After the bridal procession stayed at the state guesthouse for a day, the wedding was held as scheduled.
The weather was nice—neither gloomy nor sunny, just pleasantly cool, which lifted everyone’s spirits.
The only thing Kicho wasn’t used to was the cold air of this country.
Was it due to the cold current blowing from the east of the Land of Night?
That area was once the Land of Iron, a country in perpetual winter, now part of the Land of Night.
The samurai were defeated, subdued, and became pillars of the newly born nation.
Yomi City, as the capital, is located at the border of the former Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Iron.
Influenced by the climate of the former Land of Iron, winter here might arrive much earlier.
‘I’m not used to the cold.
Will the days ahead really not be too harsh…’ Kicho wore an elaborate and gorgeous furisode kimono.
Compared to the simple plain white outfit before, she now adorned many precious accessories she had never seen.
Kicho subconsciously shrank her body.
The Land of Fire also had winters, but the air couldn’t get this cold in September.
She instinctively gripped the fabric inside her sleeves—soft, comfortable, and slightly warm.
This wedding dress was meticulously tailored and sent by the General’s orders.
The silk used was of the highest quality, which she should have rarely been able to afford in her lifetime.
She had seen weddings in her clan.
The wedding dress Materials were usually rough, stitched from coarse cloth.
Wealthier families used silk, but the quality was mediocre and not comfortable to touch.
But this one on her was different—no matter how she touched it, it felt as wonderful as a girl’s skin.
Wearing it, she wasn’t actually cold; it was just her mind playing tricks.
“Does he treat me like some kind of Puppet doll?” She heard the General of the Land of Night was a Puppet manipulator.
Could he have some weird perverted hobbies?
Kicho maliciously speculated in her mind.
She had accompanied her clan to protect some nobles before.
Let’s just say those nobles fit her image of nobility perfectly.
Each one was greasy-looking, fat-headed, and enjoyed dressing young girls in various beautiful clothes, playing dress-up games, and indulging in pleasure day and night.
“Do you have any orders, Lady Kicho?” The two branch family girls following Kicho, also dressed in fine ceremonial attire, attended to her, the main family daughter, from both sides.
Perhaps hearing Kicho’s muttering, one of them asked subconsciously.
“It’s nothing, Aoi.
I’m just not used to the climate here.
It’s a bit cold, isn’t it?” Kicho looked at the branch family girl beside her and replied with a smile.
No matter how much grievance and dissatisfaction, she had to face life with a smile.
After all, crying couldn’t change anything, so it was better to smile more.
Maybe something good would happen.
“Yes, indeed.
The climate here is different from the Land of Fire.
They say the east is winter all year round, so it’s normal for it to affect here.” Hyuga Aoi nodded in agreement.
She also wore a white kimono embroidered with beautiful and colorful patterns, though not as grand as Kicho’s.
Her long black hair was tied into twin tails, revealing a cute and innocent face.
Her tone was slightly lively, a girl with a relatively cheerful personality.
“Maybe it will snow in October.” Another Hyuga branch family girl, Hyuga Rinko, also whispered.
She was a beauty fully matching Hyuga Aoi in cuteness and innocence.
She wore the same white embroidered kimono as Aoi and had shoulder-length black hair.
Her voice was soft, as if afraid to speak loudly.
Personality-wise, she might be the shy and sensitive type.
But they had something in common: their foreheads were wrapped with a white cloth, hiding the ‘Caged Bird’ curse mark.
As branch family members, Aoi and Rinko weren’t outstanding in strength or talent.
Their only commendable feature was their pure and cute appearance, which appealed to men.
Age-wise, they were the same as Kicho.
Their families had also come along.
From now on, all Hyuga branch members in the Land of Night would regard Kicho as their Sect Master and take root in the Land of Night’s system.
“Stop talking.
The General is here.” Hyuga Aoi interrupted the conversation.
Her previously relaxed expression immediately straightened, giving a meticulous and rigorous impression.
Hyuga Rinko also straightened up, but her eyes wandered, afraid to look forward.
They were part of the dowry, meaning they would also become the General’s women.
When their mistress Kicho was indisposed, they would step in.
At this moment, no matter how much they told themselves not to panic, nervousness and shyness filled their hearts.
‘So tall…
and such a strong body…’ That was the first thought Aoi and Rinko had after sneaking a peek at Yayoi.
As Ninja, their eyesight was good.
A Ninja’s physical condition could be seen from the surface.
The General was tall, nearly 1.85 meters.
When he approached, Aoi and Rinko unconsciously held their breath.
Their bodies were instinctively oppressed by a strong aura, easily making them judge that the General was a Ninja with very powerful taijutsu.
Despite being a ‘Puppeteer’ who should fight from behind Puppets, he himself possessed considerable taijutsu.
‘Do puppeteers nowadays specialize in taijutsu?’ Aoi and Rinko simultaneously had this thought.
Yayoi came before the three girls.
His gaze swept past the two branch family girls with pure and beautiful features and locked onto the girl in the middle.
She was petite and very young.
This was also a common occurrence in this era.
In this time when the average lifespan was under thirty, marrying early and having children was the best choice based on the era’s background.
At the moment, the girl lowered her head, as if shy, hiding her face under a white veil.
Only her fair skin could be vaguely seen.
Yayoi knew almost nothing about the wedding arrangements.
Fortunately, he didn’t need to arrange it; professionals handled everything.
The wedding ceremony took place at a large nearby shrine.
The accompanying shrine maidens and priests made quite a spectacle.
Yayoi reached out and took his young wife’s fair hand.
He could feel her nervousness—she wasn’t used to being touched by men, and her palms were sweaty.
The wedding proceeded orderly: blessings, vows, rituals.
Yayoi completed everything step by step.
For Ninja, weddings were simple, not too complicated, and kept minimal.
But as a monarch of a country, he didn’t just lead Ninja and samurai; officials from all over the Land of Night were also important parts of his system.
From daytime until night, the tedious ceremony finally ended.
The inner and Outer Courts of the General’s Mansion shed their usual solemn atmosphere.
In a courtyard within the inner court, decorated like a landscape painting, bright lanterns glowed under the night sky, dispelling darkness and making the place brilliantly lit like daytime.
At the properly arranged bridal chamber door, Hyuga Aoi and Hyuga Rinko stood straight.
“G-General.” The two branch family girls were nervous and stammered when they saw Yayoi coming alone.
Yayoi glanced at them, knowing they were branch family daughters sent as part of the dowry to solidify the main family daughter’s position.
Both were beautiful, with pure and gentle temperaments—the type of traditional women who would obey men.
“You two go get something to eat first.” “Yes.” Hearing Yayoi’s order, they quickly left as if relieved.
Yayoi opened the door and closed it.
The bedroom was warm as spring, a single room with an open space of about two hundred square meters.
But there weren’t many things placed; most areas were empty.
Only in the center, on a large tatami mat big enough for three or four people, was a spacious floor bed.
Several screen-style exquisite clothing racks surrounded it, along with storage cabinets and a dressing table.
Multiple burning glass coal lamps were placed on square lamp stands, bright and illuminating every corner of the room, even the high beams clearly visible.
Ninja probably wouldn’t use such flashy, complicated lighting devices.
Only someone like him, who needed to embellish his status, would decorate with such things.
It couldn’t be helped.
Since his past life, he was the type who liked to sleep with a bedside lamp on.
This habit was well preserved in this world.
Yayoi saw at a glance the girl kneeling on the bedding in the center of the room.
The gorgeous and beautiful furisode kimono fit her perfectly, as if it were a green leaf set off her beauty.
Though she mostly kept her head down, Yayoi had caught a glimpse during the wedding and knew how stunningly beautiful the girl was.
“At a time like this, do you need to hold something as dangerous as a sword?” But compared to his young wife’s appearance, the unsheathed samurai sword resting on her lap over the kimono caught Yayoi’s attention more.
On the wedding night, having a sword on her lap seemed ominous no matter how you looked at it.
“Because for a girl, this is an important self-defense tool.” The girl still lowered her head, as if not reading Yayoi’s implication, and spoke in a clear voice.
“Self-defense tool?” Yayoi walked over.
The cumbersome wedding robe had long been taken off and casually thrown aside.
He wore thin clothes that revealed his well-trained, solid body.
“Do you mean to guard against me, your husband?” Bending down, Yayoi gently pinched the girl’s snow-white chin.
The girl’s fair face lifted, meeting Yayoi’s gaze directly.
Yayoi didn’t use much force; his movements were gentle.
He saw a pair of very clean, pure eyes, mixed with a soft smile.
There was neither panic nor fear, just a smile as usual.
Their pupils reflected each other’s images.
“Yes, because my lord husband will ‘devour’ me tonight, won’t he?
So I need a little protection.” Yayoi couldn’t tell if the girl was looking forward to it or something else.
But this smile seemed deliberately constructed, a carefully maintained fake smile.
“Can’t you show a more genuine expression?
And ‘my lord husband’—is that how you usually refer to yourself?” “Does my lord husband dislike my smile and words?” With her chin held by Yayoi, Kicho blinked her beautiful, lively eyes.
Suddenly, she looked wronged, as if a single ‘dislike’ from Yayoi would make her burst into tears, evoking pity.
“It’s not that I dislike it.
I just prefer seeing people’s true side.” Yayoi released Kicho’s chin.
“That’s fine.
Tonight, everything about me will unfold for my lord husband…
but my lord husband will need to work a little harder.
You have to put in real effort.
Even if you explore until dawn, I can hold on.” The girl waved her fist, like a blank sheet of paper, using her bright, pure eyes to cheer Yayoi on.
“…” Yayoi felt something rush past his face.
However, since the girl had mustered the courage to invite him like this, he wouldn’t be unromantic.
Besides, as a husband, loving his wife needed no reason.