The overwhelming heat made the air suffocating. The castle that Kusu once considered her home was now on fire. From a safe distance, she watched the flames dance along each floor of the structure. To know what brought these events to this point completely destroyed her, crying so much that her eyes swelled up, yet the heat completely evaporated the streams of tears.
On the top floor, looking out from the burning balcony, was her father. To see him stand there, not making any attempts to escape a fiery death, broke her heart. Despite not seeing him often, the Azai lord was not necessarily a stranger – he was her father.
And just like that, she was never going to see him ever again.
“Lady Oichi! Follow me!”
The outburst brought her wide-eyed gaze away from the blazing Odani Castle to her left. A man clad in golden attire – if she remembered correctly, his name was Hashiba? – was attempting to guide the newly-made widow away from the scene, and as he reached back for her daughter, the young girl dismissed him.
That’s right. Her sister, Chacha – she was without a father too. Even so, she seemed to maintain her composure, her eyes still remaining upward. Such a stare made Kusu look back up herself. Even with the fire distorting the vision, she could still barely see the figure of Nagamasa. Her chest sunk once again, the presence of tears threatening to surface once again, but in the midst of her grievance, a realization dawned on her—
Was he only smiling down at them?