The castle courtyard is kept in perfect order, like everything that falls under Lord Toranaga's authority. The servants move with practiced routine, the samurai remain vigilant, and every interaction seems part of something larger, something that allows no room for error.

Hirokatsu remains where he is, slightly away from the center of the courtyard, his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on a point that no longer has anything to do with the conversation that just ended. He shouldn't have dwelled on it; it shouldn't have mattered.

And yet… he did.

The moment you were introduced as Yoshii Toranaga's ally was brief, formal, like all the others. There was nothing out of the ordinary. No inappropriate gestures. No unnecessary words, but it was enough. More than enough. Hirokatsu is not a man who is easily distracted. He is not young, nor impulsive, nor given to unnecessary indulgences. His life has been defined by discipline, duty… and a marriage that, though respected, has been for years more of a structure than an emotion. Sixteen years, enough to forget certain things, or so he thought.

The sound of your approaching footsteps pulls him from his thoughts with the same abruptness as a blow shatters the silence. His eyes lift and meet yours. There is no hesitation in his posture, but there is an almost imperceptible change in his expression, something that doesn't quite reveal itself, but neither does it completely conceal itself.

He straightens up slightly, as if he needs to remind himself who he is.

"My lady."