My guards walked around me. Two in front, two behind, one on each side. Close enough to reach me in a breath. Far enough to let me feel like I was just a woman taking a walk.
People nodded as we passed. Staff, groundskeepers, a woman carrying linens who bowed her head and smiled. I nodded back, held their eyes, and forced a smile when I could.
Quiet, Zo kept my pace and glanced at me.
I grinned, but it probably didn’t reach my eyes.
“Fuck.” Zo stopped.
I paused too.
Then, he studied me. “What’s wrong?”
“Huh?”
“Something is wrong.”
I parted my mouth.
“You look like you’re trying not to be sad. Your mouth is twitching. The skin under your eyes is pinched tight like you’re bracing yourself.”
Tension rose in my shoulders.
Zo’s smile faded. “What happened?”
Lie. . .do it. . .just pretend.
He tilted his head to the side. “What?”
I started walking.
He got on my side.
“So. . .”
The path curved through a cluster of palm trees. The children's laughter got louder and then I saw them. Two little girls chased each other near a garden wall. Their shoes slapped the stone.
One of them waved at me.
I waved back even though my hand felt so goddamn heavy. "Zo."
"Yeah?"
My bottom lip quivered and I just knew that I could never lie to him, not even if I really focused. He would always know it was bullshit.
I let out a long breath. "I need to tell you something."
"You're being weird. What's going on?"
I took a breath. "Hiroko. . .”
“What? Is she hurt or something? Just fucking say it.”
“She. . .didn't come back.”
He blinked. "What do you mean she didn't come back? From where?"
"From Yoshiwara. When she went off with Kenji and his men to fight, she was killed.”
