Chapter 4: A Red Rose in a White Porcelain Vase
Kujō Asano was dead.
Killed by a supernatural being.
At the scene, they found his mangled, blood-soaked body, bearing the marks of being torn apart, and the corpse of a supernatural entity he had desperately managed to kill.
…
…
A single, bewitchingly bright red rose was placed by Natsuba Hanae in a beautiful white porcelain vase.
The colors clashed, a stark contrast.
Dressed in a pure white, exquisite kimono, she gracefully and elegantly tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her movements gentle, her posture pleasing, a faint smile playing on her lips.
The flower arranging instructor, observing this, couldn’t help but comment,
“Second Miss, it’s rare to see you use a red rose in your arrangements.”
Hearing this, Natsuba Hanae pursed her lips slightly.
“Today is a special day.”
“So I wanted to use joyous, bright red as the theme for decoration.”
Her eyes continued to search among the myriad of colorful flowers: simple jasmine, elegant gardenias, and delicate white lilies.
She arranged them one by one in the white porcelain vase.
They served to accentuate the single red rose, making it appear even more vibrant, its rich color resembling blood.
“Knock, knock—”
A knock came at the door.
The flower arranging instructor glanced at the time and bowed in farewell.
“Second Miss, today’s lesson concludes here. I’ll see you next week.”
Without another word, the instructor walked towards the door as usual.
As soon as the door opened, Chikari Tanishi appeared. The two exchanged nods, and the instructor disappeared from sight.
Natsuba Hanae picked up the white porcelain vase and walked to the door, handing it to Chikari Tanishi.
“Please place this in my storage room, in the corner.”
“Yes.”
As before, Natsuba Hanae walked ahead, with Chikari Tanishi following behind, their pace unhurried.
Today’s lessons were all finished.
Natsuba Hanae looked out the window. The sun had already begun to set, casting a golden glow over the earth, like a shimmering veil.
She stared blankly for a moment.
Then, she suddenly said,
“Alright, Steward Chikari, you may leave me now. Please report my itinerary for today to the head of the family.”
“Yes.”
With that, Chikari Tanishi turned and left, his movements efficient and without hesitation.
Officially, Chikari Tanishi was merely the steward responsible for escorting Natsuba Hanae throughout the day. However, secretly, he was the steward assigned by the Natsuba head to monitor her.
Every single action she took each day would be reported.
Of course, secretly, Steward Chikari, or rather, the entire Chikari branch, was completely under Natsuba Hanae’s control, and Chikari Tanishi was their spokesperson.
In reality, Chikari Tanishi wasn’t originally chosen by the family head to monitor Natsuba Hanae.
It was Natsuba Hanae who, through certain methods, had placed him in this position.
For her own convenience.
For instance, he had handled the matter of Kujō Asano very efficiently and cleanly.
Although Natsuba Rinrei wasn’t stupid, and was even quite clever, her various acts of rebellion had indeed provoked the Natsuba conglomerate. However, due to her young age, she was inevitably impulsive and couldn’t consider all the consequences.
If Kujō Asano had been seriously injured, or even died, within the Natsuba household…
Then, under the pressure and complaints from the Kujō head, the Natsuba head would definitely have to punish Natsuba Rinrei, even if only lightly.
But if he hadn’t died within the Natsuba household…
Without grounds for complaint, the Natsuba and Kujō conglomerates, despite being trade partners, were essentially two wolves waiting for the other to die.
If one conglomerate suddenly vanished, the other wouldn’t feel any remorse; they would even celebrate, dance on their grave, and then try to annex all their assets.
Even if the Kujō conglomerate questioned why Kujō Asano died on his way back, the Natsuba conglomerate would at most conduct a superficial investigation, just for show, without any real effort.
They would even eliminate all the servants who had witnessed Natsuba Rinrei injuring Kujō Asano to prevent the incident from spreading.
Of course, the most important reason was…
Rinrei’s room was on her daily route.
If Kujō Asano died there…
It would be messy.
Looking out the window, Natsuba Hanae blinked.
She continued walking, her delicate, jade-like toes lightly touching the ground, without making a sound, as if no one was there.
After about ten minutes…
Natsuba Hanae arrived at her room and pushed open the door.
The large room was devoid of life, filled only with expensive decorations and bookshelves stacked with numerous books for her leisure.
Notably, there were no technological devices in sight. She was like a caged bird, truly imprisoned, even breathing the air outside the cage a distant dream.
After entering, Natsuba Hanae looked around, a gleam in her red, glass-like eyes, and furrowed her brows slightly.
“Not back yet?”
“A bit later than usual.”
She pulled a book from the shelf, opened it to the previously marked page with a red bookmark, sat on the bed, and began to read carefully.
However, just then…
The window was suddenly blown open by a gust of wind, the white curtains billowing upwards. Natsuba Hanae’s silver hair, cascading like a waterfall, swayed like a meteor trailing flames.
The pages of the book rustled, flipping rapidly.
The room became a mess.
But she wasn’t surprised; instead, a genuine smile appeared on her lips.
It wouldn’t be her cleaning up the mess anyway.
After a while, the wind gradually subsided, and the curtains fell back into place.
And at the window…
A blonde girl in a black and white maid outfit, her skirt swaying slightly, stood holding a sword.
Her amber eyes, as lively as a hawk’s, looked at Natsuba Hanae, instantly filled with vibrant color and brilliance.
“I’m back, Little Sis—…
“No, Mom!”
The blonde girl’s lips curved into a smile as she ran towards Natsuba Hanae.
However, she saw Natsuba Hanae point a finger at the floor, causing her mind to momentarily short-circuit.
Then, she heard Natsuba Hanae say,
“Chikari Makoto, before you come over here, clean the floor.”
“Eh?”
The blonde girl froze mid-run.
It was rather comical.
…
…
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