Listen closely, the voices told her. This is important. This will change everything—this will lead you towards the path you should take. You will know your role soon enough.

Lord Ozuru didn’t pause very long to explain it, although Princess Maenomi seemed curious. He wasn’t exactly cold, nor was he extremely welcoming.

“Tsujihara Mikka lived in the capital before she had a child,” Lord Ozuru said, looking in Seiko’s direction but not directly at her. “She told you that much, at least?”

“The only thing in her past she didn’t tell me was about my father,” Seiko replied evenly. “I’ve heard stories and anecdotes about everything else.”

The man sighed as his two children waited for any word that this conversation involved them. He continued on with the same tone as earlier, starting with a little story. “My father—Kyuburu—wanted to start a reform. He wanted to separate Gin from Kuro by changing around the social classes—intermarrying and the like—as well as introducing and welcoming foreigners. As you three can tell, he was only somewhatsuccessful; a Kuro assassin killed him before any real progress could be made. He did manage to reform the army, at least, and there’s more foreign blood around here than before, but the changes ended there.”

“We know this story, Father,” Princess Maenomi said kindly but impatiently.

“I’m not done yet,” Lord Ozuru replied, frowning at her for a moment. He looked back at Seiko and continued. “I met Mikka during those years of reform. Kyuburu arranged for Tsunkei and I to meet with commoners—he believed that if the royal family followed his new ‘code,’ others would follow suit. I first saw Mikka while she was tending to the shrine; we were both fifteen, I believe, or around that age.”

“…She didn’t tell me she was acquainted with the royal family,” Seiko noted quietly. She wasn’t quite sure what Lord Ozuru was meaning to say, but she wasn’t willing to ask just yet. All she knew for certain was that her voices were giving her dread.

He nodded. “Likely to ‘preserve’ my reputation, as you put it.” Lord Ozuru continued on before Seiko could question the choice of words. “Suffice to say, my father’s little plan worked. Simplifying three years into one sentence, Mikka and I… Well, we fell in love. It was never exactly ‘public knowledge’—she was still a miko at the time, and that alone would have been a scandal—but we were enough of fools to carry on in secret. We were rarely at home, spending the days together or hiding away somewhere outside of the capital until Kyuburu died; I was too busy taking care of funeral and coronation preparations, making sure my father was honored and Tsunkei became king, to speak with her. When we next met—after two months—she told me she was pregnant with my child. I left her, for reasons I still don’t quite understand.”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

The other three were left in a moment of silence, each gathering their own thoughts. He’s right, her voices said. But don’t feel bad; he really is a coward.

You’re the last resort, little Seiko, because no one knows who you are.

Prince Kyuru was the first to speak up, talking to his father innocently. “Is that why Miss Tsujihara looks like Maenomi but older and prettier?”

Maenomi turned towards Seiko, apparently choosing to ignore her brother’s comment. “I’m so sorry, Miss Tsujihara! If I had known we shared a father, I wouldn’t have made you do so much for me… Oh, but why did the bastard child have to prettier than me?”

“Choose your words wisely, Maenomi,” Lord Ozuru said.

“Y-yes, Father,” the princess replied. She gave a small bow to Seiko in apology.

It was still another few moments before Seiko could manage any kind of response, looking at Lord Ozuru. “May I speak with Mikka about this?” Seiko asked.

“You’re not leaving the palace,” Lord Ozuru replied firmly. “And news of this would only stir up more trouble, so I don’t trust a letter. Mikka isn’t well enough to make the trip, from what Kyou Ujuro told me, so you’ll have to make due without.”

Seiko nodded slowly. She could believe it—even if it felt strange—but she wanted Mikka’s confirmation. The voices were assuring her that their confirmation should be all she needed…and as much as she hated it, she knew they were right.

“What will be my new position?” Seiko asked after a moment, partially changing the previous subject to something more immediately relevant.

“If anyone asks, you’ll be reclaiming a position as Maenomi’s guard,” Lord Ozuru said. “You will remain with the soldiers—eat and train with them—but unless your monstrous fighting returns, you won’t be fighting directly. Pick two or three people to watch over you; they’ll hear of this, so be wise in your decision. They will follow from a farther distance and join you when there’s a battle—otherwise, treat Maenomi’s other guards as your own. You’ll mostly adopt Maenomi’s routine from there.”

“She’ll be with me all day?” Princess Maenomi asked.

“For the most part, yes,” her father replied.

“Can she play with me again?” Kyuru said happily. “I want her to play with me again!”

“We’ll see,” Lord Ozuru said. He looked at Seiko. “That’s all I had to say. Consider which soldiers you want to have close by; you have until the end of the week before I choose them myself. Do you understand, Seiko?”

She could only nod. “You’re dismissed, then,” he said. “You can rest for the day, if you wish. Let me know if you have any requests or questions in light of your new status.”

“Yes, sir,” Seiko replied. She bowed, then left.

Suddenly she was a bastard princess, and she wasn’t sure if she was willing to accept it.