Within A Grey Twilight 47 Chapter Forty-Six: A Set Of Cards

She reached the destination after a long while. All she had was a day of rest. That was how much time she had to herself before coming back out again. It was an exhausting tireless experience to prepare for today. Getting up early just so she could be in her best dress. And one which required an endless amount of sitting still.

And getting herself dressed in nearly seven layers. Because winter had finally come and to guard her against the chill this had been the best option. To the point that it was almost difficult for her to lift her hands. But she knew there were far worse, court dress had been twelve layers. To her, that seemed like an excessive waste of cloth.

The Shogunate did not find the need to follow such customs and often set themselves as different. Hence they normally cut down on this. On summer days it will have been around three to four. Even as she was holding herself back from deciding to throw one of them away. These were expensive, each layer could feed a peasant family for years. And they meant a lot of money.

Then again, she could have been asked to put on an excessive amount of jewelry. She had only worn hairpins, but out of consideration, they had let her hair down into a ponytail. But still took the chance to decorate her hair. And waiting took a long time.

At the front of the Shogun's house, which she could see had been a palace. It was one but filled with old designs maintained well. It gave it a sense of elegance that had no rival, no matter how lavish or flamboyant. This had been simple, but at the same time spoke of the profound history they had. To be able to spend to maintain something like this. It was to flaunt their liege.

At the front had been a young man, dressed in gold and yellow. Even as he looked out of place with it. His hair was a dark blond, as he held a fan before him. His hair had been tied into a topknot. But he didn't look Kyokuhian. From what she knew, it was the product of years of foreign marriage. It had been proof of their power and prestige, to be able to find their partners abroad. And as she knew it kept them away from the clan feuds that dominated them.

It also made them invaluable, as they were the only clan who had made marriage alliances from foreign countries. Bringing in trade and prosperity that few could deny, and few wanted to challenge. Because Kyokuhi needed them as a whole. They were a country who didn't have much of anything, most of their islands had mountains and some parts volcanoes.

Thinking about them distracted her, as she didn't notice him coming towards her. Even as Kaede opened the door. They had arranged marriages, but in most cases, the bride and groom will have met the other before they married a few times. And if they were not engaged even as an adult, they could go around looking for a bride.

The rules applied to them differently, even as she knew that they could have taken concubines but it was a fact that most did not. And despite being known as a clan so huge, they were a clan which simply let its alliances be a matter of fate. And anyone could come in as long as they were not wholly beneath their status too much.

When the palanquin set down, Kaede opened the door ready to help her to get out. At this point, even she knew that Sachiko had issues moving around on her own. But she didn't expect that he will be there as well. Even as servants remained by his side baffled.

"Don't worry, I don't need much help."

While Sachiko took the chance to mostly focus on getting up and moving. She could if she had more time, and had not spent most of the morning sitting down. Her legs were sore from all of it, and she was wobbly from a long time sitting down.

"Those are quite heavy." Before Kaede took her hand and Sachiko was able to stand. Before he decided to step back if she insisted. It was almost strange to view it in such a way. At least if they were to look at it from this side. But she was able to handle it.

"Maybe if I became your wife I will find less need to have so many layers. I have been through worse winter in less."

He chuckled. "Well, my sister is doing that as it is." From what she knew that had been their stepmother. Before finding a girl sitting in the garden, taking the chance to mostly read. She set down her book when her brother waved over. Before she stood up and came to him.

She bowed in front of her. It was expected as Miyo was far higher in status, she was the Shogun's daughter.

She was here for a tea session. But from the beginning, there was something about them that was different. They didn't seem to refer to servants, instead choosing to move on their own. And unlike others, they had not stayed in their quarters. It was most certainly unusual.

This was a simple tea session, something more private between the three of them than formal. She was almost expecting to only meet with the Shogun and simply wait for the wedding. Not meeting the heir, and his sister directly. She was never allowed the same, friends were rarely more than letters. Masaki had the same rules given to him as well.

But the Saitou clan had made powerful enemies. Although the Shogunate did have it worse.

"Call me Tatsumi." It was almost strange that he was much kinder to her than she expected,

"Miyo." She gave a smile and stood before her. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Thinking about it in such a way had brought her to think of just how strange it was. The tea house was huge, as much as in hers it was one that she never stepped foot in. It was reserved for her mother's use, above all else. As such she had stayed away from it, preferring not to have anything to do with her.

And she knew that her only experience was with her house in f.u.kusei. Everything had been set up, even as this was more than that. Tea ceremonies were a chance to chat as it will take a lot of time to complete and most knew that it could serve as a cover up for a meeting. The entire conversation could be spoken in code during the ceremony and it will not have been out of place.

It was slow, it was something private between two people. And she knew that Miyo being here was likely to remove any word of improper behavior and to prevent any loss of her honor.

Sitting down on one end of the room while they took the other. And beginning entirely.

"Do you like tea?"

"Honestly, not that much." She had never appreciated it since she never did spend a lot of time here as a child.

"Well, neither did I. Unless you counted deciding to bring a table over where I played cards and gambled with the other kids." Most notably winking to his sister, which suggested that she was complicit in it. Even as she wondered why she thought that it was strange.

"Neither did I, unless you considered picking up drinks."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea."

"Maybe we should think about replacing them with a drink."

"Well, most northern countries do it. Even to children because a little alcohol helps to keep warm." Kyokuhi didn't do it, not nearly as much. Because it wasn't nearly as cold here and neither did they have the tradition.

"Bring us some good wine." The servant nodded and decided to leave the place to get a bottle of wine.

A few minutes later was wine in a large bottle.

"The best sake there ever is." He winked at her.

"That seems a little excessive." The best wine she tasted was aged only a few decades. This was something else because it was normal that anything could change in a century. Making storing a wine for over a century highly impractical. They poured it in front of her.

She had to admit that it was good, nothing of the sort that Kaede would have brought over. "It's good, where did you get it from?"

"A brewery in Okiban it has closed down close to a decade ago. Moved away because of the changes." The changes that put their father to be the Shogun. The death of his brother and at the same time the fact that their mother was gone as a result. And he realized just what he was treading into as well.

"How about we play something?"

She figured that it could be fun. "Why not? We're having wine in the afternoon instead of a tea ceremony."

"That's true. Besides, I do think that a tea ceremony is too stuffy. You may just talk or just sit around and wait for the next part to come. If I haven't put up with enough of that when I'm with the shogunate." Miyo nodded sharing the sentiment.

"Any suggestions since I can't help you unless you count betting how much we can drink or just shogi." But that required two players.

"Mahjong?" Miyo suggested. Having the tiles on the side. "I'm pretty sure no one wants to play billiards in this. And we both play shogi with each other."

"More like cheating shogi." He snorted, clear that it was Miyo who always won.

"It's not my fault that I'm the better strategist."

"You aren't, you just spent more time playing with him." He rolled his eyes before realizing what he had just said. There was something which suggested that this was not anything they will have revealed.

She looked at him. "It's our cousin."

Not another word needed to be guessed, the missing son of the previous Shogun and nephew of the current. The boy had not been seen since his mother's death, and neither had been his siblings. It was a sore point in the shogunate as some might believe that he had something to do with it. And this was more private, something that only they could have said if they were truly in private like they were now.

"It was a slip of the tongue. Besides it's not best to speak of the dead." Even as they didn't seem to know the truth. Nothing had been said about his situation, whether he was alive or dead.

"I won't mention it. But you said that he liked playing shogi?"

"Yes, he did. It was one of the things he liked. That and chess sets. I was more keen on learning the sword and following chichue around than sitting around and learning to play that."

"I take it he liked strategies."

"He did, even though there is no trace of him." He sighed, but clear that he was missing him. There was something about him which had been honest, more open than she expected. The way that they didn't seem as though they came from the shogunate. That they were people, who had things to do.

She hesitated, Kouya had been young, a prodigious strategist of mysterious origins. He was incredibly learned for his age, to have pulled certain things off. No matter how exaggerated he was, there was an element of truth to his own abilities. The fact that he knew a lot about tactics and taking the chance.

It was a stretch. She figured that she was simply wondering so much.

Before the cards came at last. It was painted set, made specifically. Because she has seen this before, back when she was a child and playing these cards with them for the first time. Her friend who taught her how to play them. She took one of the cards, remember that the most memorable had been how the royal cards were painted.

She opened, to only find herself in surprise. It was his cards.