"Of course, Mother knows you consulted Grandmother!"
Matsudaira Nai rolled her eyes at her daughter. "It would be a miracle if you understood these things!"
Matsudaira Tachibana leaned on the chaise lounge and smiled.
"Grandmother's suggestion was quite good. The effect seems to have been decent."
Matsudaira Nai scoffed softly. "Of course, it was; Seiya was stunned the moment he entered the curtain."
Matsudaira Tachibana nodded slightly, then looked down at her white, flawless feet and reflected. "The effect of being barefoot seemed poor; Seiya didn't react much."
The toes, with their applied polish, were exquisite and beautiful, like jade.
Matsudaira Nai looked down at them, unconcerned.
"It's just a pair of feet. How beautiful can they be? Moreover, rarity is valuable. Seiya is already married, and his wife is not without beautiful feet."
"Besides, Mother feels this is too indecent. Even if it had an effect, it would be a negative one."
Upon hearing this, Matsudaira Tachibana frowned slightly and countered, "Being barefoot in the private chambers, not showing it to outsiders, how is that indecent?"
Matsudaira Nai shook her head. "You may not consider Seiya an outsider, but Seiya may not think the same."
Matsudaira Tachibana curled her lips, rather disdainful of her mother's baseless worries.
"Didn't we communicate with Aunt Net in the letter? She will help us correct our image in Seiya's mind."
Matsudaira Nai raised her willow eyebrows and smiled, emphasizing, "It's to help you correct your image, not us. Mother doesn't need to have a good image in Seiya's heart."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Matsudaira Tachibana mimicked her mother's raised eyebrow and countered, "In that case, are you willing to be perceived by Seiya as indecent rather than dignified?"
Matsudaira Nai's smile froze. She then feigned annoyance, pointing a finger at her daughter's nose in the air.
"You girl!"
Matsudaira Tachibana was unconcerned. She looked down at her toes, thought for a moment, and suggested, "Next time, no bare feet. Let's try stockings."
"You wear them yourself; Mother won't go crazy with you."
Matsudaira Nai firmly refused. "Today was awkward enough; I wasn't comfortable at all!"
As she spoke, she turned back to the mirror, swaying her waist gracefully, admiring her beautiful reflection.
Matsudaira Tachibana chuckled, ruthlessly exposing her. "Is that so? I thought you were quite comfortable today, Mother! You were much more confident in front of Aunt Net!"
Matsudaira Nai's expression faltered. Remembering the past, she sighed faintly.
"Alas, before I met Net, I thought I was the most outstanding woman in the world. In terms of talent, looks, character, family background, and status, no one could surpass me. But when I met Net, I understood that I wasn't. She was so beautiful, so much so that I couldn't even dream of catching up to her; I lost the desire to compare anything else."
Matsudaira Tachibana smiled sweetly and added another barb. "Actually, even before you met Aunt Net, Mother, you weren't the most outstanding woman in the world."
"Oh?" Matsudaira Nai grew competitive and curious. "Who else?"
"Me, your daughter!" Matsudaira Tachibana smiled and pointed to herself.
"In terms of talent, looks, and character, we're about the same. But in terms of family background and status, your daughter still has a slight advantage."
Matsudaira Nai couldn't help but give her a gentle glare, then laughed.
"Yes! How high your status is! Who doesn't know you are the Princess of the Land of Iron? I am merely a common noblewoman whose princess title was taken away. Of course, I am far from inferior to you, the next Daimyo of the Land of Iron!"
Matsudaira Tachibana giggled, rose from the chaise lounge, walked to the full-length mirror, and gently wrapped her arms around her mother's waist.
They quietly gazed at the mother and daughter with beautiful features in the mirror.
After a while, Matsudaira Tachibana softly sighed, "Daughter deeply respects Mother's persistence back then."
"It was nothing," Matsudaira Nai shook her head and smiled faintly. "It was just having the princess title taken away; it was irrelevant. Mother didn't pay any price."
"But you paved a path that future generations can learn from!" Matsudaira Tachibana praised. "It was merely an act of desperation. You have a better choice now."
Matsudaira Tachibana nodded. "Seiya is very good."
Matsudaira Nai lowered her eyes, suddenly feeling sentimental. "If I had been born twenty years later, my life might have been a different story."
Matsudaira Tachibana's eyes flickered, and she took over the conversation. "If you had been born twenty years later, Grandfather would probably have died of anxiety!"
Matsudaira Nai smiled and nodded slightly, skipping that topic and asking instead, "How do you feel about seeing Seiya today?"
"Quite cute, similar to before."
"Cute? Seiya is already an adult, a married man!"
"That doesn't affect my impression of Seiya; he's just cute, very endearing!"
"That's your inherent impression of Seiya from over ten years ago, influencing your current judgment."
"As long as it's Seiya, it's fine!" Matsudaira Tachibana smiled charmingly.
Matsudaira Nai raised her dark eyebrows and lightly nodded.
After more than ten years, she had finally seen Seiya with her own eyes again today.
The adorable baby in the cradle had grown into an unparalleled handsome man, perfectly inheriting Net's looks.
...
At ten o'clock in the evening, Seiya followed his mother to the mall to buy a complete set of photography equipment.
Then, they returned to the Guesthouse, completed the check-in procedures at the counter, and went upstairs to their double suite.
Before leaving the Daimyo's Manor, Matsudaira Tachibana mentioned that due to the imminent multilateral economic cooperation meeting, her schedule was busy, and she could not meet with the mother and son for the time being.
She implored them to wait in Rinto City for a while and meet after the meeting concluded.
Seiya and Megumai expressed their understanding and had no objections.
On the way back to the Guesthouse, they planned their itinerary for the next few days.
Rinto City had many scenic spots, and they needed to plan their sightseeing thoroughly.
As for Shion, the mother and son didn't need to worry.
She had already invited Kurotsuchi to explore the city with her in the afternoon.
Traveling required a lot of energy and stamina.
Therefore, after the mother and son entered their suite, they quickly bathed and went to bed without much delay.
The next day at eight o'clock, the mother and son washed up, dressed, and went downstairs for breakfast.
The Land of Iron's only diplomatic priority for the time being was the economic meeting, so the restaurant was mostly filled with the familiar faces they had seen yesterday-Shizune, Terumi Mei, Temari, and Mabui.
Only Kurotsuchi and Shion were absent.
The two girls had gone too far the day before and returned to the Guesthouse around twelve o'clock, so they had not woken up yet.
After leisurely enjoying their foreign meal, Seiya and his mother left the restaurant together, preparing to leave the Guesthouse and stroll around Rinto City.
Passing through the lobby, they happened to see Kurotsuchi coming downstairs.
Megumai's eyes flickered. She whispered to her son, "You go and hire a carriage first; Mother needs to go upstairs to retrieve something."
Seiya, unsuspecting, nodded in agreement and walked out of the Guesthouse to the carriage stand.
Megumai walked straight toward Kurotsuchi, who was heading to the restaurant, and smiled faintly.
"Little girl from Iwagakure, would you mind having a private chat with me?"
Kurotsuchi's heart skipped a beat, sensing something ominous. She was about to refuse when she saw Megumai's eyes turn scarlet.
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