Across the Nightingale Floor

Kaede was still shaking from her confrontation with Iida and the only thing that she

felt up to was just lying down. She could not help but think maybe fleeing from this horrid

castle would be the smartest choice. She knew Shizuka would never hear of it. Just as Kaede

considered escaping, Shizuka came in to give her a bath and get her ready for bed. As she

combed Kaede’s hair strand by strand, Kaede thought more about Lady Maruyama’s plan. There

is no chance Lady Maruyama would ever go through with it. She would never subject herself to

that kind of danger. Kaede knew she had to let it go and continue living under the rule of Iida

until he was taken down. As the maids prepared her bed, Shizuka began to tell Kaede more about

Takeo. While the two were talking, Lady Maruyama snuck over to her daughter and Sachie’s

room to speak of their plan. Lady Maruyama was determined to get out the treacherous castle for

the sake of her family. The thought of being stuck in the castle for much longer made her cringe.

She felt a tug inside her stomach and fell to the floor with tears. She knew that she must not

procrastinate much longer. She needs to flee for the sake of her soon to be born baby. As Mariko

and Sachie helped Lady Maruyama up to her feet and cleaned away her tears, they realized they

were going to have an adventurous couple of days ahead of them.

Lady Maruyama thought about the risks she was going to take in order to flee from the

castle, but the consequences that would come made no impact. Her first idea was to simply

sneak out of the castle late at night with Mariko and Sachie, get in a boat, and leave for good.

Unfortunately, Lady Maruyama knew that escaping was no easy task and one that could only be

accomplished with a well thought-out plan. The most important thing was to make sure that the

guards were well distracted. The more she thought the more ideas came into her mind. She knew

how the guards