Several days had passed. The inner quarters woke early. When the bell of Takagamine Castle struck five, the handmaidens had already folded the bedding and begun sweeping the corridors. Sayo was no exception. Rather, she had developed the habit of waking earlier than the other attendants. Was it a remnant of her modern life? Or did the tension of surviving in this castle wake her each morning? "Good morning." As Sayo walked the corridor, the maidservant Otake offered a light bow. The wariness from before had faded, replaced by something else entirely. Not quite respect, but something closer to familiarity. It had been three days ago. When Sayo had suggested that "well water should be boiled before use." At first, the handmaidens had tilted their heads in confusion. It was troublesome, they said. They had never seen anyone do such a thing. But among those who began using boiled water at Sayo's urging, some began to recover from their ailments. Stomach pain subsided. Skin improved. Headaches lightened. Small things. But in this era's medical knowledge, they were nearly miracles. "Lady Sayo truly is a mysterious person," Otake murmured, and Sayo let the words pass. There was nothing to say in return. Modern knowledge was nothing but "mysterious" in this time. When she returned to the Eastern Chamber, the herb pouch caught her eye. The pouch someone had left on her first night. Made of worn cloth, it was filled with dried medicinal herbs. Sayo had kept it carefully, waiting for the opportunity to use it. That opportunity came in an unexpected form. Night. A maidservant rushed into the inner quarters when the moon hung at its zenith. "Lady Sayo. It is urgent." The maidservant's breath came in gasps. Her name was Oyuki. She was past forty, but her eyes were wet with worry. "Lord Oda... his condition..." "Calm yourself. Please, speak slowly." Sayo took Oyuki's arm. It was cold. That coldness spoke of her anxiety. According to Oyuki's account, Oda Nobuhiro had not left the study for three days. Military councils continued without end. Negotiations over territory with neighboring lords. Governance of the domain. Complex political maneuvering. He faced documents until dawn, listened to the grievances of domain subjects during the day, then returned to night councils. Such days had continued. "Lord Sotaro is also concerned about this. But he cannot go against the lord's decision..." Oyuki's eyes glistened with tears. Loyalty to one's lord. And simultaneously, the desire to stop that lord's self-destruction. That conflict seeped through Oyuki's words. Sayo recalled the scene in that study. Nobuhiro's eyes. Eyes without light, deep and hollow. Would those eyes be worn away further? If he collapsed like this, what would become of the castle? Would Soichiro move? What would the Zuigetsu-in do? (No. That is not the issue.) Sayo told herself. It was simple. That person must not collapse. That was all. "Oyuki. Can we move freely in the castle town?" "Yes. But nighttime excursions are..." "It will be fine. I will find a way." Sayo's resolve was already firm. --- The castle town at night was quieter than imagined. Gripping the coins hidden in her sleeve, Sayo made her way to the medicinal herb merchant "Kusanagi-do" on Tokiwa Street. With Otake as her companion. "Forgive the late hour." When she knocked, a light appeared immediately. It was the proprietress, Okoto. A woman past forty, a widow, she had lost her husband to illness. Perhaps because of this, Okoto's worry outweighed her surprise at Sayo's sudden visit. "Are you all right?" A gentle voice. Sayo's chest tightened as she explained the situation to Okoto. Of course, she did not mention Nobuhiro's name. She spoke vaguely of "someone important at the castle who has fallen ill." Okoto understood immediately. "Fatigue-induced cold, perhaps. In that case, ginger and licorice are good. And I have dried eucalyptus leaves as well..." Okoto retrieved bottles from the back of the shop. Her hands moved without hesitation, with precision. The hands of one who had tended to many patients. Sayo was captivated by those movements. "Put these in hot water and let them steep for about ten minutes. Drink three times daily—morning, noon, and evening. Keeping the body warm is most important." "Thank you." "Someone dear to you?" At Okoto's question, Sayo did not answer. Instead, she paid slightly more than the asking price. "Keep your change. But come again. I have no one to talk to." Okoto smiled. That smile struck deep into Sayo's heart. --- When she returned to the inner quarters, Sayo prepared the medicinal herb tea. Under Otake's watchful eye, Sayo carefully placed the herbs into hot water. Steam rose, filling the room with the distinctive aroma of herbal medicine. The sharp scent of ginger, the sweet scent of licorice. They mingled together, becoming something nostalgic. Had she smelled such a fragrance in the modern world? Thinking such things, Sayo waited ten minutes. "This is for..." "No." Otake's voice stopped her. "It is the rule of the inner quarters. Entry to the main palace requires the Zuigetsu-in's permission..." Otake's words were logically correct. But Sayo knew how heavy the chains of that rule were. Suspicion of illicit relations. Execution. Still. "I understand." Sayo took the tea bowl in her hands. Ignoring Otake's protest, she left the inner quarters in the dead of night. --- The hidden bridge gleamed white in the moonlight. Stone pavement echoed beneath her feet. Her heartbeat sounded even louder. She told herself again and again. It's fine, it's fine. But her heart did not lie. Halfway across the connecting corridor, a shadow appeared. "What are you doing?" A low voice. Sotaro. His jet-black hair caught the moonlight, and the scar running from his right eyebrow to his cheek glowed faintly. His eyes fixed on Sayo. Vigilance, and something more complex besides. Sayo stopped. "Concerned for the lord's health... I have brought medicinal herb tea." At those words, Sotaro's brows drew together. "Do not meddle." His voice was cold. But within that coldness, Sayo sensed something. (This person is also concerned for Nobuhiro.) Sayo walked slowly toward Sotaro. The distance closed. Sotaro did not move. Only his eyes grew sharper. "If his body fails, what will become of this castle... everyone will suffer." That statement was nearly a lie. But it was not entirely false. Sayo herself did not wish for Nobuhiro to collapse. Perhaps that truth showed in her eyes. Sotaro fell silent for a long time. That silence stretched like a needle. At last, Sotaro stepped aside. "Only this once. Do not do it again." Permission and threat mingled in those words. Sayo bowed her head. --- The study door was heavy. When she knocked, a voice from within said "enter." The same voice, but the cold precision from before had faded. Fatigue seeped through it. She opened the door. Nobuhiro sat before his desk. A brush was gripped in his hand, and countless documents were piled upon the surface. The light of the lamp illuminated his face. That face had grown more gaunt than five days before. His eye sockets were deep, his cheekbones prominent. Stubble from morning remained unshaved. His robe collar was disheveled in places. How much had this man slept? "You..." Nobuhiro looked at Sayo. For a moment, his eyes held the color of one who had lost something. "What is it?" To that question, Sayo knelt. "Concerned for your health... I have brought medicinal herb tea." She offered the bowl. Nobuhiro gazed at it. Long. The silence stretched unbearably long. Sayo's heart beat wildly again. (Will he be angry?) But Nobuhiro's hand slowly reached out and accepted the bowl. "...It warms." Only those words. But within them, Sayo sensed something. Gratitude. And something faintly, briefly human. Nobuhiro drank again. In that moment, his eyes softened slightly. Eyes filled with fatigue kindled with a faint, human light. Sayo gazed upon that light. --- When she returned to the inner quarters, she felt Sotaro's cold gaze. He stood in the corridor, arms crossed. Silent. Simply standing. That wordless pressure silenced Sayo. Back in the Eastern Chamber, Sayo hugged her knees. (That person's eyes...) Nobuhiro's eyes. That light. The gaze of a cold-blooded sovereign. But within it, there was certainly a human. Emotion. A heart. (It is dangerous.) She told herself. Emotion was an obstacle to survival in this castle. Coldness was necessary. But the heart would not obey. Nobuhiro's words—"it warms"—repeated again and again in her mind. The gratitude contained in those words. The faint humanity that accompanied them. In the modern world, Sayo had never been thanked by anyone, had never thanked anyone, learning life alone through books in solitude. But now, that person had thanked her. That alone shook Sayo's heart. Outside the window lay complete darkness. In the distance, the voices of night watchmen echoed. The sounds of the castle. The sounds of this era. Sayo listened to those sounds while remembering Nobuhiro's eyes. That light. Within herself, too, a similar light was beginning to take root. Sayo felt it. She did not yet know what it was. But of one thing she was certain—it was dangerous.