Persuade

~The Imperial Palace~

As soon as the Empress returned to the palace and stepped into her sleeping chamber, she sat on the futon before a short-legged table.

Without any assistance from her personal servants whom she had put deep into sleep, she took out a Washi (Rice) paper and placed it on the table.

Next, she picked a normal writing brush and infused it with magic before using it to write on a plain sheet of paper.

All this while, Empress Himiko kept her eyes on the sheet as her right-hand fingers which clasped the brush, glided against the paper.

With every stroke of the brush, no word could be found on it. Needless to say, the brush kept moving, but not even a dotted mark was seen as there was no ink.

Due to the fact that the message she wished to convey was a secret message, Empress Himiko had no use for the black ink, hence the reason she filled the brush with magic before making use of it.

Less than a minute later, she was done and finally put down the brush before proceeding to seal the letter.

The corners of her lips stretched as a glint flashed past her eyes.

Propping her palms up against the edge of the table, she helped herself to her feet before picking up the letter halfway.

In light steps, she walked away from her bed-chamber and passed her grand sitting room before shoving the sliding door open.

Outside, the same guards standing guard immediately lowered their heads in reverence.

Her gaze landed on them for a moment as her lashes fluttered lightly like the feathers of a peacock.

She seemed to be studying them to decide on which one to send on an errand.

At last, she made her choice and chose the man standing by her left side.

"Send this letter to my brother immediately," she ordered as she released her hands from her lower torso and passed the red flower-patterned envelope to him.

Immediately, the guard reached out his hands to receive the letter before giving a deep bow.

"Go."

With that simple command, she turned her back to them.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the guard replied as he turned on his heels and walked away in heavy steps.

As soon as the Empress walked back inside, the other guard, slid the door shut, and in a few minutes, another guard came from outside to stand in the position of the other one that had left.

*******

~The Ito Family's Home~

"My Lord, it is better to try it and see if it will work," Hana said trying to convince her husband about the porcelain bottle in her hand.

This was the same ceramic bottle that was delivered by Daisuke in the day.

With how busy her husband's day usually went, this hour of the night was the normal time in which the husband and wife pair usually conversed about important matters, with each offering their own ideas for a solution.

Hana had brought up the matter about the dye Daisuke's Master had given to cover up the traces of their daughter's red hair strands, which would threaten to bring attention to their family.

But her husband Mr. Ito had other thoughts.

"I am not worried about if the dye would work or not," he clarified while gazing at his wife with a serious expression on his face.

As it was not her place to interrupt him in the middle of his speech, Hana's brows creased slightly as lines appeared on her forehead while waiting for him to finish his statement.

"I am more worried about the identity of the man that knows our family's secret and even went the extra mile to prepare a precaution."

Understanding his concern, Hana adjusted her sitting position on the futon to face her husband properly. Her eyes were filled with worry as she reached out to take his hands.

This was something she usually did whenever she wanted to get him to really listen to her.

"My Lord, I can feel that man is powerful, but he is not a threat to our family."

"What if he is a threat to the Daimyos and the Shogun?!" Mr. Ito's heavy voice interrupted her immediately as his eyes squinted at her.

Being a warrior that served a little close to one of the Daimyo's, it was only a given that he be that worried and even flare up a little.

No samurai, be that loyal or not, would want to endanger his family by betraying his Master, and that was Mr. Ito's concern.

What if Sato Naoki was an enemy to the Master he served, and he goes on to have a close relationship with him?

If the Daimyo he served under, Lord Satake got wind about this, there would be no opportunity for an explanation to be given as his head would be separated from his neck immediately as a crime of treason would be put on him.

Also, his entire family would be seen as a threat to the Shogun, and they would all go in for it, including the servants.

The crime of colliding with the enemy, treason, always ended in a bloodbath and the family's name… in ruins.

"We are already very lucky that I am only a normal soldier without any ranks otherwise, our family would be closely monitored by Lord Satake. And if any connection to any enemy is found on us, whether we be aware or not, we would immediately be dragged away."

Mr. Ito was explaining the consequences that would befall them if they were not careful with the people they interact with.

His worries were not without a base.

To this, Daisuke could become a close family friend or ally because Haruka's father did not have a high rank in the army and was not seen as a threat.

Only those Samurais with high ranks could easily pull out some soldiers that were seen as possible threats. Therefore, they were being kept in check.

Someone like Mr. Ito even if he rebelled, didn't have any soldiers under him hence, he couldn't infiltrate the assembly and collude with the enemy.

Regardless, he would be annihilated.

No matter what her husband said, Hana refused to give up.

"I know you are loyal, and I am not asking you to betray the Lords. Our daughter is very important to us, and any help we can get to protect her, we should use it."

"Hana!" Mr. Ito breathed in sharply at his wife's stubbornness.

Unable to listen to her anymore, he tried to pull his hands away from her hold, but she clutched onto them harder, refusing to give up.

While staring intently into his eyes, Hana continued, "My Lord, the Daimyos you serve will not take your loyalty as anything if our daughter's true nature is revealed to them. Whether she is a threat or not, she would be taken her away."

Although he wished to interject, Mr. Ito could not refute his wife's words. He could only listen as she continued.

"And ultimately our family would suffer for it. In the end, what you wish to protect, would be lost."