Chapter Text
There is something to be said about the debilitating effects of guilt by association.
Although it was the work of but a few men, all those who bear the same last name as the traitors must suffer the consequences, regardless of overall involvement.
Such are the current circumstances of the Takatsukasa Clan, once honored as the second-in-command to the Kujou Clan, the head of the mighty Tenryou Commission, now disgraced for the crime of attempted fraud.
The same cannot be said for the Kujou Clan, that, which may have been guilty of both nepotism and treason--while both transgressions far outrank the severity of fraud, it was in the very battle that your clan head was disgraced that the young Kujou Kamaji rose to defend his clan's position at the forefront of the Tenryou Commission, and, in doing so, overwrote the sins of his father and restored honor to his family.
Thus it is the Clan Takatsukasa that bears the brunt of the shame of the Tenryou Commission for its treachery during the events of the rebellion against the Shogunate, and therefore it is the burden of Clan Head's family to clear the clan name.
However, the head family is in shambles. The Clan Head passed recently after committing seppuku and left no heir behind, his brother is long deceased, and his niece is far too young to entertain any ideas of work or political alliance to help bolster the clan's public image.
And so the responsibility falls to your family to do what it can to save the clan.
The current talk of Inazuman high society nowadays is on the subject of the young scion of the Kaedehara Clan. He has returned to Inazuma after a long journey away and is reported to be staying in Inazuma for the following couple of months. They say that he is seeking a worthy companion with whom to entrust the secrets of his clan, that he might carry on his family lineage and fulfill his duty as the last son.
Of course, this could be taken to mean that he is looking for an apprentice or successor to teach his clan arts, however in the eyes of the Inazuma nobility it means that he will be settling down (--obviously his brief stint as a wandering samurai could not have been anything more than a phase, it was about time that he set down roots--) with a woman, a fiancée, to bear the next clan heir.
Then again, considering Kaedehara Kazuha's affiliation with many powerful figures across Teyvat, including but not limited to the mysterious Traveler, the face of the rebellion against the Shogunate, and Captain Beidou of the Crux, dubbed the Uncrowned Lord of the Ocean for her feats of strength, the rumors could be just another petty attempt by the Tri-Commission to secure his loyalty to the country of Inazuma.
At any rate, the noble circles of Inazuma are abuzz with chatter regarding the prospective spouse of Kaedehara Kazuha. As the gossip is fairly fresh, and as the subject in question is a fairly distant from the courts of Inazuma (since it has been many years since a member of the Kaedehara Clan last held a seat in courtly proceedings), many of the clans have held off on attempting to establish contact, waiting for other, more powerful players to make a move so they can watch the way the lines are drawn.
It just so happens that your family is both foolish and desperate in equal measures and ends up becoming the first clan to send a letter of proposal without even first confirming the veracity of the rumors.
The missive sent by the Takatsukasa Clan is a simple one, and does not even grant Kaedehara Kazuha the dignity of a direct human messenger, having sent the letter through the more impersonal, informal postage channels.
For as low as the clan may have fallen as of recent events, the Takatsukasa still maintain a fairly high level of political power thanks to the power vacuum left behind in the wake of the rebellion. Kaedehara Kazuha is but the final descendant of a fallen noble clan. Personal achievements aside, he is of low enough status that the Takatsukasa may snub him so without greater social repercussions.
The matter aside, who would he be to refuse? For a noble with no fortune and only prestige to his name, the best match is a family that has no social reputation to speak of and only a great financial backing. Furthermore, as the heir to a clan he must secure his family lineage through his name and blood, and thus will not pursue a lady who carries a great title of her own, nor entertain a simple commoner who is unfamiliar with the ways of the court. In these respects, the Takatsukasa Clan is the most logical family from which he should select a bride. Any normal young lord in his position would make the instant decision to accept.
But the fact of the matter is that Kaedehara Kazuha does not conform to the expectations of Inazuman high society. Though he may be as courteous and pay respect to tradition as well as any Clan Head, his spirit is as free as the winds of the City of Wine.
The Takatsukasa Clan has overlooked this and, is for this reason, blindsided by a neat rejection to the proposal the following morning sent through the use of a rudimentary messenger pigeon.
~
Your father is grudgingly amused by Kaedehara’s rejection of his missive. He says that it is good that “the boy has some backbone”, as the Takatsukasa Clan will accept no “weaklings” into its ranks.
Your mother is less so, and demonstrates her displeasure with her hands clasped firmly in her lap and her lips pressed tightly together to match her furrowed brow.
However, she is the example of a proper Inazuman wife, so she defers to your father without complaint or question when he tells her to summon a servant so that they can send a more proper letter of proposal.
She summons you.
The Takatsukasa Clan is not without wealth, however its all-too-recent fall from social grace left few who wished to even associate with the name. As a result, the past few weeks have seen your home bereft of many of its usual retainers and attendants to call upon in times of need.
Your father is arrogant and busy with work, so he only lives within the glory days of the Takatsukasa Clan and will not notice the sudden lack of hired help.
Your mother, as the head of the inner household, is much more attuned to such matters of the hearth and has seen fit to try and close up all the gaps in the best manner she knows how. Ergo, as the youngest of your siblings and only child in your household not born from her own womb, she elects you often to take upon the chores usually done by the maidservants.
And for today, your task is to make the journey to nearly the opposite end of Narukami Island, from Inazuma City to Ritou, to deliver a letter suggesting political alliance to the wandering samurai Kaedehara Kazuha.