The beautiful woman was gone, but a subtle fragrance lingered.
As they passed, Seiya couldn't help but look back at Terumi Mei.
After walking for a while, Megumai suddenly said, "Son, how does the Mizukage look? My eyesight isn't good; I didn't see clearly just now. Describe her."
Seiya, unsuspecting, obediently replied, "Brown hair, very thick and dense, extremely long-it reached down to her knees!"
Megumai nodded slightly. "And what else?"
"Fair skin, quite tall, a good figure..."
"Is she beautiful?" Megumai asked unexpectedly.
"Quite beautiful."
Seiya answered without thinking, then immediately realized and hastily added, "Unfortunately, standing next to Mother, this beautiful woman pales in comparison."
"Is that so?"
Megumai raised her willow eyebrows, slightly elongating the end of her sentence.
"You deliberately looked back at the Mizukage just now. I'm afraid in your eyes, this beautiful woman was not only not overshadowed by your mother but was enhanced by the comparison!"
"Uh..."
Seiya's expression froze. He remained silent, wisely choosing not to argue further.
Megumai, however, wouldn't let him off, pretending to be crestfallen, sighing faintly.
"Even the most beautiful face becomes tedious after a long time of looking at it."
This accusation was somewhat serious.
Seiya lightly cleared his throat, rubbed his temples, and explained, "Mother, I just took an extra look at the Mizukage, and I was only looking at her hair."
Megumai smiled sweetly, particularly loving this expression of her son-the helpless look of being 'a little annoyed but unable to do anything to his mother'!
Then, she decided to quit while she was ahead, no longer arguing about the matter.
Instead, she said, "That little girl from Iwagakure probably guessed that you are the masked man."
"Huh?"
Seiya was surprised. After thinking for a moment, he understood.
"Mother, are you saying she deduced that I am the masked man because Shion is traveling with us?"
"That," Megumai said plainly. "The Lightning Blade Kiba is the most powerful piece of evidence. It is logical and reasonable for my spoils of war to be in my son's hands. Anyone can guess it without much thought."
Seiya's expression grew serious.
He paused for a step, then regained his composure, saying easily, "It doesn't matter if Kurotsuchi guessed it. If she doesn't catch me in the act, she won't have evidence. Even if she knows my identity, she can't pose any threat."
"Hmm." Megumai nodded slightly, her eyes flickering. "However, perhaps we can leverage this to create a plan."
"What kind of plan?" Seiya looked curious.
"No rush. Let Mother think a little more. Kurotsuchi is a smart girl, so Mother needs to consider everything thoroughly."
"Okay."
...
The Guesthouse was located on the Daimyo Street, the central axis of Rinto City.
Daimyo Street, approximately eight kilometers long, was prime real estate. As the name suggests, the Daimyo lived on this street.
The solemn and magnificent Daimyo's Manor stood at the center of Daimyo Street. The Guesthouse was only two kilometers away from it.
Therefore, as the mother and son were talking, they unknowingly arrived at the vast, vermilion gate of the Daimyo's Manor.
Before they could even present their documents, the guards at the entrance respectfully ushered them into the manor.
Immediately, a graceful and pretty maid led the mother and son through the winding corridors.
All the servants in the manor were female maids, not a single male attendant.
The maids they encountered along the way all bowed in greeting.
After passing through dozens of courtyards and countless corridors, they finally arrived at their destination-the entrance to Matsudaira Tachibana's private chambers.
Seiya didn't know how long he had walked, but he was certain it was longer than the walk from the Guesthouse to the Daimyo's Manor.
"As expected of the Daimyo who rules a country, the manor is truly vast!" Seiya praised in a low voice.
Megumai smiled. "You almost ran through this entire manor when you were a child."
At the same time, a sombrely dressed maid gracefully emerged from the chambers and respectfully ushered the mother and son inside. Then, two maids helped the mother and son change into clean slippers.
Seiya used this interval to observe his surroundings.
A rose-coloured bead curtain separated the main hall into two sections: an inner and an outer.
The outer hall they were currently in was quite silent and spacious, furnished with various items in warm color tones.
Seiya had no expertise in these things, only perceiving them as being very valuable.
Other than that, there were only a few maids in the hall, each performing their duties, occasionally moving around.
However, there were no echoing footsteps. A dark-red, soft velvet carpet covered the entire hall, feeling soft underfoot.
Judging by its exquisite and intricate embroidered patterns, it must also be quite expensive.
After changing shoes, the mother and son were led by the maid through the rose-colored bead curtain and into the inner hall.
Immediately, two clear, cool voices sounded.
"Net / Aunt Net, Seiya, please forgive us for not coming out to greet you!"
What came into view was a mother and daughter, similar in appearance and demeanor, sitting beside a chaise lounge.
The two were bowing in apology. Judging by their attire, it was understandable that they hadn't come out to greet them.
After all, the mother and daughter were not wearing dignified and luxurious court robes, but rather seductive qipao dresses.
Matsudaira Nai wore a dark blue silk qipao.
The left shoulder to the chest featured intricate lace cutouts, and lace of the same material wrapped around her soft waist.
At first glance, the qipao seemed to be slit at the waist, but this was an illusion caused by the skin color being close to the fabric color.
The lace connected to a white silk lining, and the slit truly began just above the knee, revealing firm legs.
Their bowing posture made the already form-fitting qipao appear even tighter.
The expensive silk material and densely woven threads clung to their bodies like a second skin.
This style of dress was a true test of the wearer's figure. Matsudaira Nai's figure was plump but without any excess flesh.
The qipao had no awkward bulges anywhere, perfectly passing the test.
Matsudaira Tachibana wore a classical bun, with neatly trimmed bangs and two crescent-shaped strands of hair framing her cheeks.
She was wearing a silver-white, short-sleeved qipao.
The cool tone of the dress made the nobility she had acquired from her high position appear even colder.
Yellow and silver threads wove mandarin orange blossoms, which bloomed in large clusters on the shoulder of the qipao.
Her pure white arms, exposed from the short sleeves, made the orange blossoms appear especially vibrant.
The qipao's slit was slightly higher than Matsudaira Nai's, reaching about one-third of the way above the knee.
Her thighs were firm, and her calves were supple-a beautiful sight.
In truth, Matsudaira Nai and Matsudaira Tachibana were not exceptionally striking in appearance, comparable to Samui-neesan and Yugito-sensei.
However, the mother and daughter had been in high positions for a long time, giving them an ineffable air of nobility that Samui-neesan and the others did not possess.
More importantly, the mother and daughter resembled each other, and standing together, they complemented each other, creating a captivating beauty that was somewhat like a temporal.
Such a magnificent scene captivated Seiya, causing him to momentarily lose his composure.
Every 100 Power Stones gets 1 bonus chapters!