"Also," I added out loud. "Make sure to give her proper clothing. I detest seeing my women being ogled by other men."
I entered the omote and headed straight to the nakoku. Inside my room, a prep.u.b.escent boy and an adolescent man was busily preparing my change of clothes.
"Kaname-sama, welcome back," they greeted me in unison.
"Mmm," I nodded and signaled them to stand up straight. "Is my bath ready?"
"Hai," the older of the two servants replied. "We were told by Taneyuki-san that you will be arriving tonight so we made sure your bath water remained warm."
"I won"t be needing your a.s.sistance any more," I told them. "You may now leave."
"As you wish, tenka bito."
~~~
Inside the bathing chambers, I stripped myself off my clothing. I took the wash cloth Mugi and Jiro prepared for me, dipped it in the dipper, and lathered it with soap. After wetting my own skin, I started scrubbing myself. I stopped when I felt a slight stinging on my skin; there, I saw a circular bruise on my left chest.
I frowned when I realized that Mirei had marked me once again last night. After learning how to leave love bites on my skin, she had been obsessed with giving me these bruises. I personally find them distasteful and, frankly, puerile. When she insisted on coming with me for "another night together," I didn"t decline. She"s probably back in the villa right now, waiting for my return. I sighed before rinsing myself and getting into the tub. As the warm water started to relax my tired and tensed muscles, I started to recount what happened today.
The nearby regions are slowly but surely regaining the once peaceful way of life. And now that those low level bandits were taken care of by Shouta, I am certain that no one will dare to disturb the tranquility of the area for a long time. Their rotting bodies in the forest will be more than enough warning to anyone who intends to break my laws.
I adjusted my body so the water reached my neck. I was exhausted but I think I could still pay the second wife a quick visit, she never minded being awoken anyway. I got up and was about to pull on my sleeping robe when I remembered the woman I just brought home. My hands slowed down as I recalled the enticing memory of her biting her lower lip earlier… The way her flawless skin reddened whenever she was fl.u.s.tered… And the feel of her arms coiled around my waist….
"I wonder if the room is to her liking?" I pondered out loud. "Well, I"ll find out in the morning so I might as well wait for the answer until then."