With an indignant face, she inserted another silver needle. Butterfly took several deep breaths in succession before finally returning to her usual cheerful tone.
"So you see, compared to those unethical bastards I met in the past, the physicians in your city have simply off-the-charts morality. They haven't come to cause trouble for me even after all this time..."
"Who knows..."
Upon hearing this, the corner of Mitsuba's mouth subconsciously rose in a slight arc.
"Perhaps someone secretly stopped them?"
"Hm?"
Hearing her seemingly meaningful words, Butterfly's hand performing acupuncture suddenly stopped. She looked up at the profound smile on Mitsuba's face, first blinked, then suddenly widened her eyes and said:
"Could it be that you did all this, Mitsuba?!"
Mitsuba smiled without speaking, but Butterfly had already understood everything. She immediately clapped her palms together and began talking non-stop:
"So that's it! I was wondering why no one ever came to cause trouble for me—it was all stopped by you, Mitsuba... Quick, tell me! How exactly did you do it?
No, no, no! Let me guess first! To have such means to make those quack doctors so well-behaved, you must either be rich or powerful. Could it be...
Mitsuba, you're actually a relative of this city's daimyo? His daughter? His sister? You can't be his older sister at such a young age, right?"
"Why can't I be the daimyo?"
Mitsuba smiled and asked back at the right moment. Looking at Butterfly's shocked expression beside her, a hint of small smugness had already appeared on her face.
At this moment, that oppressive aura that often shrouded her seemed to suddenly dissipate considerably.
"No, no, no! That's impossible, how could a woman become a daimyo..."
Not noticing this subtle change in Mitsuba, Butterfly first shook her head in denial. But after careful thought, she nodded repeatedly:
"Ah, but under special circumstances such things do indeed happen. When I was practicing medicine in Kyushu before, I also heard of similar examples... So~"
With a whoosh, she instantly teleported to sit beside Mitsuba, shoulder to shoulder. Butterfly held paper and pen that she didn't know where she pulled out from, and in a deliberately serious tone said:
"Respected Family Head Mitsuba, hello. Would you be willing to answer a few small questions from your good friend Doctor Butterfly?
For example, how did you manage to rise to the position of daimyo as a woman? What are your thoughts after becoming daimyo?
And what kind of mindset did you have when you charged toward this seemingly impossible position?"
Butterfly had wanted to use this opportunity to learn more about Mitsuba's situation, but never could have imagined that as soon as her words fell, the expression on the young girl's face before her instantly froze.
As if suddenly falling from the clouds back to the mundane world, the smile on Mitsuba's face gradually disappeared. She lowered her eyelids, her expression quite gloomy, and that oppressive aura that had already dissipated once again swept over her entire being.
"I didn't want to become daimyo..."
She suddenly said in a low voice.
"...Eh?"
"I never wanted to become daimyo, nor did I want to be the family head of the Tsugikuni family. I never wanted to..."
"Eh? Um, Mitsuba..."
"Sorry, Butterfly."
Just as Butterfly was feeling at a loss about this, Mitsuba recovered her "normal" state on her own.
The gloom on her face instantly swept away, and she once again transformed into her usual gentle and courteous appearance, with that standard, nearly perfect smile on her exquisite face.
"I seemed to have said some strange things just now. Please don't mind...
Could you tell me more stories about your previous travels conducting free medical consultations across the country? I'd like to hear them."
"Huh? Oh, alright... Then, then this time let me tell you about those Great Ming merchants I met in Kyushu..."
In the small room, Butterfly began her non-stop storytelling once again.
As she spoke, she carefully observed the expression on Mitsuba's face.
It was clearly a smile she had grown accustomed to before, but for some reason, Butterfly suddenly felt at this moment that this smile on Mitsuba's face... was very fake.
"..."
By the time Mitsuba finished her daily routine treatment and left Butterfly's medical hall, it was already evening.
The sun was about to set. On the way back to the castle tower, she deliberately dismissed the guards around her, wanting to walk back alone.
Of course, saying "dismissed" actually just meant having them stay slightly farther away from her, not completely surrounding her.
After all, she was now the esteemed family head of the Tsugikuni family—she simply couldn't afford any mishaps.
Moreover, her older brother Michikatsu, the former family head, had "met his demise" under unclear circumstances while traveling outside.
The retainers of the Tsugikuni family were now like frightened birds. If not for needing Butterfly to regulate her health, they would have preferred that she stay holed up in that castle tower forever, surrounded by countless guards and attendants at all times, never coming out.
Butterfly...
Thinking of that figure who was always laughing heartily, seemingly happy every moment.
A strong feeling of envy welled up uncontrollably in Mitsuba's heart.
Butterfly had told her about her own background. She was born into a medical family on Shikoku Island. Because she was female, Butterfly had never been exposed to her family's traditional medical arts since childhood.
Her parents had originally planned to marry her off to a man from another family that had been friendly with theirs for generations once she reached a suitable age.
But Butterfly didn't want to accept such a fate.
So, on a late night many years ago, she quietly fled with several medical books from her clan, beginning her wandering life of self-studying medicine while traveling everywhere to practice.
Over these years, Butterfly had been to many places—Shikoku Island, Kyushu Island, the Kanto Eight Provinces, the Kinki region...
At first she only practiced medicine in small rural villages, then gradually entered towns with concentrated populations, and step by step became the highly skilled Doctor Butterfly she was today.
At just over twenty years old, she had already intersected with countless people and possessed innumerable stories.
She was truly so brave.
Every time she heard those stories from Butterfly's mouth, Mitsuba would feel incomparable envy.
Because this was what she had once wanted to become.
"Sato Restaurant~ Delicious and affordable~"
A sudden shout by her ear interrupted Mitsuba's contemplation.
She subconsciously stopped her steps and looked toward the sound, seeing a street-side restaurant with a sign reading "Sato Restaurant" beside her.
The sky was already dark at this hour. The restaurant was mostly filled with diners coming for dinner, and most were dressed in splendid clothing—clearly not ordinary townspeople.
Mitsuba had an impression of this restaurant.
The group of children she played with in the alley some time ago had mentioned it. She heard this restaurant's chef had excellent skills, and many wealthy and influential people in the city liked to come here.
After brief hesitation, Mitsuba gestured to the guards behind her, then turned to enter.
But at this moment, her peripheral vision suddenly noticed two people walking toward her from not far away.
Of these two people, the one walking in front was a man with strange ramen noodle hair. Following behind was a woman with her long hair tied up, eyebrows lowered and eyes submissive.
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