Kyoto, the old Shinomiya residence. The current head of the Shinomiya family, Gan'an Shinomiya, lay on a hospital bed.
Beside the bed were various modern medical devices, with dedicated doctors constantly monitoring his condition so they could respond immediately if it worsened.
The old butler of the Shinomiya family entered the room and bowed. "Master Gan'an, Old Master Fujiwara has come to visit."
The frail Gan'an lay on the bed and said, "Let him come in."
The butler withdrew, and soon after, Old Master Fujiwara, dressed in a haori and full of energy, walked in.
Gan'an said to the doctor beside him, "All of you, leave first."
The doctor hesitated for a moment, but still followed his order and left with the nurses.
Once the room was empty, Gan'an forced himself to sit up, leaning against the headboard.
He glanced at Old Master Fujiwara, who was still healthy and vigorous despite his age, and said with a complicated and envious expression, "When I was young, I never cared about my health. Only when I got old did I realize that everything else is meaningless. Health is the most important."
Gan'an is ten years younger than Old Master Fujiwara, yet he was already gaunt and terminally ill.
Old Master Fujiwara said, "You neglected your health and still had a child at that age. Who else can you blame?"
He was referring to Kaguya.
They were of the same generation, yet Gan'an's daughter, Kaguya, was about the same age as Fujiwara's grandson.
Gan'an smiled bitterly. "It wasn't because I was greedy for beauty. I was already old when I had Kaguya, but that was real love."
Old Master Fujiwara smiled. "You were already over forty then. You've seen everything in life, and you still talk about love?"
He actually knew that Gan'an's current condition had nothing to do with his lifestyle in his forties.
Many wealthy people live indulgently in their forties without issue. His illness was purely genetic, which was why he was terminally ill in his sixties.
If not for the Shinomiya family's wealth, using expensive medicine to extend his life, if he had been born into an ordinary family, he would already be dead.
Gan'an fell silent for a moment, as if reminiscing. He smiled and said, "My first wife and I had a political marriage. I didn't love her, and she didn't love me."
"Maybe that's why she died early."
"It wasn't until I met Kaguya's mother that I truly felt real love."
"At that time, I was already the head of the Shinomiya family. No one could stop me anymore. I could finally pursue something that belonged only to me, a feeling unrelated to the Shinomiya family."
Old Master Fujiwara remained silent.
At that time, everyone in Japan's upper circles knew about Gan'an's affair, and rumors spread everywhere.
The main issue was that the woman he loved was a hostess, and he wanted to marry her and bring her home.
However, although he was the family head, the Shinomiya family was not entirely under his control. In the end, due to strong opposition, he did not marry her.
Especially since that hostess was only in her twenties, many people joked that he must have been bewitched. He had been shrewd his whole life, yet was fooled by a woman in her twenties.
Old Master Fujiwara then said, "What I'm about to say may not sound pleasant, but there have always been rumors that Kaguya is not your daughter."
Back then, Gan'an did not marry the hostess due to family opposition, and the woman left him.
A year later, she suddenly reappeared with a daughter, claiming the child was his.
This caused a sensation, and many believed the child was not his, but the result of the hostess and another client.
This became the Shinomiya family's biggest scandal.
Gan'an said calmly, "I'm not a fool. I had a paternity test done in private long ago. Kaguya is without a doubt my daughter."
"The reason this matter caused such a stir was probably because my eldest son spread rumors. He feared I would favor Kaguya and not pass the position to him."
Hearing him mention Oko, Old Master Fujiwara laughed. "You've made many mistakes in your life, but your biggest mistake was letting your son inherit the Shinomiya family."
Gan'an fell silent. He smiled bitterly. "Old man, you have an excellent heir. Are you deliberately trying to provoke me?"
"I know Oko has many flaws and is not suited to lead the family, but among my three sons, he is the best. What else can I do?"
Oko was simply the best among the worst.
"Kaguya is actually the most outstanding, and the most suitable to inherit the Shinomiya family."
"But she is too young, almost a generation younger than Oko."
"Oko has worked for many years and already gained the support of the family's management, while Kaguya is still in high school."
"If they were the same generation, I would definitely hand the family to Kaguya, not Oko."
Gan'an smiled helplessly. "If my health were good and I could continue to control the family, I could protect Kaguya as she grows."
"When she gets older, I could gradually give her part of the family business, and Oko would not be able to stop it."
"But who would have thought my condition would deteriorate so quickly. I no longer have time to protect her, which is why I had to hand everything to Oko in advance."
"But he..."
Thinking of the Shinomiya family's current troubles, Gan'an's expression became extremely pained.
Even the greatest empire can collapse overnight, let alone a single family.
And with the dangerous situation the Shinomiya family currently faced, it could fall at any moment.
Yet even knowing this, his body no longer allowed him to fix things or lead the family out of danger.
"Old man, why did you come to see me this time? Just say it. I'm already prepared."
Gan'an spoke calmly.
Old Master Fujiwara did not hesitate. "I want to dissolve the engagement between Toru and Kaguya."
"Your Shinomiya family is currently under siege by Wall Street capital and could collapse at any moment. You can no longer protect yourselves."
"For the Fujiwara family, marrying into your family is no longer beneficial. It may even drag us down."
"If you were still in charge, I would believe you could lead the family out of danger. But I do not trust your son."
Gan'an said calmly, "As expected of a political family. Everything is based on interests, with no regard for feelings. It's impressive you can say this to a dying man."
"If I didn't know our families have no grudges, I might think you came here on purpose to make me die sooner."
Old Master Fujiwara glanced at the medical equipment. "I don't need to do anything. You won't live much longer anyway."
Gan'an's expression darkened. "I agree to dissolve the engagement. Even if I refused, it would be useless. Your Fujiwara family could break it unilaterally."
"Kaguya is truly unfortunate. She genuinely fell in love with Fujiwara-kun. A few days ago, she even called me happily talking about her engagement. She never expected that just days later, she would face this."
"But people have to grow up. Kaguya has been too protected. She doesn't pay enough attention to power and interests, and her personality is somewhat soft."
"Facing such a sudden change might make her change as well. If she is willing to compete with her brother, then even if the Shinomiya family falls one day, there will still be a chance for it to rise again."
Old Master Fujiwara smiled. "You're about to die, and you're still comforting yourself."
"Alright, I've said what I came to say. Since you agree, I won't disturb you further."
"Gan'an, you understand your own condition. I won't offer empty wishes. I just hope your Shinomiya family can truly overcome this crisis."
With that, he turned and left.
Gan'an watched his back and said enviously, "You old man, you've been lucky your whole life. Even in your later years, you have such an outstanding descendant."
"It would be great if Toru-kun were part of my Shinomiya family."
...
Tokyo, Shinomiya residence.
Oko looked at the message sent by his father, his face gloomy.
In front of him, Hayasaka lowered her head.
"That useless Kaguya, completely useless, she actually got dumped!"
"This is a disgrace, a great disgrace to the Shinomiya family!"
Oko cursed and swept the porcelain on the table onto the floor.
The sound of shattering filled the room. Hayasaka remained silent, not daring to speak.
After a long while, Oko panted heavily, his eyes red.
He did not dare to criticize the Fujiwara family, so he could only vent his anger at Kaguya.
Oko looked at Hayasaka and said through gritted teeth, "Hayasaka, what do you want?"
Hayasaka hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to speak while he was enraged.
But she still said, "Oko-sama, I want to resign."
"Resign? You don't want to be Kaguya-sama's maid anymore?"
Hayasaka nodded gently.
(To be continued.)
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