Koshun, however, didn’t get up, and crossed his arms thoughtfully. “…Then let me change my request. I’m actually in a bit of a quandary over this.”
“A quandary?”
This revelation wouldn’t pique Jusetsu’s interest—or at least, the emperor didn’t expect it to.
“You see, this earring seems to be haunted by a ghost.”
Jusetsu, who was enjoying her filled buns, looked up.
“What do you mean, it seems to be? Did you see one?”
“Just the once. And only vaguely.” Koshun looked at the earring. “It was the ghost of a woman dressed in a ruqun, a short jacket and skirt. She was wearing one of these earrings, but only on her left ear. Do you know who that was?”
Jusetsu frowned as she cast a glance at the earring. “I may have some knowledge pertaining to this situation, but it’s not comprehensive. Still, even if I did know who she was, what would it mean to you? Is finding out the owner of the earring or the true identity of the ghost really so important that you had to come all the way out here to ask me about it?”
“I’m just curious. Once something has got my attention, I just can’t get it out of my head—that’s the kind of person I am.”
What a liar, Jusetsu thought as she stared at Koshun’s face. He didn’t look like the sort of young man who was brimming with curiosity. In fact, he seemed like nothing would interest him. To Jusetsu, he appeared self-composed, to put it nicely—or, if she was feeling less charitable, he looked as emotionally stunted as a wooden puppet.
“If you don’t know who the owner is, then identifying that ghost for me would suffice. Asking unnecessary questions is only going to make this more troublesome for you. You hate dealing with nuisances, don’t you?”
He was certainly right about that, but having it pointed out to her got on Jusetsu’s nerves. She stayed silent, and Koshun pointed at the steaming basket. It was already empty.
“Do however much work it takes to repay us for the filled buns. How does that sound? You wouldn’t want to be greedy, would you?”
Being described as such left Jusetsu displeased. “You’re more unpleasant than I expected you to be.”
“Are you saying I looked like I’d be nice? That’s a first for me,” Koshun replied indifferently.
Jusetsu furrowed her brow silently.
“You’re cuter than I expected you to be,” the emperor added.
The girl’s face immediately turned vermillion. She leaped to her feet, which made her chair fall over. Shinshin, who’d been lying by her side, jumped back in a panic.
“Sei, pick that chair back up,” Koshun ordered quietly.
The eunuch put the collapsed chair back in place. With her face still flushed red, Jusetsu gave Koshun a furious scowl and sat back down.
Koshun held out the jade earring to Jusetsu. She continued to glare at him, but she reached out her hand and took it from him.
The jade was cool, but she could sense a strange warmth in the deep, green color that seemed as if it would suck her in. It gave off the same air as the murmuring of a flowing river, or perhaps being surrounded by the tranquility of a forest.
Jusetsu placed the earring in one of her hands and used the other one to take a peony out of her hair. It was no normal flower; it was the physical embodiment of Jusetsu’s gifts.
When she placed the peony into her palm, it instantly transformed into a pale red flame. Jusetsu blew on it, causing the flame to flicker. It then turned to smoke and encircled the jade earring.
The pale red smoke gradually faded and was replaced by the appearance of a figure in front of the flame. At first, it was hard to see, but it soon became clearer. It was the figure of a woman wearing a red ruqun, the same traditional outfit that the emperor previously described. Her hair was tied up in a high knot, but it was disheveled. Next to her down-turned face dangled a singular jade earring. One of her sleeves had been torn from her jacket, exposing her pale arm. Jusetsu also spotted some golden marks on the inside of her wrist—three round spots, much like Orion’s belt.
The woman, who’d been looking down at the ground, slowly lifted her head.
“Augh!” The eunuch covered his mouth.
The woman’s face was purple and swollen, and her eyes looked like they were about to pop out at any moment. She had a silk shawl tied tightly around her thin neck. Her tongue hung loosely out of her gaping mouth, and she clawed at her neck with her fingers.
“This is no good. She won’t be able to speak if she’s like this.”
Jusetsu stood up and breathed on the woman. She let the smoke disperse, and with that, the figure vanished.
The eunuch let out a sigh of palpable relief and wiped the sweat from his pale forehead.
Jusetsu sat down and gave the earring back to Koshun. “If she can’t speak to us, I won’t be able to find out her name. I advise you to give up.”
Koshun, whose face hadn’t turned the slightest bit pale at the sight of the ghost, crossed his arms and mulled things over. “…Was that ghost strangled to death?”
“Either that or suicide. I wouldn’t know.”
“She was a concubine, wasn’t she?”
“…It would seem that way.”
The ghost had golden marks on her wrist. A constellation of three stars, just like Orion’s belt in the sky. That symbol was proof that she was an inner palace concubine. She appeared to have been from the current dynasty as well, as those three stars were the emblem of the Ka lineage, the reigning imperial family.