Yatagarasu Series
Volume 1:
Ravens Shouldn't
Wear Kimono
Author: Chisato Abe
Part 5: A New Spring;
Section 1
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A short time before the cherry blossoms bloomed, Nadeshiko of Nanke arrived at Sakura Palace. Preparations in the palace were much more thorough and careful compared to Hamayū’s arrival. None of Nanke’s servants wanted Nadeshiko to be ashamed of her accommodations or attire. For those who knew that Nanke had no real intention of letting her marry the Crown Prince, the extravagance seemed almost comical.
Asebi thought that Hamayū was much more beautiful than Nadeshiko, for all the new Nanke duchess’ finery. She wasn’t the only one who thought so, either. Masuho no Susuki and Ukogi gave Nadeshiko dissatisfied looks whenever they thought they could get away with it.
Several months had passed since Hamayū’s abrupt departure. Many letters from the Crown Prince addressed to each duchess were discovered in the Summer Hall. Karamushi and Hamayū’s other attendants had anticipated this outcome, so they put up no resistance when the search was ordered. Communication between the Lord of Nanke and the imperial family proceeded smoothly and expeditiously after that. Hamayū would step down from her position and Nadeshiko would enter Sakura Palace in her place.
Hamayū would never return to Sakura Palace now. Nadeshiko’s arrival heralded Hamayū’s misfortune. Hamayū would be stripped of her status and sent to live among commoners again.
Before Hamayū’s status could be stripped from her, she fled to safety. No one knew where she was now.
Samomo’s death became an open secret in Sakura Palace and elsewhere. Thanks to the scandals Hamayū had revealed before leaving Sakura Palace, news of Samomo’s death and the disgrace of Nanke were intermingled. It was widely believed that Nanke was responsible for Samomo’s death somehow.
Nanke would never overlook something that threatened their political power. If Hamayū had not escaped and had gone to a mountain temple as instructed, she would have become a corpse by the next day. The ruthlessness of Nanke—their willingness to do whatever it took to achieve their goals—was now known to everyone at Sakura Palace.
Everyone knew that Hamayū had stolen the Crown Prince’s letters to the duchesses, but no one resented her for that. The prevailing emotion inside Sakura Palace toward Hamayū was pity. She had been the Nanke family’s pawn, and after she’d outlived her usefulness, her family had discarded her. She was likely alive, but she would never return to noble life. She would need to live quietly and hide from her family for the rest of her days.
There were whispers that Hamayū had been killed as well, though no one could prove that for certain.
***
A Flower Ceremony was planned a few days after Nadeshiko’s arrival.
The event would not be hosted by the Spring Hall, but by the Summer Hall. Many musicians were invited, making it a rather large and grand occasion. The Summer Hall would never have tried to host such a splendid gathering while Hamayū was the Nanke duchess. The Nanke family arranged for this ceremony to be a spectacle. Nadeshiko had arrived at Sakura Palace late and was at a disadvantage compared to the other duchesses. The Lord of Nanke himself arranged the event to help smooth the way for his daughter’s transition into palace life.
The Flower Ceremony was held on the cherry blossom viewing stage—the same place the Crown Prince had visited the year before. Princess Fujinami was not present for the festivities this time, but the morning ceremony and the feast that followed were as lavish and splendid as any of Sakura Palace’s official rituals. Plush scarlet rugs lined the gallery. The stage’s shape was altered from a rectangle to a square so that viewers on every side had equal places set up for people to view the blooming cherry blossoms. Brand new bamboo blinds were hung all around the stage in case the ceremony’s attendees desired privacy. The food and drink served were of the highest quality.
In every aspect, things were completely different from how they had been during Hamayū’s time. Asebi desired to express this somehow, but felt helpless to do so.
Early in the morning, the ceremony began, followed by a magnificent feast. The music was unceasing on the stage. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and falling from the trees in clouds of pink and white. The sweet, delicate smell of the flowers wafted through the air.
Asebi thought about coming to this stage a year ago. The flowers were just as lovely as they’d been then, but this experience felt very different. She watched in silence as a flower fluttered down and landed in her cup, feeling a mix of emotions she couldn’t name. Looking around, she noticed ladies-in-waiting moving about behind lowered bamboo blinds. Shiratama was present today after spending most of the past two months confined to her rooms. Asebi rose from her seat, thinking to offer greetings to the Hokke duchess to be polite.
Before Asebi could reach Shiratama, Nadeshiko of Nanke intercepted her. “Excuse me,” Nadeshiko said. “Are you Asebi, the Duchess of the Spring Hall?”
Asebi gave a vague reply and looked back at Nadeshiko with a troubled expression.
Nadeshiko had dark, striking eyes and a healthy, charming appearance. She wore a karaginu that was a shade slightly deeper than cherry blossom pink. The karaginu’s golden embroidery of grasses and flowers designed to look like a field in spring was especially elegant.
Nadeshiko smiled brightly, brushing aside Asebi’s vagueness and discomfort as if she hadn’t noticed it. “I am Nadeshiko of Nanke. I am sure you think I am still very inexperienced, but I will do my best so that we can get along well. I look forward to your kind guidance.” She bowed her head politely. Her eyes were full of genuine hope and friendliness.
Asebi supposed that this attitude was only natural for Nadeshiko. She didn’t intend to marry the current Crown Prince, so there was no pressure for her to enter the imperial court at the moment. She had little to be nervous about.
Asebi gave another vague reply and quickly left the scene, desiring to escape. Turning a corner in the gallery, she spotted Masuho no Susuki ahead of her and let out a sigh of relief. Nadeshiko was so energetic that Asebi felt it was hard to even breathe in her presence.
“Duchess Masuho no Susuki,” Asebi said.
Masuho no Susuki blinked, slightly startled. “Duchess Asebi.”
“I just met Duchess Nadeshiko,” Asebi said.
“I see,” Masuho no Susuki said in an undertone. She sighed. “She’s quite a charmer, isn’t she? Compared to Hamayū, she’s so straightforward that it’s almost boring.”
Masuho no Susuki was sulking. Asebi could sympathize with her feelings. She smiled. “Yes, I think you’re right.”
Masuho no Susuki said nothing to that. She was looking down at the stage. She lowered herself comfortably back into her seat. Asebi followed her lead, taking a seat next to her.
On the stage, the Dance of the Butterflies had just begun. Children wearing butterfly-shaped ornaments and holding branches full of small flowering yellow roses danced around the stage and one another in a whirl of bright spring colors.1 Their costumes sparkled brilliantly in the gentle sunlight. The music was clearly audible everywhere in the audience.
Asebi and Masuho no Susuki watched the Dance of the Butterflies in companionable silence.
Suddenly, there was a commotion from the side of the stage. Asebi half-rose from her seat to see what was happening. Masuho no Susuki went as still as a statue next to her.
“Is something wrong?” Asebi asked.
There was no response. Feeling suspicious, Asebi stood up. What she saw left her speechless. A man stood between the pillars of the gallery opposite her. Based on how he was dressed, he was clearly not a performer or a guest at the ceremony. His clothes were jet black and unornamented. He looked like a threat.
Asebi didn’t panic. The Yamauchishu wore black uniforms; it was possible that this man was a guard or a messenger. The strangest thing about him was not his attire, but the mask that he wore over his face.
“Why is he wearing a mask?” Asebi asked.
The face of the mask was painted white and perfectly smooth. Masks weren’t in common use, not even for dramatic performances of plays or music. Perhaps masks were more in fashion among the common people; Asebi wouldn’t know.
The masked man held a branch of blooming yellow roses in his hand just like the children on the stage.
The man approached the stage in an oddly dignified manner. Everyone seemed surprised by his presence and froze. The man climbed up onto the stage without resistance.
The musicians noticed the man and knew that he was an intruder here. They hurriedly rushed toward him.
The man seemed unperturbed. He looked around the cherry blossom viewing stage until he found who he was looking for. His eyes fixed on a single point. The man swiftly untied the red cord that secured his mask. His body twisted, and his black sleeves transformed into wings sporting jet-black feathers. His legs transformed into those of a bird with sharp talons.
The musicians jumped back. Ladies-in-waiting and servants screamed. The man had transformed on stage, which was a taboo inside Sakura Palace. Even the musicians, who should be more used to these kinds of transformations, gaped in shock at the man’s brazenness.
Compared to the horses that Asebi had seen, this bird was exceptionally large.
The transformed man spread his wings with a rustling sound. The tips of his feathers brushed over the stage and slammed into the people closest to him, causing them to stumble. His wings gleamed with health and strength. The feathers shimmered blue and green and purple in the spring sunlight. The bird was beautiful in its way, for all the horror the man’s transformation had caused.
The large raven’s beak pointed up, right at Asebi. He jumped into the air, spreading his wings wide. The force of the wind he displaced as he flew blew the bamboo blinds away. Cherry blossoms swirled around him in a riot of color.
The man landed atop the railing of the gallery near where Asebi and Masuho no Susuki sat. The moment his feet touched the railing, he was a man again. The mask that had concealed his face clattered to the gallery floor. He carried his branch of yellow roses in his mouth. After a moment, he transferred the flowers to his hand. He turned toward Asebi.
Asebi had seen him before—in her past, in her dreams, and briefly on the stage below her last year.
The Crown Prince had finally arrived.
He had a refined, dignified appearance. His eyes were so beautiful that they sent a shiver through Asebi’s whole body. She stood before him, speechless and captivated.
The Crown Prince jumped down from the railing and then walked toward Asebi.
“Crown Prince,” Masuho no Susuki said, bowing her head slowly. “We have been waiting for you.”
The Crown Prince gave her a polite nod of acknowledgment. He walked past her and Asebi until he reached a long curtain. He pushed the curtain aside, revealing Hamayū dressed like a maid.
Asebi felt her knees almost give way from surprise.
“Hamayū,” the Crown Prince said. He offered her the branch of yellow roses. “Sorry to have kept you waiting.”
“What is the meaning of this?” Takimoto raised her voice to the Crown Prince. She was trembling uncontrollably.
Translator's Note
1 Kerria japonica, commonly known as Japanese kerria or Japanese rose, is a deciduous, yellow-flowering shrub in the rose family (Rosaceae), native to China and Japan. It is the only species in the genus Kerria. In the wild, it grows in thickets on mountain slopes. Japanese kerria has been used for medicine and is also planted in gardens. When cultivated in the Central-Southern U.S., the plant is usually called the Yellow Rose of Texas. Although genus Kerria is in the rose family, it is not a true rose. ↩
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