"Hmm… These documents look too off…"
Amongst the women in the court of the provincial lord, the secretary of the Lord's Office and his adjutant of legal affairs is the one mostly held up with great reverence and respect amongst the bureaucrats of Naka Castle.
Beautiful in appearance, talented in her work, dedicated to her craft and modest in attitude, it is not hard to understand why the young lady of the provincial lord's court has gained the respect of the people.
"Lady Chiyo. We've arrived back."
"Oh, you four. Come on, I need your help in this sales invoice."
This is how the day usually goes for her…
"Ms. Chiyo! Good morning!"
"Good morning too!"
The young lady wakes up at the crack of dawn and in accordance with the local traditions of the women of Kiko, takes a warm bath after leaving her bedroom. Passing through the courtyard's east corridor to the bath house, she usually gets greeted by the servants preparing the breakfast for the night shift guards who would be eating before they go home.
"Ah! Lady Aoyama. Good morning!"
"Good morning too. Shinzuke looks lovely today."
The stables at the rear courtyard are near the east corridor, so as she passed by, she was greeted by the castle's stable master with a lively voice.
"Kahaha! He is. It seems like not being taken by Lord Iwasawa to battle made him upset for a while. But with the trips he went to with you, he seems to have livened up a little."
"He does. He's quite the fussy steed to others except for Iwasawa-sama, but it seems like he took some liking to me when I took him out to the city."
As she stroked the horse's white, combed fur, it let out a gentle neigh as if pleased by her touch.
"Well then, I'll be going now. I might need him for an errand later, so please prepare him for a trip."
"As you wish, Lady Aoyama."
After a while in the bath house, Chiyo took a stroll through the gardens where many kinds of special and exotic plants from abroad are being kept. To many, the semi-circular structures around the plots may seem queer. But to any modern person, this kind of structure would usually be called as a greenhouse.
"Oh, the orchids are already blooming?"
"That's right, Lady Aoyama. They came from a horticulturist from abroad. I've been taking care of them for a while now."
An old lady, who is the castle's head gardener, answered her and extended her hand to another plot of plants.
"Ah! The tomatoes… wow, that's a whole cluster of produce. The head chef will be delighted to see this."
"Hahaha! She surely will. I remembered her hoarding the ingredients that I harvested from summer and quickly preparing it for the Lord's birthday."
Hearing that, Chiyo's lips raised a little as a soft giggle escaped from her mouth.
"Yes. Thank you for taking care of his garden, please keep it well kept so we can let Iwasawa-sama enjoy it on his next special day."
"I sure will, Lady Aoyama! I might look old, but this lady still has some fight in her!"
As she left the house made of glass, Chiyo finally returned to the depths of the castle.
"Just a little bit more! Just a bit and we can get it-!"
"Rinne-chan… are you sure this is safe?"
While passing through the pantry, Chiyo heard two voices inside and she knew what exactly is happening there.
"Rinne! Hisako! Are you two taking the marshmallows again?!"
"Uwaaahhh!!!"
"R-Rinne-chan! Don't move too much or-"
*Ka-crash!*
"Hik-!"
As the little brat was surprised with her scolding, her legs shook which caused Hisako who is letting her stand on her shoulders to feel unstable, and both fell down to the floor. They would've toppled a shelf full of ingredients if not for Chiyo's sharp reaction of pushing it back in place.
"Uwaaa… my head hurts…"
"Oww…"
"You two…!"
"AWAWAWAWAWA!!!"
"N-Namu…"
In front of the enraged Chiyo, what the two youngsters saw wasn't her beautiful face but instead, the face of an Oni ready to smash them into bits. The brat named Rinne shook in terror while the immature Hisako instinctively prayed to Buddha for mercy.
"Uwaaaahhh! Marshies! I want some marshies!!!"
"No! It's too early in the morning for sweets! You haven't eaten breakfast yet too!"
"Ungyaa! No fair! No fair!"
Misanagi Rinne has been living in Naka castle for a while now. As an important political weapon to justify an upcoming campaign of the quad-alliance that their lord is aiming to make to reclaim the capital, she's been spending her days here where she learns both academic and behavioral knowledge.
"And you Hisako, why did you help her in sneaking for sweets? Aren't you supposed to teach her?"
"I…"
Akizuki Hisako, the former princess of Kiko and the Chief Shrine Maiden of Kaiho no Shiseijo. Even though her father has long been deposed, she was allowed to live here out of the kindness of Iwasawa Hiroshi. Publicly and officially, she is considered as a political hostage, but the freedom that she possesses wouldn't equate to that status.
"What?"
"I want marshmallows too…"
"Argh…"
Also, she's been diagnosed with Global Development delay disorder, a condition where her mental and physical ages don't match. The diagnosis of Hiroshi stated that this was caused by her sheltered early life and lack of social contact, making her unable to have the same way of thinking as those who are of her age.
"Alright… I get it…"
""Huh?""
"Eat your breakfast and go to school and I'll let you munch on those sweets later in the afternoon."
"Waa! I want that!"
"Me… me too."
"Alright then. Go to the dining room now and go eat. I'll call for the castle carriage to bring you two to town afterwards."
""Will do!""
Just like an experienced parent, she made a compromise with the two and made them do what they need to do in exchange of the thing they've been wanting earlier.
"Haah… those two really…"
This way of dealing with the two is something that many people find endearing about her. A gentle and compromising way of showing to those younger than her that she is more lenient and understanding.
"Well then… the sun is already up. I should get to work now!"
The work of the Lord's secretary covers a whole range of clerical and legal paperwork. From tax returns, sales invoices, legal records to the reports of agricultural and mining magistrates, the stacks of scrolls and letters in her office rises up everyday even when she herself has 5 assistants handling it with her.
"These are… reports from the Nagisa Arms factory."
"Oh! Let me handle that, Lady Chiyo. I wrote the letter last time, so this is my series."
"Okay. Tell them that we're withholding the supply for now. Since the ammunition shipment sent to Lord Iwasawa just left yesterday, we won't be making any orders for a while."
"Got it!"
The five young women serving as her assistants were all handpicked by her. May they be childhood friends or fellow former Pages of her former master, they are as equally knowledgeable as her in writing and arithmetic.
"Lady Chiyo! We have some problem here!"
One of her assistants raised her hand and called her attention. When she got nearer to her, the mechanical calculator at the girl's table let Chiyo know that she was handling numerical documents.
"These documents are from that mysterious shipment last week. The East Naka Merchant group stated it the contents to be over 50,000 Kan, but the tax they paid is only a quarter of that."
"Let me see… 10 tons of rice… 3 tons of sugar… 5 horses…"
While looking at the updated chart of market prices of the following items, Chiyo typed on the mechanical keyboard of the arithmometer that is similar to the keyboard of a typewriter.
"Then the tax values…"
She looked at another chart and after pressing the "equate" button firmly, the keys of the mechanical calculator showed the value on the slit which says: 16,670.
"They only paid 4,000 Kan?"
"Yes. The records from Customs office said so."
Just as she was about to pen a letter to the merchant alliance, one of the assistants chimed with a slightly stern tone.
"Doesn't the East Naka merchant group possess a tariff-exemption?"
"Ah! I forgot!"
"Oh, come on, newcomer. Don't make mistakes like that, we could've offended the merchants by sending them a warning letter."
A simple mistake could've caused such a problem. This is how sensitive their work is.
"It's alright, just be more observant later. And don't be scared of these four, they might look scary, but they are your knowledgeable seniors."
"I… I understand…"
Unlike the friendly acquaintances that she knows them as, the other four assistants are actually quite scary for newcomers. They would reason out that it's just a way to force them to become better more quickly, but the pressure would usually scare an intern right as she steps into the office.
For example, just as she said the words: "they are your knowledgeable seniors", the four assistants looked at the young woman with eyes gleaming with malice and looks that could almost convey the words: "Welcome to hell, intern!"
After half a day, the office workers informed Chiyo that they would be taking their lunch break and left to go to the castle worker's cafeteria.
"Schlurp!"
As for the ever industrious and work dedicated Chiyo, a simple cup ramen is enough to fill her tummy and keep her working.
"Mm… I knew it. The chicken ramen was better…"
She mumbled and took in the rest of the soup before placing it into the trash bin separate from the can for paper wastes.
"Now that I remember… We're still using the Akizuki clan's stamp. I wonder when will Iwasawa-sama make his own clan symbol…?"
Stamping and signing the documents meant to be sent out, she noticed the red imprint that doesn't actually belong to her lord.
"L-Lady Chiyo."
"Hm? What is it?"
It was the newcomer again who called for her. She looked quite shy to be the one asking for help again but Chiyo still wore a gleeful smile as she gently approached her.
"This sales invoice is…"
From over the girl's shoulder, she read the contents of the document and saw it filled with words and numbers describing the contents of a shipment meant to be sent out of the province through the sea.
"It's from a foreign merchant. He bought soybeans and wheat from Aoya and is shipping it out to Kise province."
"I see… let me add it up."
Chiyo dialed the number again, basing the numbers from the prices and tax values in the charts until the machine showed the exact stated number in the document.
"It's right. The value of the products and the paid tax is right but…"
"Lady Chiyo?"
"Hmm… These documents look too off…"
She felt something in the papers that doesn't feel right. There's something that makes her uncomfortable about it… something that she can't wrap her head around.
"Lady Chiyo. We've arrived back."
"Oh, you four. Come on, I need your help in this sales invoice."
Just in time, the more experienced assistants arrived from their lunch break. They greeted to the secretary, but she asked them to come near for some help.
"This is…"
"It's right and official but…"
"Something about it feels off, right?"
"It is."
The assistants were also baffled. Even with how many computations they did. The result is correct, and it never changes. But something about the numbers doesn't seem to make it look right.
"2 tons of Soybeans… 3 tons of wheat…"
Something about it was really off yet they can't guess what it was.
"I'll do this manually. Can I have everything related to this?"
"Y-yes. I'll hand them all to you, Lady Chiyo."
"Mm."
Chiyo brought a stack of papers to her table and quickly went to work. Without the mechanical calculators, Chiyo used pen and paper to manually work the numbers. It was a good way to display her sharp skills in mathematics, but right now, her focus wasn't on showing her skills but on completing her job.
"2 tons would be 17,000 Kan… 3 tons is 21,000 Kan with tariff…"
She added the numbers, kept the numbers in a separate paper to not lose track of them and multiplied the two. She then passed the numbers through the charts and finally, the real value showed up.
"What the… So that was it!"
Finished with the computations, Chiyo happily cheered, and her assistants turned to ask her what it is about.
"We're calculating in the wrong way! This document is purposefully written to make us multiply the numbers first before we add them."
She pointed at the part she was talking about. At a line stating the amount of the products to be shipped, the equation placed a multiplication operation before the addition statement. Because of this, the numbers deflated and affected the overall price of the shipped product and tariff to be paid.
"What… what a blunder…"
"How did we fall for that…?"
The senior assistants can't do anything but bite their thumb in frustration. The fact that they unknowingly fell for the trick angered them.
"In any case, this individual must be called and made to pay the right amounts. I'll go with the Auditors now. Everyone, I'll leave the documents to you."
"Yes, Lady Chiyo!"
A few minutes after this discovery, Chiyo and a few horsemen quickly galloped out of the castle with a search warrant from the Auditor's office. They sped to the eastern wharf of the port city where the address of the foreign merchant is located.
"Mr. Izumo! We are here from the Auditor's office with a search warrant!"
"Auditor? Who the hell are you people?! What do you want from me?!"
A haughty, stout man shouted at them from the balcony of a huge rental house inside a warehouse compound. It seems like he is unaware of the authority of the Auditors.
"Guards! We have permission to go inside! Enter the warehouse and search for the highlighted crates!"
"W-W-W-WHAT?! You monkeys?! What are you doing?!"
The merchant quickly went back inside the house and climbed down the stairs as the soldiers opened the crates which they are tasked to search.
"Clear here! These are the soybeans!"
"Clear here too! It's ungrounded wheat grain!"
Chiyo took a look herself and sure enough, the crates contained the stated products.
"See? See?! If you're finished, then get out of here and stop bothering us!"
However, the confirmation of the products wasn't what they came here for.
"We've come here after we computed your sales invoice and it showed that you've meddled the receipt to cut the pay at the shipping and tariff. We are here to collect the right amount and we promise that you will not be bothered again."
"How did-?!"
The haughty man looked shocked now. This confirmed Chiyo's belief that this was intentional and not a human error.
"What? Will you pay or will you answer to the law, Mr. Izumo?"
"Grrr! I will-"
However, before the merchant can pay up and be left in peace, one of the guards opened a crate involved with the search and inside of it is something that shouldn't be in here.
"Lady Chiyo! He's shipping Opium! You two, arrest him!"
"Kh-!"
"What the-?!"
The confirmation that there were narcotic contrabands on the crate flipped the entire situation. The two guards charged towards him to arrest him but noticing them, the merchant took out a flintlock pistol and tried to aim for Chiyo.
"Aoyama-samaaaa!!!"
*Ka-tak! BYAK!*
The gun shot out the round musket ball. But just in time, one of the guards pushed Chiyo away and took the bullet for her.
"Get down!"
"Argh! Let me go!"
The merchant was tackled by one of the soldiers and his head and arm was slammed on the ground to make him let go of the gun. He tried to squirm out of the soldier's grip, but the handcuffs quickly neutralized him.
"Hey! Hey, are you alright?!"
"Argh… this will be a bruise later…"
Chiyo stood up and turned the soldier who saved her on his back. She saw the place where it hit and she was relieved to see it.
"Metal plate… We usually get stabbed during raids so I bought one and I can't believe it can stop bullets too. I'm alright, Aoyama-sama."
"Haah… that's a relief…"
She helped the soldier to stand up and made him sit down near a wall as the other soldiers took the arrested merchant away.
But a shout rang out as a man riding a horse sprinted past them.
"Don't let them get you! Waka!!!"
Waka, it is a pronoun used to denote one's young master. If what she is thinking is right, the man who just escaped is the mastermind of this.
"You're not getting away! Shinzuke! Full speed, boy!"
Chiyo quickly rose to her feet and jumped to the back of her master's trusty steed. The horse neighed and as if having the wind pushing him behind, followed the escaping man with a speed that made Chiyo's eyes blur out.
"Woah!"
"Hey! Slow down, you rascal!"
The escaping man seems to not be familiar with the city as it passed by the narrow roads where most of the foot traffic is located. Because of this, the pedestrians slowed his advance until Chiyo was near enough to tackle him. But the man took out something from his sleeve that made Chiyo swerve her horse out of view.
*Pyak! Pyak! Pyak!*
"KYAAA!!!"
"The guards! Call the guards! There is a shooter here!"
The man took out a semi-automatic pistol. One that should only be owned by army officers.
"Kh-! How did that guy get that?!"
Even though frustrated and in panic, Chiyo still tried to think sharply and thought of an idea.
"Hey! Can I borrow a bow and a few arrows?!"
"H-Huh?! Oh, yes! Yes!"
She talked with a street vendor that is selling hunting supplies and given what she needed, she climbed up a house to the street where the shooter is located.
"Come out! You ruined my business! You meddlesome wretches of Kiko!"
Even with this provocation, Chiyo acted professionally and silently tiptoed on the roof of the house to see her target only looking at the place where she hid.
"Now."
"-! YOU!!!"
*Pyak! Pyak! Pyak!*
However, before she can jump down to tackle the man, a stone from the roof fell on his head which alerted him and made him shoot on her position.
"Darn… No choice then…"
She walked to the topmost part of the roof and ran quickly until she jumped up into the air and nocked an arrow on the bow while performing a somersault.
"What?!"
"Eat this!"
She let go of the arrow and before the man can react, the shot hit true and lodged itself to his collarbone.
"AAAARRGGGGHHH!!!"
"Ack! Ouch…"
The man fell down from his horse and held the arrow that stuck itself deep into his body. Chiyo meanwhile, landed quite badly on the opposite roof but she managed to stick an arrow on the wooden struts that let her slow her descent.
"Aoyama-sama!"
"Lady Aoyama saved the day!"
"Thank you, Aoyama-sama!"
The cheering of the people quickly ensued which made Chiyo blush in appreciation.
"Ehehe… thank you!"
After that commotion, the man's wound was treated, and he was arrested to be sent to the Hikigaya domain where the main prison camp is located. With this, the products was seized and resold by the Auditor's office as collateral for the missing amount in the invoice.
Many felt that the decision of the Auditor was highly intelligent. It was legal and appropriate for the situation. However, as for the real identity of this "Auditor", the officers of Naka castle wouldn't even dare to say anything about it.
"Fuwaahh… so tiring…"
Chiyo is now back at her office. She laid on the wooden couch while her assistants are finishing the documents for today.
"Lady Chiyo."
"Huh? Oh, you're the newcomer, aren't you?"
The young woman from earlier who noticed the fraudulent document approached her which made Chiyo raise her face towards her.
"Here's some tea."
"Oh… thank you. You know, sit down here. You're finished with your work, aren't you?"
The intern gave her a cup of tea and she received it after sitting up. She was glad with the gesture and made her sit down beside her.
"Now, now… It's already too obvious. What do you want to ask me?"
"Ah! That's… I…"
She knew it. The young woman wanted to ask something to her.
"You see, I applied to be your assistant because… I'm a big fan of yours."
"Oh… I… Umm… thank you."
Even the cool beauty named Aoyama Chiyo felt bashful after the younger girl spoke that and hid her face in embarrassment.
"I was really amazed when I saw you riding next to Lord Iwasawa. It's like I was looking at a king and queen marching around to greet their citizens."
"-!!!"
"Huh? Aoyama-sama? Is something wrong?"
When Chiyo heard the honest words of the girl, she can't help but be flustered out of awareness. After all, the secret engagement between him and her is something that no one else is aware of except for Hiroshi, her, her father and Nobisuke.
"I just… I was just surprised with that statement."
"I… I see…"
The young woman then asked what she really wanted to ask her.
"Lady Chiyo… how can I act more womanly?"
With that question, Chiyo knew what she was handling as of now.
It has long been a tradition in Kiko that young men and women who wanted to get married can freely look for their future spouses and set a date to be married later. In that time when they are betrothed but not married, the two cannot engage in sexual contact to preserve the sanctity of the relationship.
This came from the philosophy of the ancestors of the Misanagi clan who said: "An impatient man would rather eat a sour apple once his stomach feels a little less full, but a wise man can wait until it has ripened and his stomach can appreciate the taste of the fruit."
Even though old, these words are still applicable to this day and because of it, it is very rare for the families in Kiko to even fall into discord as they stick together and help each other in good and hard times.
"I see, I see. Are you worried since no boys are eyeing you right now?"
"Umm… yes."
Chiyo smiled a little and noticing their height differences, she softly stroked the young woman's head and spoke gently.
"Don't worry about it. Someone special is bound to find you one day."
"But…"
"You're still young. In the eyes of the heavens, it is not yet the right time for you and that man destined to you to meet and fall in love. I guess you can call it as the "waiting time before the real waiting time"."
"Huh? What does that mean?"
"It means that just like how a girl is meant to train herself to become a good wife to her husband and a loving mother to her future children, right now, you need to train yourself to become worthy and eye-catching to the man destined to you."
"But how can I do that? How can I become worthy to that person?"
"Hmm… let me think. You see, relationships aren't like business deals or errands. Both sides must act properly to build it or else, it may get destroyed. Just like how the man wanting to be your boyfriend is showing you that he is dependable, industrious and loving, you also have to show him that you can give him other things aren't included with the usual things that couples do."
"Ah! That… umm…"
Hearing her mention "that", the girl looked away while her face is flustered.
"I got this advice from someone when I am still working at Shinka. She… no, unlike his appearance and actions, he is actually a man and wants to be called as one… Ahem! I heard from him that the common quality of a cheap and unworthy woman is her lack of things to offer to her husband other than that thing. He said that unlike the playdates that usually happen outside Kiko, marriage is a lifelong agreement that usually fails because of this problem with one or both parties."
"Then… what would those qualities be?"
"Hmm… Let's see."
Even though they are not alone, Chiyo seemed to be confident enough to speak openly while the four other assistants are tidying their workspaces. She stood up and took her katana leaning on her table and drew it gracefully.
"A proper husband is a man of his word. A person looking out for those that he loves. A person that works for his wife and children and would protect them from any outside harm."
As she said those words, she gracefully and slowly thrusted her sword as if performing practiced moves rather than fighting a real enemy.
"A proper wife is a woman of purity. A person that develops the good qualities of those that she loves. A person who solemnly wait for the arrival of her husband to relieve his exhaustion and would kiss her children's forehead as they drift into sleep, wishing them good dreams and a bright future."
As she said this part, she swung the sword lightly and with tip-toeing footwork like that of a professional ballerina's steps.
"Big words, Chiyo. Big words."
"Muu… it's not like you're any better than me, Senpai."
One of the assistants spoke up after her performance and this earned the pouty reply of Chiyo who called her Senpai.
"Yeah. For me who chose to run away from Ayanami dojo to be married to the one she loves, I have no right to call out someone like you who remained womanly until the end."
"Well, none of us are, isn't it, Aki-senpai?"
"It is."
The four looked at each other with serious gazes, but as one cracked up and laughed, the others did so too heartily.
"We're all just girls who can't help but want to be lovey-dovey with the ones who chose us. We may not have become the strong, independent and resilient women that the dojo wanted us to be, but at least…"
"At least we didn't fail to be what we are supposed to be."
"Agreed."
With all of those advices, the young woman finally understood what they wanted to say.
"So… I should just be me. I should just act like who I really am."
"You should. Many women say that men are idiots, but they sure know when a girl is hiding her true face. In front of someone who doesn't hide who she is, you'll appear more likeable to them."
As the sun slowly sank down to the mountains west of Naka, Chiyo finally finished her work for the day and went to the pantry of the castle to check something.
"Mrf-!"
"Ngu-!"
"I knew it… You two went here immediately, huh?"
Chiyo caught them. The two who went here earlier for the same things that they are munching on right now.
"Ungya! We've already went to school and ate dinner! I won't let you stop me now!"
"Y-yeah…"
Hearing this, Chiyo should be angry with the lack of proper respect on the words of the kid. But instead, her lips curled into a smile and she took Rinne to sit on her arms.
"Chi… Chiyo-nee?"
"Let's go back to your room, you two. I'll help you take a bath and braid your hair later."
""Uwoooh!""
The cheer of the two was a sign of approval and happiness. As they went out of the storage room and went to the bathhouse, the two happily munched on the rest of the sweets and even let Chiyo to have some bits.
"There, there. You look pretty now, Rinne."
"Ahh! I look like Akari-obaachan!"
"Hahaha!"
"Muu! Change this!"
Chiyo styled Rinne's hair to a pair of odangohea buns which was like her grandmother's which annoyed the kid who insisted her to change it.
"There. Two low ponytails, are you happy now?"
"Mm!"
Next came the turn of Hisako who undid her hairpin and only then did Chiyo realize that Hisako has such shiny and gorgeous long hair.
"Well then, let me help you out with this."
Chiyo combed Hisako's hair from scalp to the tips with a gentle brush. The way it softly glided off the pins of the brush made Chiyo admire how potentially beautiful Hisako is if only she can act the part.
"There. I believe that it's a hairstyle that's allowed by the Shinto shrine's rules?"
Hisako looked at the mirror and her hair was braided into two and tied to the back of her head.
"Mm. Thankies, Aoyama-san."
"You're welcome! Now then, let me-"
"Hngggh… Gua-gua… Aga…"
When she turned around, she saw that Rinne ahs already dozed off and is even snoring and sleep talking.
"She's… cute."
"Ehehe… She is."
As they admired the cute and peaceful face of the kid, Chiyo noticed a glimmer in Hisako's eyes, and she asked her something that Hisako didn't expect.
"Hisako-chan. What kind of person is Iwasawa-sama to you?"
"Huh?"
"Iwasawa-sama… in what way do you see him?"
Hisako, as mentally immature as she is, was confused with the question. But still, she wanted to speak a response to the question.
"Iwasawa-sama… Hiroshi-san… he is a brother."
"A brother?"
"Mm. I remember mother saying that I was supposed to have a brother but… he had to go away so father will not be gone… When mother said that a brother is someone who protects you and makes you happy, I realized that Hiroshi-san… is a brother."
"I see… Thank you for answering that question."
Chiyo wasn't really sure that she heard what she wanted to hear. But with that response, she felt strangely happy for some reason…
And it wasn't something that she wanted to feel.
"…"
Later that night when no one else is on the corridors of the castle other than patrolling guards, Chiyo walked to a certain room filled with books, charts and blueprints. She slowly walked to the bed at the middle of the room and laid on it gently, not wanting to leave visible creases on it.
"Iwasawa-sama… Hiroshi…"
It's been 6 weeks since the lord of Kiko went away to cure the disease of the old lord of Shinka and prepare for the war at Yukonami province. This absence has been properly prepared for in both the paperwork and on-site work by Chiyo and her team along with the two other ministers named Nagisa Masami and Kurogawa Toshinori.
"When will you go home…?"
She's been holding out all this time. The sadness and longing for the man who used to be so close that if she can, she'd embrace and caress all day has taken over her.
"I… I can't believe it… I said all of those pleasantries about waiting for the right time… but right now…"
As her eyes watered and formed into tears that pattered the bed, the sadness she feels is more than obvious now. Right now, she wants to see him more than ever.
But deep down, she also knows that fact… the fact that she is loving a man filled with responsibilities. So many responsibilities that it would be hard to be the one he will prioritize. But that, is something that she should be ready to accept and challenge. And one of the qualities of Chiyo that she is proud of is…
"I will be awaiting your return, Iwasawa-sama. And if I can…"
…she's someone with a ridiculous amount of perseverance.
"I want to tell you how important you are to me."
She's not one to give up on someone that she truly loves.
That, is what kind of a person Aoyama Chiyo is.
Beautiful, gentle, modest, refined, determined and talented.
But to that person, she can be more. It is only through him that the already filled roster of her qualities can bloom more.
That is how important they are to each other.
"Shimura…"
"Yes, my lord?"
"I'm starting to miss Chiyo. When she stays there until I doze off, I usually get good dreams."
"I am well aware, my lord. It's one of her many talents."
"Ahaha! I see."
That's why even though he is allowed to have more women in his heart, Hiroshi hasn't found someone else to take or join the same place as the woman who accepted all of who he is.