Ayano was still caught up in that night. The profile of Renyo she'd seen in the Tougetsu Garden. That solitary expression floating in the moonlight. It was like looking at a completely different person from the cold-hearted lord who wielded power over life and death in the daytime council chambers. She felt a little embarrassed that she'd actually spoken those words aloud—"Aren't you lonely?" But she couldn't have lied. She'd truly meant it. Yet the morning after, what awaited Ayano when she stepped into the corridor of the Hanakage Wing was the same harsh reality as always. From deeper in the corridor came whispered voices. Three ladies-in-waiting stood with their sleeves drawn up to their mouths, murmuring something to each other. The moment Ayano drew near, their voices cut off. Only their gazes remained. Then, just as quickly, the whispers returned. "...acting like a guest concubine and all..." She'd heard it. They were saying it knowing she would. Ayano didn't slow her pace. She kept her footsteps even, her expression unchanged, simply looking forward as she walked the corridor. It was the only resistance she could manage now. "[cold] Walk a bit more forward. Looking down is disrespectful to the lord." She turned to find Chizuru standing with her arms crossed. Deep wrinkles creased her forehead, and the usual dissatisfaction was etched into her features. This was already the second or third reprimand this morning. The proper way to change clothes in the morning, how to sit while eating, how to speak to the ladies-in-waiting—Chizuru's corrections never ceased. "[serious] ...Yes." Ayano answered curtly and passed by Chizuru's side. Only the medicine storehouse was a place where she could breathe. 　◆ The medicine storehouse in the Third Enclosure remained dim even in the morning light. Thin rays of sunlight filtered through gaps in the outer wooden walls, and the dry scent of medicinal herbs drifted through the air. Every time Ayano came here, she felt her shoulders relax just a little. "[gentle] Could you sort through the snow-under grass today? Some of the dried batches have been over-dried." Gennan turned from his work table. His thin tea-colored hair, streaked with white, was loosely bound at the back as always. His calm amber eyes looked toward Ayano. "[serious] Understood." Ayano rolled up her sleeves and took a bundle of snow-under grass from the shelf. She checked the firmness of the stems with her fingertips, separating out those that hadn't dried sufficiently. The work was mundane, but she liked it. When her hands were moving, she didn't have to think about unnecessary things. "[gentle] ...Have you grown accustomed to life in the Hanakage Wing?" Gennan spoke after a brief pause. Ayano's hands stopped for just a moment. "I'm not sure 'accustomed' is the right word. Every day I feel like I'm doing something wrong." "[gentle] I felt the same way. When I first served this castle in my youth, I couldn't do anything correctly." Gennan continued slowly while moving the mortar—the tool for grinding medicinal herbs. "[gentle] But if you keep making mistakes, eventually you become skilled at making them. Perhaps that is what we call becoming accustomed." Ayano smiled a little. It was closer to a bitter smile, but it was her first smile of the day. The two of them continued working. Sorting medicinal herbs, organizing shelves, replenishing disinfectant. Gennan didn't speak unnecessarily, but the silence wasn't heavy. This was the only place in the castle where silence didn't feel suffocating. The sun climbed higher. It was past midday. The storehouse door opened. "[gentle] ...Well, well. How diligent of you." The moment Ayano heard that voice, her fingertips went rigid. Kutsuragi Rikunosuke had entered. His deep indigo hair was tied back in the manner befitting a senior retainer and military commander of the domain. His narrow, sharp eyes curved in a thin arc. The fine scar above his left eyebrow somehow emphasized the calculation hidden beneath that smile. (What does he want?) Ayano continued her work without stopping, only turning her gaze toward him. "[gentle] You've been working hard too, Gennan. I hear Ayano has been helping you quite a bit, and the storehouse has become quite orderly." "[serious] Have you seen it yourself?" Gennan's voice was calm, but his hands had stopped. "[gentle] No, no. Just making conversation." Rikunosuke slowly surveyed the interior of the storehouse. The bottles of medicinal herbs arranged on the shelves, the organized medical instruments, the bundles of snow-under grass that Ayano had sorted. His eyes moved as if evaluating something. "[gentle] ...But Ayano. May I ask about something from last night?" His tone was casual. Which was precisely why Ayano's hands stopped. "[gentle] Last night, it seems you were speaking with the lord in the Tougetsu Garden." The storehouse seemed to have gone quiet. Ayano looked at Rikunosuke's face. A gentle smile. Eyes that said nothing while saying something. "We only spoke briefly." She answered curtly. She wasn't sure if her voice sounded calm. "[gentle] I see. However—it is quite rare for the lord to speak with someone in that garden at night. In my memory, counting back to the previous lord, it has never happened." Rikunosuke paused for a moment, then continued slowly. "[gentle] You may be something special." There was no warmth in those words. Whether he was complimenting her, probing her, or warning her—Ayano couldn't tell. But any of those interpretations seemed equally plausible. "[gentle] I've intruded long enough." Rikunosuke gave a light bow and left the storehouse. His footsteps faded away. After a long silence, Gennan spoke quietly. "[whispers] ...Don't trust that man's smile too much." Ayano looked at the old physician. He continued moving the mortar, his gaze only briefly flicking toward the doorway. He said nothing more. But that one sentence was enough. (Who was watching?) Ayano turned back to the shelf. As her hands moved, she traced through last night in her mind. She'd gone to the Tougetsu Garden in the dead of night, and Chizuru should have been asleep. Even if castle guards were making their rounds, they wouldn't be able to see inside that garden. Or perhaps Rikunosuke hadn't seen anything at all from the start. Maybe he'd only heard about it from someone else. Or maybe he'd simply wanted to see how she would react. Either way, she couldn't fathom that man's purpose. 　◆ That night, after getting into her bedding, Ayano found her eyes wouldn't close. The same moonlight as last night seeped through the paper screen. The same insect sounds. The same mountain air and its scent. Yet something felt subtly different between last night and tonight. (He asked if I liked that garden.) Renyo's low voice still lingered in the back of her ears. Just one sentence. "...I see." That was all. But in that single phrase, Ayano felt she'd sensed something. Not rejection, not a command—something else entirely. Ever since arriving at this castle, she'd felt like she was playing some role. The ambiguous position of a guest concubine. Scolded by Chizuru, gossiped about by the ladies-in-waiting, probed by Rikunosuke. She still couldn't quite see the reason for her being here. But last night in the Tougetsu Garden had been different. In that moment, she wasn't a nurse, a concubine, or a foreigner—just two people looking at the moon together. (This person might be lonely.) That intuition had been real. And that loneliness—Ayano felt she understood it, just a little. She closed her eyes. The expressionless void beneath Rikunosuke's smile when he'd spoken those words. Gennan's brief warning. Both seemed to be pointing at the same thing. This castle was full of invisible lines. Who was watching whom, who was trying to draw close to whom. Ayano still couldn't see the full picture. But one thing was clear. The memory of that Tougetsu Garden would remain with her. That profile, those words "I see"—that alone was why she couldn't sleep tonight.