You needn't think of it for too long. After all, if marriage was unavoidable, you'd rather stick with what's known and accessible.
You knew of the Iida family— families of shugo daimyo lineage were increasingly uncommon under the shogunate, and the fact they were still in such high esteem meant they had unquestionable standing.
You had your decision. You said, "If you recommend it... I would be a fool not to ask for Tenya."
The matchmaker suddenly laughed, almost spilling her tea. "My, it's been a while since someone's listened to me! If that is your final decision girl, I will make the arrangements immediately."
There was something you hadn't asked yet, but sat at the back of your mind anyway. You inquired, "But what of my dowry? Uncle and Aunt never prepared one for me..."
Chuuzenji frowned, and her expression was strained enough that for a moment you almost expected she'd say she was the one paying for it.
She said softly, but darkly, "You didn't hear it from me, but... Your dowry is covered by the Emperor himself. From one child of the gods to another."
W...What?!
Somehow, that left a sinking feeling in your gut. It felt as if you were but a puppet being played by shadowed hands. Just how far up the shogunate did this go?
You couldn't delve on it for longer, as the matchmaker had already risen from her seat to slide the door open. She began to speak in a murmur, her back turned to you.
"—chan... Please live long and happily."
And with that, she left.
You couldn't rise from your seat just yet. You thought to yourself that you had entered this room a lowly orphan in a merchant household— and you would leave as the betrothed of a man administering a domain as close as one could be to the shogun without being in Edo.
When you heard the gasps and shocked exclamations of the rest of your family outside, you knew it was time to rise.
The journey was long— not by physical units, perhaps, but by the length of it. You never had the opportunity to travel as business was conducted by Uncle. Negotiations between publishers, artisans, and merchants were a constant topic of conversation in your household, but that also meant location was an abstraction.
Technically, the governors were elected by daimyo to watch over their lands while the daimyo were busy gambling away rice in Edo every other year. But the Iidas were placed very close to Edo as the shogunate daimyo they served was the one people called the Lord Mouse. The daimyo of Yuuei— lord over the large domain next to Edo given to the victors of the Battle of Yuuei.
So at least you weren't going straight to Edo.
Still, it was jarring, to be seated in a well-decorated norimono headed to Yuuei when you probably hadn't been even a couple of ri away from home.
You felt the padded seat and the wood. It smelled of pine, a quite expensive wood.
In comparison, your hempen clothes felt plain indeed.
You woke to the palanquin finally lowering and someone announcing your arrival. When you stepped out, a line of attendants prostrated themselves to greet you.
From their dress, you could tell they staffed the Iida estate; the family's mon was emblazoned on their clothes and on the banners they held.
You were frozen in place. Did you have to walk through the path they made? Unsure what to do, you thanked the men who carried you this long distance, but they only lowered their heads in discomfort.
You took a few hesitant steps until you heard the rushed clattering of footsteps. Turning to your side, you saw a young woman around your age, half bowing and half clutching her knees as she tried to steady her breath.
"M-Mistress! I'm so sorry for my insolence but—" she quickly prostrated herself. "This one is to lead you to the estate!"
You almost instinctively matched her bow, but you remembered you were (nearly) the lady of the house now. That would embarrass the both of you. Instead, you clumsily tapped her shoulder to motion her to rise, and you replied, "U-Uh, sure. Yes. Thank you. Lead the way."
Finally rising, her brown hair bounced as it framed her face. She spoke as she walked by your side, "Y-Yes, of course! This one is called Ochako! To serve you and die for you is my purpose!"
Die for you...?! That was drastic! You quickened your pace to get away from the many attendants who made your path. You replied, "T-Thank you...?! But that won't be necessary! Um... Please, speak comfortably with me."
"C-Comfortably, Mistress...?!" Her eyes widened, but her gaze lowered as she said, "I, uh, can't do that!"
"Oh... You can't, huh..." This was too awkward. You couldn't even speak in a refined manner that was expected from a lady, so how was it that you were to receive this sort of speech from your apparent "lessers"?!
You heard a shuffle behind you, and you realized that the attendants were working to unload your dowry— boxes upon boxes of goods that you wouldn't even be able to name. Looking forward, you could see the Iida estate. But it was shaped like nothing you expected.
"Ah—" Ochako began, "It's quite unique, isn't it Mistress? It's an old, pre-shogunate building. Governors aren't allowed to own land, but the Iidas are such an old family they have this residence..."
You nodded, still looking at it with wonder. It was truly picturesque, nestled in a valley like all ideal homes.
"You seem to know a lot, Ochako," you said idly.
"O-Oh, I'm sorry if I came off as arrogant, Mistress...!"
Huh?! Did you come off as annoyed?! You dismissed it, saying, "No, no! Not at all, really! Just— It's nice to have someone who knows their lord so well!"
Ochako laughed a little sheepishly as she said, "I come from a family of carpenters and construction workers! It's said my family's the one who helped lay the foundation for the Iidas."
You relaxed slightly. Then Ochako likely knew the estate very well— perfect to fill the gaps in your own knowledge. You asked, "Does that mean you know Iida well?"
"Iida-dono, you mean?"
Ah, right. The lord of the domain was Tenya's father still. "I mean his son, Tenya."
"Ah!" She said, with a slight clap of her hands. "Right, you haven't met the young lord! I think you'll like him very much, Mistress. The Iidas have few enemies and many friends. For a good reason! They treat everyone well."
That was a relief. For a moment, when you saw all those attendants waiting for you, you feared that you were entering the home of an oppressive lord, one who would rule over you as your presence did to those servants.
Ochako continued, "I've never had complaints serving the Iidas. Well, except the fact their estate is so far away from the gates! Having an old home does that, I guess. Oops, I'm running my mouth again...! Apologies, Mistress!"
You shook your head, rather aggressively this time. "Please, no apologies needed! Um, please call me—"
"By your given name, Mistress?!" Ochako gasped. "I couldn't possibly—" She stopped dead in her tracks as she suddenly stared at you— at what you were wearing specifically. Ochako began to sweat a little, and she slapped her cheeks as she said to herself, "Oh no, I'm off schedule... Oh no—"
While wondering if you should say anything, she placed her hands on your shoulders and looked at you quite seriously. "I'll beg your forgiveness after this Mistress, but in my ignorance, I forgot that you've just had a long journey! You must need some fresh change of clothes and a bath!"
"E-eh? I'm fine but thank—"
She gently touched your hand, and suddenly— you were floating?!
"W-What's going on...?!" You said, still floating. But before you could float off into the heavens, Ochako still held on to you and ran toward a beaten down and much less defined path. You were a kite, being led by your servant.
"It's my Quirk! Forgive me for treating you like laundry, Mistress, but we have to goooo!"
Ochako ran and you flew across the fields with a few shrub-like trees. You realized that they bore fruit... yuzu?
The scent filled your senses, and only when Ochako shouted did you see that you were close to the outer part of the estate.
"Tsuyu-chan! Prepare the baths for me, quick!"
There was a small garden circling a pond in front of the building, and among the bushes emerged a girl who looked very much like a frog. She replied quite casually, "The Mistress is here? Hello, kero." She bowed slightly.
You waved, unsure what to make of this situation.
The frog continued, "It's already set. You forgot the Mistress's kosode, didn't you?" The way she said everything without any sense of urgency astounded you.
"Tsuyu-chan!" Ochako said, flustered. She quickly turned a corner to a smaller building. "... I did yeah! So let's try our best not to get chewed out by the Mistress!"
Pulling you into the building, Ochako steepled her hands, and you felt the weight of the sky on your shoulders once more. Before you could say anything to her, she bowed quickly and ran off, presumably to attend to her very urgent and delayed duties.
Other attendants rushed in and began to practically tear off your clothes. Ushered into a bath with a wooden tub, you were scrubbed quickly and placed to soak in water that smelled of... Yuzu?
What was with the Iidas and yuzu?
A ribbit alerted you of the presence of...
"Tsuyu?" you called.
She bowed as she entered the room and opened her mouth to unfurl a very long tongue. With it, she brought a bucket of hot water and... yuzu, yet again. Seeing that you were staring at the very bright fruits, the frog smiled a little.
"I forget you're not from here, Mistress. The Quirk the Iidas have are fueled by yuzu. Which also explains this." She pointed at the mon on her coat.
Ah... You saw it now. It was a yuzu flower.
Tsuyu added, "This wasn't the way I wanted to meet you Mistress but... Life is a little weird like that." She gently began to pour more hot water into the tub, and you gathered your knees to your chest as you sunk deeper into the warmth.
Life sure was weird. You certainly didn't expect to fly through a yuzu farm or be bathed in citrine water by servants.
You might as well make friends with them now, before wedding negotiations got too crazy.
"Could you tell me more about the Iidas, Tsuyu?"
"You mean your husband-to-be, Mistress?" Tsuyu said, cutting straight to the point. She stirred the water with one hand, while resting her head with the other. "I'm sure Ochako-chan has said something but... I think you'll be happy, Mistress. He's a bit strange, but most good men are."
"Strange? If that's the worst you can say of him then..."
Both you and Tsuyu laughed, and she brought a wet cloth to help clean your hair. Letting the steam of the water fill your nostrils, you tried to clear your head. The servants certainly seemed happy— and Aunt always did say the real measure of a lord was the satisfaction of his subjects.
Still, something bothered you. Nobody had mentioned it, and you suspected there was good reason nobody talked about it.
But if you were to join this household...
Quietly, you asked, "... What happened to his brother?"
You could feel her stiffen as she stopped cleaning your hair, and you suddenly felt awful putting her in this position. Before she could say anything though, you heard the clattering of foot steps.
Ochako appeared, out of breath once more. She put aside a change of clothes before she said, "Mistress! I've come to tell you that the negotiations have to be postponed for tomorrow. A landslide's blocked the Lord and Lady Iida's route back from Edo!"
You thought to yourself that relative to a normal timeline for a prenuptial meeting, you'd prefer this pace. But you nodded, saying, "That's really too unfortunate...! I would've liked to see my new parents."
"This would be the perfect time to take you to your quarters personally but..." Ochaco hunched her head in apology. "Your dowry and wedding gifts haven't been arranged correctly...! We were going to do it during the negotiations but now..."
"That's okay, Ochako. Really. You can take your time," you said, trying to reassure her.
She sighed deeply, and faced Tsuyu. "Tsuyu-chan, can you please amuse the Mistress while we tidy things?"
The frog girl ribbited, "It's what I'm good at. You should go, Ochako-chan."
Leaving with a bow, the clattering of footsteps started again and then became distant. Tsuyu helped you finish your bath, and you were dressed in the lightest kosode you've ever worn in your life. The bath maiden led you to a small garden to cool off before she turned to speak to you.
"Mistress... If you could be so kind as to let me make a suggestion..."
You were never going to get used to these submissive turns of phrases. You nodded, gesturing for her to continue.
"You want to meet the young lord, yes?"
That was unexpected. "Yes...? Would that be possible?"
Tsuyu looked at the darkening skies and said, "At this hour, he should be at the family dojo, training by himself. I think it may be a good chance for you to speak with him."
"I-Isn't that a little presumptuous of me?" While you were exceedingly curious, facing the reality of having to actually meet your husband was nerve-wracking.
Tsuyu smiled with a ribbit. "Something tells me the young lord won't mind at all."
She pointed towards a separate building, one that looked much newer than the others. She walked the way to the building with you until she gestured to one of the doors.
Bowing to take her leave, she left you alone.
You heard the muffled shouts of a man practicing swordplay.
With a dry swallow, you felt your heartbeat on your palms.
Sliding the door just slightly to take a peek, the musk of male labor hit your face immediately. It was the dojo alright.
In the center of the room was the tallest man you've ever seen.
Every strike of the air with his practice sword was punctuated with a shout, and even in the dimming of the day, you could see he glistened with sweat.
His dark hair was wet, and his kimono jacket was even darker. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, and you could see he was—slowly taking— the jacket off—
This was the moment you remember you had never seen a man strip before. You must have gasped as he suddenly looked straight at you peeking from the door.
Your hands slippery, you fell into the room hands first and you nearly strained your neck to look up at him.
Before a word could come out of your mouth, his expression of shock quickly changed into one of wide-eyed realization and wonder.
"... Dearest?!"
W-What?!
Too intimate! Too close! Too sudden! Scandalous! You reddened immediately, and he must have noticed as he quickly waved his hands strangely in front of him.
"A-Apologies! Yes, see my theory was calling you that would help you acclimatize better but— I realize I might be— No! Hello, I'm Iida Tenya!" He immediately went to you and got on his knees, shouting, "I'll take care of you to your old age, don't worry! To death this marriage will last!"
What was wrong with this estate?! Proclaiming such things the moment they met a stranger! You quickly straightened your posture into a parody of a seiza and for some reason shouted back, "Right, yes! I'm— I'm to be your wife!" Bewildered, it took you a moment before you prostrated yourself before him. "P-Please take care of me!"
"Wait, but, we're not married yet so— This isn't proper, is it?!" He stooped over to assure you, but you were already in the process of rising. You hit his chin with your head, and it bounced you straight into his...
Well, very ample and very wet chest.
A heat rose to your head with such speed and fierceness that you thought steam would pour out of your ears. As if you touched a hot pan, you threw yourself off of him, dizzy.
"A-Are you okay?!" Tenya yelled, rubbing his chin. "Oh, where are the maids—"
"I'm fine! I'm fine, I'm—"
You would have been fine if your Quirk didn't decide this was the perfect time for the gods to speak.
You began to fall backwards, and you let go.
You finally woke to a male voice saying your name, and sounds slowly began to make sense as if you were being taken out of water. Feeling your limbs, you tried to lift yourself, but something weighed your hand down.
Your fingers squirming, you turned your head to see... a tanto in your hand?
"Feeling better, wife of mine...?!"
... E-Embarrassing. You would have said something in reply, but you felt absolutely exhausted. Your Quirk usually wasn't this draining, so you could only blearily blink as you tried to orientate yourself.
You were... at the Iida estate. In the dojo. You met Tenya and— you were in his arms.
... Truly embarrassing!
Rolling your head to the other side, what you saw finally stunned you into lucidity.
Carved on to one of the wooden pillars was a simple statement.
The forest offers no contentment. Only death.