Chapter 71
It was the Second Daughter who reacted first. She deliberately put on an exaggerated expression, took a deep breath, and smoothed things over. “The scent?”
“Oh, yes! we just received a new batch of incense and have started using it throughout the house.” She smiled, covering her face with her fan. “What do you think, Lady Saint? Do you like the fragrance?”
Miki’s gaze seemed to flicker between the Second Daughter and Wakako.
She said softly, “Not really.”
The Second Daughter let out a playful “Oh!” and smoothly continued. “Compared to what you usually use, of course, these are just trifles… The night air is chilly, let’s not stand here any longer, or the Saint might catch a cold.”
With that, she gestured for Wakako to accompany her inside.
While Miki turned around, Wakako gave the Second Daughter a look, signaling her to remember what she had just and not to draw too close to the Saint again.
Whether the Second Daughter took it to heart was uncertain. Once they were seated again in the main hall, she wore that ever-present smile, signaling the servants to pour wine for everyone. “Come, let me offer a toast to the Saint.”
Naturally, Miki occupied the seat of honor in the hall. Her response could be described as indifferent. No matter what the Second Daughter said, she rarely replied, only occasionally nodding and graciously accepting a cup of wine when it was offered.
After a few rounds of drinks, the Second Daughter clapped her hands and called for the servants to bring in the candidates for tonight’s selection.
Senryu, who had previously served the Saint, had gone through her presentation and was no longer suitable to remain in close proximity. Therefore, they needed to find a clever and obedient replacement to attend to the Saint.
The first round of candidates hadn’t gone well, and failing again this time would be a disgrace to the Kitagawa clan. So this time, the Second Daughter had put in significant effort to ensure satisfaction.
The doors of the main hall were open, revealing rows of young girls standing neatly outside. All were respectfully bowing their heads, exuding an air of obedience.
The Second Daughter smiled. “I’ll have them step forward one by one for the Saint to inspect.”
Miki didn’t object.
“I’ve been sitting for too long, my legs feel a bit numb,” she said. “Lady Kitagawa, could you lend me a hand?”
There were several servants in the hall, the Saint specifically named Wakako. Though etiquette permitted it, Wakako felt an inexplicable pang of guilt under Miki’s calm gaze.
The Second Daughter had lied earlier. There was no new incense in the residence, so naturally, it wasn’t the scent that Miki had detected.
Had Miki really smelled something?
No, that wasn’t something she should be concerned about. They had made things clear between them long ago, and it was common knowledge that she was to marry Miki. Even if Miki had noticed, there was nothing to fear.
Wakako knew she shouldn’t get too close to the Saint anymore. There were already rumors circulating, and if anything else spread tonight, it would only add fuel to the fire.
She hesitated for a moment, but the Second Daughter gave her a reassuring look, implying that she would keep the Kitagawa servants’ mouths shut.
In the end, Wakako silently stepped forward and supported the Saint’s arm, but her touch was extremely restrained. She only used her fingertips to lightly hold her, avoiding any contact with her palm.
A specially made gauze curtain hung in front of the hall, allowing those on both sides to see each other vaguely.
She stood with Miki behind the curtain, while the Second Daughter, outside the curtain, led the hopeful candidates forward row by row, showcasing their posture and etiquette.
Miki no longer needed her support, and Wakako subconsciously wanted to step back, but before she could lift her foot, her sleeve was caught by Miki’s little finger.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Wakako could easily pull her hand away, but she couldn’t do that. With her strength, even if she held back, it would cause Miki to fall.
In front of them stood the line of candidates, while behind them, the Kitagawa clan’s servants attended in the hall.
All eyes were on them.
Fortunately, both her black attire and the Saint’s white robe and skirt were loosely cut, and with the night breeze slipping in beneath the curtain, the fluttering of their sleeves was all that could be seen, hiding the hands beneath.
“Lady Saint…” Wakako said in a barely audible voice, “What is the meaning of this?”
Miki appeared to be gazing at the people outside, but her eyes subtly drifted towards Wakako.
“That wasn’t incense,” she murmured, her lips barely moving, the statement more of a certainty than a question. “It’s a scent lingering on you.”
She wasn’t wrong. During the day, Wakako had visited the Jin estate and lingered in Miki’s room for quite some time. It was natural for her to pick up other scents.
But… she had bathed since then. It should have all washed away.
Regardless, Wakako couldn’t let anyone discover that Miki’s hand was still holding onto her sleeve. It was one thing to help her up briefly, but if anyone saw this lingering contact, the Kitagawa clan’s servants wouldn’t be able to keep their mouths shut.
“Let go of me first,” Wakako squeezed the words through gritted teeth. “I…”
The rhythmic sound of footsteps outside continued, masking their hushed conversation.
Miki interrupted her. “It’s not Miki.”
“I recognized her scent when she returned from the Eagle Kingdom.” Her near-white pupils shimmered like glass in the moonlight, icy and cold. “So, if it’s not her, who else?”
Who else…? There was no one else.
Miki said softly, “Answer me.”
Wakako felt the grip on her sleeve tighten.
She had no doubt that if she didn’t provide a satisfactory answer, Miki would personally inspect the scent on her, right in front of everyone.
She could easily break free, yet she was constrained by her concern for Miki.
Wakako bit her lip hard. “It’s not anyone’s scent. I just bathed.”
“Let me smell.”
“No.”
“Let me smell.” Miki calmly repeated, a faint smile gracing her rose-like face. “Otherwise, I won’t let go.”
Her little finger curled tighter, almost twisting the edge of the sleeve into a knot.
Wakako had no choice but to raise her arm, bringing her wrist close to Miki’s neck, allowing her to smell. She knew this would look strange to the servants, but strange was better than being discovered.
Miki lowered her head slightly, sniffing her wrist as if appreciating a flower.
She had just bathed, using soapberries to scrub thoroughly, their herbal scent masking her natural scent entirely.
“Is this enough?” Wakako stiffly withdrew her hand, relieved. “I told you, it’s just…”
“Sanai, Angelica, Holy Wood,” Miki listed without looking up. “These are only found in the sachets and talismans from the divine temple. So, who did you get them for? Or rather, who did you hang them on?”
The herbal fragrance was not just from soapberries; the scent of the sachet she had held at the divine temple had lingered too long on her skin.
There was no hiding anything from the Saint. No one knew the items from the divine temple better than her.
The candidates outside had completed one round, and the Second Daughter’s voice came from beyond the curtain. “These girls are all quite good. Does Lady Saint have any particular preference?”
While gently pressing Wakako for answers, Miki still had the capacity to observe the etiquette of those outside. She quickly selected a few. “I haven’t seen their fighting skills yet.”
“That’s easy, we can have them spar in pairs,” the Second Daughter said with a smile. “Wakako, I’ll leave it to you to judge.”
This was a perfect opportunity to create some distance. Wakako was about to use the excuse of observing the sparring up close to slip out from behind the curtain when the Saint’s words stopped her in her tracks.
“I’ll leave it in your capable hands, Lady Wakako,” Miki said melodiously.
Then, she lowered her voice, speaking only for the two of them to hear.
“If you take another step, I’ll bite you in front of everyone.”
Bite…?
Wakako almost choked. Had Miki gone mad?
But she had long known what Miki was like. Sometimes, she could be more childish than a child.
An Alpha marks their Omega by biting, and though Miki couldn’t physically mark her in that way, she had always loved biting Wakako’s neck and breasts.
Like staking her claim.
Even though the Saint’s strength could only leave a faint mark on her neck, it made Wakako feel both pleasure and pain, like bathing in a hot spring while being silently devoured by something hidden within the water.
One bite, then another, until her body was covered in red marks. Only then would Miki stop.
She would always lean against Wakako’s neck afterward, gently caressing the marks she left behind, her eyes lazy as she asked, “Am I the only one who can make you feel this kind of pain?”
Wakako would turn her head away without answering, and Miki would patiently wait for her to yield, using every method until Wakako finally gave in and said, “Yes.”
“Do you like it?”
“…Yes.”
“Who do you like?”
“…Miki.”
Such simple words, yet they would always light up Miki’s eyes. Then she would wrap herself around Wakako, rubbing her cheek affectionately against hers before dropping a soft kiss.
Those words weren’t spoken to please Miki. Wakako truly did like it.
She liked the pain, liked being controlled, and liked being held and kissed by Miki.
But those days were long gone. They shouldn’t be like this anymore.
Wakako’s feet stayed rooted to the spot as the girls outside sparred one by one. Her gaze was on them, but her mind was elsewhere.
Miki stood beside her, seemingly dejected. “Is it Miki or someone else?”
Wakako didn’t know how to answer. In her eyes, there was no difference between the two.
Because anyone besides Miki was “someone else.”
In the end, Wakako told the truth. “It’s Miki. She hasn’t been well lately, and Lady Jin asked me to help.”
“I didn’t smell her scent.”
“The smell of medicine in her room was too strong, it masked it.”
“You helped in her bedroom?”
“I just hung the sachet from the divine temple on her bed curtains…”
Wakako subconsciously responded to Miki’s questions, and it wasn’t until a moment later that she realized she didn’t have to explain herself. In fact, it would even be better if Miki misunderstood.
She wanted to say that she and Miki were in love, but the words wouldn’t come out.
Maybe she just wasn’t born to be a good liar.
The sparring matches continued outside, but Miki remained silent. Wakako assumed that Miki was finally disappointed enough to let things go, and she gradually began to relax.
The final few victors bowed from beyond the curtain, awaiting the Saint’s final decision. The Second Daughter then suggested that they lift the curtain to allow the Saint a closer look.
Wakako was about to use the opportunity of the curtain being lifted to slip away, but before her hand could reach out, she heard Miki say from behind, “Little Waka.”
It had been a long time since she had heard that nickname.
She turned her head slightly, and the Saint, as if seeing through her thoughts, asked expressionlessly, word by word:
“Did you, even for a moment, mistake her for me?”
Wakako didn’t dare to linger any longer and fled in a panic.
Because the truth was, there was a moment. When Miki had lifted the curtain and looked at her with that soft glance, the faint scent of cherries in the air—Wakako had, for just a split second, thought it was Miki.
Calling out Miki’s name, she was, in fact, calling out to the Saint.
