The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter

Mokou couldn't help but frown at the many young lords from various noble and merchant families surrounding her. Having lived in Heian-kyo for so many years, Mokou naturally knew exactly what kind of character these people possessed. In her eyes, they were not only weak but also riddled with the typical flaws of the Kizoku. Most were pampered and spoiled, gloomy and frail, knowing only how to stroll through gardens and admire the wind while pretending to be refined. Many were clearly men, yet they were as sentimental and delicate as women. They lacked even a shred of spirit—how could Little Kaguya be handed over to such people!

While Mokou was dissatisfied with the other suitors, her resolve to protect Little Kaguya from them only grew firmer. While she looked down upon those noble scions, the young lords were also intentionally distancing themselves from her. Although Mokou appeared on the surface to be a young lord of the Fujiwara Clan, she actually held an extremely transcendent status. She couldn't stand the circles of noble scions in Heian-kyo, but given her identity, those within those circles didn't dare provoke her. They could only distance themselves as much as possible.

"Heh, is this not Young Lord Aka of the Fujiwara? Are you also pursuing Princess Kaguya?" At that moment, a male voice reached Mokou's ears. She looked toward the sound and saw Minamoto no Yorimitsu, dressed in light, casual attire, looking at her with a smile.

"The head of the Minamoto Clan? You're already at this age, and you still want to marry Little Kaguya?" Mokou said, looking at the man before her with a solemn expression. Her gaze was entirely different from how she looked at those useless noble scions; she knew he was not someone those incompetent fools could compare to.

"Though Princess Kaguya is still young, the charm she has shown already clearly reflects a beauty that could topple kingdoms. Who could not love such beauty? Besides, neither Princess Kaguya nor Lord Hao has set an age limit, have they? Furthermore, Young Lord Aka, your appearance remains eternally youthful, but if we speak of true age, I suspect no one present is older than you..." Minamoto no Yorimitsu continued in a low voice, still smiling. As the head of the Minamoto Clan, he was privy to many secrets unknown to ordinary people.

"Hmph... don't think I don't know. A man like you doesn't care for beauty. You're after Hao's fortune. I will never hand Little Kaguya over to you!" Mokou spoke sharply to Minamoto no Yorimitsu, who responded without a change in expression.

"To be held in such high regard by Young Lord Aka is truly my honor. As for the coming competition, let us see what our respective skills can achieve."

While Minamoto no Yorimitsu and Mokou were confronting each other, at the other end of the courtyard, Seimei, also in plain clothes, was leaning against a tree, observing everything with great interest.

"It's truly lively. So many noble scions gathered here just to pursue a single girl. It really is just like The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. They say this Princess Kaguya was also born from a bamboo stalk. Don't you think that's a bit too much of a coincidence, Brother Tanuki..." Seimei said, turning his gaze toward a fair-faced young man beside him.

"Stop calling me 'Brother Tanuki' all the time! Are you that eager for everyone to know I'm a Yokai? Just call me Tamamura. I am now Young Lord Yu, Tamamura!" Hearing Seimei's words, the tanuki who had transformed into a human immediately became anxious. He hurriedly leaned in and spoke to Seimei in a low voice, while the latter simply gave a dry laugh.

"Hahaha... don't worry so much. Your transformation is perfect. Not everyone can see through it at a glance like I can. No one is going to think you're a Yokai just because of one word," Seimei said with a laugh. This left the tanuki beside him speechless. He never imagined that a Great Onmyoji would actually come to participate in such an affair. Compared to Seimei, the tanuki felt his competitiveness had plummeted.

"Rest assured, Brother Tanuki, I'm only here to experience this marriage selection. Even if I were to win in the end, I would withdraw of my own accord. I won't stand in your way." Looking at the worried tanuki beside him, Seimei spoke as if he had seen through his thoughts. He held no ill will toward this tanuki Yokai, who had once held a gathering at his home.

"To participate for the experience... this is the first time I've heard of someone needing to 'experience' such a thing..." the tanuki muttered, though much of his anxiety was instantly relieved.

Elsewhere in the courtyard, several noble scions had gathered together. Here, even before Princess Kaguya had made her appearance, one figure was attracting a great deal of attention.

It was an exceptionally handsome man dressed in elegant white robes, his pitch-black hair tied back. Because of his stunning temperament, many of the men around him couldn't help but stop and stare. Due to features that shouldn't have appeared on a male face, many noble scions couldn't help but harbor forbidden, wandering thoughts.

Who is he? How can a man be this beautiful! Is he also a suitor for Princess Kaguya? Why has such a person never been seen in Heian-kyo before?

For a time, countless questions surfaced in the minds of the nobles. Many of them stared fixedly at the beautiful man, who was as cold as frost. As he looked at everything before him, the corner of his mouth couldn't help but curl into a slight arc.

'Heh... it seems that no matter the era, these so-called mortal nobles are all the same. Always fond of using their shallow insight and meaningless money and power to pursue things they can never touch... They haven't made a bit of progress.'

Watching the scene, Kaguya felt as if she were reminiscing about her past, and she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

'But then again, Eirin's techniques are truly impressive. To think she could turn me into this just through makeup. At first, I thought I'd have to take some medicine; it really scared me...'

Looking at her hands, Kaguya marveled inwardly. But just then... her heart suddenly stirred, as if she felt a chill of hostile intent. She turned her head toward the direction of that mysterious hostility and met a pair of crimson eyes.

'This is...'

At that moment, a sudden commotion broke out in the courtyard. The crowd became restless, and that mysterious gaze vanished as people blocked the view. Kaguya shifted her attention to the cause of the commotion. It turned out that the main doors of the house at the edge of the courtyard were slowly opening. The protagonist of this marriage selection, Asakura Kaguya, had appeared before everyone.

'So this is... my substitute... the new princess of the Lunar Capital?' Looking at the girl who seemed like another version of herself, Kaguya felt a wave of inexplicable emotion in her eyes.

Behind the doors of the main house, Princess Kaguya sat elegantly, dressed in layers of ornate robes. Her beautiful features still carried a trace of youthful innocence. She looked at the suitors before her with a smile and placed a finger lightly to her lips. Seeing this, the crowd fell silent immediately. Then, Princess Kaguya spoke directly to everyone.

"Welcome, everyone. I have indeed received the sentiments you all expressed previously. I did not expect that this marriage selection would attract so many suitors.

"However, I can have only one partner in the future, and I am destined to have no connection with the vast majority of those here. I do not wish to arbitrarily decide who stays and who is disqualified based solely on my own whims. Therefore, I have set a small, simple riddle. Those who can successfully solve it will be allowed to remain for now."

At the mention of a riddle, the crowd couldn't help but break into whispers again. Clearly, they all thought of the story of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Meanwhile, the protagonist of that very story stood in the crowd, her mouth twitching. She, who used to be the one setting the questions, never expected that one day she would be the one answering them.