Chapter 170

It had been a beautiful wedding! Anko glowed with happiness! Toshio had the self-satisfied look of a man who'd just secured a major victory. Azuki supposed he had, for Anko was now his wife, formally and publicly. His future and that of his children was secure as Lord Eitaro's heir, better positions than they would otherwise have had, for though he came from a good family, as a younger son he had no inheritance. Moreover, the coal-mining consortium was set to prosper. Azuki remembered more how they had smiled at each other. With Anko taking after her mother in political acumen and Toshio's family connections, they had achieved a future for their new family that almost anyone would envy.

Anko wasn't one to forget her friends, either. That added another level of security to Azuki's own future, whether she ever had a husband or not. She happily daydreamed about the wonderful things she was going to make, as Lily smoothly and placidly carried her home.