15: The challange

The guards walked onto a scene they had never imagined walking in on. The new guards who had not heard the ongoing rumor about Lady Yoko rubbed their eyes before checking the picture in front of them again.

Their Family head, Lord Akabe Tsurugi stood still with his burned hand cradled close to his body.

The burn looked serious enough to need medical attention and yet the man looked rooted in his place.

Lady Yoko, the one who was considered the embarrassment of the house stood in front of Lord Tsurugi. Her hands caressed a small bird that was hissing in Lord Tsurugi's direction.

But it was the expression of amusement on her face that shocked everyone. She looked so at ease holding the small beast in her hands that it was not even funny.

And then there was Lady Sakura, the one everyone expected to take the seat as the next family head. She was so intelligent and charming, even at this young age that everyone looked up to her.

But even she was rooted in her place, her face looking equally shocked and worried.

"Ah, you should get your hand treated soon, Uncle. Phoenix fire can leave lasting scars if not treated immediately and you startled this little enough to make him attack you."

Everyone could only look on in shocked silence as the small bird leaned in Lady Yoko's delicate touch.

No one could deny that the lady had tamed the bird and her abilities were real.

"Y-You! It was all a part of your plan, right? You want to humiliate me and make me lose respect in front of my subordinates. But I won't let you…"

"Father, it is enough. You need to acknowledge when you have been beaten."

Surprisingly, Lady Sakura intervened to end Lord Tsurugi's irrational monologue. Everyone held their breath as a result of the fierce expression on her face.

Lady Sakura had never openly disobeyed her father's desires before. In the family, this was a major deal, and soon everyone would know.

It also confirmed the unspoken rumor that was going around. There was a shift in the power and Lord Tsurugi would not be their head for long.

Lady Sakura's words were the final nails in the coffin to confirm that.

"Sakura, even you are against me? Then, I will make you suffer as well. You will all suffer together."

The old man's yell alerted the other guards about the commotion that was going on but no one tried to stop Lord Tsurugi from yelling.

Everyone watched Lady Yoko cover her ears, pretending like it hurt to hear that loud yelling. But her indifferent face showed how unaffected she was by all this.

"Yeah, yeah. You'll make us regret our actions for sure but you'll lose your hand before that. You only gave a few minutes to treat it before the damage sets in."

Everyone watched Lord Tsurugi's face go from red to white in fear. The pain in his hand finally seemed to be registering in his mind.

"Doctor! I need a doctor here to treat my hand. And you both, you just wait. I will show you what I am capable of on the day of the challenge. You just wait and watch."

"Master please, you need to calm down now. We need to treat your burn as soon as possible or the damage would spread."

Luckily for Lord Taurugi, the doctor arrived in time and pulled him away. The old man did not look happy to be going away but he also did not have a choice.

Losing a hand was not a negotiable term for him.

"People should not chew more than they can handle."

Everyone flinched at Lady Yoko's parting words to Lord Tsurugi. They knew the lord would feel insulted and would try to retaliate.

But one squeak from the bird on Lady Yoko's hands caused Lord Tsurugi to reconsider and he finally left.

As soon as he left, Lady Yoko's face broke out into a frown.

"Tsk, that old man got lucky that this chick burned him. He would have lost a hand today for sure."

No one expected those words to come out of Lady Yoko's mouth, nor did anyone expect her eyes to shine with indifference.

But despite the tone of that voice or the indifferent expression, the guards felt a shiver run down their spine.

"Yoko, you need to calm down because you are scaring the guards. Don't pay too much attention to what he says. You know he is all bark and no bite."

The guards flinched at Lady Sakura's words. They knew her to be right but no one wanted to be the one to say this.

"Of course, he is all barks and no bite but that is beside the point. I would have given up contending for this position if he did a decent job at it. Unfortunately, our finances are a mess and so is our sale record. He has no idea what he is doing."

Lady Sakura sighed but anyone could tell that she agreed with Yoko's words.

Everyone knew that Lord Tsurugi only made the deals that got him more connections. He did not consider the market value of the products he sold so even bother doing research.

"Take deep breaths in Yoko. Yeah, just like that. You need to let your frustration go…..woahhhh."

Everyone tensed as soon as Lady Sakura let out the yell. The small bird that had been waiting on Lady Yoko's hands suddenly surged up to her shoulder and gave Lady Sakura warning growls.

The bird looked like a pissed lover watching someone else making passes at their lover.

"I think I've had enough entertainment for the day. We should get important work done before we turn in for the night."

And with that, the pair disappeared behind the closed doors and went their separate way.

By the end of the day, everyone knew what had happened inside the Family Head's chambers.

The wave of support that had been blowing Lord Taurugi's way finally begin shifting toward Lady Yoko's.

___________________________

NIGHT PEARL

That was what the signboard read. This was the slave house Sakura had found for Amane to use and the restaurant in front of it was the one their contact has asked to meet them at.

This was Amane's first time in the city and she had to admit that a lot had changed in the years she had been dead.

The roads no longer were unpaved and rough they had been replaced by concrete roads. The small and unkept villages were also no longer prominent. Their place had been taken by large concrete and steel giants.

But the most prominent change was the lack of forest land. Villages from before used to have a lot of green forest spaces in-between them but it no longer seemed the case.

"Don't these places get attacked by beasts too often?"

Beasts were territorial beings. They would not have been easy to relocate and drag away. A lot would even have to be put down because they were a threat.

"We do get attacked now and then but most of the cities have a protection array surrounding them. It keeps the beasts out of them."

Ah, that did make sense. Protection arrays were something that was even used back in Amane's days. They kept beasts out of the protected areas and kept people safe.

Only the most dangerous ones or the rouge beasts become a real problem inside such arrays.

'It is nice to see such a large and peaceful settlement. Humanity seemed to have done well for itself.'

Amane was thankful for Yoko's neglectful upbringing. It made asking stupid questions easier for her.

Not that she cared even if anyone thought of Amane as an idiot. It would not lessen her worth in the end.

"My contact is here."

Sakura pointed toward the flashy man that just entered the restaurant the pair was in. the blond hair and over-the-top outfit attracted a lot of eyes toward the new man.

His face was handsome enough but not one Amane considered worth remembering. But a lot of other people seemed to find that man interesting.

Some girls even got up to try talking to the man, but he evaded them skillfully and made his way toward their table.

Amane could feel a lot of jealous eyes glaring daggers into her but she only found them cute.

'These people have so much time to waste on foolish infatuations. Oh well, not my problem.'

"It is nice to finally meet you again, my lady. I heard that you needed my help." the man bowed in front of them, his eyes shining as soon as he saw Amane.

She had a feeling about what the man was going to say next and the man did not disappoint her when he opened his mouth.

"I have to say, the lady accompanying you sure is divine, Lady Sakura. Not that you are not beautiful as well."

The man was trying to flatter them, looking for Amane's reaction. She had dressed up like a prim and proper lady today.

'I made sure I looked like easy prey today and the fish took the bait. Now then, how should I deal with this.'

Amane had an option to show her true colors but it would not be fun for anyone. Now, if Amane played along with the man and let him try reeling her in, that was a different case.

"Joseph, don't try anything …"

"Ah, it is nice to meet you as well. I was so nervous about the informant Sakura was about to inform me but I am relieved to see that it was such a handsome man. Please take care of me today Lord Joseph."

The blond looked delighted at Amane's greeting. She could even tell what their informant was thinking.

He likely thought that Amane was the easy prey and that her words would make that man believe that she would fall for anyone with good looks.

It did not help that Yoko's body was really pale and easy to blush in. It made it so much easier for Amane to appear like a fragile lady.

Sakura's expression was borderline disgusted and disturbed. Her eyes asked Amane what she was thinking of doing but Amane did not answer.

She turned her attention back to their informant and let out a small smile.

"The pleasure is all mine, my lady. It is so nice to finally meet the flower of Tsurugi house. I am sure we will get along quite nicely."

"Of course. I am happy to be here as well."

Amane ignored Sakura's questioning gaze. The younger seemed to have seen through her plan to use their informant already.

After all, what the informant was trying to do was not something unusual. He likely wanted to make 'Yoko' fall for her so that she would marry him.

This way, it would be easy for him to wriggle himself into a powerful position without much effort. And with Lady Yoko's reputation of being soft and easy, it would not be much of a hassle.

That might be what this man was thinking. And also why Amane wanted to fuck with his mind like this.

"We should hurry up and get out work done here. We also need to buy your dress for the party tomorrow. You cannot show up in Lady Suzuki's home with a shabby appearance."

Their guide's eyes lightened even more at the mention of Lady Suzuki. This opportunity was getting sweeter and sweeter for him.

Now, it was time for Amane to dash all his hopes and break his fantasy of 'Yoko' being an easy lady.

"Of course, we should hurry up. I need to break my new slave in before I can put him to work. Man, I cannot wait for all the fun I am about to have."

Amane's tone was the same easy one but she could tell that she had startled Joseph with her words.

Her eyes also gleamed with a mean light when she looked at the man and she saw him instantly flinch away from her.

'It's nice to play with unsuspected people. They give the best reactions.'