Chapter 63
Wakako didn’t waste much time at the medical clinic. After showing her mercenary token, she quickly obtained the medicine. After that, she headed straight to Miki’s family estate, the residence of the Jin clan.
The Jin clan were low-ranking nobles, their influence had waned considerably, and their family line was not prosperous. Of the younger generation, only Miki showed any promise, but even her talents alone weren’t enough to revive the entire family.
In addition, Queen Consort Qinghe was also from the Jin clan. Initially she had been a consort of the Crown Princess. Only after Miki’s “death” and the automatic annulment of the engagement did she become Queen Consort.
Such a golden opportunity, coupled with the strong bond between the Queen Consort and the reigning Queen, would have elevated any other family to the ranks of first-class nobility. Yet, the Jin clan continued to decline, unable to shake off their air of decay.
Initially, the Jin clan didn’t want Miki to marry Wakako. They had high hopes for Miki, wishing her to use her status as a mercenary to marry into another noble family, bringing benefits to the Jin clan. However, the Queen Consort didn’t arrange the marriage as they had hoped, instead choosing Wakako, a mercenary from the Kitagawa merchant family.
Even a declining noble house still possessed noble status, with pride far surpassing that of common people, and they looked down on merchant families like the Kitagawas. However, Wakako had military achievements to her name, and there was a possibility she might be granted nobility in the future. Considering this, they finally accepted the marriage.
But now, with Miki’s situation, their perspective had changed—thankfully, the other party wasn’t nobility. If it had been a young master or lady from a noble family, they would likely have felt deeply humiliated and made the matter known throughout the city, let alone helped to conceal it.
When Wakako visited the Jin residence, she was greeted by Miki’s mother. She appeared dignified and graceful, around forty years old, with the typical hairstyle of a noblewoman, adorned with small pearl ornaments at her forehead.
“Lady Kitagawa,” she smiled politely, with a hint of shame in her eyes. “I apologize for troubling you with my daughter’s matter…”
Given the circumstances, both Miki and her mother had been overcome with worry. Wakako, not wishing to cause further distress, kept her response brief. “It’s no trouble at all.”
She handed the medicine to the Jin clan’s servant, saying. “This should be enough. Please have a look, madam.”
Upon seeing the abortifacient herbs, Lady Jin’s face finally relaxed a little. She bowed deeply, “Lady Kitagawa, the Jin clan will be eternally grateful for your kindness.”
She paused, then continued earnestly, ” The gifts you sent earlier were truly exceptional, and we’ve stored them with great care. However, you have important duties to attend to. If you were to delay your work to concern yourself with wedding arrangements, it would be our failing. Please rest assured, we will handle everything and send you a detailed report for your review.”
Gifts?
Wakako hesitated for a moment. Before a wedding, it was customary for both families to exchange gifts, and the Second Daughter had prepared some on her behalf, but it was far too early for those to have been sent.
She pondered for a moment, “I hadn’t paid much attention to how many gifts were sent. Could I take a look, madam?”
Lady Jin personally led her to the storeroom. When the door was unlocked, Wakako saw boxes upon boxes of items, a dazzling array far beyond the means of a declining noble house like the Jin clan.
Wakako recognized some items as the Second Daughter’s doing, but others were excessively luxurious, their quality rivaling even royal possessions. No wonder Lady Jin had spoken as she did earlier; she must have feared that such opulence might attract unwanted attention and be deemed inappropriate.
She crouched down and casually picked up a pearl necklace, which gleamed brilliantly between her fingers.
This is…
Seeing Wakako staring at it for so long, Lady Jin thought something was wrong. “My lady? Is something wrong?” she asked softly.
“No,” Wakako replied, clutching the necklace in her palm and rising calmly. She then bid farewell to Lady Jin. “I have some matters to attend to, so I won’t disturb you further. If there’s anything else I can do, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”
She rode her horse back from the Jin residence. Along the way, she noticed flower buds adorning the tree branches. Many people had come to enjoy the spring scenery, walking in groups and chatting cheerfully.
But Wakako’s mind was preoccupied with the items she had seen in the storeroom.
She thought she was seeing things until she noticed the pearl necklace—an item belonging to the Saint, something Miki used to wear when she was with the Saionji clan.
After the fall of the Saionji clan, those belongings became royal property. Presumably, they were returned to Miki after her reappearance.
In a blink of an eye, Wakako could vividly picture the scene in the Saint’s small courtyard from years ago.
A young Miki sat before a mirror, trying on various accessories, turning to ask Wakako, “Which one suits me best?”
Even a sixteen-year-old Saint couldn’t escape the innate desire to look beautiful—perhaps even more so than others. While other noble sons and daughters had dedicated servants to perfect their appearance, Miki was confined to plain white robes, with only Wakako—who knew little about fashion—by her side.
Every time, Wakako would answer, “They all look good on you.”
And she meant it. Miki was so beautiful that whether she was dressed up or not, she was always a sight to behold.
But Miki would always glance at her, shake her head, and say she didn’t believe her, “There’s always something that suits me better.”
To Wakako, all the accessories looked the same. She could never pick one, so she came up with an idea—to give Miki something special.
She saved money for quite some time and commissioned a delicate white pearl necklace from a shop in town. It was simple yet elegant, perfect for Miki.
It cost Wakako a considerable sum, but it was still far less valuable than the accessories the Saint usually wore. Feeling it was too humble, Wakako kept it hidden close to her heart, too embarrassed to present it. However, she accidentally dropped it in front of Miki one day.
That night, Miki tied the necklace around her wrist. Her eyes sparkled like starlight as she made Wakako dance all evening, the pearls swaying with her movements.
From then on, it became the Saint’s most cherished possession, yet now it was being given away as a wedding gift to the Jin clan.
When Wakako returned to the Kitagawa estate, Senryu had already left, but the intermittent sounds of the koto still lingered in the courtyard.
She gently knocked on the door and saw Miki inside, leaning over to tune her koto. Miki barely looked up when she entered.
Wakako remained silent for a moment. “Did you send the wedding gifts to the Jin clan?”
The white pearl necklace lay quietly in her palm.
“Yes,” Miki replied, her expression unreadable. “I see you’ve just returned from the Jin residence.”
Wakako opened her mouth to speak, then moved closer, holding out her hand next to Miki. “Please, take it back.”
Miki lowered her gaze slightly, continuing to tune the seventeen-string koto without even glancing at the necklace.
“Wakako,” she said calmly, “Do I lack for pearl necklaces? When I accepted it back then, was it because of its value?”
Of course, she didn’t lack jewelry, nor was this piece particularly valuable.
The Saint accepted it only because it was a gift from Wakako.
Miki continued indifferently, “Now that you’re about to be married, it’s better for your wife to keep it.”
“…” Wakako pursed her lips. “Once it’s given, there’s no reason to take it back.”
She stubbornly held out the necklace again.
Miki stared at her arm and suddenly chuckled. “Wakako, if you’ve decided to get married, stop doing things that send mixed signals. I’ve already passed the token on to someone else, and now you want to take it back and return it to me. What exactly are you trying to say?”
“I…”
Miki’s gaze seemed to pierce through her. “You say with your lips that it’s over, that you won’t let me touch you, but you keep coming closer.”
She sighed softly.
“Wakako, are you deliberately trying to drive me mad?”
Drive Miki… mad?
“Does it make you happy, watching me lose my mind, desperate to keep you close?” she said, her voice sharp with bitterness. “You’ve been calling yourself my dog since you were thirteen. Isn’t this exactly what you love most—seeing your master jealous and losing her mind over you?”
“I…”
Miki’s words struck Wakako like a bolt of lightning, leaving her momentarily stunned.
Could it be? Had she, deep down, always harbored this desire?
Could it be that without realizing it, everything she had done was to push Miki to the brink of madness for her Miki?
***
At the same time, Senryu, cloaked in a hooded cape, knocked on the gate of the Jin residence.
A servant came to open the door. Upon learning the visitor’s purpose, he was slightly surprised. “The Kitagawa clan? Didn’t Lady Kitagawa come earlier today?”
Despite his surprise, he couldn’t turn the visitor away. He summoned another servant to fetch Lady Jin and led Senryu inside.
Lady Jin was also taken aback by her arrival. “May I ask who this is…”
“My name is Senryu, I’m a servant attending to the Saint,” Senryu bowed gracefully, revealing the brown collar of her attire beneath the cloak, a color exclusive to those serving the Saint. “I’ve come to deliver some items on behalf of the Saint.”
Though the Jin clan had fallen on hard times, they were well aware that the Saint had once been Wakako’s former master. Moreover, the Saint was to officiate the wedding between Wakako and Miki, so delivering something to the Jin clan wasn’t out of the ordinary.
“Thank you for making the trip, Lady Senryu,” Lady Jin said. “But…” She glanced behind Senryu, puzzled, as she saw no one accompanying her or carrying anything. “What gifts are you referring to?”
Senryu replied, “It’s a letter from the Saint to Lady Miki.”
Lady Jin’s expression suddenly shifted. Her eyes darted around before she forced a smile. “I wasn’t aware that my daughter had a personal connection with the Saint. This is truly an honor for the Jin clan. However, Miki has been unwell these past few days and has retired early. Please entrust the letter to me, Lady Senryu, I’ll see that she replies as soon as she awakens.”
Despite Lady Jin’s outstretched hand, Senryu simply repeated, “This is a letter from the Saint to Lady Miki, to be opened by her personally.”
The matter of Miki’s pregnancy was a closely guarded secret, and while asking Wakako for help in concealing it was one thing, if the Saint were to find out, it would ruin the Jin clan’s reputation.
A cold sweat broke out on Lady Jin’s back. Although the young woman before her was merely a servant, she represented the Saint, and Lady Jin had no grounds to refuse her request.
She had no choice but to lead Senryu towards Miki’s chambers.
“Miki has been ill these past few days, and her room is filled with the smell of medicine,” Lady Jin explained. “I hope you don’t mind.”
The smell of medicine was indeed as strong as she had described, pungent even from outside the courtyard. Senryu didn’t even flinch as she gently knocked on the door.
Two servants welcomed them inside. Miki appeared to be resting in bed, but the bed was enveloped in layers of gauze curtains, obscuring everything within, leaving only a faint silhouette visible.
Lady Jin spoke first. “Miki, the Saint has written you a letter and sent someone to deliver it.”
Miki wearily sat up in bed. The Saint? Why would the Saint write her a letter?
“This is the Saint’s servant, Lady Senryu.”
Miki looked towards the entrance and saw a vaguely familiar figure bowing to her. “Lady Miki.”
Even the voice sounded familiar.
“Please accept this letter, Lady Miki.”
Miki extended a hand, reaching beyond the layers of curtains. Moments later, a thin letter landed in her hand, the touch of fingertips bringing a hint of warmth.
A breeze stirred outside, and for a fleeting moment, Miki caught a glimpse of Senryu’s eyes through a gap in the curtains. Her expression changed drastically.
Miki’s voice was barely audible, but her words were laced with gritted teeth:
“It’s you.”
The servants at the door didn’t understand the meaning of her words, but as her mother, how could Lady Jin fail to grasp the situation?
So it was her…
Lady Jin stood frozen for a moment, then her face darkened. Just as she was about to order the servants to leave, Miki spoke again. “Mother, please leave me to speak with this lady in private.”
As she said this, her left hand slid from beneath the pillow, tightly gripping a short dagger, its blade glinting with cold light.
Authors note:
That’s right—Senryu is really the other mother of Miki’s child, and there were actually some readers who correctly predicted this twist early on. The author is very mindful of the story’s logic, so this character development wasn’t random; every move leading up to this revelation was carefully laid out.
It seems like there were some misinterpretations earlier, so let’s clear things up today.
Chapter 41: Wakako heard that Senryu was feeling lonely in the royal palace and casually recommended her to visit the mercenary training grounds to meet new people.
Chapter 49: Miki described the person who got her pregnant—”A girl, not very old, with nothing particularly remarkable about her appearance.”
Chapter 51: Tsukiyo didn’t like the Saint and hadn’t interacted much with her, yet she knew Senryu by name. This was because they had already met at the training grounds, thanks to Wakako’s introduction.
Chapter 53: Even though Senryu had always served the Saint, the Saint suddenly needed to choose a new attendant.
Chapter 62: Wakako noticed that Senryu had changed after a long absence, though she didn’t realize what the difference was.
