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I heard that around the summer of the year Hikaru turned 41, Hotaru began dating Miss Makibashira. She is the daughter of the thick-bearded Major Captain and his abandoned wife.
"I have a reason to want to marry you. I'm sorry I'm a lot older than you, but please meet me."
Hotaru honestly said so and asked her to date him.
"Wow, that story is half true, but half misunderstood."
He smiled bitterly at the fact that the rumors had spread to me, but he told me secretly.
"Do you know Kashiwagi's closest brother?"
"Yes, he's a good singer, isn't he?"
"Right. Apparently he's dating her before I am. And he's the guy who will marry her after I die."
"Oh, really..."
I was surprised and fell silent.
"Are prophecies coming true earlier than those books?"
"I'm sure so!"
Hotaru seems to be looking forward to it and is excited.
"I'm going to trust them and watch from afar. Getting interesting! The prophecy she and I will have a daughter may also change."
May be able to choose child's dad... Will Reizei-san's words finally come true? My eyes widened in surprise. Will we be able to overturn those prophecies and change the future?
"I want her to be happy! If they do well, I'll back out."
Hotaru said happily, so I thought he really had a warm heart. If their relationship continues, he'll leave it as is, and if Miss Makibashira chooses him, he's probably prepared to make her his wife. I feel really bad for the thick-bearded Major Captain's ex-wife, so I at least hope her daughter is happy.
"I'm more worried about Yugiri. What will he do with Princess Ni-no-miya?"
"Ni-no-miya..."
She is my second daughter. San-no-miya and Kashiwagi-kun were married, so Ni-no-miya, who was supposed to marry him, was still single.
"According to those prophecies, after Kashiwagi's death, Yugiri will fall in love with her, and Kari-chan will become jealous and return to her parents' home."
"Really?!"
I was stunned and upset. Yugiri-kun and Lady Kumoi-no-kari have many children. Will his family fall apart because of my daughter?
"He goes to Kari-chan's house, but he is married to princess and lives with her. They are raising Tou-naishinosuke's kids together."
Tou-naishinosuke is the woman who gave Yugiri-kun a letter during the Harvest Festival and confused him. After that event, she continued to work at the Imperial Palace, and is now an Assistant Handmaid. I didn't know that Yugiri-kun and she would have children. However, the fact that he has only two wives despite his high status is proof that he is very sincere. Moreover, the ladies working at the Imperial Palace are different from ordinary wives; because they have jobs and incomes, they do not necessarily have only one husband, and they do not live together as a couple.
Since Lady Kumoi-no-kari lived with Yugiri-kun and gave birth to and raised many of his children, she would naturally have the pride of being his life partner. Those prophecies are painful to me, that my daughter will be a threat to their peace.
◇◇◇
Every time I heard how happy San-no-miya and Kashiwagi-kun are, I started to worry about Ni-no-miya. Is there no one who will marry her? I just can't ask Yugiri-kun to do that.
Imperial princesses are very difficult to deal with and that's why Hikaru declined to marry San-no-miya. If I marry a princess who has a higher status than the woman I love most, I must treat the princess first. Naturally, women who have been treated as number one will be very sad.
"Would you like me to take care of her?"
Reizei-san smiles and says so, but I don't want to do that because I feel bad that my daughter will be a burden to him. Moreover, she doesn't have any strong supporters, so even if she were to marry Mikado, she would probably lose out to the competition from the other consorts. I think her mother, Lady Ichijo, would not approve of such a marriage.
"You look so troubled."
I went to Rokujo-in for the first time in a while to talk about when I would become a monk, and Hikaru said that as soon as he saw my face.
"How is your partner?"
"She's doing great, thank you."
I was relieved because Hikaru said that.
"How is Kashiwagi?"
"He seems good, too."
"That's great."
After saying that, he looks off into the distance.
"I'll call Yugiri."
Hikaru asked the lady serving him to summon Yugiri-kun and remained silent for a while.
"What do you want to do for Princess Ni-no-miya?"
"Nothing... I have no right to say anything about her."
"You're a cold person."
He smiles bitterly, still deep in thought. After a while, Yugiri-kun came into the room with his usual sharp eyes. He bows to me and sits in front of Hikaru.
"What are you going to do to Princess Ni-no-miya?"
Hikaru asked Yugiri-kun bluntly. According to those prophecies, it will be many years from now before he will date my daughter. Yugiri-kun looks straight at Hikaru and remains silent.
"I won't make Kari cry."
That's all Yugiri-kun said in a clear tone.
"Then you'll make the princess cry."
He frowned at Hikaru's words, but did not argue and remained silent.
"Can't you give her just a part of your love?"
Yugiri-kun angrily objected to Hikaru's suggestion.
"Just a part of love is rude to her. We should find someone to love her with all his might."
"What if such a person does not appear?"
He was at a loss for words when asked that question,
"I'll accept her."
He answered with determination.
"If you make a princess your wife, you must treat her as number one."
Hikaru said in a threatening voice, so
"Please stop it."
I couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted their conversation.
"If she is a nuisance, I'll make her a nun and take her to the mountains."
Hikaru and Yugiri-kun both looked at me at the same time, perhaps because what I said was so surprising. Their shocked expressions looked so similar that I thought they were a father and son after all.
"Oh, Suza-ni... Isn't that too harsh on your daughter?"
"Of course, I won't force her to do that. I will leave as much of my assets as possible to her so she doesn't have to worry about living. I'm not sure if she can survive on her own though..."
After being silent for a while, I said, feeling like I was about to cry.
"Even though Yugiri-kun married Lady Kumoi-no-Kari and is living happily, I can't let my daughter ruin his family."
I was thinking about the thick-bearded Major Captain's ex-wife. I didn't want Yugiri-kun to do what he did, abandon his wife and children for another woman. I wanted him to be a kind and faithful husband and father forever. I know I'm imposing my ideals on him.
"Hmm... What should I do?"
Hikaru couldn't seem to come up with a good idea and sighed.
"If we disrupt those prophecies more, her future may change."
I said that with the strong feeling that I would not be defeated by those books.
"I'm glad San-no-miya married Kashiwagi-kun and I believe Ni-no-miya's life will go well. There are people living in this world who don't appear in those prophecies."
Someday my prince will make me happy... It sounds like a fairy tale, but perhaps a princess has the right to dream like that. I think Ni-no-miya is also a lovely woman worthy of marriage. Every person born into this world is living a story in which they are the protagonist. It's an unscripted, impermanent story. What is written in those books of prophecies must not be everything.
"Got it."
Hikaru nodded in understanding,
" 'Don't get too cocky cause she might find a better guy than you,' he says."
said this cheerfully to Yugiri-kun.
"What?! Oh, that's not what I mean..."
When I waved my hands in front of my face in surprise, Yugiri-kun looked at me and smiled. His smile just narrowed his eyes a little, but it was as beautiful as sparks bursting out, and it left a strong impression on me.
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