by Kate Grove
Ciara looked at her with a puzzled expression on her face. Why was she stressing this point so much?
“You will find soap and a bucket for water in the next room. Would you like me to assist you?”
“Oh, no, thanks. I can manage it myself!” Ciara even took a step back to make her point. “Thanks for showing me the way.
“You are most welcome,” she replied. “And please, don’t bring the towels into the pool.”
“Of course.” Ciara looked after Yura as she exited. What was that strange behavior? She shrugged, placing her clean yukata on a nearby shelf. She grabbed a towel then went behind a folding screen to undress. Wrapping the towel around herself, she realized it only covered the most intimate parts of her and she had to hold it together at all times. It was much smaller than what she was used to at home.
Home.
Ciara sighed and fought the sudden tears. Would anyone search for her? Maybe Karen. Gods, she hoped Karen was all right. Would her students miss her? Would they be angry with her when she’d get back a month later? If she got back. She sniffled and wiped her eyes. No use in pondering over things she couldn’t change. She took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the folding screen.
Putting her used clothes on another shelf, she made her way to the next room, hugging the towel tightly around herself. She was in the same room as the pool, but small stools lined one wall, buckets of water next to them. She made her way over to the closest of them. A bar of soap caught her gaze in a container attached to the wall.
She looked around but couldn’t see anyone. Steam arose from the pool, making it hard to see, but she didn’t hear any movements, either, so she quickly folded the towel and put it on a free stool. She hastily cleaned her body as best she could with her limited options. When she felt clean enough, she grabbed the towel and made her way to the pool.
She dipped a toe in it. It was extremely hot, and Ciara debated for a second if she’d be all right entering it. A cool breeze swept through the room and she shivered. Was she outside? She quickly made her way inside the pool, leaving her towel on a stone near the edge of water.
The pool was shallow, so she had to squat to immerse herself in the water. She waddled her way around, circling the edge. Halfway through, she happened upon another person. She shrieked at the unexpected meeting.
“Good gods, girl, my ears!”
“Sorry,” Ciara apologized quietly. “You surprised me.”
“I can hear that.”
The steam slowly dispersed, and a familiar face emerged.
“Lady Yuki!” Ciara said, immediately recognizing the woman from the morning. Her silver hair gave her away, and only now did Ciara realize the woman had gold eyes. She looked to be in her early thirties, only a few years older than Ciara.
“Oh, you’ve heard about me?”
“Not really, only your name,” she admitted. “My name is Ciara. Nice to meet you.”
Lady Yuki surprised her by offering a hand. Ciara readily shook her hand and smiled at her.
“Call me Yuki.”
“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what brings you here, Yuki?”
“I’m visiting family.”
In truth, she wanted to know her relation to Katsuo. She remembered how Yuki had hooked her arm into his.
“In this castle?”
“Why all the questions?” Yuki asked. Her voice cut through the thick steam surrounding them.
Ciara shrugged and turned to the side. “Just curious. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“No need to fret, darling,” Yuki said, fixing her bun on top of her head. “I’m just teasing you.”
Ciara didn’t know whether to be amused or annoyed.
“So?” she pressed.
“Katsuo is a busy man, isn’t he?”
“I suppose so?” Ciara had completely lost the thread of the conversation. She had no idea what this woman was thinking and where was she going with the discussion.
“Do you think you can—” Unexpectedly, she fell quiet, and Ciara felt the water move as Yuki suddenly appeared right in front of her. Ciara jumped back, splashing water around.
“Don’t move. Let me see your eyes.”
“My eyes?”
“I’ve never seen such eyes for a mortal,” Yuki mumbled as she came closer. Ciara raised an eyebrow in slight offence. What was next? Was she going to insult her, too?
“Don’t take this the wrong way, darling,” Yuki said, smiling at her. She drew back, finally giving Ciara some much needed breathing room. “I like your eyes. They remind me of the sky at sunrise.”
“Thank you. I guess,” Ciara said, still uncomfortable with the situation. “You have an unusual eye color, too.”
A mysterious smile played on Yuki’s lips as she hummed but didn’t offer an explanation other than, “It’s in my blood.”
“So it’s the same as me,” Ciara replied, settling down on the seat at the edge of the pool. It was carved out from the stone wall of the pool.
She could feel her muscles relax, and she sighed in contentment. This was an excellent idea. She’d definitely have to come every night. Now if only she could remember the way back to her room, that’d be fantastic. She let out a sigh of frustration.
“Why are young people sighing so much?” Yuki grumbled from next to her. Ciara blinked at her. “What’s troubling you, darling?”
“Well, I was thinking how relaxing this is and I could come every day, but then I remembered I constantly get lost in this castle! It’s like a maze!” Ciara cried dramatically.
Yuki’s tinkling laughter made her face redden.
“Sorry,” Yuki apologized, wiping a lone tear from her left eye. “I was the same when I first came here. My advice for you is to look up.”
“Look up?” Ciara echoed, tilting her head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“Look up when you walk the corridors. You’ll see what I mean.” She didn’t elaborate more.
They spent some time chatting before Ciara felt the hot water was too much for her. She was beginning to feel light-headed and decided to head back to her room. She was extra careful not to slip on the floor with her wet feet. She made her way to the changing room to dress herself. Then she gathered up her dirty clothes to bring them back to her room.
On her way back, she looked up at the ceiling as Yuki suggested.
“That’s smart!” she exclaimed, surprised to see markings in different colors. Now she only needed to decode what they meant. Maybe next time, she could ask Yuki.
“Ciara-sama!” Until they met again, she could always count on Yura to rescue her from wandering the corridors aimlessly.
21
Ciara was surprised to see another low table set for dinner as she arrived in Katsuo’s room. The decor was also different from before, and she soon realized that this was a different room. She wondered if this was Katsuo’s own room.
“Come, sit.” Katsuo stood up and gestured to the seat next to him. He looked relaxed, wearing a simple black yukata. His light sharp, light brown eyes followed Ciara’s movements as she walked over.
“Thanks,” she said. “Am I the first one to arrive?”
“It seems so,” he replied, just when they heard voices coming from the corridor. “Ah, that must be Takeru and Ayaka.”
“How come we’re not in the usual room?” Ciara asked as she arranged the pillows around.
“We wouldn’t fit there.”
Ciara cocked her head to the side in question. She clearly remembered that the day before, they had indeed fit in there. A squeal brought her attention to the door just in time to see Ayaka get tossed into the air.
“Please don’t do that,” Katsuo asked as Yuki caught the little girl.
“But she likes it!”
Katsuo used his strict stare on her, but naturally, it had no effect. Yuki turned to the little girl.
“Your dad is as grumpy as ever.”
Ayaka chuckled and hugged Yuki’s neck. Katsuo mumbled something u
nintelligible as they all sat down around the table. There was a blanket hanging from the bottom of the table and Katsuo tucked his feet beneath it. He noticed Ciara looking at him and lifted the edge of the blanket for her.
“The weather’s getting chilly. This kotatsu will keep you warm,” he explained. Ciara was happy to sit cross-legged and hide her feet under the table. It was much more comfortable. She sent a small smile as thanks his way before turning back to the others.
They were staring at them, except for Ayaka who was peeking under the lids of the bowls.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Takeru coughed and looked away. Yuki had a half-smile on her face as she glanced at Katsuo.
“Let me introduce you two,” Katsuo said. “Yuki, this is Ciara, my betrothed. Ciara, this is Lady Yuki, a relative.”
Ciara smiled and bowed a little to Yuki, who chuckled.
“What is it?” Takeru looked back and forth between the two. “Have you two already met?”
“Indeed,” Yuki said. “Let’s eat.”
Dinner went by in a good mood, with Ayaka, Takeru, and Yuki chatting. Katsuo was content to just listen to them, and Ciara didn’t have anything to add, so she stayed silent. At the end of the meal, Ayaka proposed singing.
“We haven’t done that for days!” she added when Katsuo opened his mouth to possibly protest.
“You are right.” He gave in. “Let me get the biwa.”
“Daddy plays the biwa beautifully!” Ayaka told Ciara proudly.
“Do you play any instruments, Ciara?” Yuki asked.
“I used to, yes.”
“Not anymore?”
“I…” Ciara was looking for words. She didn’t want to go into details about the accident. It was still hard to talk about it, plus, they had no idea she was from another time. She suppressed a heavy sigh. “I had a hand injury. It’s near impossible for me to play again.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Yuki said with concern in her voice. “May I ask what instrument you’ve played?”
“A piano,” a small smile lingered on Ciara’s face as she replied.
“What kind of instrument it is?” Ayaka asked. “It has a foreign name. Is it from the West?”
“That’s right. It has a keyboard, which makes small hammers strike wire strings. You can play lots of sounds, with a lot of varieties,” Ciara explained. Her right hand rested on the table surface, and it automatically started playing a simple tune when she spoke about her love for the piano. “I have played for many years and had concerts.”
“Oh, I want to hear!” Ayaka said.
A bitter smile appeared on Ciara’s face.
“Perhaps one day you’ll have someone play the piano for you.”
“Is it a new instrument?” Yuki asked. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“As I said, it’s from the West.”
“Yuki’s just got back from there,” Takeru added and Ciara tensed. “She’s just been back from the other end of the Silk Road.”
“Oh. Well, yes, it’s relatively new.”
Ciara racked her brain to remember when the first piano was constructed. It was around the… eighteenth century. Not for the first time, Ciara wondered about the time period. She didn’t know much about Japanese history and had no idea where to place herself.
“Interesting,” Yuki said. “Next time I go, I must see it myself.”
“Do you play any instruments?” Ciara quickly changed the topic.
“I do, although I’m better at singing.”
“Shiara said she teaches singing,” Ayaka supplied helpfully.
“Really?”
“Yes, I’m a voice trainer and singing teacher.”
“Can you teach me? Daddy says I need training.”
“Katsuo!” Yuki gasped.
“She needs guidance,” Katsuo said, sitting down with the biwa in his hand. “Ayaka, you have a beautiful voice, but you need to learn how to use it.”
“See?” the little girl turned to Yuki in all seriousness. Ciara chuckled, good-natured.
“Sure, I can help you if you’d like,” she told Ayaka. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Katsuo looking at her with an expression on his face she’d never seen before.
“What is it?”
He shook his head and strummed the chords on the biwa. Ayaka clapped her hands, excited. He played a bittersweet melody. Soon, Takeru and Yuki joined in, singing the lyrics. It was so beautiful and sorrowful, Ciara felt as if Katsuo was playing on her heartstrings instead of the biwa.
It took a moment for everyone to collect themselves after the last sound died in the room.
“Now a happy one!” Ayaka requested.
Katsuo sent her a smile and started a fast-paced song, which Ayaka knew and started singing almost immediately. The others joined in, and even Ciara accompanied them with clapping her hands to the rhythm.
A few more songs were played before Ayaka’s yawns became so big that she couldn’t sing anymore. Her eyes were drooping, and Takeru, as the ever dutiful uncle, gathered her up in his arms and left to put her to bed.
“This was fun! Oh, how I missed these nights!” Yuki said with a bright smile. “When the whole family just sings after dinner. We should do this at the pagoda.”
“We’re nearing winter, I don’t want Ayaka to fall ill,” Katsuo said.
“Oh, she won’t!” Yuki insisted. “I’m sure the nights still carry warmth. Or maybe we can gather there in the afternoon?”
“Takeru and I have work, Yuki.”
“Surely you have some spare time for family?” she asked, her eyebrows arched.
Katsuo groaned.
Ciara suddenly felt as if she witnessed something she wasn’t supposed to. She faked a yawn and politely said her goodbyes. On her way back to her room, she pondered over what she’d learned.
So Yuki was a relative to Katsuo, but she couldn’t exactly put her finger on their relationship. Were they cousins? Aunt and nephew? Although her silver hair at first confused Ciara, she’d gotten used to it. Sometimes Yuki did or said something only old people did, but the next moment, she was like a woman in her thirties.
Ciara shook her head and looked up to the top of the wall where she saw the small green flower painted. Her room was on a corridor with red flowers. How would she find that? She vaguely remembered she was on the same floor, but with all those turns… Ciara picked a random direction and searched for the corridor with the red flowers. She figured that sooner or later, she had to come across them.
“What are you doing?”
Ciara startled as she heard a somewhat familiar voice. She twirled around and saw the man who had dragged her out of the orchard. Taiki, chief of security. She narrowed her eyes and tensed at the sight of him.
“Nothing.”
“I highly doubt that.”
Ciara didn’t reply to that statement. The man sighed and pulled down the mask covering half his face. He took a step toward her.
“Look, I know we didn’t get off on the right foot, but it’s my job to ensure the security of the Kitayama family,” he said.
“Was that an apology?” Ciara asked, confused.
“Not at all.”
“Not at all…” she mumbled, repeating him. “Taiki, right?”
“Yes, Milady.”
“Maybe you can answer me this. Am I a prisoner here?”
“Of course not, Milady.” He looked taken aback. “Why would you think so?”
“Because everything is off-limits!” Ciara blurted out. “I want to see the town! I want to walk around, looking at stuff, and I just can’t get outside! Why is that, if I’m not a prisoner?”
“A lady of your station would need an escort.”
“So would it be all right if I took someone with me?” she asked, desperate to understand.
“I believe so.”
“Anyone?”
“Yes?”
Ciara thought for a moment. Maybe she could get Yura to come with her to
town tomorrow. That is, if she didn’t have much work to do.
“Is there anything else I could do for you?”
“Now that you mention…” Ciara cleared her throat and hoped the darkness hid her flaming face. “Can you show me the way back to my room?”
“As you wish.” He bowed and led the way.
22
The next morning found Ciara doing yoga stretches before the sun rose. She was excited to start the day and determined to finally visit the castle town. By the time Yura had knocked on her door, she was ready to leave.
“Come on in,” Ciara said, tying her overcoat. She wore pants today.
“Good morning, Ciara-sama.”
“Good morning, Yura. What are your plans today?”
She seemed surprised at the question.
“What do you mean, Milady?”
“I mean, do you need to do some chores, or are you free?”
“Do you need my help with something, Ciara-sama?” Yura asked, curious.
“Would you mind accompanying me? I would like to visit the castle town and was hoping you would come along.”
Yura’s eyes widened.
“Wearing this?”
Ciara looked down at her attire.
“What is the problem?”
“That is not proper.”
“I don’t really care.”
“Milady, you can’t go see the townspeople like that!” Yura protested. “Let’s change you into a nice kimono and then we can go.”
“So you will accompany me? I’m so happy!” Ciara quickly hugged the young woman who looked startled with all the attention. She put some distance between them as soon as Ciara let go of her.
“I think the purple-orange kimono would suit you this day.”
“But it’s difficult to move around with the kimono on!” Ciara said, while Yura rummaged through her closet.
“Here!” The servant girl pulled out a deep purple kimono with orange hues. It looked like the sky at dusk. Ciara’s breath hitched.
“This is beautiful!” As if in a trance, she walked closer and tentatively touched the material of the kimono. It was made of silk. “And so soft!”
Yura grinned proudly.
“They made this in the castle town.”
