Chapter 19 – Crying Princess ①
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For the first time in a good while, Yukishiro was drinking the milk tea brewed by Lilika in her room at the Minato residence. Nanase had told Saori that she’d come pick up Yukishiro tomorrow evening and gone back home after getting Saori’s acknowledgement.
Yukishiro had met Lilika at Yuuta’s mansion on the Yoshiwara grounds many times, but in the end, she was happy to have Lilika take care of her in her own room. Lilika kept the room clean during Yukishiro’s absence so that Yukishiro could return at any time. After thanking Lilika, Yukishiro took a rest in the room until her meeting with Saori.
Lilika was aware that Yuuta had collapsed. She had heard about it from Akari, who had participated in the class trip.
“I see. So he still hasn’t woken up, has he?”
“No, he hasn’t. All of us are worrying about him.”
Refraining from briefing Lilika on the details of Yuuta’s condition, Yukishiro left it at the fact that he was still not awake. It seemed like Suzune, the perpetrator of the past incident, would be allowed to meet with Yuuta, but Yukishiro didn’t say anything to Lilika about it.
“I’m certain Yuuta-sama is going to wake up soon. And I believe he will be delighted if you can resolve the issues over here until then.”
“You’re right. …You know, Lilika-san, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”
“Oh, what might that be?”
“Mother has been attending the Holy Night Festival every year, right?”
“Yes.”
“Ena-san…did so as well, didn’t she?”
“My mother? I have heard so, yes.”
Apparently, Lilika also heard that Saori and Ena were attending that festival.
“Lilika-sana, this might sound like a strange request, but could you ask Kayane-ane-sama about this as well?”
“My older sister? You just want me to ask her whether my mother attended the Holy Night Festival together with Saori-sama, correct?”
“Yes, please.”
Kayane was Ena’s firstborn daughter and had inherited the family from Ena. Lilika was the second oldest, being two years younger than Kayane. Yukishiro suspected that Kayane would very likely participate in tomorrow’s conference as well.
Four years ago, when Ena passed away at the young age of forty, Kayane was still only twenty. Back then, it caused Kayane a lot of hardship, as she had to hold back from marrying the man she had continued to interact with, even though the wedding was already on the horizon. In the four years since then, Kayane had become a mother of two daughters.
Although the time right after succeeding the family was the hardest for Kayane, she never called Lilika back home. After all, she was well aware that Lilika preferred to stay by Yukishiro’s side over being a member of a high family. As such, she told Lilika to support Yukishiro and the Minatos instead of her home.
The relationship between the two sisters was good, and thus Lilika had no problem contacting Kayane right away.
“Ah, Kayane-sama, it’s me, Lilika. Yes…yes… Yukishiro-sama is with me right now. Yes…she has returned to her room at the Minato residence.”
Kayane used Lilika’s call to find out more about Yukishiro’s condition. It seemed like she was going to participate in tomorrow’s conference after all.
“Dear Sister, I called you because there is something I would like to ask. While alive, Mother…she participated in the Holy Night Festival together with Saori-sama, right?”
Kayane’s response to the question was the same as Lilika’s. When asked why she was asking her that, Lilika explained that Yukishiro had requested it.
“Eh? U-Understood. We will be waiting then.”
Once Kayane hung up, Lilika told Yukishiro with surprise written all over her face, “My sister…said she’s going to ask our father.”
“Your father!?”
“Yes… When my mother passed away, my sister was still unmarried. She had no opportunity to attend the Holy Night Festival with our mother. She also heard that Mother went to the festival together with Saori-sama, but it’s not like she could confirm it herself.”
“I see.”
“When I told her that you raised the question, she said she would ask our father since only he knows the truth.”
The Holy Night Festival was only attended by married couples or lovers. If Ena went out to participate in the festival, her husband should have heard something about it.
“Ah.”
Lilika’s smartphone rang. Upon seeing the caller’s name, she immediately picked up.
“H-Hello, Lilika speaking! F-Father!?”
Within less than ten minutes after finishing the call with Kayane, her father had called Lilika.
“Yes…yes…I see…yes…u-understood.”
Lilika held out the smartphone in front of Yukishiro.
“Yukishiro-sama, my father wishes to speak with you.”
“……Okay,” answered Yukishiro and accepted the phone. “Hello, Yukishiro speaking. It is a pleasure to be allowed to speak with you again after such a long time, Haruto-sama.”
Haruto Souma, Ena’s husband and thus Lilika’s father. He was 44, the same age Ena would have been right now if she were still alive.
『It has really been quite a while. I have heard a little bit about the recent events from Kayane. It made me worry』
“Please accept my apology for having troubled and worried you.”
『You don’t need to mind it. I’m fine. Now then, you asked whether Ena attended the Holy Night Festival together with Saori-san, didn’t you?』
“Yes.”
『The fact of you asking this question means you’re harboring doubts, correct?』
“Yes. Recently, Nanase-sama of the Yoshiwaras has been so kind to shelter me. During one of our conversations, Nanase-sama mentioned that she never saw my mother at the festival.”
『I see. It only makes sense if you have talked to Nanase-san of the Yoshiwaras about this』
“So my mother hasn’t attended the festival?”
『Correct. Saori-san hasn’t gone to the festival. And neither did Ena』
“Okay, why did they tell us that they went to the festival then? And where did they actually go on the days of the festival?”
『If Ena were still alive, I wouldn’t know how to answer this. But Ena isn’t among us anymore, so I’ll tell you what I know』
“Thank you.”
『Every year on the day of the festival, I would get into a car and head to a place close to the venue. There I’d get into a car together with Ena. Saori-san…would wait inside the car by herself』
“She waited? Umm…for Father?”
『Indeed. She would wait for Hiroto-kun』
Hiroto Mochizuki was Saori’s husband’s name. He was five years older than Saori, making him forty-one this year.
『But you see, Hiroto-kun never appeared. Not even once』
“Did my father refuse to participate in the festival?”
『That’s something I can’t tell. Ena never told me. Every year, she’d apologize while crying, and, thinking there might be some complicated circumstances behind it, I never tried to probe further. Because of that, I still don’t know the truth either』
Haruto had two wives besides Ena. He also had several lovers. After Ena passed away, he tried to attend the festival with his other wives and lovers, but never felt like going there, and so he stayed absent. For this reason, he didn’t know what Saori had been doing on the day of the Holy Night Festival for the last four years.
“I heard from Ena-san that the relationship between Mother and Father hadn’t been good, but neither bad. I heard it was normal. Did you hear something about this, Haruto-sama?”
『No, nothing. Ena didn’t tell me much, if anything, about Saori-san and Hiroto-kun』
Yukishiro guessed that Ena wasn’t the type of person who would tattle about the mistress she was serving, even if the other party was her husband.
“I understand… Thank you very much for telling me everything you know.”
『I’ve heard that you’ve been going through quite a few hardships. Things have calmed down a bit for Kayane, so if anything is giving you trouble, feel free to rely on her』
“Okay, thank you once again.”
『Could you put Lilika back on?』
“Of course.”
Lilika received the phone from Yukishiro and talked with her father for a while.
Mother had been waiting for Father at the festival venue. But Father never showed up.
The previous head of the Minato family had spun an imaginary love story and asked Hiroto to act it out. Yukishiro had no memories of being with her father, but those around her had told her he was a calm, gentle man. And although she couldn’t meet him, Yukishiro had believed what she was told about her father. This was the very reason she was so disappointed with the boys she met during her first exchange meeting as a sixth grader at elementary school. Those boys were rude and wild, entirely unlike the father she never met but who was supposed to be kind.
Did I get naturally healed so much by Yuuta-sama’s voice because it contained the kindness I sought? Yuuta-sama embodied the illusion I had selfishly created from the story about my 『gentle father』 whom I never met. Maybe this is why I have been charmed so strongly by Yuuta, Yukishiro mused. What sort of man is my father in reality, though? Mother is…
As she let her thoughts wander, someone knocked on the door.
“Yukishiro-sama, please come with me to the Mistress’s room.”
The time for Yukishiro’s conversation with Saori had arrived at long last.
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———— End of Part 1 ————
Yukishiro arrived in front of Saori’s room with Lilika. Lilika would wait for her out here.
Yukishiro knocked on the door, “Mother, it’s me, Yukishiro.”
“Enter.”
After casting a smile at Lilika, Yukishiro went inside. This room held many memories for her. Good and bad ones. The floor was covered by tatami mats. Two low chairs had been prepared, placed on either side of a small table. Saori sat on the chair right opposite the door.
“Take a seat.”
“As you wish,” answered Yukishiro and sat down in front of Saori.
As soon as her daughter was seated, Saori immediately broached the main topic of today’s discussion, “Yukishiro-san, you will be made the next family head of the Minatos as the second wife of Yuuta-sama. The joint venture with the Yoshiwaras will…”
This was no talk between mother and daughter. It was a preparatory meeting on how to get the heads of the high families supporting the Minatos to accept the next Minato family head as Yuuta’s second wife. Saori, indifferently, briefed Yukishiro on the important points and gave her a simple rundown of the events and discussions up to now.
However, to Yukishiro, her mother looked different from the Saori she knew. Even after losing Ena, Saori had laudably served as head of the Eternal Minato. But, Saori, as she was in front of her right now, was different in some way.
“That’s all. Do you have any questions?”
“…Mother.”
Hearing Yukishiro’s tone, Saori finally looked at her daughter’s face. Up until this point, Saori had talked one-sidedly without even trying to make eye contact with Yukishiro.
“Mother, are you willing to accept me becoming Yuuta-sama’s second wife?”
“I told you I would do so at the very beginning. Besides…since you have already bonded with Yuuta-sama, I doubt I have any choice in the matter. After all, it will be impossible for Iori-san.”
“Okay, then, please allow me to rephrase my question. Will you give your daughter’s marriage your blessing as a mother?”
Saori poured strength into the grip of her fan in response to Yukishiro’s question.
“…Is my blessing necessary? Are you asking for your mother’s blessing after having entered a relationship with Yuuta-sama on your own accord?”
“Please forgive me for having entered the relationship without consulting you about it. But I made up my mind on this after becoming honest with my feelings. If I have to offer my body to a man arbitrarily decided by you, I would like to at least sleep with a man of my choice.”
The creaking of Saori’s fan grew louder. Yukishiro had become Yuuta’s lover without talking about it with Saori, her mother and family head, and even slept with him. The reason Yukishiro took such action was to be found with Saori. Hence, if she blamed Yukishiro for having selfishly slept with Yuuta, Yukishiro could rightfully answer that Saori had selfishly tried to marry her to a man Yukishiro didn’t even know. Just like Saori’s mother had done to her.
“Mother…I truly fell in love with Yuuta-sama. Whenever I heard Yuuta-sama’s voice…the ideal version of a gentle man in my heart became reality.”
“Are you telling me that you let your heart go out to Yuuta-sama even during the time when you were still interacting with Takuya-sama?”
“If I’m true to my feelings, I must answer yes. However, during my relationship with Takuya-sama, I shut away my feelings towards Yuuta-sama. It would be completely wrong to say that I kept interacting with Takuya-sama while being in love with Yuuta-sama. Back then, I genuinely offered my heart to Takuya-sama to deepen our relationship.”
“So you say, as a result of that, your direct affiliation with Takuya-sama was canceled, and you chose to become the second wife of the guy who took the Yoshiwara girl as his first wife, right? Do you have any idea just how hard it was to lay the groundwork for the heads of the high families supporting us, Minatos, to accept this whole situation!?”
“You have my deepest gratitude for working so hard on making it possible. But, above all else, I wish to receive your blessing, Mother.”
Saori was only growing more irritated by her daughter’s straightforward, honest look.
“Yuuta-sama…answered my feelings for him. Mother…please, won’t you find it in you to bless your daughter marrying someone out of love?”
“……”
Saori should have wished for her daughter to achieve what she couldn’t. She should have happily watched Iori being overjoyed about her relationship with Katsuya.
“Yuuta-sama will be taking Aoi-san of the Yoshiwaras as his first wife. Thus, I feel deeply sorry that I won’t be able to save the family’s face, since the next head of the Minatos will be his second wife. But we have joined together in love. Even if this is something unforgivable for a Minato family head, won’t you at least give it your blessing as my mother?”
“……”
Even if Saori selfishly hated Nanase and the Yoshiwaras, her daughter Yukishiro had become the girlfriend of the man she loved. Yukishiro had accomplished what Saori had wished for.
“Excuse me,” a voice could be heard from the other side of the door, while the room was dominated by a heavy atmosphere.
A woman opened the door and entered, carrying a tray of teacups. She placed the two cups on the table.
“Ah…”
“Thanks for always taking care of Akari.”
“No, no, it is I who should be thanking you… Akari-san is always helping me out.”
The woman, who brought the tea, was Akari’s mother.
“I have had the honor to serve at the Minato main residence since July.”
“Oh, I understand…”
“Please drink the tea while it is still hot. I made it, using the tea leaves which Ena-san loved so much.”
“Okay.”
“Please excuse me then.”
Akari’s mother bowed to Yukishiro and Saori before leaving the room, sporting a gentle smile. Only then did Saori and Yukishiro realize that they had started to talk without even waiting for the tea to be brought in. Yukishiro was more than certain that Akari’s mother had waited outside all this time, missing the cue to carry in the tea at the beginning.
Saori took a sip of the tea and then, completely different from before, said to Yukishiro with a lifeless, tired voice, “Take the seat of family headship…right after marrying Yuuta-sama.”
“Wh-!?”
Saori was basically saying that she would yield the position of family head to Yukishiro next year. That was way too fast. Once she married Yuuta, Yukishiro was expected to bear his children. Moreover, that would only happen after she turned twenty. It was foreseeable that it’d take several years for the child-rearing to stabilize somewhat.
Saori had been twenty-seven when she became the family head. And even that was fairly early, compared to other families. However, in Saori’s case, this was also owed to her mother making it match with Nanase taking over the family headship of the Yoshiwaras.
“Yuuta-sama will likely dislike visiting the Minato residence with me being here. Once you become the family head, I will take Iori-san with me, and we’ll move to another villa. As for your duties as family head, I will assist you until your child-rearing becomes easier.”
“Yuuta-sama does not dislike you, Mother! He even told me that he wishes to build an amicable relationship with you!”
Saori had been a proper head of the Minato family. Even if Yukishiro married Yuuta, there would be absolutely no problem with her continuing as family head. As such, there should be no reason why she had to make Yukishiro the family head ahead of time.
“I’m……exhausted.”
“Huh?”
“I’m worn out from being the family head of the Minatos.”
“Mother…”
This was the source of the uncomfortable feeling Yukishiro had sensed after entering the room. Saori’s state had been weird in some way.
“Mother…what happened?”
“……”
Instead of answering Yukishiro, Saori told her…
“We’re done here. You’re dismissed.”
Their discussion had been aborted before the tea Akari’s mother had brought in could even cool off.
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