For more context, see the volume 12 summary. This translation may contain errors, because my Japanese level could be better. If you see any errors or mistranslations, please point them out. I may revise this translation in the future.

“So, what are you going to do with those records of the nobility you’ve gathered?”

“I was going to study the nobility before I went to Ran Province.”

Previously, her contemporary Heki Hakumei had also told her that there would be no harm in knowing about the relationships between the various noble houses. Because she had seen that the one-eyed man who called himself Shun seemed to come from some house linked to the Ran clan, for the first time Shuurei felt some interest in research. Shuurei had been separated from the Kou house, and so didn’t set much stock by house or bloodline. But, in this world of the court, people like Shuurei were out of the ordinary. She thought if she just knew a bit more, things would go better than if she continued to be ignorant.

However when she began to research, because the familial relationships were so confusing, there was no end to the complexities and confusion. Anju was the second-in command of the Monkashou [see the org chart], known as a stronghold of the nobility. In other words, a specialist in nobles.

Shuurei charmingly flashed an enthusiastic smile at him.

“Couldn’t you help a poor girl in a bit of a pinch, Anju-sama? In return, how about a smile?”

“Even it’s very cute, that’s not good enough. If you play a tune for me on your erhu, I’ll help you.”

Unusually, Anju had himself suggested a bargaining chip. At the word “erhu,” Suou also lifted his head.

“Before when Kouki played his flute and bullied you, I was also there. You were very good.”

“Speaking of which…. At that time Chief Ki’s flute was hair-raisingly good.”

Thinking about it now, at that time she could only think of Ki Kouki’s flute-playing as a “strange dream.” Firstly, since the that time, she hadn’t even seen the flute, and of course had not heard him play it.

“That’s because Kouki is, unlike myself, every inch a child of a noble family. He’s the last one left of the famed Ki house.”

Anju taped at the blacked out part of one of the records.

“Although their history was long, and they were a time-honored noble house, they were executed by the previous king. What was left was only Kouki, and the heirloom flute…”

Shuurei was speechless at this unexpected talk.

“Executed…, for what reason?”

“Something like a reason is not important. The important thing is, princess, that the previous king decided that. When the previous king decided to destroy someone, the execution was carried out. Actually, before they could be executed, the entire clan cut their throats one by one and died. That kind of thing can be done easily, by the king, or the Seven Houses. The special eight clans possessing absolute authority. For some reason, even if they start rebellions, they are not crushed…”

“….”

“At that time, the the amount of destroyed nobles was vast. There were many in Seiga’s Riku clan as well. Many also fairly terrible things also happened to the Kou clan. [Uncertain about the translation here. If anyone wants to help?] That’s why even now, they remain living with all of their wealth, power, and fame. It’s not a bad thing. You as well have received this privilege, so you are here now.”

Seiga’s Riku clan had been purged and then ruined.

Shuurei realized that she now understood the what lay under Kouki’s and Seiga’s oft repeated “cut out the fine words.”

“The one who assiduously picked up these discarded nobles was by superior, Ou Ki-sama.”

At the head of where Shuurei had noted the Shi Mon retainer houses [the four noble houses which support the Shi family], Anju wrote the name of the Ou House.

“The bloodline of the Monkashou Jichuu [Title of his post] Ou Ki-sama is quite interesting. After this try looking it up.”

“…. what kind of person is he?”

“Ou Ki-sama? Although this opinion might be inferred from his position, he gives off a feeling of being the last of the nobles (ultimate?). I think there will never appear a noble as noble-like as he.”

“Noble-like?”

At Shuurei’s puzzled face, Anju smiled.

“Yes, that person, even if he were penniless, would be a noble. I can’t find a word other than that. After that you should see for yourself. ….He is someone basically different from me. ”

“….Anju-sama is a noble as well, though?”

Suou was speechless. The subject of Ryou Anju’s origins was a forbidden subject among the nobility.

(Reeeeaaaaaly this woman does not know anything!!!)

Anju as well keenly looked at Shuurei. He seemed to be deeply interested.

“It’s been a long time since I was asked that directly.”

“Huh?”

“Certainly, the Ryou House is a noble one, but I was adopted, so I can’t be said to be a pure noble. Also, the Ryou clan, much like the Ki clan, now consists of only one person, myself.”

Anju’s tone was gentle as ever, but Shuurei felt somehow a chilly sensation, as if icy water were being poured over her. Somewhere in her head, a danger signal flashed, warning her not to proceed further. Shuurei’s white throat went up and down, and Anju stared at it with a gaze like a beast observing its prey.

“…B Before you said that Ou Ki-sama was noble-like, was that a word of praise?”

Anju smiled at Shuurei, as if she had passed a test, and returned to the previous topic. At that smile, Shuurei felt as if she had just escaped the jaws of a lion.

Anju whispered “well done” with only his lips, and as if caressing Shuurei’s throat stroked it with his fingers. Although seen from the side it appeared to be a kindly gesture, for Shuurei it felt as though she had just cleared the boundary between life and death. She now recalled Kouki’s words, “it’s your head if you’re devoured by Anju.” On the other hand, Anju went back to smiling frivolously.

“Heheh, you and Seiga are a lot alike.”

“Wha? How can that be?”

“Seiga more than anything hates the special treatment given to the Eight Houses, and you hate the nobility. That’s because you think they only to evil things to rise. Therefore, for you, to say “noble-like” is not a term of praise.”

Shuurei shut her mouth. From the time of the war for the succession, certainly, in her heart she had felt that nothing good came of the lordly people.

“well, that can’t be denied, though. Kouki and I as well, to get to this point have done va~rious things. We threw away whatever could be thrown away, sold whatever could be sold. If we didn’t do that, the path to where we are today could not be opened. It was because I wished to become great.”

Seeing Shuurei’s face, Anju grinned.

“You know, to take the national exam, you need lots of money. What Kouki and I had was only our heads and bodies. We didn’t have connections to use the king and Civil Administration Under-Secretary to make the impossible possible, like you. Probably you received the examination fee and the sponsorship from the Civil Administration Undersecretary too, didn’t you?”

Shuurei swallowed her breath. However…. Since it was the truth, she could make no answer.

Suou gulped the last bit of the onigiri down.

“Anju-sama, today aren’t you being awfully mean? What’s wrong?”

Anju’s eyes widened. Then finally as if realizing his “meanness,” he covered his mouth with his hand.

“Whoops. I haven’t been able to meet her for a long time, so I eventually grew to not want to be forgotten… It’s because I have this personality where I want to pick on the girl I like… Do you hate me now?”

Anju scratched his cheekbone, and peeked up from below at Shuurei. His eyes were more curious than anxious.

“No…Because it’s the truth. Anju-sama, do you dislike me?”

Anju continued to smile, and reaching his fingers into Shuurei’s bangs, tugged on them.

“Right now, I rather have begun to like you. Enough to tease you without realizing it. That’s the truth.”

Within Anju’s words, the truth and lies were always confounded. But today mysteriously, she felt as though she had glimpsed a flash of the inner truth of the human known as Ryou Anju.

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