Onmyoji, a nobleman in Heian-kyo

Page 545

"Okay, you guys keep watch around here for now. I'll take you and the others back later."

"Yes, Lord Kyosuke."

When they looked up, Ayanokouji and Hikigaya both realized that Kousaka Kyosuke was nowhere to be seen.

Looking around, I saw hundreds of people standing in neat rows, but all of them had their eyes closed as if they were asleep.

Hikigaya breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his wives, who were not far from him, were all safe and sound.

Ayanokoji, meanwhile, was quickly searching for his own subordinates.

Not long after they were found, the people gradually woke up and then, under Ayanokouji's command, spread out to protect the others.

Soon, many more people woke up.

Having already awakened, Shijou Tei reluctantly came to ask, and Ayanokouji answered truthfully. Immediately afterwards, Shijou Tei returned to his own circle to report the situation.

"Now all we have to do is wait for Lord Kyosuke to arrive."

"I see."

Empress Zhen glanced sideways at Emperor Shijou.

Shijou-tei wisely left.

Beside the older sister stood a group of women in a circle, obscuring the faces of the young ladies.

Compared to the previous chaos, settling down requires paying more attention to many details.

It's important to understand that in today's aristocratic circles...

Noblewomen lived behind a curtain, and it was considered improper for them to show their true faces to men outside their families.

Some women have even taken extreme actions due to excessive shame caused by mistakes in this area.

In general, it's best to avoid talking about it if possible.

After finishing her conversation with her younger brother, Maki returned to the inside of the "human wall" to meet with other female alumni she knew and to deliver the news.

A group of women are all alumni of the modern-day Soojiwon Academy.

Among them were Princess Maki's classmates, as well as her seniors and juniors; they all actually had some connection with each other.

The advantage of a consistent elite school is that interpersonal relationships are not reset.

The narrow, sandbox-like space meant that everyone knew each other to some extent.

"Ah, it was only a short while before Lord Kyosuke appeared..."

Kashiwagi Nagisa said in surprise.

The head of the Prosecutor's Office is a very famous and important figure!

What's more, he was the sect leader of his friend's father.

"Regarding security, it seems that some changes in reality led Kyosuke to discover this."

Princess Zhenfei replied, suppressing her indescribable emotions.

Even though they had only met once, he was still able to learn a lot about Kousaka Kyosuke through the maids' inquiries.

The maids carefully observed when they went out, when they returned, and what they did on a daily basis.

My mother has been in Kyoto for a while now and has gathered more information.

She also learned that her classmate, Fujiwara Chika, and her sisters had all married Kousaka Kyosuke.

Despite the chills she felt, Princess Zhenfei was well aware that she was receiving the best treatment.

Because Kyosuke Kosaka prefers to bring his wife back to his bedroom to live, and he is not the kind of man who would leave her after just one night.

The type who prefers to "live a good life" is quite rare in this era.

"Lord Kyosuke is too noble. I would like to ask Lady Maki about Lord Kiyotaka's condition."

"Me too, me too! I'd like to know more about Lord Kiyotaka. Thank you..."

Before Zhenfei could offer any further words of comfort, her classmates and alumni surrounded her, eager to find out what was going on.

Hayasaka Ai, who was standing on the outside blocking other people's view, twitched the corner of her mouth.

"Compared to those great figures who are out of reach, Lord Kiyotaka, who is closer to us, is much more popular."

Before she knew it, Hayasaka Ai overheard someone asking about information about Hachiman.

Clearly, these female alumni all intended to choose either Ayanokoji or Hikigaya as their husband candidates.

Yes, compared to choosing those local nobles whose morals and values ​​are clearly incompatible with one's own?

Why not choose a peer from the same modern era?

Hayasaka Ai is very familiar with Ayanokoji and Hikigaya's detailed information.

Even her parents and family retainers had considered having her marry them.

Unfortunately, these two are even less likely to be together than Kyosuke Kousaka.

Such as Kousaka Kyosuke.

Hayasaka knew that he had arranged for many maids to serve him in the bedchamber.

Especially after seeing Shizuko, whose looks were merely delicate and whose figure was average...

She even had that absurd thought that "I could do it too!"

Of course, Hayasaka Ai didn't dare to seduce Kousaka Kyosuke.

Ultimately, Kyosuke Kosaka was in a high position and had no shortage of women. How could he not understand why he was being seduced?

It's highly likely that taking a maidservant as a concubine was simply a case of developing feelings over time.

In this situation, there was probably no other way to get noticed except by serving Kousaka Kyosuke.

Let's get back to the main topic.

Hayasaka Ai genuinely believes that Ayanokoji and Hikigaya are unlikely to form a romantic relationship.

"Lord Kiyotaka is usually quite normal. When it comes to serious matters, he solves problems calmly, just like Lord Kyosuke. But his smile feels somewhat unfamiliar, more like he's imitating Lord Kyosuke's smile... just like a robot."

"It seems that Lord Hachi has never had a good relationship with his wives, although he often buys them food and gifts. These wives seem to have been bestowed upon Lord Hachi by Lord Kyosuke..."

Thinking of the news about these two young officials who had just entered the ranks of high-ranking officials, Hayasaka Ai was speechless.

In her opinion, Ayanokouji was too cold and Hikigaya was too indecisive.

The aloof Ayanokouji is unlikely to develop feelings for women.

In this way, it becomes practically meaningless.

The fact that he didn't develop feelings for her means that Ayanokouji couldn't possibly have taken care of his wife or her family because of emotional issues.

Thinking of this, Hayasaka Ai unconsciously recalled that Ayanokouji was specially taken care of by Kousaka Kyosuke precisely because he was Shizuko's older brother.

For example, the issue of martial arts skills.

There is no way a modern person could possess the knowledge of martial arts to kill monsters.

The 100% probability was provided by Kyosuke Kousaka.

The same goes for Hachiman.

Speaking of Hikigaya, Hayasaka Ai disapproved of his indecisive attitude towards relationships.

"If Lord Hachi continues like this, the dissent against those wives will only increase."

Criticism is a rather terrible thing.

Every noble residence needed wet nurses, servants, maids, and other personnel to exchange information and intelligence.

Each of these individuals possesses an extensive intelligence network.

The usual topics of conversation were how beautiful and talented a young lady was, and how well-behaved and promising a young gentleman was.

Similarly, they would also talk about the various important figures in the mansion.

As someone who rose from a commoner to a top-ranking official, Hachiman is naturally the first topic of conversation!

Hayasaka Aika had only been in the household for a short time when she heard that Hikigaya didn't like his wives very much.

However, based on her observations...

Hikigaya is roughly a pure-hearted boy with complicated feelings.

It seems they weren't mentally prepared at the moment.

Unfortunately, in this era, many men and women only meet for the first time when they get married, and they already have sex.

Hachiman's hesitant behavior makes it hard not to have some suspicions.

Hayasaka Ai immediately rejected him.

The parents and their retainers were very understanding.

As for why Hayasaka Ai is able to treat marriage so calmly?

That's simply because there was no other choice.

In a few years, she will be considered too old and will be arranged to get married by the steward.