043　Closed book

In March, when Hikaru was 31, the lady former Saigu came to the Imperial Palace to get married. Although Reizei-san's mother is a nun, her original rank is respected and she is called "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager".

I felt sorry for not being able to send a letter of greeting to Lady Rokujo after she returned to the Imperial Capital, so I gave her precious daughter some gifts. The contents are a decorated small box for combs and cosmetics, some kneaded incenses, and a pot to hold them. These are daily necessities, so I thought that if she didn't need them, she could give them to the ladies-in-waiting.

"If your parents were alive, how happy they would have been to celebrate this day. I hope you would live happily ever after."

She had a hard time after losing her parents, and I wanted her to be loved by Mikado and be happy. Reizei-san is affectionate, so I believe that she will be treated well. She received Umetsubo as her residence from Mikado and was called Lady Umetsubo. The daughter of the provisional vice-councilor, who had first married Mikado, was Lady Kokiden. 

Reizei-san is 13 this year. He was tall and radiantly beautiful, similar to Hikaru, and his charm seemed to increase as he grew older. He also seems to be very kind to the ladies, and whenever I go to the Imperial Palace, all the court ladies are working naturally and comfortably. 

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"Thanks for giving her such a luxurious gift."

As I was sitting in Nashitsubo's verandah watching Togu play in the garden with the other kids, Hikaru came and sat next to me.

"I wanted to congratulate her. I'm sorry if I am overstepping."

I also answer while looking straight ahead.

"I'm glad that she got married. Although Lady Rokujo couldn't become the Empress consort, I think she is truly delighted that her daughter was able to marry Mikado."

I knew that Hikaru had acted as her parent and had been preparing for her marriage. I hope she can live a peaceful life. I believe that if she is by Reizei-san's side, she would live with hope.

"You're incredibly honest."

Hikaru laughed quietly as he watched the kids play.

"Your mother was honest with herself, too. I didn't dislike her."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Since I came back to the Imperial Capital, various people come around me, and they’re all for their profit. If I have power, they'll follow me; if I fall, they'll leave; if I rise again, they'll forget that they once betrayed me and come back again. They all are. Your mother was the only one who consistently hated me, even when I was at my most popular and favored by Father. I can trust her. I don't wanna make her my enemy though."

I wonder if he praises her for being admirable even though she is his enemy. Hikaru is smiling nostalgically as he talks.

"Her single-mindedness has probably been inherited by you."

"I don't know if it's a good point though."

I was embarrassed and smiled bitterly. Are we too simple?

"I've been so busy that I had forgotten, there was a lady waiting for me. I was astonished! How patient she was, waiting for years in a dilapidated mansion without selling herself or her furniture... Even though it's hard not to change. Perhaps she had no one to rely on except me though."

Hikaru may be looking for someone who will never change. Since he was very sad when Her Majesty the Empress Dowager became a Buddhist nun.

"Even aristocratic ladies like a consort's sister or an imperial prince's daughter sometimes face such hardships. Though I was Mikado's favorite, I went to far Suma bay. The future is a closed book, no one can read it... Even so, if it can be solved with money, I'd like to help them. I'm thinking of building a mansion to take care of the ladies who trusted me and waited for me."

"Wow... You truly dedicate your life to the ladies."

"Do I?"

"Exactly. You are incredible."

I said with surprise and admiration. Does he intend to take care of the ladies he has been dating for the rest of his life? I heard that he also raised his current partner since she was a girl. The amount of time and money he spends on women is far beyond my imagination. He's not just a popular, he's probably a protector of women.