Your arranged marriage to a prominent feudal lord has always been a happy one or so you thought. When he suspects your lack of fertility, he takes up a mistress much to your dismay. Your sister, no less!
The overwhelming depression forces you into...
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It takes three weeks for you to return home, and when you do, you arrive and witness an unfamiliar landscape for lunch. The sight of May and her parents occupying the dining room does stun you at first, but relief overcomes the initial shock. In addition to them, Kaede and Kakashi attend the meal, welcoming you back with smiles.
However, no one speaks; nor do they make eye-contact with the man at the head of the table. The room weighs heavy with silence, an atmosphere of thick tension and whispered secrets.
Madara ignores the rigid air and chews on his meal. He does take a few seconds between each bite to verify the status of your consumption. When he spots you digging in heartily, he continues. The cycle ensues a few more times until you decide to poke the bubble.
"How is everything, uncle?"
The man presses a napkin to his lips and clears his throat to properly speak. "The accommodations have been nothing but spectacular, and we have been cared for diligently. I cannot thank both the Clan Leader and yourself enough for keeping us safe."
"Safe..." You place your chopsticks down as you state your confusions. "I understand that I provided May housing should she need it, but I did not expect the three of you. Nor did I expect you to remain here for so long."
He blanches at your direct statement, but Kaede interjects, "Have you not told her, Madara-sama?"
The man remains quiet, his eyes cold with a steeled guard. You glance over to your sister. "Is there something the matter?"
Kaede hesitates to speak upon matters when it may not be her place to. "There has been quite a shake up within the clan. At the moment, the person with the most amount of power to decide what happens with the clan is you."
"Me?" You blink a few times as you wonder the fate of your parents.
"In her will, she was explicit in having you be her proxy should father not be available." Your sister's gaze turns dark as she continues, "I am sure she had an agenda when naming you proxy."
You agree with your sister and nod your head as you assume their fate. "I see, did Tobirama arrest them for their involvement?"
The room falls into a greater tension as they all glance at each other. No one wants to speak of the dead in front of the perpetrator. Madara does not seem inclined to respond either, leaving you just as confused as ever.
"I suppose then that you are awaiting a verdict and want sanctuary here?" you hum while changing the subject.
May, albeit quietly, responds to your candidness. "If we have outstayed our welcome, we can--"
"My intention is not to throw you three out." You sigh as you try to recall some decorum to your words. "I just want to get to the bottom of things. As much as I do adore you, May, when I needed relief at my lowest, your parents followed mine in abandoning me. I cannot understand why they now use my home as their escape."
