Ryo’s attendant looked annoyed. “There are a lot of sophisticated, beautiful women in the imperial capital. When she told me to ‘take care’ of you, she was really asking me to make sure you won’t cheat. She instructed me to do so before we left—saying how outraged she’d be if you were to drop by the prostitution district. She’s quite possessive, you know. You really should be careful.”
Unsure what to say, Ryo carried on walking in silence.
“Oh… I forgot,” Ryo said once the two men were further down the road.
“What’s wrong?” his attendant asked.
“I forgot to ask my wife what she wanted for a souvenir.”
“How come you’re in such a better mood now?”
The adorable pair of birds hanging from Ryo’s belt swayed in the breeze.
The Samon Palace was a detached palace inside the imperial estate. It was the same place Ryo had stayed when he’d visited the imperial capital before. By the time he got there, his two brothers had already arrived.
“Long time no see,” said Shin, getting up from his seat to welcome him. “How are the kids?”
Ko leaned back further in his seat as he sipped his tea. Light refreshments, like filled buns and rice wrapped in bamboo leaves, were spread out on the table.
“They’re well. Thank you very much for the congratulatory gifts that you both sent.”
Ko’s face broke into a broad smile. “Our Ryo knows how to communicate like an adult now, I see,” he said.
“What are you talking about? I’m almost thirty,” Ryo snapped back. “I wasn’t going to be your baby brother forever.”
Ko was much easier to talk to than he’d been in the past. At one point, it had been impossible to tell what he was thinking, and he had never smiled like he was doing now.
Shin had a grin on his face too. The eldest of the three, he gave off a much more gentle aura than he used to and was even able to show when he felt sad.
What about me? Ryo wondered, but he couldn’t help but feel like he hadn’t changed that much at all.
“Banka should be here soon,” announced Shin.
He went by another name now, but to Ryo, the name Shin felt much more familiar. In a way, Ryo could understand why he’d left the Saname clan behind him—but at the same time, it was hard to fully comprehend. He knew that Shin had been on bad terms with their father, but there had to be more to it than that. He’d tried to interrogate him about it before, but he hadn’t managed to obtain any clear answers. Shin would probably never reveal his reasons for as long as he lived, and Ryo couldn’t bring himself to press him any further.
A short while later, the three men heard footsteps—a woman’s, in particular.
“She’s here,” said Ko.
Ryo and Shin leapt to their feet, ready to welcome her. With a flutter of her pale red shawl, Banka gracefully sauntered into the room. She was plumper than she was when she was a young girl, and her appearance was more refined now.
“It’s so lovely to see you all,” she said.
“How many years has it been now?” said Ko, narrowing his eyes as he looked at her. “I expect you see Shin from time to time, though.”
“Less often than you’d think,” Banka replied. “He’s busy—aren’t you, Shin?”
Banka shot him a petulant look, making him smile awkwardly back at her.
“Of course he’s busy. He’s the vice minister of the financial affairs department, after all,” argued Ko.
“Unlike somebody we know,” commented Ryo snidely.
“Hey,” Banka countered, glowering at him. “I’ll have you know I’m plenty busy too.”
“People who really have their hands full don’t go around insisting that’s the case.”
“Well, everybody’s different,” snapped Banka. “It’s interesting to see that you haven’t changed a bit, Ryo.”
She was visibly aggravated, but the fact that she’d gotten so ruffled over such a silly comment just proved how little she’d changed herself.
“How’s your wife? Kitsu Rokujo’s daughter. I wonder if she looks like her mother. I’d like to get the chance to meet her one day. Hey, do you think you could bring her to the imperial capital? You can bring the children too. Am I right in thinking the oldest is a boy and the younger one is a girl?”
Taken aback by this rapid onslaught of questions, Ryo offered his sister some tea.
“Calm down,” said Ryo. “I’ll bring the children when they’re older. Oh yes, that reminds me. What do you think would make a good souvenir from the imperial capital?” He figured that Banka would be the right person to ask.
“For the children?” said his sister.
“No, for Tojo.”
“Oh!” she exclaimed, eyes widening in surprise. “Well, how about a comb or a hairpin with a pearl inlay, imported from Kada? Things from Kada are very fashionable at the moment,” she explained politely.
“I’ll tell you which shops to visit,” chimed in Shin. “There’s a lot of variation when it comes to merchants that sell imported goods—some are true connoisseurs, while others are just scam artists.”
“I should go and buy a comb too. It would have slipped my mind if you hadn’t mentioned it.” Ko laughed. “If you’re heading to the marketplace, Ryo, I’ll join you. You can pick out some fabric for me. My daughter’s been begging me to buy some.”
“Is Yozetsu Jikei doing well?” Shin asked, as if he’d just been reminded about him. “His Majesty has been wondering how he’s doing.”
“Very well. Even better than me, in fact. He’s utterly spoiling my daughter. He actually asked if I could bring him some drinks back from the imperial capital.”
“Is that right? Well, I’m pleased to hear he’s in good health.”
Shin gave him a wide smile as he nodded calmly in acknowledgment.
“Speaking of His Majesty… Gaku,” said Banka, sounding like she was about to laugh as she called Shin by his new name. “Have you heard? He wants you to supervise the crown prince’s studies.”
“He did tell me, but I turned down his request.”
“Oh, how come?”
“He already has an excellent grand master teaching him. There’s no need for His Majesty to come and ask me for help,” said Shin.