Binding Vows and Breaking Bonds
Chapter 4: Changing Tides
Arriving in the main hall, Naobito waited for her, usual bottle of sake already in hand as he drank straight from the bottle. Sayuri had expected her father to be in attendance as well, but much to her surprise, he wasn’t.
The idea of being trapped in a room with the rotten Zenin leader made her stomach roil and her body clench tightly on itself. Nonetheless, she approached quietly, make and demure smile firmly in place.
He gestured sloppily to the cushion before him. “Sit, girl,” he slurred. He hadn’t even been back an hour and already he was half drunk. She obeyed silently, kneeling neatly on her offered seat. “Do you know why I’ve asked you here?”
She bowed her head politely as she answered him. “I would never presume to know what my Lord is thinking.”
He barked a harsh, humorless laugh. “That silver tongue of yours always knows what to say, doesn’t it?”
“Let’s cut down to business.” Naobito leaned forward, encroaching uncomfortably close. “Are you pregnant yet?”
Against her wishes, the blood drained from her face. “Not that I am aware of, Lord Zenin, though I can assure you that Naoya has been most vigorous in his attention to this duty.”
He grunted noncommittally as he took a long drag from his bottle. “When are you next due for your bleeding?”
Raising her head, she stared down the clan leader who had pinned her with an intent glare. Not one bit of amusement was present in him. “Assuming I am not pregnant, I should bleed in the next few days, my Lord.”
Naobito nodded once, setting the bottle back onto the tatami mat beside him. “My business in Tokyo is nearly complete and we are scheduled to return to Kyoto by the end of the week.” He leaned forward, resting an arm on his knee, twirling his moustache in his free hand. “If you intend to continue this tryst with my son, I expect you to be pregnant by then.”
Sayuri’s fingers twitched on her lap, drawing the Zenin’s attention as a wide smile crawled over his face. It was only through sheer force of will that she kept them uncurled and elegantly positioned as she bowed. “I understand, my Lord. I will endeavor to meet those expectations.”
“Run and get to it then. You have work to do.” He grinned lasciviously.
Oh yes, she did. Determination settled over her like a heavy cloak as she bowed her way out of the room with Naobito.
It was time to see if Naoya would keep his promise.
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