The Fake Legend of Princess Mei Mei - Episode 1.4

From the village to the town at the foot of the mountain, even with Tsukika’s pace, it would only take about half an hour to arrive.

Feeling irritated, Tsukika chewed on a steamed rice cake, making her way down. Before the sun fully set, she stood at the back entrance of the brothel ‘Fuyou-rou’.

“Excuse me.”

There was only a little time left before the evening business hours, so it should be fine to speak up.

One of the kitchen women, busy preparing for a banquet, noticed Tsukika and said, “Oh, it’s you.”

“How nice. Tonight, Mei-gyoku hasn’t been called yet.”

She was told that Mei-gyoku would likely be in her room, and was asked to bring her dinner. Tsukika agreed and took the tray, heading toward Mei-gyoku’s room.

Although Mei-gyoku was famous and popular for her beautiful singing, she was still relatively new and had a small room. In fact, it was a shared room for four.

When Tsukika knocked and peeked inside, Mei-gyoku was sitting by the window, softly humming a song while letting her usually tied-up hair fall loose.

“Oh, you’re here.”

Mei-gyoku smiled gently when she saw Tsukika.

“You came at a strange time. What happened?”

“Exactly! Can you listen to this?!”

Making a fist, Tsukika sat down and began venting about the frustrating things that had happened that day while Mei-gyoku ate. Mei-gyoku listened quietly, nodding in response as Tsukika excitedly told her story.

After Tsukika finished her rant, Mei-gyoku nodded thoughtfully while offering her a cup of tea.

“Tsukika, you really like steamed rice cakes. It’s no wonder you’d get upset.”

“That’s right!”

Tsukika drank the tea, still upset, but Mei-gyoku spoke calmly.

“However, I think it was understandable that Keigetsu brought the rice cakes to Son-san.”

“Why?!”

“Because they also gave you lots of vegetables and rice, right? You should thank them properly.”

“But the other day, when Yuurin had an upset stomach, we gave her medicine.

There’s no need to owe anyone anything.”

Tsukika remembered that they didn’t receive any payment for that. Even though it was the village chief’s beloved youngest daughter, doing such things without compensation would make people take advantage of them.

Her father was too kind in the wrong places, and Tsukika worried that one day, they’d be tricked by a cunning person, causing trouble for the whole family.

“Still, you have to do things like that properly. In a small village like ours, once people start looking at you strangely, it’ll stick with you forever.”

Mei-gyoku spoke carefully, as if explaining something important.

Even though Tsukika didn’t fully agree, she puffed out her cheeks, still upset.

“Especially your family is new here… People are probably paying extra attention to you.”

In such a closed-off place, outsiders were often disliked. If you didn’t navigate things carefully, life would become difficult. Tsukika understood that, but it wasn’t the environment she wanted, and she didn’t want that pressure to be put on her.

Mei-gyoku chuckled softly at Tsukika’s sulking face and took the empty tray outside the room.

“By the way, why are you off tonight?”

Tsukika noticed the sound of the shamisen (a traditional Japanese string instrument) and tilted her head. Mei-gyoku usually graced the banquets with her beautiful singing voice.

“I’ve had a cold for the past five days,” Mei-gyoku answered.

“Really?” Tsukika was surprised.

She felt bad for showing up while Mei-gyoku wasn’t feeling well. She hadn’t known since the kitchen woman hadn’t mentioned it.

Sensing Tsukika’s concern, Mei-gyoku smiled.

“It’s just that my throat is still bad, so I can’t sing. But my fever has already gone down. I’m not feeling bad, so I’ll be back to work in a couple of days.”

“I’m just worried that I won’t be able to sing. As a geisha, I don’t perform in bed, I make my living through my art, and if I ruin my tool—my voice—then I’m in trouble.”

The owner of the brothel wasn’t upset with Mei-gyoku for taking time off. In fact, he’d told her to rest until she was better. Mei-gyoku had worked hard and contributed to the brothel, so the owner understood.

Still, she felt guilty.

With a sigh, Mei-gyoku touched her throat, and Tsukika could sense that being a geisha was complicated.

Tsukika sighed as well. When she moved slightly, a small sound came from her chest.

“Oh! That’s right!” Tsukika suddenly remembered and opened her pocket.

She pulled out a letter she had taken from her mother’s room and held it out.

“Can you read this, Mei-gyoku?”

“I can read a little. We have to handle letters from customers, after all.”

“Then, could you read this for me?”

“What is it?”

Mei-gyoku took the letter and tilted her head, smiling.

“I think it’s from my mother… but it might be a love letter.”

“Oh!”

Mei-gyoku’s eyes sparkled, but she hesitated for a moment.

“But… wouldn’t it be rude to read someone’s personal letter?”

She thought that reading such a sweet love letter would be embarrassing, and she couldn’t help but shake her head.

However, she was still glancing at the letter, showing that she was interested.

“Come on, Mei-gyoku. You know, even though it’s embarrassing to read about my parents’ sweet confessions of love, they keep it carefully… So don’t you wonder what’s inside?”

Mei-gyoku glanced at the letter, and Tsukika pushed a little further.

The quiet, reserved father who often seemed like a piece of furniture—what could he have written to her mother? Tsukika was really curious.