It was around 2 PM (the hour of the sheep) when large raindrops suddenly began to fall from the sky, which had been completely cloudless.
Haruhime, who had been sitting opposite Ichihime, averted her gaze from her and stared intently at the bizarre scene through the wide-open sliding doors.
Her dark brown hair swayed in the wind, revealing her pale neck.
"Oh, it's so sunny... I wonder why?"
Ichihime stood up and murmured as she closed the sliding door.
It sounded like he was talking to himself, but in reality, he was also expecting a response from Princess Osamu.
It had been several hours since Ichihime invited Haruhime to her mansion.
However, there was no real conversation; they remained silent to each other, merely observing one another.
Ichihime hoped that the unusual "sun shower" would be an opportunity to have a proper conversation with Osamuhime.
"..."
"Princess Haruhime...?"
However, there was no response from Haruhime, and Ichihime, whose faint hopes were dashed, turned around, calling out the name of the girl who had remained silent until now.
"Is there something I can help you with?"
"home..."
I wonder if he was trying to say, "It's nothing."
Haruhime raised her voice in denial—but slowly shook her head from side to side.
"Well...the weather right now...it felt like it was a reflection of how I feel right now."
Ichihime was taken aback by Haruhime's response.
Although he had never heard the story directly from her, he had heard about Haruhime's tragic and horrific past from her husband, Nagamasa.
And that experience had a profound impact on Ichihime's inner self.
In other words, I was made acutely aware of how fortunate my own circumstances were, relatively speaking.
What would have happened if, hypothetically, a woman's youth had been consumed by violent sexual encounters with men...?
The thought of countless men pressing down on her filled Ichihime with a horrifying sense of dread and terror.
She fundamentally believes that sexual activity is something sacred.
To offer one's body to a man, to accept his affections, and to surrender oneself to him—is that truly a feat that can only be accomplished through love?
For example, if the man who was pressing himself against her was anyone other than Nagamasa, Ichihime would immediately bite off her tongue and commit suicide.
(To have to accept countless men without love in order to survive... or to be forced to accept them... is a very sad thing.)
Ichihime firmly believes this.
Perhaps it was because she had given her virginity to a man named Nagamasa, and he was the only man she knew—but as a woman living in the hopelessly chaotic society of the Sengoku period, it was inevitable that she would think that way.
When you consider living with the person you love and adore—
Even if their home is small and they are not very wealthy, simply raising their children together in a modest way—if they can do that, Ichihime thinks that this is more than enough to be "happy."
But the world isn't that easy.
(Even as we speak, somewhere in the world, a war is raging, many men are dying, and the women who love them are crying out in anguish and being violated.)
There are many women in the world who have been hurt by the filthy desires of men.邪wicked
And perhaps, a woman like Ichihime, who could live in such a pure and innocent world, was extremely rare in this warring states period.
In rural and urban areas, women are constantly victims of men, both during wartime and in peacetime...
Thinking about such things, Ichihime's expression clouded over.
Seeing this, Princess Haruhime smiled faintly and said in a gentle voice:
"Raindrops pouring down from the azure sky... It rains even though there are no clouds—perhaps because the lord of the sky residing in the azure is hiding the shameful part that is the clouds."
Haruhime continued, still smiling.
"However, that should never happen... Things must be as they are meant to be. You may think I am a despicable woman trying to win the favor of Lord Bizen, but if you consider who I truly am, that is a terrible misunderstanding."
"I've already gone beyond being despicable; I'm nothing but filth," Haruhime said, as if mocking herself.
"My past has always been intertwined with the sexual desires of men lurking on the earth. Therefore, this body, stained with filth, is not worthy of Lord Bizen, the lord of the clear blue sky. He said that the past is merely a stepping stone to leap into the future...but even so, I have no past that I can reveal to the public."昏Kura
As she said this, she continued to direct a smile at Ichihime that seemed about to disappear at any moment.
When Ichihime lowered her gaze, unable to bear the pained expression on Osamu's face, she saw that Osamu's hands were tightly gripping the kimono that was resting on her knees.
"Um... Princess Osamu. Neither Lord Nagamasa nor I could have imagined that she was covered in filth..."貴女you
"...Even so, my memories, the traces of the men etched onto my body, cannot possibly disappear."
Since being sent to the Saito family as a hostage, she has been alone and constantly subjected to the lewd sexual desires of men—something that Ichihime, who grew up receiving love from her brother, mother, and sisters, could never fully understand.
The positions and angles from which their gazes are directed are fundamentally different. Naturally, their perspectives never intersect.
In that sense, Ichihime's attempt to support Osamuhime was itself careless and a mistake.
"I'm very sorry."
Ichihime bowed deeply and apologized sincerely.
To understand each other, we must first recognize that we and the other person are different beings.
And there's nothing to do but process what you can't understand as "something you can't understand" and accept it as it is.
That attitude simply manifested itself in the form of an apology.
Ichihime acknowledges that she cannot fully understand the darkness that Haruhime harbors, and yet she is trying to accept her as she is.
Perhaps he sensed Ichihime's true feelings.
Even Princess Chihime seemed surprised, and her expression shifted slightly.
Above all, it was unthinkable for the principal wife of a daimyo family to bow her head to a woman who had received the semen of countless men—given her position of being expected to be pure and sincere.
"Please stop, madam."
"I won't stop."
Despite appearing obedient, Ichihime can be stubborn once she's made up her mind.
Haruhime tries to persuade Ichihime, who refuses to budge, to lift her head, saying, "It is certain that my body is defiled..."
She began to calmly recount her past.
Because he was speaking to someone of the same sex, it became more direct and even more brutal than what he had told Nagamasa before.
It seems that Haruhime was trying to diminish her own position and alleviate the guilt that Ichihime was feeling.
Even Ichihime, with all her strength, seemed to be on the verge of giving up on hearing the horribly humiliating stories, including Osamu's gang rape experience —but ultimately, she was悍Ozo勝Masa
Without lifting his head, he continued to silently process Princess Osamu's recounting of her past.
"Even a purgatory that seems to last forever can become unbearable once you get used to it... Whether it's a man or whatever, once it begins, a woman should just throw everything away and become completely absorbed. Once that happens... all she has to do is wait for them to release their semen and be satisfied."魔羅Maraこと...
In the Saito household, any resistance would immediately result in beatings from the men.
Although a woman's body is more resilient than a man's, she still cannot withstand a full-grown man's fist or knee to the face or abdomen.
Moreover, if Haruhime were to resist, the Takenaka family, a weak force whose territory was Sekigahara, would be quickly crushed by the Saito family.
Indeed, if Haruhime remains obedient to the men, she will not be beaten to death, and if she does not incur the displeasure of Tatsuoki and others, the safety of the Takenaka family, their territory, and their people will be ensured. Therefore, Haruhime must continue to satisfy the desires of the men of the Saito family.
That was the only way. There were no other possibilities or options from the start.
In the midst of all that, it was books that soothed Princess Osamu's heart.
Freed from the men's attention, and dragging her body covered in filth, she crawls alone into the library and devours books on military strategy.
Only when I was reading a book could I forget all my worries.
Gradually, Haruhime learned all the military treatises that had been passed down in Japan and came to understand the necessity of flexibly combining tactics according to the situation.諳Sora
On the surface, she was like a prostitute who fawned over men, but in reality, Princess Chihime became far more skilled in military tactics than ordinary men, or even the greatest figures in the land.
That is why, when Tatsuoki sent the Takenaka forces against the Oda army to deal with Haruhime, who had "had more than enough fun," Haruhime, contrary to most expectations, succeeded in repelling the Oda army with a small force on several occasions.
Nobunaga's strong interest in acquiring Haruhime stemmed from the accumulation of such past events.
Finally, Ichihime raised her head and asked Haruhime.
"Um, Princess Haruhime, do you have a husband?"
"No... I'm considered a man in the eyes of the world. I do have a wife named Naoko, but this was a means for Ryūkō to protect Lord Andō Morinari's daughter from his clutches."
Haruhime responded with a smile.
"Lord Morishige and the other three lords of Western Mino were people who understood my difficult circumstances... so I wanted to protect them at all costs."
If Tatsuoki were to make advances on Nagiko, the daughter of a senior retainer and now a married woman, it would immediately become a major scandal, giving the Saito clan's powerful West Mino Three a pretext to revolt.
Even the mighty Ryukou couldn't do anything about this.
In a sense, Princess Haruhime willingly acted as a bulwark for the sake of her son, Naruhito.
"That child is staying at my Bodaiyama Castle, but I intend to send him back to Ando's family home soon. Ryuko is no longer around, and there will be no one to put him in danger."
"..."
There was nothing left to do but stare in amazement at Ichihime.
The person standing before her seemed like a saint who had transcended self-sacrifice and reached the pinnacle of perfection.
Haruhime described herself as "a body covered in filth," but that was a terrible thing to say.
It's true that half of her life may have been spent in the mud.
But Princess Osamu's character was constantly being polished amidst that corruption, becoming a gem that shone like a star at the bottom of the river.
"Um... there's one thing I'd like to ask you."
"What is it?"
"You said that Princess Haruhime is in love with Lord Nagamasa... Regarding that..."
"I don't go back on my word."
It was such a decisive and swift response that Ichihime found it refreshing.
At that moment, the woman who had married into a family from Owari to Kita-Omi made up her mind.
The woman standing before me is someone I truly respect. She will undoubtedly be a great source of support for my husband.
"Well, Princess Osamu, actually—"
At the very moment Ichihime was about to convey her wishes...
"--My lady!"
Naotsune's voice, like a bolt of lightning, roared with vivid intensity.
As if startled by this, Ichihime and Haruhime, who were inside the mansion, straightened up and quickly threw open the sliding doors.
"From the Oda family, Lord Kazusa-no-suke has arrived with his principal wife, Lady Kicho, and also with his younger brother, Lord Nobukane!"
Ichihime restrained Haruhime, who was about to step back, and in a firm voice, asked Naotsune, who was kneeling on one knee.
"What exactly are you here for? In addition to the Oda family's principal wife, Lord Nobukane is also here... This is quite unusual."
"...Perhaps something has happened to the lord. If we consider that they have come to offer an explanation, then Lady Kicho and Lord Nobukane's visit is not surprising... But, if that is not the case—"
"In any case, we won't know anything unless we hear what they have to say."
It's just a sun shower, after all.
The raindrops that had been falling heavily for a while have stopped dripping from the sky.
With a stern look in her eyes, Ichihime glared at her sister-in-law and older brother, whom she could see in the distance.
"However—I am now the wife of Lord Nagamasa, the Governor of Bizen, of the Asai family. No matter how much he is from my own family...if Lord Nagamasa is harmed in any way—I will show no mercy."
"teeth..."
Naotsune nodded, slightly intimidated by Ichihime's intensity.
"Lord Naotsune and Princess Haruhime... no, Lord Shigeharu, please stay here. We must firmly grasp "検Arata
A sense of tension began to spread, centered around Ichihime's body.
It was the fierce determination of a woman worried about her husband's safety—or perhaps a murderous aura reminiscent of her older brother, Nobunaga.