Fujiwara no Mei Hong stood by the window of her home, staring blankly at a crimson feather in her hand. One moment, she would think of something happy and smile; the next, she would grow a little sad.
"Ah..."
Fujiwara no Mei Hong felt utterly helpless. Her father had already accepted someone else's betrothal gifts and had even set a date. If Japan had not suddenly seemed as though the end of the world was approaching, she might have already begun preparing to marry.
Yet that person... still had not come to her home to propose, making her begin to doubt herself.
Come to think of it, she was merely a woman born to a servant. What value did she have that would make someone come to propose?
Had she thought too highly of herself?
That seemed to be it... When she had been with him... it had been so long since someone had cherished her that, without realizing it, she had begun to think too highly of herself.
But she truly liked the time she spent with that person. Even if she could not be the principal wife, that would be fine...
"Mei Hong..."
Just as Fujiwara no Mei Hong was lost in wild thoughts, that long-missed voice reached her ears once again. Her face instantly lit up with joy.
In that instant, she cast aside every anxious thought. Her heart held nothing but happiness.
"You're here!"
Fujiwara no Mei Hong revealed a long-missed smile and turned toward the source of the voice.
But in the next moment, Fujiwara no Mei Hong's smile froze. She quickly calmed down, took several steps back, and watched the newcomer warily. "Who are you?"
For that brief instant, she had thought Fu Hua had come. But the person before her was not "Fu