#slpb

Lady Oichi had a powerful aura. There was something magnetic about her. Her movements were more graceful than flowing water. Being the humble daughter of a cook, I had never before seen such poise.

Since arriving in Owari, I’d gotten much better at concealing my gawking, but I still found myself mesmerized by her elegance. Furtive glances at banquets or as she wandered through the gardens replaced the open stares that once bored into her. At times though, I’d look too long and find her returning the attention with a conspiratorial grin.

When the truth of my identity came to light, her support was my rock in troubled water. She was my champion and my solace when everything else seemed to hang in the balance.

Each day she spirited me away to spend time with her. Lady Oichi argued that she should learn to be skilled in the kitchen to impress her betrothed, Lord Azai Nagamasa. Given his tendency to indulge his beloved sister and his desire to curry favor with the Azai, Lord Nobunaga acquiesced.

Today began no differently than the rest. I rose before the sun to tend to my duties in the kitchen from breakfast until lunch. As soon the last clean dish had been returned to its home, I made my way across the castle to Lady Oichi’s chambers.

“Good afternoon, Milady,” I called before letting myself through the door. She never truly cared whether I announced myself or not, but I couldn’t bring myself to act quite so informally.

I found her struggling to tie her sleeves back with an ornate cord made of gleaming, spun gold that caught the sunlight with every strained wobble. The sight of her face set so resolutely brought on a giggle I couldn’t quite stifle.

Her eyes lit up and a smile released the tension in her brow. Rather than seeming offended, she regarded me with a gleeful gaze that warmed my heart.

“Allow me to assist you, Milady.” Swift feet made quick work of the distance between us and my practiced hands tied her sleeves back with ease.

“Teach me how to make that European cake again.” She demanded with a playful determination.

As she whirled around to take both my hands in her own, I felt a tug in my chest. Enthusiasm and tenacity glittered in her eyes, leaving me momentarily thunderstruck. There were countless things to admire about her, and finding myself caught in the intensity of her gaze sent my heart aflutter.

“Uh-unfortunately, Milady, you’ve been barred from the pantry until more supplies come into town.” A flush of heat tickled my cheeks and I turned my face to the tatami beneath our feet. I couldn’t stand to be the bearer of news that erased her smile. “After yesterday’s frenzy of trial and error, the cooks worry that another day’s work would part Milord from his sweets.”

Stealing a glance up at her face, I watched as Lady Oichi’s eyes narrowed and her mouth straightened into a firm, discontented line.

“Shall I prepare us tea instead?” I offered. Desperate to remedy the situation, I was already moving toward the door to begin fixing the tea.

Her tightened grip on my hands prevented me from getting far.

“Don’t waste my time with coming and going.” She said sternly. The brusqueness was short-lived- her face brightened dramatically as a thought came to mind. “I’ve received engagement gifts from the Azai. Will you help me try them on?”

“Of course, Milady! If it would please you, I would love nothing more.”

Lady Oichi’s simmering gaze locked on to mine, preparing me to bear the consequence of her sudden vexation.

“Stop calling me that. Call me by my name, as you would any of your other friends. I don’t like placing such distance between us.” The seriousness in her eyes contradicted the exaggerated hurt in her voice.

The relief that had begun to trickle in was swiftly overruled by a wave of dread that crashed over me like frigid water.

This was the first time she’d asked me to call her by name. Wholly unprepared for this turn of events, the request made me wince.

“But you are Milady, Milady.” I rebutted carefully. “Calling you anything less would be disrespectful.”

“Is it not more disrespectful to deny my request?” The glitter of victory in her eyes told me she already knew the answer to that.

Warmth bloomed in the apples of my cheeks. I wasn’t sure I could commit to breaking such a boundary between us, but at her behest, I had to at least try.

“As you wish. . .” I paused, forcefully rounding my mouth to say her name. “Oichi.” It came out a whisper.

Glancing up to meet her triumphant gaze, a glimmer of something more flashed across her elegant features. It was gone before I could identify just what it was, striking my chest with an equally strange pang that lingered.

Lady Oichi took me by the shoulders and led me behind her folding screen. Behind it hid a trove of silk and jewels worth much more than my family’s restaurant.

“Look through this and choose which kimono you would like to try on first. I’ll call for Matsuko and Umeko.” Just as she started to turn back to the door, Lady Oichi paused to spare a longing glance at a deep crimson kimono embroidered with gold and white flowers. “I know which one I would choose.” She posited in a quiet voice.

She was gone before I could ask any further about the situation.

She wants me to put one of these on? Terror rippled through me. Surely she was joking. I had no place wearing any of these kimonos. Just one would cost more than I could save in a lifetime.

Umeko and Matsuko arrived in the midst of my panic. I was unaware of just how paralyzed I was until my head stiffly turned to look at them.

“Don’t look so frightened!” Umeko giggled, reaching out to take my shoulders and shake the stiffness from my body. “If Lady Oichi requested it, there is nothing fear.”

I could only manage a silent nod in reply. If there was anyone to put my trust in, it was Lady Oichi.

“Right,” Matsuko chimed in. “Let’s get you changed then.”

Undressing and dressing happened in a blur. The knowledgeable hands at work left nothing for me to do except cooperate with how they moved my body.

Tugs at my arms, waist, and hair told me they were sparing no effort to make me look worthy of such fine garments.

“Magnificent!” Umeko gasped with clasped hands, admiring her handiwork.

“If you’re ready, then hurry and come out! Don’t keep me waiting!” Eagerness colored Lady Oichi’s voice.

These clothes were much heavier than my own, making my footsteps more cautious than usual. Heat swept across my cheeks as I shuffled from behind the screen. I kept my face to the floor, not wanting to bare the manifestation of my bashfulness for all to see.

“Leave us.” She ordered, breaking the loaded silence before it had settled.

The hurried steps of the maids’ departure and the sound of the shoji sliding shut behind them was all that followed.

My frenzied mind barely registered the fabric staring up at me. It was the crimson kimono Lady Oichi had subtly suggested earlier. She must have seen my panic and told Umeko and Matsuko which one to choose. As usual, she did for me what I couldn’t do for myself.

Such mundane thoughts began to soothe the increasingly frenetic energy inside of me.

Lady Oichi’s gaze bored into the top of my head. Warmth tingled my scalp as though the fire in her eyes had taken life.

“Look up at me. I want to see your face.” Her voice was almost a purr.

Fiery heat ravaged my face. I could only assume a feverish red had replaced what was surely once a gentle pink. Something about her tone sent my heart rate and breathing into disarray. My fists tightened at my sides as I struggled to get my body back in sync.

“Must I grab your face and move it myself?” She asked impatiently, though not without a tinge of amusement.

“No, Milady,” I answered, lifting my face in time with an intentionally deep breath.

“Pardon?” Lady Oichi questioned- a test. Her entire expression smoldered, hedonistic and smug.

“No, Oichi,” My voice trembled, attempting to reject the very words it spoke.

A moment of blatant pleasure flitted across her face. She made it no secret that she enjoyed getting her way. Either awestruck by the situation or hypnotized by her aura, my eyes refused to wander from her form as she approached.

“Much better,” She half whispered, lifting her hand to run the back of her fingers down my cheek, her gaze locked onto me with the intensity of a predator admiring its prey. Somehow, I fought back the shiver begging at my spine.

“You’re even more striking than I imagined in that kimono.” A smirk crawled onto her face. “I don’t think it would be fair of me to deprive the castle of such a view.”

I melted under the heat of her words. Nothing about this was normal, but my trust in her was unfaltering. She lent me the strength and confidence to be as I was, never once leading me wrong. If a woman of such transcendent grace could see beauty in a girl such as myself, I could do nothing but believe her.

Roaring flames crackled in Lady Oichi’s eyes, burning unabashed and undaunted. I could see thoughts forming behind her eyes, each one adding more fuel to the fire.