Chapter 1: Volume 1 - CH 1.1

(Warning: description of a dead body)

Deep within the inner palace, there resided a consort called “The Raven Consort.”

This consort was special, as she never slept with the emperor despite having that title. She lived quietly in a jet-black palace, and rarely came out. Among those who have saw her, there were those who claimed that she was an old woman, and those who say she was a youthful girl.

It was whispered that the Raven Consort was an immortal female sage or, no, a terrifying revenant. It was said that she used a mysterious power. The biggest rumor was that if asked, she would take on anything from putting a deadly curse on a hated rival, invoking the dead, exorcising, to finding lost things.

She lived in the inner palace, but was not one of the consorts that the emperor visited. ——Or at least, that should be the case.

That night, two shadows moved towards the Raven Consort’s palace.

***

“Yamei Palace is in-name only, huh.”

While walking in a covered walkway lit by the light of the hanging lanterns, Ka Koushun gazed at the palace he could see on his path. The jet-black walls of Yamei Palace—the name signifying that the palace that shined brightly even at night—were blacker than the darkness that surrounded it. If the moon was out, it would have illuminated the blue-glazed roof tiles as though they were wet, but unfortunately the clouds hid it tonight.

“I believe it is because the hanging lanterns are not lit.”

Eisei, holding a candlestick, said quietly. He, who was a eunuch, had a high voice, but it resonated clearly, and it was as beautiful as his appearance.

There were lanterns hanging from the eaves of Yamei Palace, but none were lit.

“The eunuchs of the Internal Affairs Ministry are terrified of Yamei Palace and don’t even try to approach it. We must take caution.”

“Why?”

Koushun’s voice was also quiet as he asked that short question. It wasn’t that he was concealing his voice which lorded over his surroundings—it was normally like that. His voice was deep but not cold, like sunlight filtering through trees in winter.

“It seems that a strange bird appears here.”

“Strange bird?”

“I have heard that it is a large bird that shines golden. It is said that it will attack you when you approach that palace.”

“Oh ho.”

Koushun said, not seeming particularly interested. His eyes were turned towards the jet-black palace. There were not even any lights spilling from that silent building, and it looked like it was completely deserted.

Eisei glanced up at Koushun’s masculine profile.

“Dajia, are you truly going to visit the Raven Consort?”

“That’s what I’m coming here for.”

Koushun’s reply was blunt. When the eunuchs called someone Dajia—Your Highness, they were referring to only one person in this country, Shou. It was the emperor.

“I am visiting a consort, so it’s not as though there will be any problems.”

“The Raven Consort is different from the other consorts. If you meet with her, disaster may occur——"

Koushun laughed lowly.

“I never would have thought you would believe those rumors as well, huh, Sei.”

Eisei held his tongue.

“There seem to be various rumors, ranging from plausible to idle gossip, but the Raven Consort is——"

Koushun stopped. At the end of the cobblestone stairs, there was a large pitch-black door. It was tightly shut to deny visitors.

“It is best to leave the details for later. When we meet her, we will know if the Raven Consort is a female sage or a revenant.”

They put their feet on the stones. When Eisei stood in front and was about to push open the door, it soundlessly opened a crack. Surprised, Eisei stepped back, and from the opening of the dim doors, something flew out along with a piercing cry.

Eisei dropped his candlestick, and then their surroundings were enveloped in darkness. They heard a strange cry and the flapping of wings, but they could not make out its form in the dark.

“Dajia, please step back.”

Just as Eisei said that, a particularly intense sound of wings and cry resounded. The sounds immediately ceased, and there were only the sounds of weakly flapping wings. When his eyes became accustomed to the dark, Koushun saw that Eisei was gripping a large bird by the scruff of its neck.

“…Is that a chicken?”

The thing that was caught by Eisei and writhing around looked like a round, fat chicken. However, as though its feathers were colored by brushing gold dust, it faintly shimmered even in the dark.

"It nearly injured your person. Shall I strangle it?"

When Koushun tried to stop Eisei, who said that coldly and was about to twist the chicken's neck, with a "No, wait"——

"——Let go of Xingxing, servant."

The door opened wide, and a clear voice sounded from within. It was a sweet young girl's voice that pleasantly remained in one's ears, like ripples.

The chicken escaped from the hand of Eisei, who was struck by the voice, and flew deep into the chamber. There were thin silk curtains hanging in layers at the back of the spacious chamber, and then suddenly, a white hand slipped out from a gap between them.

In front of the curtains, there was a lantern in the shape of a lotus flower, casting a faint light. Its light illuminated the person who appeared from the curtains.

For a short while, Koushun and Eisei both forgot how to speak.

The gentle light illuminated a beautiful girl with a white face. A young girl with a slender figure. She looked around fifteen or sixteen. Her hair was tied up into twin hoops with jade hairpins and gold hair ornaments. Eye-catching peony flowers, which seemed to be as small as the girl's face, adorned the spot beneath where her hair was gathered. What was startling was how the garments that dressed her body were jet black from head to toe. Even the robe and skirt that was pulled up all the way to her chest were black. The robe was black satin with a luster like it was wet, with detailed embroidery of flower and leaf designs, and her skirt had a pattern of gorgeous flower-eating birds woven into it. The shawl hanging from her shoulders was also a black thin silk, but perhaps there were obsidian stones sewn into it, for it glistened like evening dew.

Just like her name of the Raven Consort, her dress resembled a raven.

The escaped golden chicken was caught in the girl's arms. She lifted her long eyelashes and turned her eyes towards Eisei.

"This is a valuable magical bird. If you had slain it, you would not have been able to compensate for it by any means. See that you take care."

A girl with a remarkably old-fashioned way of speaking, Koushun thought. As well as self-important.

The girl turned her black agate-like eyes towards Koushun.

"I see the emperor is only accompanied by an attendant. What sort of matter do you have with me? I will not come to your bed. Know that well."

"I did send a messenger ahead of time.”

"I know not. Xingxing drove them away.”

The girl put down the golden chicken—Xingxing. There was a rug with woven floral designs spread out on the floor.

Eisei opened his mouth with a stern face at the girl’s words and behavior, but Koushun held him back with a hand. He advanced into the room and stood before the desk with a twill brocade overlay spread on top of it. All around was filled with the scent wafting from silver incense burners.

“I have a request for you, the Raven Consort. Hear me out on it."

Telling her so, Koushun sat down on a chair. The girl's brows gathered and she made no moves to approach the desk. Without minding that, Koushun put his hand inside the breast of his clothing and placed the item he took out on the desk.

"Deadly curses, exorcisms, finding lost things—you take on anything if asked. I have heard that is your role, am I not wrong?”

The girl's brows gathered closer and closer, staring at the object that Koushun had placed on the table. It was a jade earring. It was not a complete pair, only a single one. It was a somewhat large teardrop-shaped jade with gold filigree.

“...Not anything. I do not accept requests with prices that could not be afforded."

“What do you mean by price?”

“If you curse someone, dig two graves—a life for a deadly curse. Your assets for an exorcism. The matter of finding lost things is an agreement obtained through consultation.

“What if I say that I want to know who is the owner of this?”

Koushun held the earring between his fingers. The jade, deep green as though one was peering into a plunge pool, was filled with a viscous light in the dim illumination.

“I refuse.”

“Why?”

“As to things like the owner, you will know it swiftly if you ask. Is it not possible for you to do so, or is this merely a whim to kill time? Whichever one it is, I am afraid it is not satisfying enough. I have no wish to get involved in troublesome things.”

A smart girl, Koushun thought as he stared at it.

“--It is said that the Raven Consort is either a female sage or a revenant. However...”

Putting down the earring again, Koushun stood up. He approached the girl.

“You are human. Isn’t that right?”

He said quietly and took her hand. It was a human hand filled with warmth. The girl stiffened.

“I have heard that you were discovered when you were still young and taken here. ——Come to think of it, I still haven't heard your name. What is it?"

The girl's gaze wandered about, and then she whispered in a small voice. “...Jusetsu.”

“So you are Ryuu Jusetsu? A fine name.”

He said detachedly, and Jusetsu glared up at him. Her cheeks were tinged with red. For some reason thinking that she was like a cat with its fur standing on end, Koushun looked down at her hand that he was grabbing. The arm was pale and thin, but he saw a small bruise on the skin. It was a reddish-black bruise, shaped like a flower. It looked like a burn——

Jusetsu shook off his hand.

“I will not hear your request. Leave now.”

Jusetsu said sharply, then immediately took out the peony flower from her hair. She placed it on her palm, and its shape collapsed, becoming smoke before transforming into a light pink flame. Even Koushun, who didn’t stir at most things, was shocked, and he took a step back.

Jusetsu blew on the flame. Thereupon a strong wind blew, and Koushun felt strangely dizzy. He closed his eyes tightly and turned his head away from the wind. When he steadied his staggering feet and looked up, he found the jet-black doors staring back at him.

“——”

Koushun stared at the doors, dumbfounded. ——What was that?

“You forgot this.”

Jusetsu called out, the doors opening slightly. The earring was thrown from the crack, and Koushun quickly put out his hand to catch it. The doors slammed shut with a bang.

“…It seems that we have been locked out.”

Eisei was next to him. He had a confused expression on his face.

“Was that the mysterious magic that the Raven Consort uses?”

Koushun tucked the earring in his breast and sighed.

“So it seems. I appear to have offended her.”

——Her name is Jusetsu, but she is a girl like the heat haze of summer.

Koushun climbed up the steps and turned back onto the path. Eisei picked up the dropped candlestick and followed him.

“Who is the Raven Consort?”

“Well, she’s something like a priestess.”

“A priestess?”

***

After placing fragments of agarwood on the ashes of the incense burner and waiting for a while, thin smoke slowly drifted from the burner. A strong fragrance filled the room.

Jusetsu stepped away from the burner and sat down in a chair. The scent was comforting, but it didn’t clear her despondent feelings. The source of her troubles was the young emperor who visited her last night.

——That person will most likely come here again.

How bothersome, she thought. She could deal with the modest requests of the women of the inner palace, but an emperor’s request would be extremely bothersome.

Jusetsu rubbed her arm through her robe. It was the arm Koushun grabbed last night. Seeing him from up close, the emperor was younger than she thought, but he seemed much more mature than his age would suggest, and he had a calm gaze that was like winter sunlight. She had expected him to be more terrifying.

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The emperor ascended the throne a year after Jusetsu succeeded the previous Raven Consort. Apparently, there was some sort of trouble regarding the appointment of the previous emperor’s successor, but having been brought here at the age of six, enclosed within the palace and made to devote herself to training, Jusetsu didn’t know the details and had no interest in them either.

Xingxing, who was sprawled out on the flower rug, raised its head with a twitch. It suddenly fluttered its wings and started making a loud ruckus. It ran around the room, shrieking.

“Xingxing, stop that.”

Jusetsu tried to restrain it, but Xingxing didn’t seem to be listening at all, scattering its feathers and screaming. This golden bird never listened to Jusetsu. It was obedient to the previous Raven Consort, though.

There were legends that spoke of the golden bird being able to determine the location of gold or find dead bodies. It was a strange bird, a rarity in this world with golden feathers. It used to be slim, but perhaps because it was fed luxurious food in the inner palace, it became round and fat. I bet it’ll be tasty if it’s roasted whole——that was Jusetsu’s first thought when she saw the bird, and it seemed to have sensed that, for Xingxing was still wary of Jusetsu even now.

Jusetsu sighed and pointed her finger at the doors. When she gestured like she was pulling on a string, they doors soundlessly swung open.

At the entrance, same as last night, there stood Koushun and his eunuch attendant.

Koushun had the same calm and emotionless face he had last night. He is like an imperturbable winter mountain, Jusetsu thought. A winter mountain that quietly slept until spring, silent and unmoving.

“No matter how many times you come, I will not hear your request.”

Jusetsu said coldly, but Koushun stepped into the room without heeding her.

“Are you listening to me?”

In front of Jusetsu, whose brows were knitted together, Koushun signalled the eunuch behind him with his eyes. The eunuch stepped forward as though this was all arranged. He was holding a tray in his hands. There was a bamboo steamer on the tray.

“…What is that?”

The eunuch wordlessly placed the tray on the table and lifted the lid. Instantly, hot steam drifted out.

“…!”

Inside, there were plump and round white baozi.

“I had the dessert kitchen made these just now. The filling is lotus seed. I heard these are your favorite.”

He was right. Jusetsu’s eyes became fixed on the baozi. However, Koushun sat across from her, put the lid on the steamer, and pulled it closer to him.

“Will you listen to what I have to say?”

Jusetsu looked between Koushun and the steamer. She hesitated for a while. She expected him to bring some kind of bait to tempt her, but she underestimated him, thinking that he would bring money or hair ornaments. Jusetsu had no interest in such things, but she was fixated on food. Until she came here at age six, she lived a life where she didn’t know when her next meal was going to come.

Jusetsu gulped back saliva and glared at Koushun.

“…I shall listen, but nothing more than that.”

Koushun smiled faintly. This was the first time she saw something like an expression on his face.

“A few days ago, this was found in the inner palace.”

Koushun took out the single jade earring he showed her last night.

“Do you know who lost this earring?”

“I know not.”

Jusetsu easily said while biting into a baozi. The baozi’s skin was soft and damp, and the lotus seed filling was warm and sweet.

“You don’t know? Is the Raven Consort not supposed to know everything?”

“Do not speak foolishness. I am not a god. ——I would know if it is the opposite. If you asked me to find something you lost. If I follow your chi, I will be able to find it easily. However, I cannot do the opposite. There is not enough chi from an object to find a person, and there are too many people to find without enough chi.”

“…I see.”

She was doubtful if he actually understood, but Koushun slowly nodded.

“If you understand, then leave.”

While stuffing her cheeks with baozi, Jusetsu waved her hand like she was shooing away a dog. However, Koushun didn’t stand up. He folded his arms, as though deep in thought.

“…Then, I’ll change my request. Truthfully, the matter concerning this earring is turning into a bit of an issue.”

“Issue?”

Even if he said so, it wasn’t something Jusetsu knew about. …Or so she thought.

“There seems to be a ghost possessing this earring.”

Jusetsu raised her eyes from the baozi she was enjoying.

“What do you mean, ‘seems.’ Did you see a ghost?”

“Only once. I didn’t see her clearly, though.”

Koushun’s gaze shifted towards the earring.

“It was a woman wearing a red dress. She was only wearing this earring in her left ear. ——Would you know who that woman is, at least?”

Jusetsu’s brows gathered as she looked at the earring.

“If there are things I understand, there are also things I do not. However, what will you do even if you know? Whether the owner who dropped it or the identity of the ghost, is this a matter that requires you to attend to it?”

“I only wish to know. I am the type of person who must get to the bottom of something once it is on my mind.”

A complete lie——Jusetsu thought as she stared at Koushun’s face. He looked nothing like a young man brimming with curiosity. He didn’t seem interested in anything. To put it nicely, he had a self-possessed attitude. To put it bluntly, he was an emotionally dull man who was like a wooden doll.

“If you can’t find the person who dropped this earring, then it would be good enough to find the identity of the ghost. If you ask to hear unnecessary things, that would only add to the troublesome matters. You hate troublesome things, correct?”

He was speaking the truth, but it irritated her to be told that. When she stayed silent, Koushun pointed at the steamer. It was already empty.

“Work for the baozi. How about that? Wouldn’t you feel bad if you only ate for free?”

She felt indignant at being told that she “only ate for free.”

“Your personality is much worse than I expected.”

“Do I look like I have a good personality? That is the first time I’ve been told that.”

Koushun matter-of-factly replied. Jusetsu was silent, a wrinkle forming between her brows.

“You are much more adorable than I expected.”

Jusetsu’s face suddenly turned crimson. She got up in spite of herself, knocking over her chair. Xingxing, who was sleeping next to her, jumped aside in a panic.

“Sei, the chair.”

Koushun said quietly, and the eunuch set the fallen chair upright. Jusetsu glared at Koushun with her still-red face and sat back down.

Koushun held out the earring to Jusetsu. Still glaring at him, Jusetsu held out her hand and accepted it.

The jade was cold to the touch, but she could feel a strange warmth in the mesmerizing deep green color. The stone had an aura that felt like it was enveloped in the murmuring of a stream and the silence of a forest.

Jusetsu placed the earring in one hand and used her other hand to take out the peony in her hair. This wasn’t a regular peony. It was Jusetsu’s power in the form of a peony.

When she placed the peony in her palm, it instantly transformed into pink flames. Jusetsu blew on them. The flames swayed, turned into smoke and enveloped the earring.

The pink smoke gradually thinned. In turn, a human figure appeared on the other side. It was faint at first, but soon became more solid. It was a woman wearing a red dress. Her high hair bun was messy. Her head was hanging down, and next to it, a single jade earring was swinging. One of her sleeves was torn off, exposing her white arm. On the inside of her wrist, Jusetsu saw a golden mark. Three circles in a line, like a trio of stars.

The woman slowly raised her head.

“Ugh.”

The eunuch pressed his hand to his mouth. The woman’s face was purple and swollen, and her eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets at any moment. There was a shawl tightly wrapped around her thin neck. Her tongue was lolling out of her open mouth, and her fingers were clawing at her neck.

“——No good. She will not be able to speak in that state.”

Jusetsu stood up and blew out a breath at the figure. The smoke scattered and the figure dissipated.

She heard the eunuch breathe out a sigh of relief. He was wiping the sweat from his pale face.

Jusetsu sat down and returned the earring to Koushun.

***

The next day, Jusetsu slipped out of the doors of Yamei Palace. The sound of the drums had only just marked the hour of the Dragon (around 7-9 am). For her to leave her palace this early in the morning was…no, she rarely left her palace in the first place. Although this was considered early, it was an hour when bureaucrats were already heading to work.

Walking down the walkway, Jusetsu’s outfit was quite different from what she usually wore. She was wearing a plain coral dress with no embroidery or prints, and her hair was tied high on top of her head with not a single hair stick. This was the outfit of the palace ladies who belonged to the Palace Cleaning Bureau. It was the thing she told Koushun to prepare for her last night.

Rather than waiting who knows how long for the name register, it would be faster to do her own investigation. Jusetsu was an impatient person.

She dressed all by herself. There was only an old servant woman working at Yamei Palace, and Jusetsu didn’t have an attendant. I have no need for one, she had refused. She was raised on the streets, and she could take care of herself. There were also things that she didn’t want anyone to see——

The walkway curved, and she could see the lapis lazuli tiles of a palace. What place is that——she wondered briefly, but when she saw the tile with the swallow decoration on the roof, she knew. That was Hien Palace. The concubines who were next in rank after the empress and consorts lived there.

As she got closer, the yellow waves surrounding the palace caught her eye. They were banksia roses. They crawled around trellises prettily. Is it that season already, Jusetsu thought, captivated by the little yellow flowers.

Just then, she heard the sounds of people talking from nearby. This was the back of Hien Palace. The voices came from the back entrance for palace ladies and servants of a building that was old even among the several structures there.

“Here, I’m leaving this to you. Have it ready by tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is impossible!”

“It’s just a bit of mending. You can do it a minute, I’m sure.”

“I can’t shorten a hem in a minute. I have my own work too——”

Jusetsu secretly peeked in at them from behind the banksia roses. She could see two palace ladies facing each other in the shadow of the damp building with bad drainage. One of them was a petite palace lady wearing a pale yellow dress, and the other one was wearing a blue dress. The pale yellow dress was the uniform of the Palace Table Bureau (in charge of the emperor’s meals), and the blue dress was the uniform of the Palace Secretarial Bureau. The palace lady in the blue dress was trying to push some clothing onto the girl in the pale yellow dress, who was refusing it. The blue dress palace lady seemed to be pressing her to mend the clothing.

“Can’t you just do it after you finish your work?”

“That’s…”

The girl in the pale yellow dress, having no way out, looked like she was about to cry.

If she doesn’t want to do it, she should just turn her down and walk away from there immediately. Jusetsu thought as she watched the events unfold.

“Isn’t this usual? Don’t grumble about it now. If you say you’re not going to do it, I’ll tell Father, and then your family’s store will be destroyed.”

“You can’t!”

Hmm. Jusetsu was crouching down near the roots of the banksia roses. Since it would be bothersome to get involved, she decided to pretend to not see them and pass them by.

Jusetsu stood up and stepped out from the shade.

“You are not a young child. You can do your own mending.”

The two palace ladies turned around in surprise.

“Ex—W-Who are you?”

The girl in the blue dress asked, flustered.

“Just as I look, I am a palace lady,” Jusetsu thrust out her chest. “That girl next to you does not seem as though she wishes to do what you ask. Can you not do your own work?”

The girl in the blue dress gave Jusetsu a suspicious once-over.

“Isn’t it a waste of time to do something yourself when you could have someone else do it for you? You have no right to criticize me.”

Although she said that, she surprisingly withdrew easily. “Whatever. I’ll forgive you for today.” Jusetsu was a bit disappointed by this anticlimax. The girl in the blue dress ignored the girl in the yellow dress like she had already lost interest and left.

---

Hey I originally posted this translation on my old site kakurenomiya.blogspot.com but decided to host it here instead. I'll still post the link to the finished pdf/epub there tho. Look forward to it since I included footnotes there and italics

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