Wedding Night

After the wedding procession had stayed at the state guesthouse for a day, the wedding was held as scheduled.

The weather was nice—neither gloomy nor sunny, just ordinarily crisp and refreshing, enough to put one in a good mood.

The only thing Kicho was not quite used to was this country's cold air.

Was it because of the cold current blowing in from the east of the Land of Night?

That was formerly the Land of Iron, a country locked in severe winter all year round. It was now part of the Land of Night as well.

The samurai had been defeated and subdued, becoming one of the pillars of the newborn nation.

Nightview City, the capital, stood at the border between the former Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Iron. Perhaps affected by the former Land of Iron's climate, winter here might arrive much earlier.

I'm not used to the cold. Won't my life here be terrible...

Kicho wore an elaborate and magnificent furisode kimono. Compared to the plain white clothes she had worn before, she was now adorned with many precious accessories she had never seen in her life.

Kicho unconsciously drew herself in.

The Land of Fire had winters too, but it was impossible for the air to become this cold in September.

She instinctively clenched the fabric inside her sleeve. It was soft and comfortable, carrying a trace of warmth.

This wedding dress had been carefully tailored and sent over on the general's orders.

The silk used was of such superior quality that she should have found it difficult to use even once in her lifetime.

She had seen weddings within the clan. The wedding garments they used were rather rough, sewn from coarse cloth. Wealthier families used silk, but its quality was ordinary and not comfortable enough to the touch.

But the one she wore was different. No matter how she touched it, it felt as exquisite as a girl's skin.

It was not actually cold to wear. It was only her own mind playing tricks on her.

"Does he take me for some kind of puppet doll?"

She had heard that the general of the Land of Night played with puppets. He did not have some bizarre perverted fetish, did he?

Kicho maliciously speculated to herself.

She had once accompanied clan members to protect certain nobles. All she could say was that those nobles perfectly matched her image of nobles.

Every one of them looked greasy and bloated. They liked dressing young girls in all sorts of beautiful clothes and playing dress-up, then indulging in lust day and night.

"Do you require anything, Lady Kicho?"

The two branch family girls following beside Kicho were also dressed in fine formal wear, attending on Kicho, the main family's daughter, from either side.

Perhaps one of them had heard Kicho mutter to herself and asked without thinking.

"It's nothing, Aoi. I'm just not used to the climate here. It's a little cold, isn't it?"

Kicho looked toward the branch family girl beside her and answered with a smile.

No matter how much grievance and dissatisfaction she had, she still had to greet life with a smile.

After all, crying could not change anything. Better to smile more; perhaps something good might happen.

"Yes, it is. The climate here is different from the Land of Fire. They say it is winter all year round in the east, so it's natural for that to affect this place."

Hyuga Aoi nodded in agreement.

She also wore a white kimono embroidered with beautiful, colorful patterns, though it was not as formal as Kicho's.

Her long black hair was tied into twin tails, revealing a cute and innocent face. Her tone was somewhat lively, and she was a fairly cheerful girl. (Think Aoi Kanzaki from the Butterfly Mansion in Demon Slayer, but with long hair and a less severe personality.)

"Maybe it'll snow in October."

The other Hyuga branch family girl, Hyuga Rinko, softly added.

She was a beautiful girl whose cuteness and innocence did not lose to Hyuga Aoi's in the slightest.

She wore the same white embroidered kimono as Aoi and had shoulder-length short black hair. (Think Hyuga Natsu, Hanabi's attendant.)

Her voice was light and soft, as though she did not dare speak loudly. Personality-wise, she might have been the easily embarrassed and sensitive type.

But they shared one thing in common: their foreheads were wrapped in white cloth, concealing the Caged Bird curse mark there.

As branch family members, Aoi and Rinko were not particularly outstanding in strength or talent. The only thing worthy of praise was their innocent yet cute appearances, which greatly suited men's tastes.

They were also the same age as Kicho.

Their families had come with them as well. From now on, all the Hyuga Clan branch family members here in the Land of Night would regard Kicho as their clan head and take root within the Land of Night's system.

"Stop talking. The general is here."

Hyuga Aoi cut off the conversation. Her previously relaxed expression immediately turned proper, giving her an air of meticulous seriousness.

Hyuga Rinko also straightened up, though her gaze wandered and she did not quite dare look forward.

They had come as accompanying brides. In other words, they would also become this general's women.

Whenever Kicho, their mistress, was inconvenienced, they would have to step in.

No matter how much they told themselves not to panic, nervousness and shyness still filled their hearts.

He's so tall... and so strong...

That was the first thought that arose in both Aoi and Rinko's minds after they secretly glanced at Yayoi.

As ninjas, they had good eyesight.

A ninja's physical condition could be seen from the surface.

This general was tall, standing nearly 1.85 meters.

When he approached, Aoi and Rinko unconsciously held their breath. Beneath his loose wedding attire, his body gave off a powerful presence that pressed down on them, making it easy for them to determine that the general was a ninja with formidable taijutsu.

He clearly bore the title of "puppet master," someone who needed to hide behind puppets in battle, yet he himself possessed impressive taijutsu.

Have puppet masters lately started specializing in taijutsu?

The same thought emerged in Aoi and Rinko's minds without either of them saying it aloud.

(Speaking of which, Grandma Chiyo was already over seventy and could still maintain a taijutsu rating of 9, with 7 strength and 8 speed. She could punch Naruto's shadow clones apart one by one, leaving him barely able to react... Honestly, that physical condition was a little outrageous. It was hard to imagine how strong her taijutsu had been when she was young. So puppet masters need to train taijutsu too, right, Kankuro?)

Yayoi arrived before the three of them. His gaze passed over the two branch family girls with their innocent, beautiful faces and settled directly on the girl in the middle.

She was petite and very young.

That was hardly unusual in this era.

In an era where the average lifespan was under thirty, marrying early, bearing children, and continuing one's bloodline was the best choice given the circumstances of the age.

The girl had her head lowered at the moment, as if shyly hiding her face beneath a white veil. Only the paleness of her skin could be vaguely seen.

Yayoi knew almost nothing about arranging weddings. Fortunately, he did not need to handle such matters himself; professionals naturally took care of everything.

This wedding was held at a large shrine nearby.

The accompanying shrine maidens and priests made the affair quite grand.

Yayoi reached out and took his little wife's fair, tender hand. He could tell she was nervous and unaccustomed to being touched by a man; even her palm was sweating.

The wedding proceeded in an orderly fashion. Blessings, vows, rituals, and the rest—Yayoi completed them all step by step.

For ninjas, weddings were usually simple. There was no need for excessive complexity; keeping things brief was enough.

But he was the ruler of a nation. He did not merely lead ninjas and samurai; officials of every rank throughout the Land of Night were also an important part of his system.

They remained busy from day until night before the tedious ceremony finally came to an end.

The inner and outer courts of the General's Residence had shed their usual solemn atmosphere.

In a courtyard of the inner court decorated like a painted landscape, bright lanterns gleamed in the night, driving away the darkness and illuminating the place as brightly as day.

Outside the carefully prepared bridal chamber, Hyuga Aoi and Hyuga Rinko stood straight.

"G-General."

Seeing Yayoi approach alone, the two branch family girls grew nervous and even stumbled over their words.

Yayoi glanced at them twice and knew they were branch family girls sent by the Hyuga Clan as accompanying brides, brought to strengthen the main family daughter's position.

Both were beautiful, with pure and gentle temperaments. They were the traditional sort of women who would obey men in everything.

"You two should go eat something first."

"Yes."

At Yayoi's command, the two hurried away as if a weight had been lifted from them.

Yayoi opened the door and closed it behind him.

The bedroom was warm as spring. It was a spacious single room of nearly two hundred square meters.

However, there was not much furniture, leaving most of the space empty.

Only in the center, atop a tatami mat large enough for three or four people, was there a wide floor bed. Several exquisite screen-like clothes racks stood around it, along with storage cabinets and a dressing table.

Several burning glass coal lamps rested on lampstands arranged around the room. They were delicate and bright enough to illuminate every corner, making even the high beams clearly visible.

Ninjas probably would not use such ornate and complicated lighting fixtures.

Only someone like him, someone who needed to embellish his status, would decorate with such things.

It could not be helped. Since his previous life, he had been the type who liked sleeping with a bedside lamp on.

That habit had carried over nicely into this world.

Yayoi immediately spotted the girl kneeling on the bedding in the center of the room.

The magnificent and beautiful furisode kimono looked so natural and fitting on her, as though it existed only as a green leaf to accentuate her beauty.

Though she had kept her head lowered most of the time, the occasional glimpse he had caught during the wedding had already told Yayoi how stunningly outstanding her appearance was.

"Do you need to hold something as dangerous as a sword at a time like this?"

However, compared to his little wife's appearance, the sheathed katana resting atop her kimono-covered thighs attracted Yayoi's attention more.

On their wedding night, placing a sword on her thighs looked ominous no matter how he saw it.

"Because for a girl, it is an important tool for self-defense."

The girl still kept her head lowered, as though she had not understood Yayoi's hidden meaning, and spoke in a clear voice.

"A tool for self-defense?"

Yayoi stepped forward. He had long since taken off his cumbersome wedding attire and casually tossed it aside.

He wore only thin clothing, revealing the sturdy body forged through countless trials.

"Are you saying you need to guard against me, your husband?"

Bending down, Yayoi gently pinched the girl's snow-white chin.

The girl raised her fair face and met Yayoi's gaze directly.

Yayoi did not use much force, and his movements were gentle.

He saw a pair of clean, pure eyes carrying a soft smile.

There was neither panic nor fear. She was merely smiling as usual.

Their pupils reflected each other's figures.

"Yes. Husband, you'll fiercely 'eat' me tonight, won't you? So I need just a little protection."

Yayoi could not tell whether the girl was looking forward to it or feeling something else.

Yet that smile seemed somewhat deliberate, like a carefully maintained false smile.

"Can't you show a more genuine expression? And this 'your servant' business—do you normally refer to yourself that way?"

"Does Husband dislike your servant's smile and manner of speaking?"

With Yayoi still holding up her chin, Kicho blinked her beautiful, lively eyes. Suddenly, she looked aggrieved, as though the moment Yayoi said he disliked it, she would burst into tears and make anyone feel sorry for her.

"It's not that I dislike it. I just prefer seeing people's truest sides."

Yayoi released Kicho's chin.

"That is fine. Tonight, all of me will be opened up for Husband... though Husband will need to work a little harder. You must try your best and put in plenty of effort. Even if you explore until dawn, your servant can endure it."

The girl raised her fist as though she were a blank sheet of paper, encouraging Yayoi with bright, pure eyes.

"..."

Yayoi felt as if something had rapidly rolled over his face.

Still, the girl had already gathered the courage to invite him like this. Naturally, he would not be so tactless.

Besides, as a husband, loving his wife needed no reason.