"People are different from the rest of the creatures, they have minds to communicate to each other and minds to create peace or chaos, people are just like mirrors. If you smiled at them, they smiled back too, if you frowned at them, they frowned back too, if you laughed at them, they laughed back too. They know how to return a favor, they know how to be indebted, they know how to be grateful and knows how to pay back. Do you understand, Natsume?"

Lady Chou said to her daughter as she looked at her reflection on the mirror while combing his daughter's long black hair.

Natsume slowly nodded

"Yes, Mother"

Her mother put her hands on Nasume's shoulders, reminding her of the burden she has to carry in order to carry out her duty as the daughter of the lord of the Takahiro clan.

"You must return the favor so that the Takahiro clan will always be in his good graces. You have to be a good loving wife to Lord Raiden Ryuu, no matter what it takes, you have to be full of virtue and don't do anything that will make him rebuke or resent you, or that'll be the end of our whole clan. The fate of the Takahiro clan is now in your hands. Don't falter nor haste or that would be the end of us"

She nodded again.

"But mother-- umm.. I--"

Natsume looked at her mother's eyes on the mirror with a dreadful expression.

"I heard that he-- he's vile. Will I be okay?"

Her mother's lips formed into a grim line.

"The Ryuu's blood lines are all fierce that you wouldn't dare to opposed"

"What if he--"

Natsume swallowed the lump in her throat.

"What if--if he beats me up or worse--"

She couldn't finish her sentence.

What if he beat me up or killed me for fun or execute me because he's tired of me.

It was a normal thing that happened more often, many women from a powerless family that are married to their powerful husbands are beaten by their own spouse and sometimes killed after they're tired of them, unless of course, the husband loves you.

"He won't"

Lady Chou said to her with full of confidence

"He won't?"

Natsume repeated.

"I told you Natsume, People are like mirrors, be a good wife to him and he will be good enough for you too, he may not love you but if you're good to him, he'll treat you right. Isn't it the reason why the village of Takahiro clan is unharmed and still intact? Even though our defense is weak, our armies are not that strong. We gave way to them, surrendering to him peacefully and offering you to him so that our village will be under his protection, your father may not be the head of our village anymore but at least the village can rest in ease, we're now under the protection of Lord Ryuu. We've been restless since so many years, worrying that what if a large armies attacked us, our army has weakened as the years passed, we can no longer protect our village, we surrendered to him peacefully without a single drop of blood so he returned the favor by marrying you so that we would still have a part of our village that we have protected for so many years, the Takahiro blood runs in your veins after all"

"I'll do my best as his wife then"

Her mother sighed before standing up to walk out of her room.

"He may take other women, wives or concubines, you have nothing to say to it. Remember that it's pretty normal, so don't you dare throw a tantrum"

"I understand"

Lady Chou knew that her daughter hates sharing her husband to be, she wants to have a marriage like her parents, Lady Chou is the only wife of Lord Takahiro, without any concubines or anything like that. Natsume dreams about it but it's now buried, she is no longer that mischievous, care free child, she has matured in just a few years

Freedom is not for everyone after all, not even the nobles.

"You must sleep Natsume, you have a lot of lessons and tasks to attend tomorrow, be sure to wake up, early in the morning"

She said sliding out of her room.

"Yes, Mother"

You're wrong mother, people are not all like mirrors, if he frowned at me, I would smile, if he barks at me, I would still smile as his virtuous loving wife but if I do the same thing to him, he'll return it with much force, if I resent him, it's not a big deal but if he resent me, I will be nothing. Women would crawl to him, he's a powerful figure and a young warlord, while no one would marry me again, the denounced and divorced woman of a warlord. I'll be a disappointment to my clan and my family, while he would live like nothing happened, living in luxury and he would eventually forget about me and he'll add more women in his harem, with multiple wives and concubines, while I'll live in misery. How unjust is that?

But she completely understand her mother, she's just worried about her, she's an only child and will be married off to a ruthless man at a young age of fourteen that can snap her head with just a flick of his finger. But being married off to a man at such a young age is pretty normal, she was about to be married when she was twelve years old but she hasn't bled yet as a woman, her parents told her that she's going to marry him when the time comes, in the mean time, her parents will make her be prepared. She's a mischievous child and she doesn't even know how to cook or do any of the household chores.

Raiden Ryuu, the man she's going to marry is from a rich noble clan, he's also a warlord that acquired three states at a young age of 20. From what she heard, he's a vile man who would kill anyone, old, women or children. He's also the one who murdered the head of his own family, including his mother and older brothers for power, but despite of his traitorous actions, no one dared to rebel against him in their clan.

Is it because they feared him that much?

His bloodlust and ruthlessness led him to what he is now. A feared warlord.

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