26
Aihi
Aihi knelt before her dressing mirror. Too many hours wasted juggling politics, lies, and the future of Seiryuu, with no notable progress on any front. Halfway through Rat’s month and still no news about the Amulet of Inochi, and Ei had returned last jun with no response from Masanori.
She pulled the jade pins from her hair and wiped makeup from her face. These menial tasks were meant for her servants, but Aihi had no patience left for chatter. She’d wasted far too much time debating with the emperor’s advisors on what to do about Sānlóngguó’s deceit, and now, all she wished for was to reclaim bit of peace before settling into bed.
The fusuma to her dressing room slid open while Aihi was letting down her hair. “Rika, I said I would have no—” Taniya’s reflection appeared in the
