Chapter 4: Arrival of the Betrothed Young Lady

Months went by after the Gekio clans victory in the Conqueror's game. As always, Shin continued to enjoy his time of rest at the estate. "Young lord. The master wishes to speak with you." Said one of the servants who came to fetch Shin on orders of the Lord while Shin had a surprised expression on his face. After arriving at the front of the office, Shin knocked on the door. "Come on in." said the Lord. "Yes father, did you call for me?" asked Shin. "Sit down. There is a matter I wish to speak with you urgently." Said Shin's Father. "What is it?" he asked. "In two days, we will have visitors." He said. "Who are they?" asked Shin, "The Yoshiko Clan of the West. And with them will come your betrothed." He added. With shock, Shin exclaimed "M-m-my BETROTHED?!", "Yes. And why are you acting surprised? I had already told you sometime ago. Anyway be on your best behavior when the time comes. You can go now." Said the Lord.

"Now that I think there was a time when father was talking about marriage proposals from other clans but it didn't interest me so I just ignored and forgot about it." Thought Shin who was dripping in cold sweat, remembering the past events. After the discussion "W-wh-wha-WHAT DO I DO?" he shouted as soon as he entered his room. "Frankly. Up until this point, I've only ever done things which I liked and were worthy of a future lord. But this is my biggest trial yet. H-h-how do you even talk to girls." He said as drowned in confusion.

Two days later, the delegation of the Yoshiko Clan arrived at the Gekio Estate. As the carriages stopped, one of the men on the carriages descended. "Greetings, I'm Shiro, Shiro Hazuki. I'm the attendant accompanying the Young Miss." Said the man. "It's an honor. I'm Sakurabo Gekio. Lord of the Gekio Bushin Clan and this is my wife Yuriko and here is my son Shin." Said the Lord, "Nice to meet you." Said the Lord's wife and Shin as they bowed their heads. "Well then without further ado, let me present to you the Young Miss of the Yoshiko Clan, Izuna Yoshiko." Said Shiro as the young girl descended from her carriage.

"Nice to make your acquaintance, I'm Izuna Yoshiko. I thank you for your hospiality" said Izuna with a soft voice, her eyes bewitching, and her beauty entrancing. "I-i-I'm screwed. She's way too cute. I'll end up making a mistake. In that case my only option is…" he monologued deep in thought. "Please this way." Said Yuriko. After introduction, they enjoyed a fine meal. "I heard that sir Shin managed to defeat a major captain of the Jumonji clan, which is quite a fit." Said Shiro, "That is quite intriguing considering that just like me, you're ten years old. How exactly did you defeat such a strong opponent?" asked the young girl. "Simple. I simply had to overpower him or at the very least create an opening for myself." Said Shin with a serene expression on his face.

"My only option is to simply let my subconscious take control. Uncle once told me that he entered a half asleep state during a game and his subconscious was the only thing that was moving his body in that case I just have to let my conscious fade away slowly while also maintaining my normal state of mind." He had thought while they were on their way to dining room whereafter he succeeded in his endeavor. As the conversation went on, Shin kept himself in that state. Continuing his plan, he spent the rest of the day in that state.

As they visited the domain, the young lady found his attitude very intriguing. "He showed me around the estate and the domain but he maintains a calm composure. I frankly didn't want to be betrothed to anyone, since in the end what the clan really expects of me is to win him over. But it's not really working." Thought Izuna as they looked around the stalls in town. As they continued their walk, she realized that most of the townsfolk expressed their kindness toward Shin. Some of them would simply say hello, while the others gave him small gifts. She then realized that when talking to them he had a different attitude towards them than what he's shown to her. "This atmosphere is completely different from my clan. And all of them seem drawn to him. And when he smiles, it seems that everything brightens up. He really seems to be very kind." Thought the Young Lady, witnessing the relationship Shin had with the townsfolk. Her gaze intently following him with curiosity.