Chapter 25 A Special Secret   Madam Sanjō had sent a letter to Imagawa Yos.h.i.+moto secretly? Didn’t she forget that everything happened that day? Walking on the road back to Tsutsujigasaki, Sakura thought about all these weird things carefully. She remembered the scared expression of the madam, which could not be faked. And she had thought that the madam was a woman who knew how to protect herself. But today’s special incident surprised her.   Was this a trick of Yae? She heard from Itagaki how this malicious woman murdered Masuko, the lover of Takeda Harun.o.bu. Thinking of this, she couldn’t keep calm. At first she wanted to get back to the store to grab the letter after the maid left. But if she did this, the truth that she knew their scheme would be exposed. Yae was a crafty woman; this settlement could make the situation more complicated.   “Sakura, why are you here today?” She was woken from her thoughts by n.o.bus.h.i.+ge’s call. He strode from the end of the road toward her. “Did you follow the maid here? You are so fast; I can’t keep up with you. What happened, though? You look weird.” “n.o.bus.h.i.+ge, would you help me ask your underling to send a letter to Madam Takeda of Suruga? I will give you the content. But would you write it under your own ident.i.ty?” “Sure, I can do this for you. But I want to know the reason.” “I am suspecting that the maid Yae was trying to control the Takeda Family during the time her master rebuilt Kai.” “What?”   Sakura tried to tell him her estimations calmly. “Do you remember that Prince Taro was sent to Obu by the master several days ago? Yae seemed worried about this and she abetted Madam Sanjō to ask your brother to let them move into the Inner Compound. I’d thought that she was planning to make the madam’s position in this family firm. However, after two days, three maids came from the madam’s hometown. I heard that the three maids were given by Jukei-ni of the Imagawa family. The madam had many maids. She had two sons and the master didn’t marry any other wives. Don’t you think this is uncommon for the three maids to come here right now? Yae should try most to please the madam instead.” “You mean, Yae is afraid that my brother may marry someone outside and give birth to a new child? Which will threaten the position of Prince Taro? So Yae wants to change all the underlings to the servants of Imagawa Yos.h.i.+moto, by telling him that the madam is in need?” “I am not sure if this is also the madam’s worries and plans. But Yae is a dangerous person. So, under your ident.i.ty, I would like to send a letter to Suruga, asking her to inform Imagawa Yos.h.i.+moto that the madam is happy and has no need for the servants. If someone told him the madam is in need, let him please consider the relations.h.i.+p of the two families carefully before taking any action.”    “So, you found the evidence from the maid just now?” “What’s your opinion?” “I think so. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be so sure.” n.o.bus.h.i.+ge smiled, and patted her shoulder. “I will help you, for all we do, we do for the family and my brother, right?”   In fact, she wanted to protect herself. Sakura thought in heart, Please, n.o.bus.h.i.+ge, don’t misunderstand me in that way. I don’t want any of Mr. Wrong’s adoration. From that day on, Sakura often remembered the sentence n.o.bus.h.i.+ge said. Harun.o.bu went back very late everyday. And he didn’t enter the Inner Compound, but slept in the Outside Compound alone. Sakura was unfamiliar with his change.   On one afternoon, she heard Yae and the toilet brush talking secretly with each other. Stealthily, she walked closer to listen to them from behind a big stone.   “s.h.i.+no, what’s wrong with you? I asked you to send a letter quite a long time ago. Now you tell me that Master Imagawa Yos.h.i.+moto wants to bring me back to Kyoto?” “I am sorry, ma’am. I guess someone has leaked our plan, so . . . ”   Before the maid could finish, Yae gave her a slap on the face. “How useless you are! I had thought that you were clever to serve the madam. But now you’ve made the Madam and me separate. How I would love to peel off your skin!”   Yae was so angry that she took out a hair pin and stabbed the maid with it. She’d caught s.h.i.+no by the hair, so she couldn’t escape from her grasp, or the torment,  and she yelled to beg for Yae’s pardon.