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     HANAKO WASN'T A PROSTITUTE. but she might as well should've been one if she had known she was going to sell herself to the zen'in clan.

     it all started from a fateful encounter, actually, an unwanted encounter with the white-haired daimyo: gojō satoru.

     "I saw your performance on stage. it was nothing short of impressive. wouldn't you agree, suguru?"

getō nodded, as the two men cornered hanako.

     "thanks...", the twenty year-old replied, slightly suspicious of the two, as they weren't dressed like the typical peasants.

"say, how would you like to earn more while still being able to act?", gojō questioned.

"I'm alright. I don't trust the words of aristocrats", hanako replied, before leaving to go help clean up the stage.

'hm, at least she's not simple-minded'.

"free food and shelter are provided. all you need to do is go through some training to become a proper lady!", getō added on.

the dark-haired woman halted in her steps, for she has been struggling to pay rent recently. after all, growing up an orphan with no proper education, there was only so much you could do.

though one thing hanako found in this gruesome world was her passion for acting. there was something about immersing yourself in a role and completely forgetting about your current troubles.

seeing that she was still hesitant, gojō had given her one last push.

     "every expense that you ever need or want will be paid for".

     an inkling of greed had sprouted within hanako's still naïve heart.

     "what is it exactly...that you need me to do?"

     grinning, the two officials glanced at each other before turning their attention back to the curious actress.

"we need you to marry the zen'in heir, naoya", getō explained.

"and help him ascend the throne", gojō whispered.

"wha—shh!! you mustn't speak of such matters. if the shogun hears, he'll behead us all!", hanako harshly reprimanded.

"don't worry~ even the shogun can't touch me", gojō promised.

❉᯽❉

and promise he did, for hanako had soon learned that the two men she was talking to were indeed not ordinary.

getō suguru, although not from a wealthy family, had made a name for himself and was crowned as one of the emperor's most valued officials — advocating solutions and giving suggestions to the shogun.

gojō satoru was a renowned daimyo. he's the wealthiest and strongest, they say.

not only are the both of them skilled in martial arts, but even the shogun is careful with overstepping his boundaries with them.

"wow, hanako-chan!! you're getting really good at the whole skincare thing. you're glowing more than when we first met. remember when your skin used to look like it was decorated with dir—"

     "satoru, that's enough", getō sighed.

     hanako scoffed as she continued checking her mirror for any imperfections. lightly powdering her cheekbones with some blush and lining her eyelids, the twenty-four year-old smiled.

     "you're right", she finally said, "but now that my skin's better than ever, I'm never going back".

     gojō gently planted his palms on the dainty shoulders of hanako. leaning his face closer to hers, getō had held one of the woman's hands.

     "that's right, hanako. after all these years of honing your skills, you can finally put them to good use", getō smiled.

     although hanako wasn't sure how gojō and getō had done it, they had suggested that the shogun bless an arranged marriage for the zen'in clan's youngest son.

     though naoya had already married a woman from the kamo clan, it was simply for a peace alliance between the two clans.

     "we're going to miss you, hanako-chan", gojō quietly mumbled.

     "really?", the woman hummed, flattening her pink-layered robe and obi.

     "really...if it was up to us, we would choose to keep you by our sides", getō continued.

a moment of silence ensued, before the two aristocrats bursted out laughing.

"y-you didn't think we actually meant that did you?!", gojō huffed, on the verge of losing his breath.

"whatever", hanako sourly muttered before heading out to the carriage.

today was the day that the gojō, inumaki, and fujiwara clan would be sending over their chosen bride for naoya. it was basically like an offering, hence they could not be late.

getō and gojō's laughter had then died down, watching the woman's figure slowly disappear.

"do you think she'll be okay?", getō asked.

although they'd never openly admit it, over the past four years, they've built quite a close relationship with the woman. to some extent, it was almost like a stab to the heart, sending their friend off to be married, much less to a man like naoya.

"of course", gojō whispered, "she has to be. we don't have much time left. once the shogun retires, chaos will ensue".

the dark-haired official just sighed. something just wasn't sitting right.

"hopefully naoya accepts her and treats her well then".

"whether he does or not is all up to hanako-chan".

❉᯽❉

hanako was escorted out of the carriage by the driver. the zen'in household was nothing short of extravagant. even the front yard had a tiny bridge leading into the main hall.

the dark-haired woman promptly joined the other two that were already waiting at the main hall. both had their own charming features, but hanako wondered whether they'd be future friends or foes.

     "welcome ladies", a warm voice greeted.

     glancing up, the three silent women were met with the seishitsu (official wife) of zen'in naoya — previously known as kamo fuyuka.

     "greetings to lady fuyuka", the three new ladies bowed.

     "you may rise and take a seat", fuyuka offered.

     "thank you, lady fuyuka", inumaki koyuki replied.

"you're too kind, lady koyuki. no need to be so formal since we'll all be sisters soon", fuyuka stated.

"I can't believe lady fuyuka already knows who I am; so detailed. no wonder I've heard such high praises about my lady", koyuki complimented.

     "indeed. I heard lady fuyuka's gracefulness and benevolent nature is a perfect match for naoya-sama's preferences", fujiwara suzume added on.

the other two may have not noticed, but hanako surely did. the seishitsu's eyebrow ever so slightly twitched upon hearing that comment, allowing hanako to deduce that perhaps fuyuka and naoya's relationship isn't as solid as they make it out to be in public.

"everybody is too sweet. now I'm sure you all are tired from traveling. please, take some time to settle in and rest. naoya-sama's out doing some work and probably won't return until a few days later for the wedding ceremony", fuyuka informed.

     "now if anybody has any concerns or questions, feel free to come to me".

     "thanks again, lady fuyuka", the three replied in sync.

     "please excuse us now".

     as the three stood up to leave, there were three maids standing outside awaiting them.

     "welcome, lady hanako, lady koyuki, and lady suzume. we will be your personal maids from now on, please follow each of us to your designated rooms".

     a brown-haired maid had then approached hanako, introducing herself as rin.

"you must be exhausted after your trip, lady hanako. would you like me to run you a warm bath first?", rin questioned.

"that sounds lovely, rin. say, how long have you been working here?"

"since I turned twelve, miss. so if there's anywhere that you'd like to visit, please let me know".

"I'll keep that in mind", the twenty-four year-old woman smiled.

glancing around the elegant zen'in estate, hanako was suddenly approached by a man who held a very proud and pressuring aura.

     "greetings, kentarō-sama", rin bowed, nudging hanako to quickly do the same.

"kentarō-sama is naoya-sama's oldest brother", the maid quickly explained.

"it's nice meeting you, kentarō-sama", hanako curtsied.

"no need to be so formal, we'll soon all be one big family anyways", kentarō grinned.

"I heard from the great vines that my little brother was getting three new concubines and I couldn't help but come over to see for myself. who knew I'd actually bump into one", the eldest zen'in son stated, roughly gripping hanako's chin to tilt her head up so that he could get a good look at her.

     "you truly are beautiful", he complimented, "too bad you're going to marry my bratty brother. say, how about you just become one of my concubines instead? I'll treat you with much care—"

     "brother kentarō!"

     the three were then suddenly directed to the second son of the zen'in household: zen'in kenji.

"father's calling for you", he announced, to which the eldest had scoffed at the terrible timing.

"right right, I'm coming", kentarō grumbled.

though before turning his back, the eldest of the three zen'ins smirked.

"until next time, beautiful".

as soon as the two brothers had left, hanako had let out a soft sigh.

"lady hanako, it'd be best to keep your interactions with them to the minimal. although they may all seem like they get along, their hatred for each other runs strong, especially for naoya-sama", rin cautioned.

hanako flashed the maid a reassuring smile.

"thank you for the warning. I'm sure it'll be fine once naoya-sama returns".

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