Wedding Night

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

The weather was pleasant—not gloomy, nor sunny, merely refreshingly ordinary, enough to lift one's spirits.

The only thing Kicho was not quite used to was the cold air of this country.

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 harsh winter all year round, and it was now part of the Land of Night as well.

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

Nightview City, as the capital, lay at the border between the former Land of Waterfalls and 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 the days ahead be awful...?

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

Kicho instinctively drew herself in.

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

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

This wedding dress had been meticulously 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 ever wear in her lifetime.

She had seen weddings within the clan. The wedding clothes they used were generally coarse, sewn from rough fabric. Wealthier families used silk, but the 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 marvelous as a young girl's skin.

It was not cold to wear at all. It was only her mind playing tricks on her.

"Was he treating me as some kind of puppet doll?"

She had heard that the General of the Land of Night played with puppets. He did not have any strange perverted fetishes, 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 what nobles were like.

They were all greasy-looking and fat, fond of dressing young girls in all sorts of pretty clothes and playing dress-up, then indulging themselves in pleasure day and night.

"Do you require anything, Lady Kicho?"

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

Perhaps having heard Kicho mutter, one of them instinctively asked.

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

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

No matter how much grievance and dissatisfaction she carried, 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's. They say it is winter in the east all year round, so it is normal 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 an adorable, innocent face. Her tone was somewhat lively, and she was a rather cheerful girl. (Think Aoi Kanzaki from the Butterfly Mansion in Demon Slayer, but with long hair and a less stern personality.)

"Maybe it will snow in October."

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

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

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

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

But they had something in common: their foreheads were both wrapped in strips of white cloth, concealing the Caged Bird Cursed Seal there.

As branch family members, Aoi and Rinko were not particularly outstanding in strength or talent. Their only praiseworthy quality was their innocent yet adorable looks, which suited men's tastes very well.

They were also the same age as Kicho.

Both their families had come along as well. From now on, all Hyuga branch family members here in the Land of Night would revere 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 straightened, giving off a meticulous air of severity.

Hyuga Rinko could not help straightening her posture as well, though her gaze wandered and she did not quite dare look ahead.

They had come as bridal attendants. In other words, they would become this General's women too.

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

At a time like this, 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 ninja, their eyesight was reliable.

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

The General was tall, nearly 1.85 meters.

As he approached, the bodies hidden beneath his loose wedding attire made Aoi and Rinko instinctively hold their breath. Their bodies were unnaturally oppressed by a powerful presence, making it easy for them to determine that the General was a ninja with extremely formidable Taijutsu.

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

Have Puppeteers lately started specializing in Taijutsu?

The same thought surfaced in Aoi and Rinko's minds without prior discussion.

(Come to think of it, Grandma Chiyo was already over seventy, yet her Taijutsu could still remain at level 9—Strength 7, Speed 8. She could take out one of Naruto's Shadow Clones with every punch, leaving him barely able to react... Honestly, those physical attributes were a little absurd. It was hard to imagine how strong her Taijutsu had been in her youth. So Puppeteers needed to train their Taijutsu too, right, Kankuro?)

Yayoi arrived before the three of them, his gaze passing over the two innocent and beautiful branch family girls at the side before locking directly onto the girl in the middle.

She was very petite and very young.

That was a common enough sight in this era.

In an age where the average lifespan was under thirty, marrying early, having children, and continuing the family line was the best choice under the circumstances of the times.

The girl currently had her head lowered as if she were shy, her face hidden beneath a white veil. Only the fairness of her skin could be vaguely seen.

Yayoi knew almost nothing about the wedding arrangements. Fortunately, he did not need to arrange such things himself; professionals naturally handled everything for him.

This wedding was being held in a large shrine nearby.

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

Yayoi extended his hand and took his young wife's fair, tender palm. He could sense how nervous she was, how unused she was 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.

If it had been a ninja wedding, it would have been much simpler, with no need for excessive ceremony.

But he was the ruler of a nation. What he led was not merely ninja and samurai; officials large and small throughout the Land of Night were also an important part of his system.

They remained busy from daytime until evening before the cumbersome ceremony finally came to an end.

The Inner Court and Outer Court of the General's Residence had shed their usual solemn atmosphere.

In a courtyard within the Inner Court, decorated like a painted landscape, bright lanterns gleamed beneath the night sky, dispelling the darkness and making the place as bright as day.

Outside the properly arranged bridal chamber, Hyuga Aoi and Hyuga Rinko stood straight.

"G-General."

The two branch family girls saw Yayoi approaching alone and became nervous, even stumbling over their words.

Yayoi glanced at them twice and knew they were branch family daughters sent by the Hyuga Clan as bridal attendants, here to reinforce the main family daughter's position.

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

"You two go get something to eat first."

"Yes."

Upon hearing Yayoi's order, the two hurried away as though relieved of a burden.

Yayoi opened the door and closed it behind him.

The bedroom was warm as spring, a spacious single room measuring a full two hundred square meters.

Yet there was not much inside, and most of the space stood empty.

Only in the center, atop tatami mats spacious enough for three or four people, lay a broad futon. Several exquisite screen-like clothing stands surrounded it, along with storage cabinets and a dressing table.

Several burning glass gas lamps sat on lampstands around the room. Delicate and bright, they illuminated every corner of the chamber, making even the high beams clearly visible.

Ninja probably would not use such lavish-looking, complicated lighting fixtures.

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

It could not be helped. Ever since his previous life, he had been the sort of person who liked sleeping with a bedside lamp on.

That habit had carried over quite well into this world.

At a glance, Yayoi spotted the girl kneeling on the bedding in the center of the room.

The gorgeous furisode kimono looked entirely natural and fitting on her, as though it existed only as a leaf to accentuate her beauty.

Though she kept her head lowered most of the time, the occasional fleeting glimpse during the wedding had already told Yayoi just 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 young wife's beauty, the sheathed katana resting across her kimono-covered thighs drew Yayoi's attention far more.

On their wedding night, having a sword on her thighs looked inauspicious no matter how he viewed it.

"Because for a girl, it is a very important tool for protecting herself."

The girl still lowered her head, as if she had not understood Yayoi's implication, and answered in a crisp voice.

"A tool for protecting yourself?"

Yayoi walked over. He had long since removed his complicated wedding attire and casually tossed it aside.

He wore only thin clothing, which revealed his sturdy body tempered through countless trials.

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

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

The girl's fair face lifted, meeting Yayoi's gaze head-on.

Yayoi had not used 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, only a smile as usual.

Their pupils reflected each other's images.

"Yes. After all, Husband, you will 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.

But that smile seemed somewhat like a deliberately constructed, carefully maintained fake one.

"Can't you show a more genuine expression? And that 'this wife' stuff—is that how you usually refer to yourself?"

"Does Husband dislike this wife's smile and manner of speaking?"

With her chin still lifted by Yayoi, Kicho blinked her beautiful, lively eyes. In an instant, she looked aggrieved, as though if Yayoi said only one word—"dislike"—she would burst into tears the next moment and make anyone pity her.

"It's not that I dislike it. I just prefer seeing people's most genuine side."

Yayoi released Kicho's chin.

"That is fine. Tonight, this wife will unfold all of herself for Husband... Husband simply needs to put in a little effort. You must work hard and use plenty of strength. Even if you keep exploring until dawn, this wife can endure it."

The girl waved her fist, like a blank sheet of paper, encouraging Yayoi with her bright, pure eyes.

"..."

Yayoi felt as though something had rapidly rolled across his face.

Still, the girl had already gathered her courage to invite him like this, so naturally he would not be so unromantic.

Besides, as her husband, he needed no reason to cherish his wife.