How did I, an Onmyoji, become the Lord of Yokai?

Seeing his speechless expression of surprise, a faint look of unease appeared on her delicate and beautiful face.

'What's wrong?'

She asked this question through her eyes.

No, it's nothing.

Noticing the other person's gaze, Shimizu Asahi quickly came to her senses and casually shook her head to indicate that it was nothing.

'oh......'

The girl, who didn't seem to care too much, nodded, then looked away and quietly settled down again.

As for what happened next, Shimizu Asahi didn't care anymore. He was processing the surprising news that the mermaid princess was Suzuka Gozen while dealing with the daimyo's questions. Soon, after bestowing the rewards, the daimyo waved them away after saying a few words of encouragement.

A perfunctory thank you, Shimizu Asahi and Tamura Rei... Should I call her Suzuka Gozen now?

Well... in short, the two of them left the court.

What happened next was none of their business.

Because the court session started so early and Tamura's servants were so efficient, it was not even 5 a.m. when they came out of the court. So, the two of them went straight back to Tamura's house after leaving the court. As for the mansion that the daimyo had rewarded them with, they would have to wait until everyone was awake during the day to go see it.

After returning, Shimizu Asahi and the princess said goodbye to each other, and then lay down to continue resting.

Having arrived in human society, the princess intended to live according to human customs. So, at this time when she should be sleeping, she quietly slipped into bed and went back to sleep.

However, her ability to fall asleep doesn't mean that Shimizu Asahi can fall asleep; he is currently pondering what to do next.

He had accepted the fact that the mermaid princess was Suzuka Gozen, but what to do after accepting it had become a big problem.

Historically, Suzuka Gozen would eventually leave Heian-kyo with Mount Suzuka and establish a sea kingdom deep in the ocean, becoming a haven for sea monsters.

However, after a hundred years as the ruler of the Sea Kingdom, Suzuka Gozen would leave the Sea Kingdom for some reason and never return.

The reason was that they were looking for someone.

He didn't know who that person was, but judging from the current situation, it was most likely him.

Based on the facts, he should have helped Suzuka Gozen establish the Sea Kingdom before returning to the future. That is to say, before returning, he had to help Suzuka Gozen establish the Sea Kingdom.

But... Suzuka Gozen is still a long way from establishing the Sea Kingdom, isn't she? Moreover, the Sea Kingdom's second leader, Ōtakemaru, has not yet appeared.

There's so much more to do now...

A soft sigh escaped her lips. Anxious to return to the past, Shimizu Asahi rubbed her head. She had only gone back in time; how had she unwittingly encountered so many things?

Furthermore, Shimizu Asahi now finally understands why Ōtakemaru greeted him immediately upon seeing him, asking if he was still alive.

No matter how you look at it, it's impossible for a human to live for more than three hundred years. He appeared three hundred years ago and then appeared again three hundred years later. It's no wonder that Ōtakemaru is surprised.

'Forget it, there's no point in thinking about it now. I want to rest. As for the rest, I'll just take it one step at a time.'

He rubbed his head, unable to think about so many things at once, and decided to put these questions aside for the time being. He then tried his best to make Suzuka Gozen understand what family is and to guide her to have the idea of ​​establishing a sea kingdom.

After all, establishing a nation isn't just a matter of words...

Soon, it was dawn. The deep blue sky was replaced by crimson. After sleeping for another hour, Qingshui Chaoyang slowly woke up. He yawned and then woke up the mermaid girl beside him.

Because the princess said that this would make it easier to understand human emotions, she refused Tamura's offer to rearrange her room and chose to stay with Shimizu Asahi instead.

However, of course, the two were some distance apart, so nothing happened during that time.

The two tidied the bed and then washed up again. However, while they were washing up, a servant suddenly came and said, "Sir, Miss, the general asked me to inform you that you should go to see him after you wake up."

"General? Okay, I understand."

Shimizu Asahi thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement. If he wasn't mistaken, Tamura Samurai had probably contacted them about the rewards, since these rewards were still just empty promises... Even the title of Suzuka Gozen would have to be read aloud at the Tamura residence by the daimyo, which was just for show, to let others know that the eldest daughter of the Tamura family had been bestowed the title of Suzuka Gozen.

After washing up, the two went to the living room, and as expected, Tamura had asked them for a reward.

Upon seeing the two arrive, Tamura Shi smiled happily. He waved for them to sit down and poured them a cup of tea, saying, "Sir, Reiko, this incident is now completely over. The island will return to its former tranquility, and humans will no longer set foot there."

"Also, regarding your rewards..."

"Once the envoy sent by the daimyo reads the investiture, Reiko, you will be the only royal attendant in Yamashiro Province."

"And sir, the house that the daimyo has prepared for you has been finalized, and the daimyo will also send someone to handle the interior decoration, so you just need to wait to move in."

"The grand finale is over, that's wonderful."

"Yes, that's really great..." Shimizu Asahi smiled as well. Aside from the shocking news about Suzuka Gozen, they had achieved a resounding victory at this morning court session, getting everything they wanted...

But then, Tamura Shimizu spoke up again: "Also, there's something else..." Chapter 282, Section 285: Huh? Engagement?

After attending the morning court session, the daimyo felt that giving him a house was a bit too stingy, so he later gave him an additional thousand taels of silver to support his travels.

In other words, he became rich again.

Shimizu Asahi was quite happy about this. Although his concept of money was that as long as he had enough, he was grateful to receive it since the daimyo had decided to give it to him.

After chatting for a while longer, the envoy sent by the daimyo finally arrived. Upon hearing the news, the three of them got up to greet him. Then, in front of all the servants of the Tamura family and all the people around, the daimyo announced the investiture. Now, everyone in Yamashiro Province would know that a woman from the Tamura family had been appointed as a member of the imperial household.

At the same time, they also sent over the thousand taels of silver bestowed by the daimyo, and said that they would take care of the house as soon as possible so that Shimizu Asahi could move in soon.

After accepting the reward, Tamura-ji chatted politely with the messenger for a couple more minutes. After making sure that he hadn't offended the messenger, he followed his wishes and sent someone to escort him away from the Tamura residence.

Because the news brought by the messenger was so shocking, it spread throughout the entire Tamura family in no time. Even Yoko, who was resting inside the house, heard the news. If she hadn't not been fully recovered, she probably would have run to Reiko to be happy for her.

However, just as she was feeling regretful, Shimizu Asahi and the other two came into her room. How could Tamura Yoko be left out of their joy?

Ye Zi was delighted to see them arrive. However, along with her joy, she also felt a pang of conflict.

The daimyo bestowed upon her the title of Suzuka Gozen, and the mermaid princess was given the name Tamura (Shimizu) Reiko. In other words, she now has two names. Which name should they use to address her in the future?

To this question, the Little Mermaid answered without hesitation: "I prefer the name Reiko to Suzuka Gozen."

Tamura (Shimizu) Reiko was a name they came up with together, a name that carried their joy. How could a mere title bestowed by a daimyo compare?

Tamura Samurai agreed with her answer, saying, "Reiko is right. Titles are for outsiders to use. We should just continue to call her Reiko."

“There’s something more important right now than that.”

“Reiko, once the master’s house is furnished, you will move in with him, right? I don’t object to that, but if you move in directly, there will probably be a lot of gossip from outsiders.”

"More? Why?"

"Because you're a girl."

Tamura Shi shook his head slightly and said, "It is absolutely unacceptable for an innocent girl to move into a boy's house without any reason, no matter the era."

"So, if you want to move in, you have to come up with a reason that can shut everyone up."

"I believe Mr. Shimizu understands this as well."

Seeing the gaze that Tamura was giving him, Shimizu Asahi couldn't help but laugh awkwardly and said, "This... ah, um, I understand."

Actually, he hadn't thought of that at all.

Since accepting his first mission, he had been sharing a room with different female yokai every so often. Girls like Aonobo, Ibuki, and Ari even moved into his house. So, he had gotten used to the practice of female yokai wanting to live with him at the drop of a hat. That's why he didn't say anything when Reiko suggested sharing a room with him.

If General Tamura hadn't brought it up, he probably wouldn't have even noticed the problem.

After chuckling, he paused slightly before asking, "So, General, what do you intend to do?"

"Yes, this is a serious issue. We absolutely cannot just brush it off; we must make the people understand and accept it."

Tamura Samurai's expression turned somewhat serious.

Although Tamura Reiko appeared before the world as a military commander, this did not change the fact that she was an innocent young girl.

In any era, it is absolutely forbidden for a young woman to move into a man's home before marriage. In fact, if such a thing were to happen, her newly acquired imperial title would be revoked, and she would have to endure all the gossip and slander.

If we want to stop all of this, we must shut up all those guys who are jealous of Tamura Reiko.

The only way to achieve this is...

"Sir, before you move in, why don't you get engaged to Lingzi first?"

"Huh, engaged!?"

Tamura's sudden words startled Shimizu Asahi. Although he hadn't drunk any water, he choked due to his excitement. Even so, he couldn't hide the astonishment on his face.

"Wait, wait, General, what's going on?! Why are you suddenly saying something like that?"

"Suddenly? It's not sudden, sir. Rather, it was destined that you two would get engaged from the moment I adopted Lingzi as my daughter."

Tamura Shigemi looked at Shimizu Asahi, his tone unhurried yet filled with a sense of entitlement.

“I don’t object to Reiko wanting to stay with you, sir, since it’s Reiko’s decision. However, it’s absolutely unacceptable for Reiko, as a girl, to share a room with you without any status or recognition. I can control the rumors at home, but outside, it’s not something I can control.”

"Therefore, Reiko's status is very important."

"The only way to make her legitimately enter the Shimizu family is to get you two engaged."

"Actually, I was planning to bring this up in a year or two, since it would be better if we had some emotional connection. But plans can't keep up with changes. Since the daimyo has already bestowed a house upon me, I'll just move this matter forward a bit."

At this point, Tamura paused slightly, then continued, "Sir, you have helped the Tamura family a great deal. We will never forget this kindness, and even if you asked me to die, I would have no complaints. But Reiko is my daughter, and I cannot let her suffer, so..."

"And sir, I'm sure you wouldn't want Reiko to be hurt by the malicious words of outsiders."

Tamura Samurai was right. If Tamura Reiko moved into the Shimizu family without a proper status, the only one who would get hurt would be Tamura Reiko. The only way to prevent this from happening was, as he said, to get Tamura Reiko and Shimizu Asahi engaged.

Once they are engaged, Reiko will have a good reason to live with Shimizu Asahi. Even if some people think it is still against the rules, the title of Imperial Concubine will be enough to shut up those few people.

"But this..." Chapter 283, Section 286: I could lie to Suzuka Gozen ten times in one night.

Shimizu Asahi glanced at Reiko, then at Tamura Samura, a slight hesitation appearing on his sunny and cheerful face.

He said cautiously, "General, isn't it a bit hasty to decide on something that concerns one's entire life so easily?"

“There’s no need to be hasty, sir. Given Reiko’s personality, unless you do something to disappoint her greatly, she won’t be disappointed in you. And your character dictates that you won’t disappoint Reiko. So, Reiko’s fate is sealed.”

"I'm just bringing forward what was bound to happen."

"but......"

Shimizu Asahi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he didn't know what to say. Moreover, the general looked like he had made up his mind and wouldn't budge no matter what he said.

After realizing he couldn't persuade the general, he turned his gaze to Reiko, "Hey, Reiko, why don't you talk to the general? How can such a thing be decided so easily?"

However, Reiko, who was being looked at by him, naturally showed a hint of doubt and confusion. She tilted her head and asked, "Engagement... what does that mean?"

"..."