黄県主はこれまで、何者が相手であっても自分を優先させてきた。
......それが唯一、通らなかったのが後宮であったが。
あれは人生の汚点であると同時に、狂った瞬間であった。
贅沢と権力が大好物であった黄県主は、では娘に望みを託すも、それも叶わず。
ならばと大公の座を狙えば、それを邪魔するのが利民とその父だ。
利民が公主を娶ったと聞いて見に行けば、当人を見て「ああ、ハズレ公主を押し付けられたのか」と安心した。
それに公主として後宮で蝶よ花よと大事に育てられ、贅沢を極めた生活を送っていた女が、船乗りの夫を良しとできるはずがない。
そう思っていたのに、今日のアレは一体なんなのだ?
宴の席に現れた潘公主は、百花宮でも噂の四夫人のような美しさを誇る女たちのようではなかった。
けれど、不思議と目を惹くものがあった。そう、黄県主が理想とする美しさとは、程遠いものではあるのだが。あの潘公主を、「綺麗だ」と思ってしまったのだ。
――そんなはずがない、あのような姿が、美しいはずがないのよ......!
黄県主が一人、ギリギリと歯ぎしりをしていると。
「お母様、佳の宿など嫌です。魚臭いもの」
軒車の中で、黄県主の正面に座っている娘がそう不満を述べた。
己とて、その意見はもっともだと思うものの、呑気に不満を漏らす娘を、黄県主はギロリと睨む。
「では、あの屋敷で物置に泊まりたかったの?」
利民の屋敷で用意されたのは、決して物置などではないのだが。
黄県主にとって、いつもの部屋以外は、狭い物置であった。
そして物置を好む公主と、潘公主を揶揄していたのだが。
「それだって嫌だわ」
嫌だ嫌だと言っていればいいと思っている娘に、黄県主は怒りがこみ上げる。
なんのために自分たちが色々と画策しているか、娘は本当にわかっているのか?
それに、海賊が討伐されたらしいという噂が、まさか本当だったとは。
それを確かめるために、今日あの宴に乗り込んだのだ。
何故その詳しい情報が、自分に入らないのか?
海賊を動かすために一緒に行動していたはずの義弟は、どうなったのか?
なにひとつ思い通りにいかない現状に、黄県主が苛々していると、突然、軒車が止まった。
全く、車も通らないとはなんて街なのかしら」
黄県主は文句を言いながら、軒車の窓を開けて外を見る。
降りる前に宿を見て、不満があればすぐに他に向かわせようと思ったのだ。
けれど、窓から見えた景色は、予想外のものであった。
「どういうこと?」
眉をひそめる黄県主に、娘が尋ねる。
しかし黄県主は娘に構っていられない。
窓の外は、宿ではなかった。
利民の屋敷を出たのは、日が暮れ始める頃。
しかし佳の街中であれば、店が掲げる灯りで明るいはず。
なのに、今どうしてこんなに暗いのか?
その答えを得ようと、御者を問いただすべく、そちらの窓を開ける。
「ちょっと!? どこなのここは!?」
黄県主は怒鳴りつけるが、よくよく見ると窓の向こうの御者席には誰も座っていない。
状況がさっぱりわからない黄県主が御者の姿を探して、外を見る方の窓に再び視線を戻した、その時。
外の方の窓から、布の包みが投げ込まれて来た。
「ひっ!? なに!?」
娘が悲鳴を上げた。
赤黒い染みのついているその包みから、なんともいえない異臭がする。
そしてそれほど頑丈に固定されていなかったのか、包みが解けて中身が零れ出た。
黄県主は声にならずに息を呑み、娘が大声で悲鳴を上げる。
包みから零れ出たのは、人の頭部。そう、生首だったのだ。
しかも、見覚えのあるその顔は、黄県主の夫のものだった。
The Huang County Lord had always received preferential treatment, no matter who she was dealing with.
...However, much to her chagrin, that treatment did not extend to the Inner Palace.
She had been extremely mortified at this blow and disgrace, and considered this as a stain in her life.
The Huang County Lord, being the power greedy and extravagant person that she was, then placed her hopes on her daughter, to no avail.
Thus, they turned their target to the seat of the Grand Duke, but there were still obstructions, in the form of Li Min and his father.
When news came that Li Min welcomed a princess for his bride, she came in person to check it out, and was relieved when she saw the person herself. She thought that Li Min had been forced into this marriage.
Besides, this was a princess, a woman raised preciously inside the inner palace, treasured and treated as if she was flower and had lived all her life in the lap of luxury, so the Huang County Lord thought that she would never get along with her sailor husband.
And yet, what on earth happened today?
Princess Pan didn't look anything remotely like the Four Consorts rumored to be the most beautiful women in the Hundred Blossom Palace when she appeared at the banquet.
However, she couldn't tear her eyes off her for some mysterious reason, even if her appearance had been totally different from Huang County Lord's standard of beauty. She couldn't help but think that the princess was gorgeous.
'There's no way, there's no way that she can appear so beautiful!'
The Huang County Lord gritted her teeth in frustration.
"Mother, I don't want to stay in an inn in Kai, it's stinking of fish."
Her daughter grumbled as she sat across the Huang County Lord.
She herself thought the same, but still, she glared at her daughter who carelessly aired her frustrations.
"What, do you want that stay inside the storage rooms of that mansion?"
The rooms in Li Min's mansion were never used as storage rooms.
However, for the Huang County Lord, she considered any room aside from the one that she always used to be narrow storerooms.
She had even mocked Princess Pan, by calling her princess of stockrooms.
"Of course I don't want that."
Huang County Lord's blood boiled in anger at her daughter's never ending complaints.
Did this girl really understand the reason why the Huang County Lord had to go through great pains to scheme?
Besides, she never expected the rumors that the pirates had been annihilated to be true.
She had attended the banquet in order to confirm the rumors.
Why didn't she receive any accurate information about this?
What happened to her brother-in-law that was moving together with the pirates?
Everything didn't seem to go as planned, so Huang County Lord was getting more anxious by the minute, when suddenly, their carriage stopped.
"Are we there? My goodness, what kind of city is this that we can't even use a proper carriage."
The Huang County Lord grumbled as she opened the window of the small carriage and peeked outside.
She wanted to check whether the inn was suitable before they alight, and if not, then she planned to order the coachman to turn around and look for another one.
However, she never expected the scenery that she would see outside.
"What is this?"
Her daughter asked when she saw her mother knit her brows.
However, the Huang County Lord paid her no heed.
There was no inn outside.
It was already sunset when they left Li Min's mansion.
However, if they were still in the city of Kai, then they should see the lights of the several shops in it.
Then why was it pitch black?
She wanted to know the answer, so she opened the window towards the coachman.
"Hey! Where are we right now!?"
The Huang County Lord yelled, but she soon realized that there was nobody sitting on the driver's seat.
The confused Huang County Lord uneasily scanned the area for a hint of the driver's presence, and when she didn't see anything, she turned back towards the other window.
Right on cue, a cloth bundle was hurled into their carriage through that window.
"Hii!! What!?"
Her daughter screamed.
The bundle was dyed reddish black, and an unspeakably horrible, stinky odor wafted from it.
It wasn't tied securely, so the content was bared to their eyes.
The Huang County Lord couldn't even let out a scream as her breath hitched, while the daughter shrieked on top of her lungs.
A severed head rolled out of the bundle.
And it was someone very familiar to them -- it was the head of the Huang County Lord's husband.
Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace
百花宮のお掃除係～転生した新米宮女、後宮のお悩み解決します。
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/housekeeper-of-the-hundred-blossom-palace/
Fantasy Romance Shoujo Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Ancient China Complex Family Relationships Different Social Status Female Protagonist Imperial Harem Love Interest Falls in Love First Reincarnated in Another World Royalty
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4104ev/
黒辺あゆみ