Chapter 15: Her Body Is Here in Okazaki, but Her Heart Is With Masataka

Okazaki Castle – Matsudaira Motoyasu

1561. Summer.

“So, what did Masataka-dono say?”

“He said he’ll come to take Ohisa-sama with him as soon as the Imagawa are able to deal with the conflict.”

“Conflict, huh? There are several things that come to mind immediately.”

Tadatsugu let out a sly grin as he said that. A fair response. After all, I was the one who had been orchestrating things behind the scenes. The commotion stirring up the Imagawa was due to the defection schemes we had set in motion.

“Iinoya and Hikuma had already made a secret agreement to collude with us. Unfortunately, Yoshida didn’t take the bait, but as long as the castles behind it fall to us, capturing it will be much easier.”

“Although we managed to secure an alliance with Nobunaga-dono, our children are still too young to marry. Hence why we have to stabilize our position in Mikawa as soon as possible. For that, it’s essential for us to capture Yoshida Castle. Tadatsugu, I’m counting on you.”

“Understood.”

At that moment, Ohisa-sama arrived. Tadatsugu bowed and stepped back, letting her take a seat.

“Sorry to be a bother, Tadatsugu.”

“No need to—it isn’t a bother at all.”

Tadatsugu bowed again as he said that, to which Ohisa-sama gave him a slight nod. Then, she handed me a letter.

“This is?”

“The person who delivered it claimed to be a shinobi from Isshiki. I didn’t catch his name. He said he was entrusted with this letter from Masataka-sama.”

“A shinobi… it seems our castle is unable to defend against a shinobi’s infiltration…”

“Shall I bring this matter up with the rest of the retainers later?”

“Please do.”

After entrusting that matter to Tadatsugu, I opened the letter Ohisa-sama gave me. It was indeed a letter from Masataka.

[I will soon join the campaign to subjugate the traitorous lord of Hikuma Castle, Inoo Tsuratatsu. Rumors stated that he, outrageous as it may sound, has made a secret pact with you, Motoyasu-dono. As your brother-in-law, I cannot let this slide. To protect Matsudaira’s honor, I swear I will triumph in this battle. I will come to visit you again after western Tōtōmi is stabilized. Please wait just a little longer.]

“So that’s how it is. Masataka-dono is trying to warn us through this letter not to interfere in the campaign against Inoo Tsuratatsu by claiming that he’s joining to clean our sullied name.”

“Well, we were prepared to abandon Tsuratatsu if the Imagawa were to move against him first, but this just sealed the deal. We can’t really intervene in this battle at all.”

“In that case, we’ll have no choice but to just let them wear each other down. Hikuma is an important castle in Tōtōmi’s defenses. Even without reinforcements, they should at least be able to cut down some of Imagawa’s forces.”

“We can only hope so.”

I hadn’t noticed when I was talking with Tadatsugu, but Ohisa-sama looked quite displeased. It was understandable. After all, we were praying for Imagawa’s downfall, and she was about to board that sinking ship.

“Motoyasu-dono, may I?”

“Yes, ask away.”

“This will be Masataka-sama’s first battle, correct?”

“Yes. I heard he hasn’t had many opportunities for his first battle until now.”

“Will he be okay?”

Ohisa-sama didn’t know Masataka-dono well, so it was only natural for her to worry.

As someone who had known him for a long time, I could say this with confidence,

“He will definitely be okay and come to pick you up, Ohisa-sama. As I’ve said before, he is an extraordinary man. While he’d be powerless against overwhelming odds, he’d still fare better than most. I can guarantee that much.”

“Is that so? That’s reassuring to hear. Then, may I have the letter back?”

“Go ahead.”

I folded the letter and handed it back to Ohisa-sama.

“May I say one other thing?”

“What is it?”

She paused for a moment.

Then, she directed her gaze at me and Tadatsugu.

“If you ever speak of rejoicing in the misfortune of the man who will soon become my husband, I won’t hesitate to cut you down. Just keep in mind. Though my body is here in Okazaki, my heart is already with Masataka-sama.”

That was when I realized that Ohisa-sama had a concealed dagger in her sleeve. Had I said I’d send reinforcements to aid Tsuratatsu at Hikuma, she might have stabbed me right there and then.

Still, her heart was already with Masataka-dono, huh?

For years, she stayed unwed—a matter that I, my retainers, and likely herself, had been really concerned about. Now, it seemed Masataka-dono had captured her heart completely.

“That was a close call. Your wise decision saved us from a disaster, my lord.”

“It was fortunate indeed…”