Come to think of it, how could a princess of the Great Tang arrive without the slightest hint beforehand? The Great Tang court had not sent any notice either. They had simply let the princess come over like this; if anything happened, there would be nothing they could do.
If they were nobles of the Great Tang...
He was not planning to take them by force. If it was "mutual consent," there was nothing wrong with that, right?
"W-what... Father, don't tell me you're interested in them?"
Fujiwara Maro looked at his father warily.
He wasn't planning to steal women from his own son, was he?
He was already getting on in years, nearly forty, yet he was still thinking about such things?
"Well..."
After being called out by his son, Fujiwara felt a little embarrassed. After all, the girls were indeed rather young; even Fujiwara's younger daughter was about the same age as that girl.
Her eldest daughter, Fujiwara Kōmyōshi—also known as Asukahime and Third Daughter Fujiwara—was now the Empress. The prince she had borne had even been chosen as the next Emperor.
"Father, isn't this... rather inappropriate? They look... very young."
Seeing that his father had truly set his sights on those two, Fujiwara Maro's heart sank.
He had thought that beautiful Daoist priestess would never come to Japan and that they would never meet again. Yet the gods had allowed her to appear at his side once more, even bringing along a girl who inspired even greater admiration.
To Fujiwara Maro, this was a heaven-sent bond. They should belong to him.
Yet he had never imagined that his father would take a liking to them as well.
Although he feared his father, Fujiwara no Fuhito, Fujiwara Maro glanced once more at the two women in the distance