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"Can I?"
Facing Chiyoko's question, Shin put away his smile, his entire behavior becoming calm as he weighed his options.
The temperature in the air seemed to drop several degrees.
Chiyoko's heart was pounding as she faced her nephew, who had suddenly fallen silent, but she dared not disturb him.
After a long while, Shin spoke.
"Aunt."
"Do you know what you're saying?"
Shin stared at Chiyoko, not answering with a 'yes' or 'no'.
Facing those deep eyes, Chiyoko forced herself to meet his gaze. "I know."
"Aunt, what do you think the position of Land of Lightning daimyo is?" Shin asked. "Is it a stone by the roadside that I can pick up with a word and give to you?"
"I..." Chiyoko was speechless.
"That is the ruler of a country, the highest authority of a nation." Shin's voice was flat. "For this position, I personally sent several of my brothers to hell."
"For this position, I caused countless heads to roll."
"Now, you come and ask me if I can give the throne of another great country to my brother, whom I've never even met?"
Shin leaned forward, his gaze sharp. "Aunt, what makes you think you can ask for that?"
That 'what makes you think you can ask for that' hit her heart like a heavy hammer.
Chiyoko was instantly stunned.
What made her think she could?
That faint bloodline connection, long worn away by time?
Ridiculous!
She understood.
In the face of national interests, her bloodline and childhood affection were completely worthless.
She had been too naive.
She thought she was still facing the nephew from her memories.
But she had forgotten that he was also a ruler who had risen to the throne over a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood!
A ruler has no relatives.
Chiyoko's shoulders slumped, as if all her strength had been drained, leaving only despair and a defeated look on her face.
Eight years of lonely prison time in the cold palace had led to this result.
Looking at her broken appearance, Shin said without emotion. "Considering that Aunt has made a special trip here, I will send a few shinobi to protect your safety."
This seemingly caring remark, however, sounded more like a handout to Chiyoko.
Protect her safety?
That's not what she needed.
Chiyoko gave a bitter smile and slowly stood up.
She said nothing, merely bowed slightly, preparing to leave this choking place.
With her hope broken, staying longer would only bring more shame.
Just as she turned to leave, Shin called out to her. "Aunt, have you thought about why I would refuse you?"
Chiyoko's steps stopped, freezing in place.
She slowly turned around, her eyes full of confusion.
Shin leaned back in his chair, his body relaxed, his gaze looking her over. "You came with hatred and ambition, yet you want me to pave all the roads for you."
"You want the throne of the Land of Lightning, but you don't even have the chips to get to the table."
Shin's voice was soft, his tone tinged with disappointment. "Decades of palace life, why are you still so naive?"
"Someone who hasn't even held a knife in her hand, what right does she have to negotiate with me?"
"What makes you think I can believe that if I hand the Land of Lightning over to you, you can hold onto it?"
"And not, in the blink of an eye, be completely eaten up, skin and bones, making all my investments go to waste?"
Knife... chips... deal... these words echoed repeatedly in her mind.
She had always believed that her bloodline, her status, was her biggest chip.
It was only at this moment that she suddenly realized in the eyes of this man, those things were worthless!
What he wanted to see was not her status, not her past.
What he wanted to see was her ability, the chips she held in her hand.
These were the requirements for a deal.
"I..." Chiyoko's lips trembled, unable to say a single word.
"Go back, Aunt." Shin picked up his teacup. "Think clearly about where your chips are."
"When you hold the chips and come back to me, perhaps... we can renegotiate the price of the deal."
Silence returned to the room.
Chiyoko stood there, motionless.
After a long while, she turned again.
This time, she did not bow.
She pushed open the door and walked out, step by step.
Just as her figure was about to be swallowed by the light outside the door, Shin's voice came again. "Oh, right."
"I have reached an agreement with the Land of Earth, Wind, and Water daimyo to create a Four Countries Joint Monitoring Group."
"Soon, they will jointly enter the Land of Lightning and conduct regional monitoring."
Chiyoko at the doorway suddenly went stiff.
Jointly enter?
Regional monitoring?
How was this different from tearing apart and dividing up the country?!
A chill shot straight to the top of her head.
She instantly understood that the Land of Lightning was about to face a time of chaos like never before.
And this chaos, for her, who had nothing, was not a dead end.
It would be her only chance!
Just as her mind was spinning, a figure suddenly came out from the corner of the stairwell, rushing towards Shin's room and kneeling down.
Chiyoko was startled, taking a sudden step back.
It was a young man in official robes, with an ordinary appearance, easily lost in a crowd.
But the way he knelt there, like a sharp blade with its edge hidden, gave off danger.
"His name is Asaba Toru." Shin's voice came from inside the room, introducing the suddenly appearing man.
"Aunt, if you have any questions, you can ask him."
Asaba Toru looked up at Chiyoko, nodding slightly. "Madam."
At this moment, all of Chiyoko's confusion, bewilderment, and despair instantly melted away!
She understood!
She understood completely!
The so-called protection was not a handout, but a handle of a knife offered to her!
The so-called test was not for her to find power out of thin air, but to see if she had the courage to grasp the knife that had already been placed in her hand!
This Asaba Toru was the hand of the Land of Fire reaching into the Land of Lightning!
He was her information, her aid, a support point for her to stir up the winds and clouds!
He was given to her by her nephew.
He had not abandoned her. She only needed to show her ability to her nephew.
Chiyoko's breathing became rapid.
She slowly looked away, no longer looking at the man kneeling on the ground.
She also did not look back.
Only her straightened back, at this moment, seemed to have had a soul put into it.
She stepped out into the sunlight beyond the door.
This time, her steps were no longer unsure, but incredibly firm.
Shin watched his aunt's leaving figure.
A smile finally appeared on his face.
Without Kumogakure, the violent organization, the Land of Lightning daimyo was just a toothless tiger.
Facing the former princess of the Land of Fire, the Land of Lightning daimyo, if he wasn't foolish, would absolutely not dare to touch her.
This was the stage he had given her.
And Asaba Toru was a knife he had lent her.
Now, he just had to wait and see how she would use this knife.
Would she cut a piece of the cake?
Or would she be unable to do anything at all!
Power games: the incompetent should get out!