Through the eastern chamber's window, moonlight filtered in with quiet gentleness. Saya sat upon her bedding, knees drawn close to her chest. (Lord Soichiro's words...) What he had told her in daylight. The truth behind the broken engagement with the principal wife candidate. The secrets hidden within the castle walls. And the way Nobuhiro had called her name. "Saya." That single word echoed through her chest again and again. Saya placed her hand over her heart. Thump, thump—she could hear the beating of her own pulse. (Why am I... like this...) When she thought of Nobuhiro, her chest grew restless. Anxiety and something else entirely mingled together, inseparable. A cold-hearted warlord of the Warring States. A man who opened his heart to no one. Yet he had spoken to her. He had called her by name. However small such a thing might seem to others, to Saya it held profound meaning. She looked out the window. The moon peeked from behind the clouds, its white light illuminating the castle gardens below. The cherry tree in the courtyard swayed gently in the breeze—a soft, whispering sound. Then. A figure appeared beneath the tree. Saya narrowed her eyes, peering closer. In the moonlight, someone stood alone. (Who...?) She rose and moved nearer to the window. The figure sank down beneath the cherry tree, settling into the grass. The moonlight caught his profile. It was Aotaro. Saya's breath caught. Aotaro, alone. In the depths of night. A bottle of sake was clasped in his hand. He drank. His profile looked different from his usual severity—touched by something melancholy, something lonely. (Lord Aotaro...) Saya could not tear her eyes away. Aotaro gazed upward at the cherry tree. The leaves, illuminated by moonlight, trembled with each gust of wind. He murmured something—words too distant to hear, yet from them seeped a profound sorrow. What was he saying? Saya could not know. But she felt certain those words belonged to his feelings for Nobuhiro. The days they had fought together, the worry he carried for his lord, or perhaps some long-harbored emotion—all of it seemed woven into this midnight murmur. Saya's chest tightened. (This man too... is lonely.) Aotaro—the warlord's vice-commander, sworn in loyalty to Nobuhiro, always at his lord's side. Yet here he sat alone, drinking sake in the dark. Where no one could see him. Where no one would know. Aotaro's gaze turned toward the main hall, where Nobuhiro lay. His eyes held something fierce, something restrained. His fist clenched. As though holding back something. As though concealing some deep conflict within his heart. Saya sensed something in his posture. (An... attachment to Lord Nobuhiro.) Aotaro's feelings were not mere loyalty. There was something deeper, something far more complex. Love? Obsession? Or...? Saya could not yet say. But one thing was certain. Aotaro was alone. A man who lived only for his lord, carrying that heavy burden in silence, drinking sake beneath the moonlight with no one to confide in. Saya gripped the window's edge. (I am... the same.) In the modern world, no one had relied on her. She had no friends. Her family did not understand her. But here was different. The maidservants depended on her. Nobuhiro called her by name. It filled her heart, slowly, bit by bit. Yet Aotaro was different. Perhaps he had no one at all. Only his feelings for his lord sustained him. Within Saya's heart, empathy for Aotaro began to bloom. The moonlight continued to illuminate his profile with gentle radiance. That profile seemed nobler than anyone's, and more fragile than anyone's. ―― The next morning. As Saya walked the inner corridor, Otake came rushing toward her. "Lady Saya!" Otake's complexion was even worse than yesterday. "What is wrong?" Saya asked. Otake lowered her voice. "Last night, Lord Nobuhiro collapsed in the main hall." Saya's heart leaped. "Collapsed...?" Nobuhiro? Why? Otake continued. "The principal wife—Lady Zuigetsu-in summoned the physician Keishiro. But no one speaks of the details." Saya's mind went white. (Lord Nobuhiro... collapsed?) She had noticed his poor health before. That day, his face had been worn with exhaustion. (For it to be this serious...) Saya bowed to Otake. "Thank you for telling me." Otake watched her with concern. "Lady Saya, are you well? Your complexion..." Saya forced a smile. "I am fine. Merely surprised." But her mind churned with worry. Concern for Nobuhiro consumed her. ―― That afternoon. As Saya walked the inner corridor, Aotaro appeared before her. He stood silent, blocking her path. His gaze was sharp. Amber eyes pierced through her. Saya stopped. Aotaro spoke in a low voice. "Go to the lord." The words startled her. "I... no, the lord himself seeks you." His voice was heavy. Saya studied him. His eyes swirled with complex emotion. Loyalty to his lord. And toward her... what? (Without Lady Zuigetsu-in's permission, to the main hall?) Saya hesitated. But Nobuhiro seeks me? Aotaro continued, his voice strained. "I... truly did not wish to bring you near the lord. But I have never seen him so weakened. Perhaps only you can save him." Saya's chest tightened as she saw the conflict in his expression. (This man suppresses his own feelings out of devotion to his lord.) Saya nodded quietly. "I understand. Please guide me." Aotaro's face showed a moment of relief mixed with sorrow, and he gently grasped her hand. "...Follow me." The warmth of his hand made Saya's heart race. She could not breathe—his touch was so gentle, yet... The two crossed the forbidden threshold of the inner quarters, crossed the hidden bridge, and made their way to the main hall. When they passed a maidservant of Lady Zuigetsu-in in the corridor, Saya's entire body went rigid. But Aotaro spoke low. "I have given permission." The maidservant bowed silently and stepped aside. Saya felt anew the extent of Aotaro's power, and simultaneously sensed his profound solitude. (This man would do anything for his lord. How lonely such devotion must be...) ―― Aotaro led Saya to Nobuhiro's study. In the room, bathed in moonlight, Nobuhiro lay upon the tatami. His face was ashen, sweat beading his brow. Saya gasped and rushed to his side. "My lord...!" Nobuhiro slowly opened his eyes and gazed at her. His eyes held not their usual coldness, but deep relief and something else—another emotion entirely. "Saya... you came." His voice was weak, yet warm. Saya's chest burned. Tears threatened to spill. (He called for me, even in this state...) Saya took his hand and whispered. "Yes. I am here." Nobuhiro gripped her hand firmly and spoke. "Only you... can save me. When I hear your voice, my frozen heart melts." Saya's heart felt as though it might burst. She could not breathe. (He needs me this much...) But in the next moment, Nobuhiro coughed painfully and continued. "Yet I... have burdens I cannot place upon you. My past is... dark." Saya held back her tears and answered. "No matter how dark your past, my lord, I... wish to remain at your side." Nobuhiro's face showed surprise and sorrow mingled together. He reached toward her cheek, his hand trembling. Saya's face grew warm. She could not look away. In this moment, a deep bond was born between them. But footsteps sounded from beyond the room, and Aotaro warned low. "Someone comes." Saya hastily released Nobuhiro's hand and stood. The footsteps belonged to Soichiro, who slid open the study's door. "My lord, how do you fare? Oh, Lady Saya is here as well... how unusual." Soichiro's voice was gentle, yet his eyes were cold as they studied Saya. Saya's entire body went rigid. Soichiro continued. "Lady Zuigetsu-in has heard that Lady Saya entered the main hall without permission. She is quite displeased. This may prove... troublesome." Saya's heart froze. The price of breaking the rules was about to be paid. ―― Soichiro turned to Nobuhiro. "With my lord in such a state, the governance of the castle will suffer. Perhaps I should take his place..." But Aotaro cut him off sharply. "The lord yet lives. This is not your time." Soichiro smiled thinly. "I see. Then I shall leave Lady Saya's matter to Lady Zuigetsu-in." With those words, he departed. Aotaro led Saya back to the inner quarters. In the corridor, he spoke to her. "You have saved the lord. But from this moment forward, you and I both... will be drawn deeper into darkness." Saya gazed at Aotaro's melancholy profile, her chest constricting. (This man too is alone.) Aotaro continued. "I... hated that you changed the lord. But now I understand—only you can save him. That is... painful." Saya fought back tears and whispered. "Lord Aotaro... I too wish to ease your loneliness, even if only a little." Aotaro's face showed surprise for a moment, and he murmured. "...You are a strange woman." At those words, Saya's heart raced. (The distance between us has narrowed, just slightly.) When Saya returned to the eastern chamber, word came that Lady Zuigetsu-in summoned her. Saya steeled herself and went to the Shimozuki room. Lady Zuigetsu-in regarded her with cold eyes and spoke. "Saya. You have broken the rules. Normally, you would face punishment. Yet the lord protected you. This is unprecedented." Saya bowed her head quietly. Lady Zuigetsu-in continued. "I understand how deeply you have captured the lord's heart. But the castle's darkness runs deep. Soichiro has begun to target you. Be careful." When Saya left the room, she stood in the corridor bathed in moonlight, reflecting on all that had transpired. Nobuhiro's weakened form, Aotaro's sorrowful profile, Soichiro's cold gaze, Lady Zuigetsu-in's warning—all of it intertwined, tightening around her heart. But I will not yield. I wish to protect Nobuhiro. And to ease Aotaro's loneliness, even if only a little. That resolve warmed her chest. Yet from somewhere distant came the faint sound of footsteps. Saya turned. She felt the presence of someone watching from the darkness. (Who...?) The castle's darkness ran deep. And within that darkness, something lay hidden. Saya felt that premonition keenly.