Free Dragon Sword and Wind Child by Noriko Ogiwara Page B

she said bitterly, looking down at him. “As you have said, now that you’ve returned to Mahoroba, I should leave as soon as possible for battle in the west. However, I didn’t foresee such a sudden return, and therefore there is still much to do. We will have to endure each other’s presence a little longer until I have completed the work at hand.”
    With those words, she stalked out of the room. It was as if a sudden storm had passed. Only her sweet perfume lingered behind. Saya remained staring after her blankly.
    After a time Prince Tsukishiro sighed quietly. “It’s always the same. We rejoice at our reunion and the very same day we begin to quarrel.” Although there was sadness in his words, he smiled when he looked at Saya. “It would seem that the people of Darkness are not the only ones who excel at repeating the same mistake.”
    REPEAT , repeat. I wonder what they’re talking about, Saya thought absently. A spool for winding thread came to mind. And the girl who held the spool in her hand as she wound was someone with a face unknown: Princess Sayura.
    Everywhere I go, they tell me it’s not the first time; it’s a repetition, a rebirth. It’s not fair. It’s not fair at all, when for me everything is new and I’m still struggling to find my way. She was upset at being talked about as if she were some kind of puppet. Besides, it did not make sense. After all, I thought very carefully before I chose what seemed right to me . . .
    â€œDo you intend to sleep all day? It’s time to get up.” Saya started when she heard the lady-in-waiting snap at her. “Everyone has gathered in the morning room. The sun rose long ago.”
    Saya blinked. She did not feel that she had slept at all, yet the morning sun poured through the latticed window and spilled across the wooden floorboards. She could hear sparrows chirping.
    â€œThe morning room?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.
    â€œWe gather together to pay obeisance to the immortal Prince of Light, and then break our fast. If you do not wish to eat, there’s no need to rise.”
    â€œI’m coming.” She was starving.
    After dressing hurriedly, she followed the lady-in-waiting along the passageway, but suddenly a horrible suspicion entered her mind.
    â€œWill you be serving me from now on?” she asked.
    â€œSo I have been commanded,” the lady-in-waiting replied with obvious displeasure. “Most of those honored to become handmaidens employ both a manservant and a child servant, but as you have none, the extra tasks fall upon my shoulders.”
    Oh dear, Saya sighed to herself.
    The morning room was long and narrow and ran along an outside corridor. Trays on short stands were arranged in two rows, facing each other, and young women with their long black hair neatly tied at the nape of the neck knelt on the floor before them. The morning ceremony had already begun and the room was hushed. There was a dais at the front with an ornately decorated seat, but the Prince was not present. It seemed that he did not necessarily attend. Saya slid into the last empty place. There were about forty people. A dazzling light poured in from the corridor, and the girls sitting in two neat lines appeared as fresh and elegant as lotus flowers blooming in the early morning. The diverse colors of their garments—white, pale blue, soft mauve, grass-green—reflected the season, refreshing the eyes. Most of them were maidens in the first blush of youth, but as far as Saya could tell, she was the youngest.
    The ceremony ended, and Saya, mimicking the actions of the others without really understanding, began to eat, but the food stuck in her throat. Although they whispered among themselves, none of the handmaidens spoke to her. Not only that, but they rose one by one and left after barely picking at their food, as if they wished to get away from her as quickly as possible. Saya soon found