A gust of cold wind blew in through the window, brushing against the back of my neck, and I slowly opened my eyelids.
The room was dimly lit, but you could tell the sun was peeking over the horizon.
It was probably around 4:30 in the morning—I thought about that in my hazy mind as I moved carefully so as not to wake Princess Osamu.
(He really does look so happy...)
Haruhime's sleeping face was truly that of an innocent young girl.
The breathing is regular and calm, indicating a very peaceful sleep.
I wonder if the occasional smile and sleep-talking of "Your... lord..." is because I appear in her dreams.
I don't know what I'm doing in my dreams, but at least it seems like I'm not causing any trouble, so I'm relieved.
I picked up the "Record Box" that was on my bedside table and examined it, trying to recall the events of last night.
First of all, Haruhime fainted from the initial insertion and ejaculation—but of course, I wasn't going to be satisfied with just one ejaculation.
After slapping her cheeks to bring her back to consciousness, I continued to thrust into her two, three, four, and five times without pulling out, relentlessly filling her womb with my filth.
Since it was our wedding night, I made an effort to avoid any kinky play, and the fact that I exercised my self-control to the fullest extent and settled for missionary position only deserves praise from society.
From the third round onwards, it devolved into nothing but kissing, and the gameplay itself wasn't particularly fresh, but if it made Haruhime happy, then that's all that matters.
Most importantly, we still have plenty of time.
From now on, I can slowly tune her into the kind of woman I like.
While Ichihime's beauty and physique have reached a level beyond human, Osamuhime also possesses a body that is incredibly powerful and could kill any man.
Incidentally, in terms of not only the fellatio that she likely acquired out of necessity in the Saito family, but also the complexity of the vaginal muscles that provide direct pleasure, it could be said that Haruhime is superior to Ichihime.
However, if we consider the overall experience, including how comfortable she is to hold, Ichihime is overwhelmingly superior to Osamuhime.
(Ah, that's it... Ichihime is a top student in her grade, getting an average of 95 points in all subjects, while Haruhime is a top student who gets an average of 90 points but consistently scores 100 points in subjects like math and science—something like that.)
By the way, I was extremely good at history, math, and science—even though I was in the humanities.
While thinking such trivial thoughts, my feet were heading towards the veranda, leaving Haruhime in the bedroom.
(That's probably because of guilt.)
The fact that he loved Ichihime as an individual, yet came to love a new woman.
That created a subtle clash .歪Distortion
However, if I hadn't embraced Haruhime, it's clear that I would have lost control due to my heightened sexual desire—
(—I suppose we'll have to come to a compromise somewhere.)
With those thoughts in mind, I reached for the sliding door separating the veranda from the inside of the house.
Perhaps what I want is for Ichihime to forgive me.
He probably wants to visit her early in the morning, return the box, and show her that his heart is firmly focused on her as well.
(Honestly... I don't really understand what I'm doing...)
There's just so much going on that my brain, being that of an ordinary person, is about to reach its limit.
I wish I were more all-powerful, like the protagonists in light novels.
As I was thinking about that, I pulled open the sliding door—
"--ah"
A woman stands in front of the detached building.
Even though the night air had thinned, under the still-chilly winter sky, there stood someone with black hair fluttering in the wind—
"—Ichi! Why are you here!"
"Lord Nagamasa..."
I ran down from the veranda and embraced her.
Although she was wearing a formal kimono, her body was completely chilled, and her cheeks were sickly pale.
From her appearance, I understood that she had been exposed to the night air for quite a long time.
"You... you idiot! You'll ruin your health! What the hell are you doing?!"
I yelled at her with all my might, but my anger quickly subsided when I looked her directly in the face.
...I was crying.
It wasn't because I had yelled at her. There was a clear sense of despair emanating from her face—and I immediately understood what it meant.
"I'm so sorry..."
Ichihime is sobbing in my arms.
"I couldn't bear it any longer... I felt like Lord Nagamasa... Lord Nagamasa was going to some faraway place that Ichi didn't know about...! Ichi... Ichi..."
Hearing her heartbreaking plea, I felt like my own heart was being torn out.
You'll understand immediately if you put yourself in the other person's shoes.
For example, let's say I develop erectile dysfunction or something similar, and I can no longer show affection to Ichihime.
And Ichihime is suffering from sex withdrawal because our sexual encounters have become a regular occurrence...that's the premise.
Ultimately, after much anguish, I ended up entrusting her to another man for the night—
—At that point in my thinking, I was overcome with an intense urge to nausea.
Just thinking about letting another man touch Ichihime's skin makes me sick. It's so disgusting, I can't stand it.
Ichihime is mine, and I belong to Ichihime.
There's no way a third party should be getting involved in that situation.
But Ichihime was actually facing something that probably made me sick just imagining it.
Even though she was prepared for it, she must be experiencing an extraordinary amount of pain.
Blaming her for something like that was absolutely unacceptable.
"...I'm sorry."
I held Ichihime in my arms and let out a choked-out cry.
Then she pushed my chest with her hand, pulled away, and slowly shook her head.
"It's alright... I could feel his warmth—I knew that Lord Nagamasa was here, that he was there for me... It's alright."
She said that with a wistful smile, then intertwined her cold hand around my fingertips.
I gripped his hand tightly.
"...It's cold."
"Do you dislike cold women?"
"No... I don't care what you do."
I gripped her hand tightly and led her into the annex.
The hearth in the annex was still burning—but more than that, I had a strong desire for Ichihime to know everything about me.
Even if it hurt her, I wanted her to know.
"..."
Upon entering the bedroom where Haruhime was sleeping, Ichihime's body stiffened for a moment before she slowly knelt down beside her pillow.
Then, as he peered into Princess Chihime's sleeping face, he let out a soft sigh, as if relieved.
"...So you can make faces like that."
Ichihime turned to me and gave a wry smile in a thoughtful tone.
"In front of the city, they all had such stern expressions on their faces..."
"Isn't that just because... you scared me? In many ways?"
"N-no, that's not true! There's no way that could be—"
Just as she was about to press on, I quickly covered her mouth.
Indeed, it seemed she noticed my gaze—Ichihime quickly nodded and fell silent.
Our gaze was fixed on Princess Osamu, who was stirring in her futon.
--Please don't wake up.
Perhaps wishing for that was a mistake.
God always sides with the strong. He doesn't listen to the wishes of the weak, or he only brings about results that are the exact opposite of what they wish for.
Sure enough, the sleeping princess's eyes slowly opened, and she sat up, gazing intently at her husband and his wife, who were making a commotion by her bedside after their wedding night—
—As if pretending not to have seen anything, she sank back into her futon.
◆
If you were to ask whether anything has changed in the Asai family since Haruhime became my concubine, the correct answer would be, "On the surface, nothing in particular."
During the day, she worked diligently as "Takenaka Shigeharu" to reorganize the Asai army, and at night, as "Takenaka Osamu," she served close to me. The members of the Asai family seemed to appreciate her work.
Rather than excluding her, they seem to be actively trying to make full use of her knowledge.
Of the three top generals of the Asai clan, Kaiho Tsunachika and Akao Kiyotsuna often came to Sugawa Castle to play shogi or go, and to start heated debates with Princess Haruhime about military strategy.
As for Kiyosada Amamori, while he was asking me for my opinion on the layout of Nagahama Castle, he also started asking Princess Osamu for her opinion on defensive strategies for flatland castles.
In addition, letters were frequently sent from Anyoji Ujitane of Shimizuyama Castle to Haruhime, and it seemed that they were exchanging opinions on the Asai family's diplomatic strategy.
I'm incredibly worried about Haruhime's health, but it seems she's managing to cope and work hard in her own way, and above all, she says she's having a great time with her current job.
Perhaps it was a reaction to having had too much potential to utilize up until now—but I didn't think I needed to worry too much about the workload of Chihime.
This is because whenever Haruhime seemed to be overworking herself, Ichihime would appear and, with the catchphrase, "It is the principal wife's job to manage the concubines," push her into a separate building and force her to rest.颯爽So
Indeed, it seemed that Haruhime had decided not to defy Ichihime, and for the time being, a good balance was being maintained.
Amidst these hectic days, March is drawing to a close, and signs of spring are beginning to appear in northern Omi.
The trees that grew on the mountains that had endured winter were now covered in fresh green leaves, brimming with vitality, and the mountains themselves were overflowing with the cries of new life.
As I gazed at the scenery, the tip of Taishakutsukimo's tongue slithered up my cheek.
As I stroked her neck, I couldn't help but smile at the way she looked so content and acted affectionately towards me.
"Even so... you've become quite the spoiled child, haven't you?"
Ichihime said that while watching me and Taishakutsukimo play.
Then Taishakutsukimo looked at Ichihime with an expression that seemed to say, "Do you have a problem with something?" and rubbed his neck against me in a way that was very pleasing to me.
Beside her sat Haruhime, intently observing my beloved horse in that state.
"It couldn't be helped... I was injured because of the hawk and couldn't do anything for almost a month. I couldn't have gotten by without relying on and depending on someone."
Indeed, Taishakutsuki stretched his neck and looked down at Ichihime with triumphant eyes, letting out a small cry of "Kyuuuuuu."
"I agree"
Haruhime held her hair to her ear and smiled softly. But her eyes did not seem to be smiling at all.
"Your injuries will be healed soon, so I think it's best to enjoy being pampered while you can."
Indeed, tension arises between Taishakutsukimo and his two wives.
With the wives, who for some reason were taking the horses very seriously, the cart rattled and shook violently.
The cart is pulled by four horses, all of whom are lovers of Taishakutsukimo.
And surrounding it were 100 soldiers of the Asai family, providing security.
We were heading to Mount Odani, the site of the Asai family's main castle until very recently.
No one would dare ask such a tactless question as why they are heading there.
Yes, it's for a hot spring resort that just finished its completion ceremony and is scheduled to open tomorrow.
Construction of the hot spring resorts in northern Omi, which had been halted due to an attack by the Asakura army, had now resumed, and starting on March 26th, completion ceremonies were being held one after another in various locations to celebrate their completion.
Apparently, the completion ceremonies in various locations were filled with tremendous enthusiasm from the people, partly because they were investing their own money.
However, just because the facility was completed didn't mean they could start operations immediately.
Hot spring resorts, in particular, sometimes have the intention of swindling money from travelers from other countries, so it is essential that accommodation facilities are well-prepared.
Among them, the hot spring resort built at the foot of Mount Otani, Otaniyama Onsen, was the first to complete preparations for opening and was scheduled to open on April 1st.
And today's date is March 31st.
For Kotaniyama Onsen, the day before its grand opening is finally upon them, and it is also the day when they will conduct a rehearsal against me, the leader of the Asai family.
Many of the employees at this hot spring resort were young women who had come from rural areas to work, but the person in charge was a financial official from the Asai family.
This structure would indeed be common to all hot spring resorts, but it meant that all of them—the hot spring resorts—were consolidated under a new power center, the Financial Assessment, led by Asai Masamoto, who was in charge of financial administration.
As I previously declared to my retainers, the Asai family transitioned to a new system on the 15th of this month.
The issues that had previously been discussed haphazardly in the general review process were now to be discussed and organized in specialized review sessions—under my direct supervision—before being submitted to the former review process, the State Review.
From the 15th onward, all seven councils—State Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs, Military Affairs, Household Affairs, Legal Affairs, and Finance—were established or reorganized, and each was to be presided over by me personally: Asai Ryochika presided over the State Affairs Council and the Household Affairs Council, Anyoji Ujitane presided over the Foreign Affairs Council, Amamori Kiyosada presided over the Home Affairs Council, Kaihoku Tsunachika presided over the Military Affairs Council, and Asai Masamoto presided over the Legal Affairs Council and Finance Council.
(In that respect, it's easier to guarantee employee welfare benefits.)
We have absolutely no intention of exploiting workers, as was once seen in government-run enterprises in Meiji-era Japan.
On the contrary, if migrant workers from rural areas are paid sufficient wages, their living standards will improve, and consequently, the number of births per couple will also increase.
In that case, such tragic practices will surely disappear, albeit gradually.姥捨Ubasute
Through this accumulation, the rural population in northern Omi will inevitably increase, leading to a rise in the number of economic entities engaged in production and consumption.
If this were to be successfully integrated with urban production of goods, the Asai family's economic foundation should have become even more solid.
Well, while I was thinking about all that, I apparently passed through the castle town where the castle had been lost and arrived at the hot spring resort.
I got off the cart, greeted by the staff of Kotaniyama Onsen who were waiting for me.
Indeed, when I looked up at the hot spring resort, it had an extremely magnificent appearance, befitting a place built with the enormous donations of the people of Omi.
Even though I designed it... seeing the finished product up close, I can't help but be moved.
It was exactly the kind of charming hot spring inn that modern people like me yearn for.
"That's impressive..."
Haruhime stopped in her tracks and gazed intently at the building.
"It's a luxury just to be able to enjoy hot spring water, but to have a building like this as well... and for the villagers who made donations to be able to use it free of charge..."
Perhaps it's something that's completely incomprehensible with the mindset of this era.
To order one's subjects to practice moderation rather than encourage luxury is not something a lord should do.
But—
"But if you can find hope in your daily life—that becomes the sustenance to live tomorrow, don't you think?"
"...yes!"
—I believed that Princess Haruhime would surely agree now.
Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief, Taishakutsukimo pushed my back with his neck from behind.
"Lord Nagamasa...it seems Taishakutsukimo is eager to get into the hot springs, isn't it?"
Seeing our reaction, Ichihime said with a wry smile:
Indeed, Taishakutsukimo kept pushing me forward, leading me all the way to the entrance of the hot spring resort.
If he can muster this much strength, I think he'll be fine, but let's not say anything so tactless.
(Today is just a family day, disguised as a rehearsal for the Kotaniyama Onsen trip.)
After passing through the barrier at the entrance and signing everyone's names in the guestbook, I parted ways with them in front of the entrance to the bathhouse, which was divided into men's and women's sections, and headed to the changing room with Taishakutsukimo.