Yamiyo no Hotaru

Chapter 152

 "Oh, it is truly a splendid tea ceremony!"

 "I am deeply honored and grateful."

 Aoi responded respectfully to the lavish praise for the taste of the tea she presented. With a friendly smile on her face, but her eyes were cold and indifferent, revealing a hint of exasperation...

 (Truly, what a boring gathering.)

 Ever since the Onitsuki's Joraku (visiting capital) group arrived in the capital, the conversations and courtship rituals with the noble young men had been taking place one after another. It was essentially a matchmaking event... Aoi observed the intertions with a detached gaze.

 She didn't have any illusions that the men were genuinely considering her happiness or compatibility with their partners. It was evident that the gathering was arranged for political purposes. Perhaps it was even less than that.

 (Do they really think I can be swayed by this?)

 If it were when the head of the family was young, it would be impossible to overthrow him and exclude him from the Onitsuki family. It's a cunning move. To marry oneself off to a suitable family and then try to drive oneself out of the family... it's a transparent farce.

 (They failed, didn't they? The main contenders are absent, and the remaining candidates are second-rate and third-rate... With this level, they can't be too forceful, can they?)

 Many prestigious families, including the Ako family from the Western region, the Kirikiri family, and the Enshu-in family from the Southern region, had planned to travel to the capital for the Joraku event. However, due to various circumstances, a significant number of these families had to cancel their plans, making it unavoidable.

 It seems that the candidates who were prepared from these are... In reality, the schedule presented by the head to Aoi in the capital was clearly a strange, scattered mess. In between the daily tea parties, garden parties, and singing gatherings, there were peculiar gaps in time. Aoi immediately understood the significance of this. And if they were just lower-ranked families, it would be simple for Aoi to make an appearance out of courtesy and then sever ties completely.

 No matter how much of a head they are, it would be impossible for her to forcefully choose a bunch of lower-ranked individuals as the prospective heir. Aoi, of course, would not hesitate to ignore the elders if necessary. Aoi has built up enough influence and reputation to do so, and the power within that man's household, who had been bedridden, is still not fully secure... Seeing that he continues to maintain his usual appearance, she can't help but think that he is silently enduring the bitterness.

 "Oh my, truly beautiful..."

 Unaware of what Aoi, the young heir of the Takizaki family, a prominent exorcist family in the Western region, praised her endlessly. They admired her beauty and intellect, but she saw through it all.

 "Hehe, please stop. Your compliments won't get me anywhere."

 She said, hiding her smile behind her sleeve. She laughed it off, but internally, she was exasperated.

 (How trivial.)

 All the men surrounding her appeared to utter identical phrases, as though they were reciting from a script. It was monotonous, uninteresting, and insignificant. None of them possessed the charisma to genuinely captivate her heart.

 Love is said to be blind. Perhaps it was a valid reason that there was already someone she had fallen deeply for. However, the astute Aoi could accurately analyze herself, at least when it came to this matter. She knew that it wasn't just because there was someone else occupying the highest seat in her heart that her emotions remained unmoved.