Noticing that things were deviating from his expectations, Sasaki straightened his back and slowly widened his eyes.
According to his thinking, after hearing his words, the old man should nonchalantly brush off the matter.
After all, compared to Sasaki's current situation, the Miyajima family could be considered a prominent household.
And so, it seemed impossible for the family to allow their precious granddaughter to become a concubine.
It was true that the two families had a good relationship in the past, but compared to the now declining Sasaki family, the Miyajima family was thriving and prosperous.
Even if the relationship between the two families was so close that these issues could be ignored, they should at least strive for the position of the primary wife.
However, from Miyajima Kiichiro's attitude, it seemed he didn't care about these things.
Sasaki couldn't figure out why the old man would make such a choice, but he believed it was related to the reason the two families had cut ties in the past.
When the old man talked about how close the two families were, he didn't mention why they suddenly lost contact.
But seeing his current indifferent attitude towards the decline of the Sasaki family and not minding his precious granddaughter becoming a concubine, Sasaki couldn't help but speculate that the reason for the break might have been something to do with the Miyajima family.
Given Miyajima Sosuke's marriage into the family, could it be that, at the time, the Miyajima family, lacking a grandson, wanted someone from the Sasaki family to marry in, and the Sasaki family refused, leading to a fallout?
Sasaki's subconscious brainstorming didn't affect the shock of the others present.
Before Sasaki could promise to treat Miyajima Sakura well, Miyajima Sosuke, realizing his beloved daughter was to be a concubine, slapped the table and stood up.
"No, absolutely not. We can't let Sakura be treated so unfairly. I disagree!"
Miyajima Sosuke's normally stern and serious face was now filled with incredulous anger.
Faced with his father's decision, he, who usually dared not contradict him, opposed for the first time in a hurried voice.
"Father-in-law, is he from some prestigious family? Why do we need to..."
"Shut up! This is not your place to speak."
Miyajima Kichiro, who had always disapproved of Sosuke, interrupted him with a wave of his hand, not caring that Sasaki was present, and continued to rebuke him sharply:
"You have time to contradict me but no time to handle your wife and give me a grandson."
"You managed to get Tsubaki pregnant back then, but now you can't do it again. What are you good for? If it weren't for you..."
"Alright, alright, Father. Fuyumi is still here, let's not bring up the past anymore."
Hastily pushing her blushing husband, who dared not retort any further, out the door, Miyajima Tsubaki, fearing her father might bring up old issues that would make Sasaki prejudiced against Sakura, quickly patted her father's back, smoothing over his words.
Knowing his identity, she already felt guilty for having introduced them, thinking Sakura was interacting with Sasaki to make up for her past mistakes.
Under such circumstances, she naturally didn't want Sasaki to know about past events, fearing he might develop a different opinion of Sakura and reject her.
This was also why she deliberately blurred the details of their family severance when explaining the family relationship to Sasaki.
.
.
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Chapter 90: Is That What You Call Liking? That's...
After calming her father, Miyajima Tsubaki, dressed in black and white kendo attire with a gentle expression, knelt beside and spoke to Sasaki with a bitter smile:
"Sorry for letting Fuyumi see such a joke."
Knowing it was best to pretend he knew nothing, Sasaki merely smiled without speaking.
Afraid her father might say something inappropriate again, Miyajima Tsubaki turned to the still embarrassed Miyajima Sakura and said:
"Sakura, take Fuyumi somewhere else for a walk. I'll call you at mealtime."
"Yes, Mother."
Sitting upright, her body suddenly tensed, Miyajima Sakura, snapping out of her shyness, respectfully replied, then smiled at Sasaki:
"Sasaki...kun, come with me."
Seeing her blushing yet pretending to be calm, Sasaki smiled and nodded.
After greeting the still frowning Miyajima Kichiro and the softly speaking Tsubaki, Sasaki stood up and followed.
The slightly hot breeze of the nearing noon blew through the lush green bamboo leaves, creating a soothing rustling sound.
Walking along the corridor to the courtyard, letting the bamboo-scented breeze brush through their hair, the atmosphere between the two grew increasingly tender in the silence.
As the increasingly sweet and mature Sasaki awaited the brewing tenderness between them, he felt an occasional light tickle on her ankle and instinctively glanced down.
Her black skirt, fluttering like the ripples in a pond stirred by the breeze, revealed the contours of her round legs while, like a cat's swaying tail, it kept brushing against his ankle and heartstrings.
Feeling the tingling and numbness in his heart, and thinking that the time had come, Sasaki lowered his head and slightly tilted his neck, thus attracting the attention of Miyajima Sakura beside him.
Looking at the hem of her skirt fluttering in the wind and constantly brushing against Sasaki's ankles and calves, Miyajima Sakura subconsciously stretched out her snow-white little hand, wanting to pull back the naughty corner of her skirt.
But before she could grab it, coincidentally, Sasaki also reached out at the same time.
A martial artist's hands are seldom smooth, let alone Miyajima Sakura's, who had held a sword since childhood.
Feeling the slightly calloused yet still soft hand in his palm, Sasaki, to show he didn't mind, gently squeezed the hand trying to pull away.
And just as he did so, like a cat pacified with a treat, the hand instantly calmed down.
And it was that lack of resistance that gave Sasaki more audacious thoughts.
He turned his head to look at her, her face as smooth and tender as a freshly peeled boiled egg, showing no signs of disgust or displeasure except for a faint pink blush like March peach blossoms.
Knowing she could tolerate a bit more closeness, Sasaki began to subtly close the distance between them as they walked slowly.
He only stopped when he could feel her softness through their clothes at their arms.
Knowing that any further movement might backfire, Sasaki made no other actions until they were halfway down the corridor.
Once she got accustomed to their close walking style, Sasaki gently and slowly intertwined his fingers with hers.
Feeling the warm and slightly damp sensation from her palm, Sasaki realized that she was not as calm as she appeared and knew it was time to speak; otherwise, the long-brewing intimacy might turn into awkwardness.
"Miyajima-san, I'm sorry."
The slightly hesitant but apologetic soft voice dispelled Sakura's shyness and confusion about holding hands with a boy for the first time.
Taught by her mother from a young age not to show weakness, Miyajima Sakura maintained a composed expression, despite her shyness, with only a rosy blush on her face.
Hearing his words, she looked at Sasaki's apologetic face, puzzled as to why he was apologizing, and tilted her head in confusion:
"Sasaki-kun?"
"Because before I met you, I already had a lover."
"And..."
Looking down at their tightly clasped hands, Sasaki's voice was full of guilt and conflict.
"I still like Miyajima-san, so much... And now... I feel very sorry for you."
Sasaki knew that the old man might have done something to wrong their family, so he did not mind his granddaughter being a concubine.
But the fact that Sakura could accept it without hesitation still surprised him.
Marrying someone with a family background far inferior to hers and becoming a concubine is something an ordinary woman could never accept.
No, in the modern times, none would even accept being a second wife much less this.. .
Even though her upbringing might make her more open-minded, her decisiveness surprised Sasaki, making him think there were other reasons.
However, he was not inclined to delve too deeply into old matters.
From the little information he gathered, he knew their guilt stemmed from issues related to the previous generation's marriage.
Instead of digging into decade-old issues and causing awkwardness for the Miyajima family, it was better to work hard to win Sakura's heart.
As their only daughter, true mutual affection between them would dissolve any awkwardness or guilt.
To foster genuine feelings, they needed to open their hearts and resolve any resentment.
Despite her different upbringing making her more accepting of men having multiple wives, as a woman, it was impossible for her not to have any grievances.
So, Sasaki's first task was to clarify his stance.
He needed to express that their current situation was due to meeting too late and that he liked her too much to let go, but it felt unfair to her.
He wanted to convey a sense of regret for meeting her late and guilt for not wanting to part.
However, merely stating this might leave Sakura, who had no emotional foundation with him, at a loss for how to respond.
After all, mere words without any promises of good treatment wouldn't make it easy for her to say 'it's okay.'
So, after finishing his speech, Sasaki quickly added:
"Although I am a bit selfish and shameless to say, if you, Sakura, have any thoughts about being with me, I will treat you well, and I will work hard to convince her to accept you."
"If you feel it's too much, we can pretend to get along for a while, and then I will go to Grandpa Ichiro and tell him our personalities are incompatible..."
Not planning to let Miyajima Sakura go, Sasaki, after speaking 'with anxious anticipation,' waited 'quite nervously' for her response.
Although she currently only had a favorable impression of Sasaki, with perhaps a hint of an unknown feeling she wasn't sure was love, she didn't intend to refuse because of her mother.
Feeling his reluctance to let go, the tight grip on her hand, and his intimate use of her name,
Miyajima Sakura, for the first time, felt sweet being so directly liked and cared for by a boy.
However, her inner modesty didn't agree with her decisively responding.
Despite the marriage contract Miyajima Kichiro hadn't revealed, which made them practically engaged, the short time they'd spent together made it hard for traditionally educated Miyajima Sakura to respond as eagerly as a frivolous girl.
So she merely squeezed the large hand intertwined with hers, then covered her shy, red face with one hand, her gaze wandering as she softly said:
"Can we... try getting along for a while first?"
"Sure~"