“This one claims to be Prince Haru’s consort.”
Momoko’s laugh was like the tinkling of bells. “Of course Kaneko belongs to Prince Haru.” She produced a ledger seemingly from nowhere, flipping to a marked page. “Three weeks’ exclusive rights, sealed with his personal mark.”
The guards leaned in to examine it.
“The Prince would be most displeased to learn his personal arrangements had become a matter of public record. And from what I have seen, he has become quite attached to this particular courtesan.” Momoko’s smile was as sharp as any blade. “Unless you’d like me to wake His Highness? He came tonight, hoping to spend time with this young man, but now sleeps alone.”
“Uh, no . . . no. That won’t be necessary,” the lead guard said quickly. “But the city watch will be informed.”
“There are always questions.” Momoko bowed again. “Thank you for your diligence, honored Samurai.”
The men left, but not without backward glances that promised this wasn’t over.
The moment the door closed, Momoko’s composure cracked. “My office. Now.”
I followed her through silent halls, leaving bloody footprints on polished wood. She closed the door and whirled on me.
“Do you haveanyidea what you have risked? Imperial Samurai at my door, you covered in blood and dressed like a . . . aninjaassassin!” Her voice was low but vicious. “The city watchwill be all overusnow. Everyone will wonder why the Emperor’s own Samurai patrol our park. Customers willfearto visit.”
I said nothing. In my mind, Kazashita’s eyes were losing focus as his hand grew cold against my cheek.
“Get out,” Momoko said. “Burn those clothes, and do not leave your chamber without permission.”
I bowed and stepped from her office.
Sakurai was pacing in my chamber when I arrived. The moment he saw me, he exploded. “What in the name of every fucking god have you done?”
“Keep your voice down,” I hissed, closing the door.
“Yearsof planning, destroyed in one night!” He ran his hands through his hair, the gesture wild and uncontrolled. “The city watch will double patrols. Guards will remember your face. Even thisnewcover we’ve been building—it’s all ruined! You can’t slip into shadows when everyone’s watching for exactly that.” He stopped pacing to face me directly. “Why? What could possibly have been worth this?”
“Someone died tonight,” I said quietly. “Someone who didn’t deserve it.”
Sakurai stared at me, cataloging the blood under my fingernails, the stain on my cheek, the hollow look in my eyes.
“The pirate. The one you knew from before. The one on the island.”
He wasn’t asking. How the hell did he know? I hadn’t even known Kazashita was in the capital until moonlight had lit his face.
I didn’t answer.
“Do not leave this house without my express permission. Do not practice what I taught you. You are nothing but a courtesan until I say otherwise. And give me back those clothes.” His voice carried ice. “I need to consult my handlers, see if there’s anything left to salvage.”
I peeled off the blood-stiffened clothes, each movement mechanical, and handed them to him. When I hesitated at my small clothes, he held out his hand, the implication clear:Give it all to me. Now.
I stood before him naked, as I had so many times, but he simply wadded the clothes into something of a ball and stormed out of my chamber. I squeezed my eyes shut and took a few deep breaths, then padded over to the table where a washbasin sat. The moment my hands dipped below the surface, the water turned pink, then red as I scrubbed at my skin.
But the smear on my cheek—where Kazashita’s hand had cupped my face—refused to fade entirely. Perhaps it was a trick of the light—or perhaps I didn’t want it to fade. I couldn’t be sure.
I toweled off and lay on my pallet, but sleep wouldn’t come. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Kazashita. Not dying—that would have been bearable—but alive.
The joy when he first saw me—and the devastation when I rejected him.
“She loved you . . . almost as much as I did.”
Irie would be waiting on her island, probably humming while she worked.
She’d wait forever for a reunion that would never come.
