Chapter Text
At night, Rin slept restlessly. The coldness from the outside seemed to seep through her blankets, as a thin layer of sweat formed on her skin. She could only see amber eyes and the mocking voices of the concubines. Her fears of being an inadequate ward were miniscule compared to the new burden she would shoulder from that day on.
Still, even the scariest of nightmares could not compare to the fear of disappointing her savior. She was afraid of failing her emperor, the man who brought her back to life and gave her a future that was filled with incomparable riches and knowledge. He allowed her to flourish in her talents and to partake even in her smallest of interests.
When the sun appeared on the horizon, she was already awake. Kochou and Asuka readily walked in her room as if sensing her state of wakefulness. They helped Rin dress as she slowly went through piles of documents and books. Fortunately for her, her new head maids were highly capable and didn’t need her attention while they attended to her. Her hair was put up in a beautiful intricate high bun to denote her married status, and even her dress was chosen and styled by both shikigamis. Because they had served the Empress Dowager for so long, Rin trusted they had the best knowledge of current fashion trends.
Rin scanned with her eyes as fast as she could, compiling books into different categories. There were accounting books with all the dealings of her pavilion; other books listed her servants’ names as well as their salaries. They seemed well-kept, which made Rin sigh in relief. She didn’t doubt the Empress Dowager’s ability to manage the inner court well, but she knew no one was omniscient. Besides a couple of loose ends she would have to fix, she would not have any trouble taking over the pavilion. Rin knew she was skilled enough to fulfill this role.
However, there were other pressing matters that also required her attention. Kochou and Asuka helped Rin sort her compiled books into the many bookcases that surrounded her office. The sorting had taken a good part of her morning and when the last book was put away, it was already near lunchtime. She allowed other maids to quickly put makeup on her, keeping it as minimal as possible. She hated the feeling of powder sitting on her skin for long periods of time. She could tolerate the 25-pound layers that made up her hanfu, but she had to draw a line. It wasn’t as if she would be as beautiful as the other female youkais instantly.
Getting to the main pavilion earlier was a blessing in disguise. There were no other people besides a few servants who were sweeping the greeting hall. When they saw Rin and her head maids, they quickly bowed a few times and vanished into thin air.
Rin had never attended a morning greeting, but she had seen that hall many times: it was bright in white and gold and with as many ornaments as she had seen in the palace; a giant arhat bed sitting in the middle emulated a throne, while seven comfortable-looking armchairs sat around a giant cedar table. There used to be only six armchairs.
The seventh, closest to the arhat bed, was hers now.
Slowly, she made her way to the armchair that belonged to her, her shikigami maids standing behind her on each side. Rin felt her heartbeat still for a second, as she breathed deeply. She needed to concentrate on her calmness, since the concubines would be able to read her body better than herself. They could sniff an ounce of fear from far away. Today, Rin had to be the most courageous among them all.
“Milady, her Imperial Highness is approaching,” Kochou whispered in a tone that was nothing more than a whisper. Rin felt relief in her heart that she wouldn’t be alone in this battleground.
As Rin looked at the entrance of the greeting hall, she saw the Empress Dowager making her way inside. There was only one maid behind her, Yuka, a serpent youkai. Both were so stunningly beautiful as they were deadly. Even though they were inside the palace walls and surrounded by countless guards, every single youkai was a potential threat. Yuka wasn’t just a very skilled maid; she also was a great fighter. Rin had seen her in action when she had just been taken as a ward by the emperor. A couple of unruly servants had tried their luck by sneaking into Rin’s room and attempting to eat her. Yuka had made sure there was not a single bit of them left.
Both Kochou and Asuka helped Rin bow in the Empress Dowager’s direction. “Greetings to Her Imperial Highness.”
“We don’t need formalities now, Consort Rin, rise,” the Empress Dowager said. Slowly, she made her way to the arhat bed and sat. “Besides, should I not be called Mother now?” She laughed. Rin blushed and did not respond. She would never dare. The Empress Dowager loved to tease her, but it was harmless; she never made it too hard on Rin.
After the brief light mood between them, the Empress Dowager’s smile fell.
“I have been informed that a few officials are planning on writing a missive to protest against your appointment as concubine.” Rin was not surprised at all, she had expected a reaction from the officials. The missive only announced their discontent. It was the tamest reaction. They would not take any actual measures. For now.
Rin nodded. There was not anything she could say. Concubines could not get involved with outside matters, just by knowing what she did was already beyond what would be acceptable. This fight was not hers.
They were served tea, as Rin occupied the time by talking about her findings in the ledger books. The Empress Dowager only responded with a small smile.
One by one, the other concubines made it to the hall. First, it was Noble Lady Shizu, with her pretty pink hanfu and porcelain-white face. The three First-Class Female Attendants were there shortly after — they shared a pavilion between them and were always together because of this matter. Lady Shunran, Lady Yura and Lady Sara were tributes from small tribes under the emperor’s command. They were merely seen as pretty hostages in order to guarantee their clans’ complete obedience.
Noble Lady Abi was the second to last to arrive. Unlike all the other concubines, she was the only one who had actively chosen to be one. Rin had been told by other maids that she had proposed a union with the emperor in order to overthrow her father. The emperor had single-handedly eliminated Abi’s father and allowed her mother to ascend as the head of the clan. It also meant she wouldn’t be shipped overseas to some lord youkai whom she did not even know. Abi had chosen the lesser of the two evils. Fortunately for her, she now lived her days drinking good wine. Sometimes, she would disguise herself and sneak out of her pavilion to spar with some of the imperial guards. Noble Lady Abi never desired to be favored by the emperor and didn’t have any inclinations for power, therefore, the Empress Dowager seemed to turn a blind eye to her actions.
They all had half-bowed to each other, and greeted Rin and the Empress Dowager with more care. Since Rin was now the one holding the highest ranking, they were required to perform a full bow to her. Out of the four, only Lady Sara was visibly discontent. Lady Yura and Lady Shunran had long resigned themselves to their positions and no longer felt slighted by their lack of relevance.
The last to arrive was Noble Lady Kagura. She was not as pretty as Noble Lady Shizu and did not have a strong clan to be her backer like Noble Lady Abi. However, her adoptive father, Duke Naraku, was one of the most powerful officials in Emperor Sesshoumaru’s court. This meant she had access to important information that other concubines did not. Naraku was also part of the officials who strongly opposed the inu-youkai clan and had been a sore spot in Empress Dowager’s patience ever since Inu no Taishou was alive. They used all sorts of machinations and plots to solidify their power and hinder the inu-youkai clan’s power. Inu no Taishou allowed their existence during his reign in order for all youkais in the kingdom to be able to voice their opinions. Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, had no care about them at all. Since the current emperor left the governance to his mother and only cared about complete domination of the island, he had failed to do anything to put an end to those opposing parties. With the Empress Dowager lacking the army to back her while her son was away, it was just an endless game of tug of war.
Kagura bowed towards the Empress Dowager and completely ignored Rin. She was preparing to sit like the others when the smooth voice of the Empress echoed in the hall, “I know your eyesight isn’t particularly powerful, Noble Lady Kagura. However, I believe you forgot something.”
Rin turned her eyes towards the Empress Dowager. There was a sadistic smile stamping the Empress Dowager’s perfect face. She did not bother to look at the wind youkai’s startled expression and continued appreciating her cup of tea.
“It is my fault, Her Imperial Majesty,” Kagura said with a saccharine voice. She quickly half-bowed towards Rin and sat. “I have yet to get used to Consort Rin’s addition to our noble inner court.”
“It is a fair mistake, Noble Lady Kagura.” Empress Dowager imitated Kagura’s way of speech, the condescending ring of it bringing a slight shiver along Rin’s spine. Kagura’s face didn’t change, but Rin could see hatred in her eyes as the empress continued, “Be careful to not repeat it again. Our court puts great importance in respecting our elders. Consort Rin is your senior now, so you have to pay her the respects that she is due.”
Kagura smiled faintly and did not dare to say any other words.
For that, Rin was grateful.
***
Kagura watched as the other concubines disappeared from her line of sight. The Empress Dowager passed by her and gave a stern look before also departing. It made her insides constrict in fear. While she had some power and protection from her father, she did not dare to test their limits. The Empress Dowager had been a princess, an empress and now the birth mother of the current emperor. One had to be especially cunning to survive so long among the youkai nobility and attain so much power.
Only the human remained. Consort Rin. She wasn’t as prompt to depart the hall as the female youkais, which meant that she was slow enough for Kagura to block her way as she walked towards her pavilion. The human did not look surprised.
“Noble Lady Kagura,” Rin said in her small, meek voice. For the first time since they had met, Rin did not greet the wind youkai as her superior. Behind the human, her two maids made a proper bow and stood still. It was common for servants to distance themselves when their masters spoke to each other. They looked particularly protective of their new lady. “The day is quickly approaching its end, we should head to our homes.”
Initially, Kagura did not hate Rin. She was not in favor of humans living among them as equals, but she understood her use. Rin was a quiet little girl who did her chores diligently. Kagura liked hard working servants and left the human girl to her own devices.
Kagura had tried countless times to ingratiate herself to the Emperor and gain his favor. She had tried every single scheme she could muster. Nothing seemed to work. But Rin was special. In a very short time after she arrived, the girl had been able to follow the Emperor around the court as if she was his little shadow. The Emperor seemed even tolerant of her incessant talking. He would give her small gifts and find good tutors for her. The Empress Dowager, though still rigid in her own way, had also fallen for the little girl’s spell. His Imperial Majesty and his mother went from wanting absolute power to spending their days realizing a girl’s, human girl, little whims.
Then the human girl had the audacity to grow up. When the emperor had left to wage the current war against the human shoguns of the north, Rin had been just a petite child. She wore expensive clothes given by the imperial family, but still acted her age. In a handful of years, however, she was able to grow into an adult who was still short, albeit no longer childish. No, not childish at all. Rin was now a full-fledged woman. She lacked the excellence of female youkais, which did not mean anything in the end. In a court full of perfection, which male would not look for something new? Sesshoumaru could have any one of them.
He could not have another Rin.
The old Rin had looked resigned just a few weeks ago. Everyone thought the Empress Dowager would bestow Rin’s hand to some minor noble of their court at most and be done with her. No youkai mother wanted hanyou grandchildren, especially the mother of the emperor. Kagura had been so shocked when she had gotten the news about Rin’s appointment as concubine that she did not even have time to inform her father and obstruct it before it was officialized.
“You have finally gotten what you always wanted,” Kagura said between gritted teeth. She did not bother faking a smile, shedding all pretense of politeness.
Rin’s face remained neutral. Her brown-colored eyes were still devoid of any surprise. It was as if the human had expected the wind youkai to act this way, as if Kagura herself was nothing except predictable. That kind of confidence, of dismissal, the condescension of a human towards a youkai, it angered Kagura even more.
“This was not my idea in the least. I am only accepting options that were given to me,” Rin said. Her tone sounded just like it always did, but something in Rin seemed to have changed overnight.
Kagura laughed then.
“Oh, please, we have always seen your puppy love when His Imperial Majesty was still here,” she spat, “we all know you are the only one who receives the supposedly secret letters from him.”
The two shikigami maids appeared to close off their expressions as they looked at Kagura in warning. Rin still maintained her impassive, but unaffected face.
“I was not aware it was supposed to be secretive in the first place,” Rin said in a puzzled tone that sounded anything but genuine.
“Human whor-” spat again, as she raised her hand to slap Rin’s face. The human didn’t move a single inch as an invisible force pushed Kagura to her knees. The wind youkai looked around with fearful eyes and stopped at those two shikigami maids. Fuelled by humiliation, hatred and contempt for the human before her grew, and Kagura glared at the woman above her, eyes ablaze. .
“I am human, Noble Lady Kagura, that I cannot change. But I was the Emperor’s ward and His Imperial Majesty was the one who decided to bring me here.” Rin’s gentle voice did not match her harsh words. “Disrespecting my position is also disrespecting the imperial family. People of our station should not question the decisions of the Emperor. Know your place.”