Yatagarasu Series
Volume 1:
Ravens Shouldn't
Wear Kimono
Author: Chisato Abe
Part 3: Autumn
Section 3
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The next day, Samomo went missing.
Asebi was visiting the Waterfall of Purification alone. Maple leaves floated on the surface of the spring below the waterfall. Large black stones lined the spring. Patches of vivid green moss decorated the stones. Maple and wild cherry trees grew thickly around the waterfall, blocking it from view. Usually, the branches of the trees would be adorned with kimonos that could be donned after purification rituals, along with accessories like hair ribbons and sashes. But now, the kimonos and accessories were gone, and the trees sported only their colored leaves.
The trees were beautiful, but Asebi didn’t spare them a second glance. She sat on one of the large rocks and sighed.
After the incident where Samomo had been caught in the Autumn Hall, Ukogi had treated Samomo with cold suspicion. Even after Samomo went missing, Ukogi seemed unbothered. “She probably can’t face us after what she did.” That was all Ukogi had said regarding Samomo and her disappearance.
The Spring Hall felt a touch more hostile with Samomo gone. Asebi had fled here for a chance to be alone in a peaceful place. This was the tenth day since Samomo had disappeared. The Yamauchishu had been sent out to search for her, but there had been no word at all. Samomo hadn’t gotten formal permission to leave the palace. Princess Fujinami and Duchess Hamayū marshaled their own resources to search for her as well.
Some people believed as Ukogi did: that Samomo had fled Sakura Palace in disgrace, unable to bear the weight of her own shame. Others thought that after she’d received Masuho no Susuki’s gorgeous kimono, she’d sold it so that she could live a life of luxury beyond the palace walls.
No one knew where Samomo had gone, or why.
In losing Samomo, Asebi had also lost her means of exchanging letters. She read over the last letter she’d received for the dozenth time as she sat on a stone by the spring. A shadow passed over the letter.
“Asebi? Is that you?” Shiratama asked.
Asebi looked up from her letter and turned slightly. “Duchess Shiratama, what brings you here?” she stood up and bowed, using the movement to slip the letter into her robe, just over her heart. “Were you looking for me? Is there something you need?”
Shiratama said nothing.
“Have I offended you? Are you upset about something? Please tell me.”
Shiratama ignored Asebi’s questions. She turned away in a huff, folding her arms. “There are many warriors in my family,” she said, not facing Asebi. “Some of them know secrets. Secrets regarding the Crown Prince’s personal affairs. One of his favorite attendants is from Hokke territory, you see.”
Asebi didn’t understand why Shiratama was telling her this. “Oh,” she said.
“I have heard that the Crown Prince often writes letters,” Shiratama continued.
“Letters?”
“Yes, many times since we entered the palace. They were delivered to Sakura Palace. Not a single one has reached me. Well, I suppose that’s not true. I received a letter of apology after he missed the Star Festival, like all the duchesses did.”
Asebi sensed that the conversation was about to take a sinister turn. “Are you saying that letters meant for the four of us somehow never arrived?” she asked.
“Yes, someone is interfering to keep them from being delivered.” Shiratama finally faced her, her eyes as sharp as icicles. “It’s you, isn’t it?”
Asebi gasped, and then slowly shook her head. “Of course not! How could you say such a thing? It’s not true at all.”
Shiratama scoffed. “Can you prove it?”
“How would I do that?”
Shiratama’s eyes were still terrifying. “I know the truth.”
“Oh? What is that truth, then?”
“You ordered Samomo—that maid who was in the imperial family’s service—to intercept all letters from the Crown Prince. Isn’t that right?”
“That’s not true! I’ve never received a letter from the Crown Prince. Ask anyone.” It made no sense for Asebi to be blamed for this. She tried to think of a way to make Shiratama understand, but she couldn’t think of anything.
Asebi’s hesitation must have seemed suspicious to Shiratama. She leaned in, and her gaze sharpened. “Don’t lie! I know you’ve been exchanging letters with someone. Who is it?”
Asebi swallowed a brusque retort. This situation needed careful handling; she couldn’t react in anger or out of a desire to defend herself. Shiratama was right: she had been corresponding with someone. That was against Sakura Palace’s rules, but she’d harmed no one. She didn’t want the recipient of her letters to be punished, and she certainly didn’t want to be punished herself.
As Asebi faltered, Shiratama’s polite facade faded away completely, revealing her true face and feelings. “You are the only one left who can threaten my place,” she said. “Just give up and accept your dismissal from Sakura Palace.”
“Why would you ask me to do that again?!” Asebi asked. “I have done nothing to harm you. I do not threaten your place. We’re all here on equal terms.”
“Silence! You should have bowed out quietly the first time I asked you. Now that things have gone this far, I won’t listen to any more excuses. You and your mother are truly the worst. I will never allow you to enter the imperial household. Not for as long as I live. You have caused nothing but trouble in Sakura Palace!”
Shiratama’s insult to Asebi’s mother made Asebi wince. She felt like Shiratama had struck her a heavy blow. “My mother… my mother doesn’t have anything to do with this. Why bring her up now?”
“Even now, you’re still trying to play innocent.”
“No, it’s not like that. I really don’t know anything. Tell me! Is my mother in the imperial palace? Has she caused trouble before? Why? How? What happened in the past? I have no idea.”
“That’s enough. I despise that look on your face. Stop pretending to be innocent! I know that you know everything! Return the letters that the Crown Prince sent to me right now!”
Startled by Shiratama’s forceful tone, Asebi instinctively placed her hand over her chest. Shiratama was quick to notice this, her eyes shining with a strange intensity. She reached out one clawed hand to Asebi.
“You have my letters with you, don’t you? Hand them over.” Shiratama grabbed Asebi’s hand and tried to shove it to the side.
“No! It’s not like that!” Asebi tried to protect the letter she’d slipped into her robe earlier.
Shiratama struggled to reach the letter, but Asebi held her off.
“You stubborn girl!”
“No! Somebody, help!” Even as she cried, Asebi refused to let go of the letter.
Shiratama became frustrated. She shoved Asebi away from her with a grunt, then drew a dagger in a jeweled sheath from her breast pocket. She unsheathed the dagger.
Asebi was on the ground; the force of Shiratama’s shove had caused her to lose her footing.
“Fine. If you absolutely refuse to admit it, then—” Shiratama faltered.
Asebi swallowed nervously as the blade gleamed cold and sharp in Shiratama’s hand. “Stop,” she said. “Please, just stop this now.” Her voice came out weaker than she wanted it to. It didn’t sound like her own voice to her.
Shiratama paid no attention whatsoever to Asebi’s plea. Her face was pale and expressionless as her shadow passed over Asebi. She raised her dagger high. “If you want to hate me, go ahead,” she said.
Asebi screamed.
Shiratama’s dagger descended, slicing cleanly through the knot binding her hakama at the waist. Asebi’s hakama fell off of her.1
Shiratama sheathed the dagger, then pressed down on her own hakama to make sure the garment was neat and even. She was breathing hard. When she spoke again, there was nothing but ice in her voice. “Return to the Spring Hall. Pack your things and leave this place. Next time, I won’t end things here.”
Before Asebi could respond in any way, Shiratama hauled her up by the kimono. Asebi’s hakama fell around her feet, landing on the stones that surrounded the spring.
Shiratama shoved Asebi into the spring face-first, causing the maple leaves drifting on the water’s surface to dance wildly. The water was freezing. The shock of being pushed in combined with the intense cold nearly made Asebi drown in those first few moments.
Asebi calmed herself enough to hold her breath. She needed to struggle. Water was already in her mouth. She reached one hand out of the spring and flailed it around, trying to find something to hold on to for leverage. She had to pull herself out of the water.
A hand caught hers.
“Asebi! Calm yourself!”
Asebi felt herself being pulled up by a pair of strong arms. She coughed violently, taking gasping breaths. She had almost drowned in two feet of water. The spring was shallow enough for her to stand in easily.
The water in her eyes made it difficult for Asebi to see clearly, but she was able to identify her rescuer almost immediately. Her dark red clothes were soaked, but she didn’t seem to care. She was lifting Asebi up by the arms.
“Duchess Masuho no Susuki?” Asebi spluttered. She coughed up water.
“All right, can you stand?” Masuho no Susuki asked. She moved to support Asebi’s shoulders and then glared at Shiratama.
“What do you think you’re doing, Shiratama? How could you do such a thing?”
Shiratama’s smile was back, cold and cruel. “Whatever do you mean? Duchess Asebi was lounging by the spring and fell in. That could happen to anyone.”
“Don’t play dumb. I saw it with my own eyes—you pushed Asebi in.” Her sharp tone matched Shiratama’s smile. “What do you think Princess Fujinami will do when she finds out?”
Shiratama snorted. “So I’m supposed to fear Princess Fujinami, am I? I don’t. Besides, you’re the only witness. I can say that the Saike family and the Touke family have teamed up to try to frame me for wrongdoing. My family would defend me, and then this would be a diplomatic mess.”
“Are you stupid or just slow? The imperial family will believe me, even if the Lord of Saike has all but disowned me. Your lies will not prevail.”
Shiratama’s eyes narrowed. She sighed in exasperation. “I could say the same to you, Masuho no Susuki. I haven’t said anything until now, but it seems you’re like our dear Asebi here in that you’ve been raised in blissful ignorance.” The force of her terrible smile shifted from Asebi to Masuho no Susuki.
“You have a younger brother, correct?” Shiratama asked the Saike duchess.
Masuho no Susuki was momentarily lost for words. She hadn’t expected the question. “Why do you ask?”
“I heard that he will soon be enrolling in the Keisoin.”
Masuho no Susuki pursed her lips and couldn’t quite meet Shiratama’s eyes. “What does that have to do with this?” she asked.
“Many of the senior faculty at Keisoin are warriors of Hokke. If you care at all about your brother’s future, you should be more careful about how you act towards me.”
The color instantly drained from Masuho no Susuki’s face. “Is that a threat?”
“Yes. I’m glad you finally understand me. Honestly, both you and Asebi are so dumb, it’s exasperating.” Shiratama laughed.
Masuho no Susuki was once again rendered speechless, but she managed to compose herself again in short order. “Threats escalate the existing conflict,” she said. “If you want to go this route, don’t expect Saike to sit idly by and do nothing in response.”
“If they want to, let them try,” Shiratama said. She shrugged. “I doubt they will be so foolish. The balance of power at court is shifting. The Hokke family’s military influence is immense. The Nanke and Saike families have political clout, too, but their military might is weak in comparison to Hokke.” She tapped her chin. “Let’s say that Hokke decided to ally with Nanke. That would put Saike in a terrible position, don’t you agree?”
Masuho no Susuki said nothing.
“For years, Hokke has been in lockstep with Saike, preparing for just this moment,” she said. “My family pretended to follow yours to lull you into complacency. And now, the simple country girl that everyone looked down on has your fate in her hands. How does it feel? I imagine you’re stunned.” She laughed again. “Isn’t it all so amusing? You never imagined that a day would come when you’d have to curry favor with Hokke, did you? But you brought this upon yourself.”
Shiratama smiled proudly. Masuho no Susuki drew in a sharp breath.
“I can’t believe that Nanke would permit your entry to the imperial court,” Masuho no Susuki said. “You are more foolish than we are to neglect their power.”
Shiratama shook her head calmly, her composure unshaken. “My hypothetical—Nanke allying with Hokke—was not a bluff. With our families cooperating, my entry into the imperial court is assured. To preserve an alliance like that, permitting me to wed the Crown Prince would not be too high of a price to pay.”
Masuho no Susuki remembered Hamayū during the night of the Star Festival. What had she said, exactly?
This extravagance will do nothing for you. Your beauty is wasted here.
And Hamayū’s family had orchestrated matters so that the Crown Prince would not appear at the Star Festival.
But never, not once, had Hamayū said she intended to enter the imperial court. She’d shown no interest in the Crown Prince at all.
“So the Crown Prince’s absence from the Star Festival… that was Hokke’s fault?”
“Indirectly,” Shiratama said. “The Nanke family stepped in to sabotage you at my family’s request.” Her voice was flat and emotionless.
“Oh, is that so?” Masuho no Susuki asked. Shiratama’s answers sounded a bit too convenient to her. There was no tangible proof that she was telling the truth.
“You’ve looked down on me this whole time, thinking me weak,” Shiratama said. “I am not weak. I will make you regret ever thinking that of me.”
“You’re ridiculous,” Masuho no Susuki said. “Even if what you’re saying is true and your family’s holding all the cards here, the Crown Prince still has to choose you. And he’d never do that. He has standards.” She choked out the last word on a gasping breath. “What do you think the Crown Prince will say when he finds out you’ve been bullying Asebi?”
Shiratama’s gaze fixed on Masuho no Susuki with greater intensity. She closed the distance between herself and the Saike duchess and leaned in. “You know what? Say whatever you want to whoever you want. I don’t care.” There was a trace of mockery in her smile now. “If the Crown Prince chooses to hate me based on a rumor, then I shall have to arrange for your removal from Sakura Palace. All of you—Asebi, Hamayū, and yourself. Then the Crown Prince will have no other choice.” She paused. “I am here for one reason only: to fulfill Hokke’s long-cherished wish of having one of their daughters enter the imperial court. I want nothing else.” Her voice was resolute. “You may have come here because you love the Crown Prince, but I am not like you. I don’t care what the Crown Prince thinks of me. Not at all.”
Every word she spoke sent a shock wave through Masuho no Susuki. She wasn’t angered by Shiratama’s words. She even thought she understood them. Shiratama was doing this—antagonizing everyone—because she had never had a friend. The Hokke duchess had lived a life of loneliness. Only her single-minded devotion to her goal kept her going. Once she achieved it, there would be nothing left for her.
Masuho no Susuki set aside Shiratama’s previous threats and asked her the same question she would have asked a friend. “Aren’t you lonely?”
Shiratama’s eyes widened in surprise. She’d been caught off-guard, and her true emotions showed for a split second. In that tiny sliver of time, her face was like a little child’s on the verge of tears.
Then Shiratama’s cold, cruel smile returned. “Me, lonely? Not at all. I haven’t had such feelings in years.” There was a distant cast to her gaze, as if she were looking back at her own past. But then she focused on Masuho no Susuki again, and the mistiness in her eyes lifted, leaving her expression clear.
“This is my final warning, Masuho no Susuki,” Shiratama said. “If you disregard it, your younger brother’s future will be truly miserable.” She shifted her attention to Asebi. “I have warned you, as well. Leave the palace immediately. If you attempt to thwart me…”
Shiratama drew the small dagger from its sheath once more. “I will thrust this into my throat and die,” she said. “Do not forget this.” She sheathed her dagger again, turned her back and walked away.
Neither Asebi nor Masuho no Susuki called out to her.
A single ripple appeared on the surface of the spring, followed by a dozen more. It was raining.
“How terrible,” Asebi said. She was still standing in the spring, wet and miserable. She shivered. “This is just awful.” She started crying.
Masuho no Susuki stared blankly at Shiratama’s retreating back. She shook herself and then faced Asebi. “Please don’t cry,” she said. “Tears won’t change anything.”
Asebi nodded sullenly.
Kikuno and Masuho no Susuki’s other attendants rushed toward the spring. Masuho no Susuki watched their approach and drew herself up, adopting the exaggerated mien and posture of a noble lady.
“Duchess!” Kikuno cried out. “What happened here? Is everyone all right?”
“You’re late, Kikuno,” Masuho no Susuki said flatly. “Why are you dawdling here? Return to the Autumn Hall. Prepare a hot bath and dry clothes.”
Then Masuho no Susuki took Asebi by the hand and guided her back to the Autumn Hall. When they got there, a hot meal, baths and fresh clothes were already prepared for both of them. Asebi felt like crying again, but for a different reason this time.
Asebi and Masuho no Susuki ate, bathed and changed clothes. Asebi felt much more at ease and thanked Masuho no Susuki profusely, bowing her head in gratitude.
“I’m sorry for all this trouble,” Asebi said. “Thank you so much for taking care of me.”
“This much is nothing,” Masuho no Susuki said airily. “Don’t worry about it.” She leaned on the armrest of her cushioned chair. Only about half of her attention was on Asebi. Grim thoughts distracted her. “You are the victim of some pretty severe bullying, you know. I never thought Shiratama would act that way toward anyone.” She shook her head. “I’ve been trying my best, but…”
“What’s wrong?” Asebi asked.
I thought that if I devoted myself to the Crown Prince with all my heart, he would surely come here and take me away. I was so naïve, Masuho no Susuki thought to herself.
“It is frustrating to say so, but Hamayū is right about me. There is a great deal that I don’t understand about the political situation in the imperial court. And I know less about Shiratama than I thought I did. It is humbling to experience one’s past ignorance in the face of new knowledge.” She shifted subtly toward Asebi. “I said some truly terrible things to you as well. I wasn’t considering your feelings at the time. I thought only of myself. I’m sorry. I must have hurt you with my careless words.” Her eyes were wide open, calm and clear and sincere.
Asebi sensed the change in Masuho no Susuki, though it was difficult to describe. She couldn’t prove that the change was genuine, of course, but she chose to put some trust in Masuho no Susuki’s kind actions today. She shook her head. “What’s done is done,” she said. “Everything is all right now.”
“You are too forgiving,” Masuho no Susuki said with a slight smile.
Asebi felt herself relax. She hoped that she was making a new friend. She’d never thought she’d make friends with any of the duchesses in Sakura Palace.
Kikuno broke the companionable silence. Her voice was low and colorless. “Duchess, I must ask,” she said. “Is what Duchess Shiratama told you true? Is Nanke working with Hokke?”
“I don’t know for sure,” Masuho no Susuki said. “It’s not impossible for them to be working together. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense.”
“What do you mean?” Asebi asked.
“Hamayū has never bothered to hide her disdain for the Crown Prince,” Masuho no Susuki said. “She never intended to marry him in the first place. If Nanke and Hokke joined hands before Hamayū came to Sakura Palace, then Hamayū’s presence here is purely decorative. That would also explain why Shiratama and her own attendants show Hamayū so little respect. I should have realized that sooner.”
Masuho no Susuki rested her chin in one hand. “Hamayū was betrothed to the previous Crown Prince, you know, before he was deposed. And you’ve met her. You know Hamayū would never agree to marry someone she didn’t like.”
Asebi’s eyes widened in surprise. “You think so?” It had never occurred to her that she had a choice in who she would marry. She’d always assumed that her family would decide for her.
“The current Crown Prince inherited the title from his older brother when he was four or five years old,” Masuho no Susuki said. “Until then, the Lord of Nanke was the Crown Prince’s uncle. He arranged an advantageous political marriage between the then-Crown Prince and his eldest daughter. But when the current Crown Prince assumed his brother’s place, that planned marriage was canceled. Commotion over the imperial succession caused waves in Nanke’s power structure as well.”
Kikuno nodded. “It is as you say, though I’m not privy to all the details.”
“Nor am I, but I have heard rumors,” Masuho no Susuki said. “Nanke has a historical reputation for courting conflict. Hamayū and her father were both put in a difficult position when the former Crown Prince was deposed.”
That makes sense, Asebi thought. She sighed. “Maybe Hamayū thinks the new Crown Prince is the source of all her troubles. I might think something like that, if I were in her shoes.” She’d never heard Hamayū speak of the new Crown Prince with genuine warmth. It was no surprise that she didn’t want to be his wife.
“If Nanke and Hokke truly are allies, then there’s no point in trying to talk to Hamayū about any of this,” Masuho no Susuki said.
Asebi remembered the bamboo blinds concealing Hamayū from view during the cherry blossom viewing. “The Empress is from the Nanke family,” she ventured. “Does that mean she’ll take Hokke’s side, if there’s an alliance?”
“It’s possible,” Masuho no Susuki said. “If Shiratama’s lie is accepted as the truth, we could find ourselves being painted as liars.”
A heavy silence fell over the women.
“By the way,” Kikuno interjected, “why did Duchess Shiratama attack you, Duchess Asebi? It seems most irregular.”
Asebi bit her lip. She didn’t really want to discuss the day’s events, but there was no way to avoid talking about it now that Kikuno had asked directly. “I had a letter with me,” she said. “I was reading it when she found me near the spring at the bottom of the Waterfall of Purification. She thought it was from the Crown Prince, but it wasn’t. I couldn’t convince her that I was telling the truth. She pushed me into the spring.”
A subtle expression of mild disapproval passed over Masuho no Susuki’s face.
“If you don’t believe me, you can take a look at the letter yourself,” Asebi said. She offered the letter to Masuho no Susuki.
Masuho no Susuki quickly declined. “You don’t have to show me that if you don’t want to,” she said.
Asebi shook her head stubbornly. “It’s not secret. I don’t mind you reading it. The person who sent me the letter is a servant who helped me in the past.”
Kikuno gingerly accepted the letter from Asebi. She laid out two towels and placed the drenched letter on them to help it dry. The front of the letter was addressed, “To Duchess,” without a name. The ink was starting to run on the letter, but all the words were still legible.
Masuho no Susuki read through the letter quickly. “He sounds like a very loyal servant,” she said.
“He’s not exactly my servant, though.”
Masuho no Susuki shrugged lightly as if that didn’t matter. “But this is strange. Here it says, ‘I cannot write about your mother.’ Why would he write about that?”
Asebi was somewhat taken aback. She wasn’t used to interacting socially with Masuho no Susuki in a friendly way, but she’d always assumed that Masuho no Susuki was much better-educated than her. If anything, she’d assumed that Masuho no Susuki would already know all the rumors about her mother, much as Shiratama seemed to.
“Masuho no Susuki… I realize it may be strange for me to ask, but do you know anything about my mother?”
“About your mother?” Masuho no Susuki echoed. Her eyes widened in surprise.
“Yes. My father hasn’t told me anything, and the servant won’t, either. All I know is that she came to Sakura Palace in the past.”
Masuho no Susuki nodded in confirmation. “As the Duchess of the Spring Hall, I presume? Yes, I believe that’s right. If I recall correctly, she was known as Ukigumo.”
Asebi gasped at the unexpected name.
“Ukigumo? That was her personal name?”
“I think so. I have heard from my aunt that she was a master of the koto. The koto she possessed was called Ukigumo. It became her nickname at court.”
Ukogi’s lady—the one she’d seemed so sad about before—was actually Asebi’s mother! She should have guessed that. She was stunned that the nagon in her room had actually been her mother’s instrument. Why hadn’t Ukogi told her that before? She’d certainly recognized the nagon.
“There were a lot of issues with the last Emperor’s ascension,” Kikuno said. “It’s not surprising that you wouldn’t have heard much about it. I’m sure your attendants would rather not talk about all that.”
“Could you tell me what happened? Please?” Asebi asked. She pressed her hands together and bowed her head slightly. “I sincerely want to know. I cannot remain in ignorance forever.”
Kikuno hesitated. Perhaps she thought that it wasn’t her place to tell Asebi what she was asking. Moved by Asebi’s plea, she finally decided to tell Asebi what she wanted to know, though she still appeared concerned. A frown perched on her brow and refused to leave.
“If you are so insistent,” Kikuno said, “then I suppose I must tell you.”
Masuho no Susuki nodded sharply. “Good. I’ll help. The first thing that springs to mind is the Empress. When she was a duchess, she had no public interactions with her Crown Prince whatsoever. Everyone was shocked when she was chosen. Unsurprisingly, her relationship with the Emperor has never been particularly close. The rumor is that she married the Emperor via subterfuge and blackmail.”
Asebi blinked.
Kikuno nodded. She sighed heavily. “Before His Majesty chose a duchess to wed, Oumurasaki of Nanke became pregnant with the former Crown Prince. In other words, she brought the Emperor-to-be to her chambers by force, and then announced that she was pregnant. The imperial family couldn’t get ahead of the rumors, and so Oumurasaki became Empress.” She looked at Asebi. “I would rather you not speak of this to the other duchesses,” she said. “You are all trying to do things the proper way, so it wouldn’t do to put such ideas in their heads.”
Asebi blushed faintly pink. No wonder Ukogi didn’t want to tell me something like that, she thought. Servants and those of lower status couldn’t refuse direct commands, and discretion was part of their jobs. If Asebi had known anything about her mother for certain, she would have asked about it, and that would have put Ukogi in a terrible position. Tell the truth and suffer from the wounds of the past, or lie to spare herself and Asebi such uncomfortable feelings?
“Empress Oumurasaki created a rumor about karasudayū this year as well,” Masuho no Susuki said, “but I believe that was a bit of misdirection to distract from her own scandals. Less than a generation ago, she was considered a karasudayū at court, herself.”
Masuho no Susuki told Asebi that her aunt had become a concubine at around the same time as the Empress’ marriage. Her aunt, Izayoi, had given birth to the current Crown Prince, but she’d died shortly after his elder brother’s abdication.
“You should be careful how you interpret the Empress’ words, Asebi,” Masuho no Susuki said. “It’s hard to say that she’s anyone’s friend.”
Asebi nodded solemnly. The warning about her mother that she’d read about in the mysterious letter was making more sense. Her mother must have run afoul of court politics somehow.
“I understand now,” Asebi said. “I appreciate you both telling me all this.” She glanced down at her drying letter.
“Why didn’t you show Shiratama this letter?” Masuho no Susuki asked.
“It wasn’t delivered through official channels,” Asebi said. “I was worried that I might get in trouble. I also thought that she might tear it up, which would have been awful.”
Masuho no Susuki gave her a wry grin. “Ha! You’re right; I could definitely get you in trouble over the letter’s delivery. But I won’t. I’m not the sort to tattle about something harmless like this.”
“Thank you very much,” Asebi said.
The rain stopped at sunset. It was growing dark. Asebi had been away from the Spring Hall for quite a long time. She mentioned this aloud, and Kikuno put her at ease.
“Worry not, Duchess Asebi,” Kikuno said. “As soon as you arrived, I sent a messenger to the Spring Hall apprising them of the situation. They are ready to welcome you whenever you wish to return, but there is no rush.”
Asebi was openly relieved.
“Please stay here tonight,” Kikuno said. “You need rest.”
Masuho no Susuki nodded in agreement. “It’s too late to say that you’ve been a bother now. Most of my clothes will fit you, though the upper layers will be a bit tight on you. Don’t tell Ukogi your clothes are ruined; she’ll pitch a fit and find out everything if you do.”
Kikuno handed Asebi her kosode, which had dried. There was a tear in the sleeve. Asebi was mortified. Shiratama had ripped the fabric while manhandling her into the spring.
“It’s all right,” Masuho no Susuki said brightly. “I will mend it for you.”
“You will sew it yourself?” Asebi asked in surprise.
Kikuno smiled, appearing pleased. “Duchess Masuho no Susuki is very skilled at sewing, as I have said before.”
Masuho no Susuki reached for the kosode. Asebi handed it to her. “Hm, it does seem to be dry enough now. Kikuno, fetch me my sewing box, if you would. For something like this, it’s faster for me to fix it myself rather than leaving it to one of the attendants. I’ll finish it while there’s still a bit of daylight.”
Masuho no Susuki stood up with the kosode in her hand. She moved to the next room to begin her preparations to do the mending. Kikuno ushered Asebi into the sewing room with a friendly smile.
The sewing room was lined with lacquered black pillars that caught the last of the evening sunlight. There was a long, narrow workbench in front of a bank of windows. A finely crafted sewing box rested atop the workbench. Needles and pins stuck in a large velvety pincushion sparkled in the low light.
Masuho no Susuki sat before the workbench and skillfully threaded a needle. Asebi watched her as she treated the edges of the torn kosode and then basted them together. After the initial tear was sewn shut, she used a similar-colored thread to hide the gash.
The damp scent of autumn rain wafted through the room accompanied by the unique sweetness of fallen leaves. Red-tinted maple leaves dripped with shining dew. The forest outside the windows was reflected perfectly on the black polished floor, making it look as if the fallen leaves were floating on water. The sight was so beautiful that it took Asebi’s breath away.
Masuho no Susuki appeared entirely at home here: a graceful lady in her element. Her movements were smooth and sure. Her hands were skillful, but also calloused; it was hard to believe that she was the duchess of Saike solely by looking at her hands. Had she been born a commoner, she would have been a formidable seamstress. It was no exaggeration to say that her skills surpassed those of professional ladies-in-waiting who made most of their income sewing clothes.
“You really are very talented at sewing,” Asebi said admiringly.
Masuho no Susuki gave her a faint smile. “I have a younger brother,” she said. She didn’t stop working as she spoke. “I have many half-siblings, as does he, but we have the same parents. Only my brother and I share the same mother out of all my siblings.” She glanced up at Asebi, pausing briefly in her work. “Do you have any younger siblings?”
“I don’t, unfortunately,” Asebi said. “I’m the youngest.”
“I see,” Masuho no Susuki said. “That’s a shame. It’s hard to explain, but having a younger sibling means that they rely on you, if you let them. Our mother couldn’t spend much time with my brother, so he became very attached to me. I’m almost a stand-in for our mother at this point.” She smiled in a gentle, sisterly way. “He was born noble just like me, but he was always a little troublemaker. He’d play outside and come in with holes in all his clothes. When that happened, he’d bring his clothes to me. He told me he was afraid of the feather mothers, who would scold him if they found out what had become of his garments. He was always terribly serious about his fear of them. It took everything I had not to laugh in his face.”
Masuho no Susuki smoothed a bit of stitching. “In the end, I could never bring myself to scold him or laugh at him. I mended his clothes in secret, and no one was any the wiser. He started coming to me more and more as he grew. Naturally, I improved at sewing by leaps and bounds.”
She told Asebi that her younger brother would soon be enrolling in the Keisoin, the academy that trained imperial guards. “After he enters the Keisoin, I won’t be able to see him anymore. Not for awhile, at least.” She sighed. “I suppose I won’t get many more chances to mend his clothes. I never thought that would be something I missed. But I can’t mope for very long. If Shiratama was telling the truth, then his fate depends on me.”
Asebi nodded slowly. The light was failing. She couldn’t quite make out the expression on Masuho no Susuki’s face.
The Saike duchess’ hands moved smoothly and carefully even in the darkness. She worked on Asebi’s kosode until the tear was fully mended.
Translator's Note
1 袴: A hakama is a traditional, pleated garment resembling wide trousers, often worn in Japan over a kimono. It’s a significant part of both formal wear and martial arts attire. There are different ways of tying hakama, both on the sides and around the waist; Asebi’s formal hakama have a knot around the waist to hold them up..↩
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