◆
I passed through the gate of the mansion and stood before the door.
Among them are Ichihime and Osamuhime, who is suffering from severe pain all over her body.
Even though his wife had given her consent, this incident was still essentially an affair.
Honestly, it breaks my heart.
(I wonder if this is what it feels like to be a cheating father...)
Driven by such feelings of guilt, I slowly opened the door without making a sound and slipped inside.
Then, moving closer to the sliding door, I gently pressed my ear against it to try and hear what was happening inside.
"Uh... uh... ah, guh..."
The first thing I heard was Princess Osamu's voice, choked with agony.
Then, just as I heard the sound of water being wrung out in a basin, I heard Ichihime's gentle voice.
"Princess Haruhime, it's alright... I'm right here beside you..."
"Okugata-sama..."
"Come on... let's wipe off the sweat."
Ichihime nurses the sick, and Osamuhime is nursed.
The principal wife and the concubine—two women who, in a sense, are competing for the same man.
However, it seems that they are getting along well even when I'm not around, which is somewhat reassuring.
"I'm sorry..."
"It's alright, Princess Osamu. This is something I do because I enjoy it."
Just from the sound, you can imagine what kind of scene is unfolding inside the room.
I quietly exhaled and gently opened the sliding door.
"Wha... Lord Nagamasa...?!"
Inside the room, Ichihime, who was wiping Haruhime's forehead, had a surprised look on her face.
Haruhime, too, looked at me with a pained yet relieved expression.
"...I'm home"
An indescribably awkward silence.
But that all came to an end when Ichihime threw herself into my arms.
Clutching my kimono tightly, Ichihime wept uncontrollably, her beautiful face contorted with sobs.
He held his wife tightly in his arms and gently stroked her beautiful black hair.
But my plan went awry.
I was trying to calm Ichihime down, but her crying only got louder and louder.
"Oh, please stop crying... Ichi"
All I can do is be completely bewildered.
Ichihime wouldn't let go of me, pressing her face against me tightly, and now she was on the verge of bursting into tears.
As I gently stroked her shoulder, I thought to myself that it was probably unavoidable.
My husband came home in the morning having an affair with a woman he didn't even know—that's my situation.
Her man was defiled by another woman—that was Ichihime's predicament.
It must have been an extremely difficult situation for Ichihime.
"I'm sorry, I know apologizing won't fix anything. But I'm sorry. I slept with you... and with other women besides Haruhime."
"Don't say that!"
Ichihime shouted, and hugged me tightly.
"It was Ichi...it was Ichi who said it...! It's all Ichi's fault...! Lord Nagamasa is not to blame! It's all Ichi's fault!!"
"I'm sorry...!"
"Lord Nagamasa... Lord Nagamasa...! Sniff, ugh... ughhhhhh...!!"
Ichihime's crying was on a level I've rarely seen before.
In other words, it meant that her emotional wounds were that deep—and that only made me feel even more guilty.
"Lord Nagamasa has disappeared somewhere...the members of the Takamine clan have said so...I am so worried...sob..."
"I'm really sorry for causing you so much worry..."
We embraced for a while, but it came to an end when Ichihime slowly pulled away.
Her face was drenched in tears. When I gently wiped away her tears with my fingertips, my beloved wife bravely gave me a smile.
"Osamu, I've done something terrible to you too..."
"No... I... ugh, ah..."
"Oh, it's alright, Osamu. Please, don't move."
Seeing Haruhime trying to get up, I hurriedly jumped to her side and stopped her movement.
"I... if it's alright with you... I'll give you everything..."
"Osamu..."
Haruhime's small voice was filled with pain and became broken and fragmented.
The moment I heard that, tears started streaming down my face.
I felt pathetic. I was so sorry.
While Ichihime's heart was hurt and Haruhime was battling physical pain, all I could do was have sex with Yoriko.
Even though it's to control the "Asai Nagamasa" that coexists within me... I can't help but feel apologetic.
To me, Ichihime is the most important person in this world. And Haruhime is also a woman who is very close to that level of importance to me.
They are the family I finally gained after being completely alone in the world.
It was just as I was regretting that I had hurt it—something I should never have done.
"...Humans are truly clumsy creatures, aren't they?"
"W-who are you...!?"
Suddenly, a clear voice echoed through the room, causing Ichihime to react sensitively and tense up.
The sliding door that I had left wide open.
Yoriko, with her hand resting on the railing, was watching us with a wry smile.
"Each of the three has their own unique worries and struggles. They're truly insignificant things, yet they still torment them to the point of burning up. It's very strange."
Yoriko lets go of the railing and slowly enters the room.
Ichihime stood in front of me and Haruhime as if to protect us, and in an instant, she drew her dagger and pointed its tip at us.
"Leave... How rude! This is Lord Asai Bizen-no-kami's residence...! You, a complete stranger, are not allowed to enter here...!"
It was an incredible display of determination.
Previously, when we were attacked by the Asakura, Saito, and Rokkaku families...
The sheer intensity he exuded reminded me of the fierce presence I felt when I first met Oda Nobunaga.
But even in the face of that, Yoriko remained unfazed and spoke to Ichihime.
"We're not complete strangers, Princess Oda. In fact, we know each other quite well, so it's truly sad."
"picture...?"
"People are easily deceived by appearances... That's probably something that will never change, no matter how much time passes."
As Ichihime looked on in bewilderment, a cloud of pure white steam rose from Yoriko's body, and she became semi-transparent, her outline blurring.
Ichihime seemed to have no idea what was happening, and could only stare blankly at the supernatural phenomenon before her eyes.
And then the pure white outline bursts away—
"Kyuoooon"
"Eh... ah... no way..."
—There, you'll find Taishakutsukige, who has returned to the form of a horse.
A being with beautiful golden horns and unparalleled beauty.
"W-what does that mean...?"
They were probably so taken aback by the unexpected turn of events that they lost their nerve.
As Taishakutsukimo passed by Ichihime, who had slumped to the ground, Taishakutsukimo approached me and Haruhime.
And then she stood by Princess Haruhime's bedside—sticking out her long tongue, she began to lick Princess Haruhime's nose.
"Ah... hiu..."
"...! Just be patient for a little while, Osamu!"
Knowing Taishakutsuki's intentions, I called out to Chihime, who was twisting her immobile body and trying to resist.
"Indra's saliva has healing properties. Please bear with it for a little while."
"Uh... uhh..."
The reason Taishakutsukimo is licking Chihime's nose must be because it's a mucous membrane.
Mucous membranes are epithelial tissues that can take in anything they come into contact with.
Naturally, if Indra's saliva enters the nostrils, its healing power will spread throughout the entire body.
So why didn't Taishakutsukige insert his tongue into Chihime's mouth? — Perhaps it was her way of showing consideration.
Taishakutsukimo knows that Haruhime, who suffered the utmost abuse in the Saito household, considers kissing to be a sacred act.
However, for a person, having their nostrils licked is nothing but painful.
It felt like about 5 minutes had passed since Taishakutsukige licked my nose.
Taishakutsuki's tongue begins to retreat from Princess Chihime's face.
With her face covered in saliva and breathing heavily, she looked—somehow alluring.
"Oh... No way... That can't be..."
Haruhime cried out in disbelief.
"My body... it still hurts, but it's much less now..."
"Kyuooooon"
Taishakutsukimo gazes at Haruhime and me with gentle eyes.
It seems she'll help not only me, but my family as well.
"Thank you... Taishakutsukimo"
"Kyuooooon"
As I bowed deeply, Taishakutsukimo gently cried as if to say, "Don't worry about it..."
Using its corner skillfully, it opens the sliding door to the veranda and goes outside.
Then, after glancing back at us just once, he raised his upper body high and ran off to the stable.
All that remained were the three of us: Ichihime, who had completely lost her balance; Osamuhime, who had slowly risen from her futon; and myself, whose heart was filled with gratitude towards Taishakutsukimo.
But they wouldn't allow me to dwell on that feeling forever.
"...Lord Nagamasa"
"yes"
As Ichihime slowly turned to face me, I bowed my head respectfully.
"...Could you tell me about what happened?"
"...yes"
A bolt from the blue.
For wives, there is truly no other way to describe the situation.
I carefully considered what I should say in my mind, while glancing at the faces of Ichihime and Haruhime.