Prologue

On the night of the Skill Beseeching Festival1, in a high tower in the corner of the inner palace, the gorgeously dressed ladies-in-waiting were letting out sighs behind circular fans.

“Look at Lady Reirin’s splendid embroidery. The stars embroidered with brightly colored threads are reflecting the moonlight…It’s like a real night sky.”

“Yes. Her skill would make Lady Orihime2 herself jealous.”

What the women were admiring were a carefully embroidered piece of silk and the princess who was hanging it on the parapet. Her black hair with a gentle hue was beautifully done up, and her big eyes had a smile in them as fresh as a flower just beginning to bloom. She, whose white skin looked almost translucent and had an ephemeral beauty, was fifteen years old and called Reirin.

Next to Reirin, there were four other princesses who were also putting up their embroidery. Tanabata—on this day when Hikoboshi and Orihime meet once a year, embroidery was dedicated to the starry sky in the hopes of improving one’s needlework. At the same time, there was a competition for skill in embroidery, but it was clear that Reirin’s work was the best among the princesses’ lined-up work.

“If she embroiders, she is equal to Orihime, if she holds a brush, she strings together beautiful verses. At the dance she performed at the Lantern Festival, some ladies-in-waiting were so moved that they started crying. She is truly a girl of many talents.”

“And her appearance! And can you believe how compassionate she is? One of the girls serving Lady Reirin told me about it. She says that Lady Reirin keeps even insects alive without trampling them. Ah, wouldn’t it be nice to serve Lady Reirin?”

“Shh, don’t say that so loudly, your Nestling Princess3 will hear you. Well, you serve the magnanimous Ran clan, so I don’t think you’ll be rebuked too harshly.”

“Yes. The master is absolute. If you break the rules of the Nestling Court, you will be executed by the Eagle Official. You have to be careful.”

The ladies-in-waiting were whispering to each other quietly.

The Nestling Court. That was the name of this place where they and the princesses were.

About 100 years ago, taking advantage of the reign of Emperor Kousou, where a bloody power struggle ensued, the bloated inner palace was reorganized, and now it only accepted consorts from five clans. That is, the five families were the Ran clan, who controlled the eastern territory; the Kin clan, which controlled the western territory; the Gen clan, who controlled the northern territory; the Shu clan, who controlled the southern territory, and the Kou clan, which controlled the direct-controlled territory.

The five princesses sent from these five clans divided the seats of the Empress and four consorts amongst themselves, and they spent their time in their palaces that were arranged in a pentagonal shape in the inner palace while maintaining a fixed order.

However, there was the fact that the five clans competed for family status. Of course, it wouldn’t be interesting if only one clan had the highest honor. Furthermore, the fact that the emperor, who had had a thousand princesses until then, could only pick out a successor from five consorts left anxiety in terms of the continuation of the country. Boasting a vast territory, the nation of Ei was always seeking a capable ruler.

Thereupon, the five families cooperated, building corridors from the five palaces to the center, and set up a palace called the “Nestling Court” there. It was said that it was a school building for gathering unmarried girl children and giving them a lady’s education from the consorts, who were the finest of women of the time. The students, who were called Nestlings, formed close relationships with the consorts that were akin to mother and child. In addition to having their life in the Nestling Court fully guaranteed, they were also given a room in the consorts’ palaces.

However, in actuality, only women who had a connection with the five clans were allowed to enter the Nestling Court. In other words, this was the training of the next generation of consorts in the name of lady’s education. The consorts competed for their talents and qualities as consorts depending on how well they raised the Nestlings, and tried to increase the influence of their clans by installing the Nestling they had guardianship over as the next empress.

The current Emperor Genyou was already over 40 years old. Therefore, the Nestling Court was finally opened in this generation, and Reirin and the four other Nestlings were gathered in this way. They would spend all the time in the day in the Nestling Court and compete against each other for their talents as women until the current crown prince, Gyoumei, took the throne.

However, in this generation of the Nestling Court, it could be said that the outcome was already decided without waiting for the day of the consort appointment. It was clear to everyone that Reirin was the most worthy to become empress.

Reirin was the niece of the current Empress, Kou Kenshuu, and she and the crown prince Gyoumei were cousins. As though her name represented her body, Reirin—which meant Brilliant Jewel―had beautiful features like a gemstone, and her appearance was elegant. And yet, if one was excellent at one’s studies, full of talent, and had a virtuous heart, the people around you couldn’t help but be drawn to you.

In fact, her father, brothers, and the people of the Kou clan pitied her greatly and doted on her, partly because she lost her mother right after she was born. There was also a sense that Gyoumei had ascertained this girl, who he had been loving and affectionate towards since they were children, as his empress from early on.

If there was just one difficulty, it was that Reirin was a little frail and would sometimes be bedridden with some kind of fever. However, now was the era of Genyou who loved dainty grace. White skin like light snow and a slender and ephemeral appearance were rather preferred as the supreme beauty, and furthermore, because it was Reirin, who was sickly but maintained her purity, people could not help but be even more affectionate towards her.

Even within the Nestling Court, where people tended to disparage Nestlings from other clans than their own, Reirin was widely admired and respected.

“Hey, take a look. His Highness gently put his arms around Lady Reirin’s shoulders as she was leaning over the parapet…Oh, a beautiful man and a beautiful woman, like something out of a painting. As expected of ‘His Highness’s Butterfly.’”

“Truly. The ladies-in-waiting serving Lady Reirin all have proud looks on their faces. Even the head lady-in-waiting, known for her cool calmness, has the corners of her lips curled up. Oh, if we already know the outcome, why don’t they just disperse the Nestling Court——”

“Shh. The head Eagle Official will hear you.”

During the ceremonies held for the seasonal festivals each year, the Crown Prince was allowed special access into the Nestling Court. Because of that, the handsome Gyoumei excitedly visited the Nestling Court like Hikoboshi waiting impatiently to be reunited with Orihime and tried to reach out his hand to Reirin whenever he had the chance. The ladies-in-waiting were watching them, spellbound, and then hurriedly smoothed over their expressions and glanced towards the back.

In contrast to the people gathering at the parapet bordering the garden to gaze at the night sky, in the corner of the room, a man dressed in all black was quietly enshrined there in the darkness.

Even in front of the gorgeous women, he remained completely expressionless. He was an Eagle Official―in fact, he was the head of those officials who enforced public morals in the inner palace. His name was Shin’u. Except for his eyes, which were too sharp, he was also quite a beautiful man.

In the inner palace, where men were forbidden, the Eagle Officials were usually eunuchs, but there was a reason why a man, and such a beautiful man, was the head of the Eagle Officials. The emperor’s blood ran through Shin’u’s veins.

However, his mother was a foreign slave, much less a daughter of the five clans, and naturally, she couldn’t become a consort. A hundred years ago, she would have been given a position as a lower-ranking consort, but she had no place in the current inner palace and was made to leave with a reward. The child, Shin’u, was adopted by a military official who was not blessed with children at the time and raised as a vassal. Although he displayed excellent martial arts skills, he was forced into the inner palace because no one knew what to do with his difficult origins. If there was any indiscretion with the women, Shin’u’s child would be recognized immediately. Yes, Shin’u, aside from his black hair, had blue eyes that no one in Ei would ever have.

The role given to him was problem-solving using force in the inner palace, as well as to expose women who were vulnerable to temptation.

Already, several ladies-in-waiting who were attracted by his appearance and made advances to him had been quickly thrown into prison as a result of that. Since then, the women had come to see Shin’u’s as a ruthless executioner with fear.

Fortunately, however, the ruthless Eagle Official didn’t seem to take offense to disrespectful remarks.

In the first place, he only cracked down on serious violations and incidents, and he had no interest in rumors by nature. When the ladies-in-waiting recalled this, they sighed in relief and incorrigibly exchanged whispers.

“In fact, Lady Reirin is a favorite of Her Majesty the Empress, and His Royal Highness treasures her so much. Her ascension to the throne is already assured. My Lady Nestling has already given up on the position of empress and says she is aiming to become the Noble Consort at most.”

The order of the four consorts were, from the highest rank, the Noble Consort, the Pure Consort, the Virtuous Consort, and the Wise Consort.

“My Lady Nestling as well. She doesn’t seem to like the idea of being the Wise Consort for the second generation in a row. But, well…”

She cut herself off and looked in the direction of the parapet meaningfully.

“This generation has Lady Keigetsu of the Shu clan. It seems that she’ll be able to avoid becoming the Wise Consort.”

There was an unmistakable shade of contempt in her eyes.

She was staring at a Nestling called Keigetsu who was standing right next to Reirin.

Her hair was tied up crookedly, and she was dressed too gaudily, as if to cover for her mean-looking face with conspicuous freckles. Her embroidery skills were poor. His lips were incapable of spinning a witty poem, and when Gyoumei actually spoke to her, she only stammered and faltered, but after his gaze left her, she ended up staring at him with lingering regret, and then at Reirin with resentment.

It was well known among the ladies-in-waiting that Keigetsu was in love with the handsome Gyoumei, who was accomplished in both the literary and military arts and was overflowing with masculine charm, and also that she was jealous of Reirin.

“She is the very image of ‘reaching beyond one’s position.’ She has a sluggishly large frame and a meanness in her eyes, just what you’d expect from the ‘Sewer Rat of the Nestling Court’! And yet, she has Noble Consort Lady Shu, the most powerful of the four consorts, as her guardian, how the world moves in strange ways.”

“It’s said that Noble Consort Shu couldn’t abandon Lady Keigetsu, who was the most unfortunate among her relatives, and chose her to become a Nestling. The dullness of Lady Keigetsu is directly related to Noble Consort Shu’s compassion.”

She talked as though she was defending her, but she was actually thoroughly showing contempt for her. Little wonder, as Keigetsu had a reputation for flattering those of high rank while treating her inferiors harshly, and from the perspective of them, who shared the complaints of Keigetsu’s ladies-in-waiting, she was the person they despised the most. The nickname given to her was “Sewer Rat of the Nestling Court.” That was a far cry from Reirin, who was praised as “His Highness’s Butterfly” because of his affection for her.

In a higher part of the room, on seats covered with cloth, there were the empress and the four consorts watching over the Nestlings. However, they also didn’t hide their sighs and sneers at Keigetsu’s boorish behavior. Her guardian Noble Consort Shu, perhaps feeling uncomfortable, was heard shifting the conversation.

“Oh my, look at that. It’s a comet. And what’s more, there are even shooting stars. What an auspicious omen.”

Following where her fan was pointing, one could indeed see the stars leaving trails in the night sky.

From the start, it was said that a comet would be approaching for the first time in hundreds of years in the summer of this year, and a high tower was built in the Nestling Court just in time for it. The fact that it coincided perfectly with the night of the Skill Beseeching Festival, and what was more, the visit of the shooting star, said to grant one’s wish if one chanted it out loud, made everyone excited.

“Oh dear, I have to make my wish before the star disappears. It seems to be taking its time, I’ll be able to make it.”

“No, the big one that is moving slowly is the comet. You have to make your wish on that quick shooting star. …Oh, what a pity. I’ve missed my chance to make a wish.”

“Goodness, what a number…”

The cluster of shooting stars grew in momentum as they watched, like a rain of light.

The miraculous sight made people forget how to breathe, and they gazed up at the sky intently.

And then…

Bang!

It happened at the moment when the comet surrounded by shooting stars shone so brightly that it blurred the night sky white.

“You annoying woman, you should just disappear…!”

“Kyaaaaaah!”

The women returned to themselves at the shout that sounded like it was spat out and the scream that sounded like tearing silk.

Following the voices, they found, to their horror, Reirin about to tumble down from the parapet.

“Reirin!”

“Lady Reirin, give me your hand!”

“Somebody! Eagle Official, hurry up and save her!”

Gyoumei and the ladies-in-waiting quickly flipped up their hems and leaned forward on the parapet with ghastly expressions on their faces. However, their efforts were in vain, and Reirin’s hand slipped from the parapet and her body was slammed against the arched roof one level below.

“Reirin!”

Fortunately, her long trailing skirt got tangled in the parapet like a lifeline, and Reirin’s fall stopped there.

As soon as he perceived that, Gyoumei fired off a sharp command as the flames of rage appeared in his calm light brown eyes.

“Head Eagle Official, rescue Reirin immediately. The remaining Eagle Officials should immediately arrest this woman―Shu Keigetsu.”

He was glaring at the figure of Shu Keigetsu, who fainted, her hands still outstretched towards the parapet to push Reirin off.

The sensation of water droplets hitting her face made her lift her head slowly.

“…ugh.”

She felt strangely thirsty.

She sat up, unconsciously rubbing her throat, and then raised her eyebrows in suspicion as a lock of awfully sticky hair fell over her face.

(I feel uncomfortable all over…)

It was a daily thing for her to suffer from physical discomfort, but she was not familiar with this sort of sensation, as though filth was welling up from within her body.

While unconsciously stroking her dishevelled hair, she squinted her eyes at the dimly lit room.

“……?”

Then, without thinking, her hand stopped.

What she saw before her wasn’t her familiar bamboo blinds and bed, but brusque iron bars.

“Eh…?”

While suppressing the ominous feeling that was slowly creeping into her chest, she looked all around.

Right, stone wall. Left, stone wall. Behind, stone wall. A thin straw mat was laid out on the floor, and she was lying on it. Not a single ray of moonlight shone down from the stone ceiling, but occasionally droplets would drip down from the ceiling, and she wondered what exactly was leaking through.

“Could this be…prison?”

She felt that sense of discomfort again when she heard her own voice muttering that in a daze.

It sounded a bit too low to be her own.

She stared at her hands closely. The shape of her hands seemed different from what she remembered, and she didn’t remember the garments she was wearing being so heavy. It was too dark to see the colors, but when she slid her fingers over the surface of the cloth, it felt as if it was tightly stitched with stiff threads. It seemed to be gold embroidery.

A garment so sumptuous that it was excessive.

A light suddenly came into the prison, faster than this information could bring a flash of insight to her mind.

“——Have you awakened?”

It seemed to be the voice of a woman, holding a candlestick.

As she squinted at the dazzling light, the woman approached her, her shoes making a scraping sound against the floor. She was relieved to see that the woman holding the candlestick was someone she recognized and leaned forward towards the bars of her cell.

“Ah, Tousetsu——”

“You have no right to call me so over-familiarly.”

However, she was cut off by a voice that was as cold as ice, and her eyes widened.

Tousetsu—Reirin’s head lady-in-waiting—was glaring down at her with long slitted eyes as she stiffened, her hands still gripping the iron bars.

“Lady Reirin was pushed off the Skill Beseeching Tower by you, and she is still suffering even after that night. You will pay with your life for the crime of hurting our Flower of the Nestling Court, Lady Shu Keigetsu.”

“——…Pardon?”

She felt like she had been told something outrageous.

Reirin’s eyes widened in shock as her own lady-in-waiting glared hatefully at her.

Hey this is a new project. No fixed schedule as usual but hope you enjoy this, haha

Footnotes

The kanji used here is 乞巧節 and the furigana is “Tanabata” However the actual reading for this festival Kikkou-setsu, and it means “Festival to Plead for Skills.” This is one of the precursor festivals to Tanabata.Orihime a.k.a. Vega a.k.a the Weaver Girl.Sort of a pun since the kanji is 雛女 (nestling girl), read as “hime”.