The visitor

The devil's concubine

'Finally...' He rolled his eyes. 'I was about gag you.'

We've been riding for hours and I was racking my mind to find a way to escape. Unfortunately, I had to realise that even if I managed to break free I had no clue where I was and where to go.

The sun has already set when we arrived to a clearing deep in the forest. I saw some tents and a handful of soldiers. Yukimura halted the horse and dismounted. Then he pulled me off the saddle. Even though he was rude and brusque, he handled me surprisingly gently.

Suddenly, every person at the camp jumped to their feet and stood up straight. A man emerged from one of the tents and I swear even the birds stopped chirping in the woods. He was pale and blonde, looking like a sculpture. He walked up to me. He stopped right in front of me and sized me up with his heterochromatic eyes. A shiver ran down my spine.

'You look rather mediocre for a concubine.' He walked around me, his piercing cold eyes never leaving me.

'Excuse me?!' I grasped. I was personally offended.

'How dare you talking to me?' He drew his sword in a blink of an eye and pointed it at my chest.

Holy fuck, he is a psycho! Nobunaga was right, this place is not an amusement park... I was terrified.

'The former Oda commanders were seen gathering in the same inn as you and that devil. Is this how he strengthens his alliances? Sharing his woman?'

I realised that if I reveal my true relationship to Nobunaga they would use me against him. I had to play along. So I pulled on my haughtiest expression and shot him a disdaining glare.

'How dare you?!' I squinted.

'What is Nobunaga up to? How is he not dead?'

'You can kill me now because I won't tell you anything!'

I heard a low and velvety chuckle from behind my back.

'Kenshin, mind you manners when you are talking to such an extraordinary lady!' He put his hand on the sword being pointed at me and pushed it down with ease.

'K-Kenshin?' I gasped. It can't be...

'My spies reported that Nobunaga resides with a beautiful woman. They were wrong. You are beyond beautiful. You are breaking my heart with a mere glance. You must be the goddess of love.' He hooked his finger under my chin and made me look him in the eye.

He was so unrealistically handsome, I didn't even mind his horribly cheesy antics. With voluptuous auburn hair, chiselled features and stunning physique, he was a charmer and the breaker of countless lady hearts for sure.

'Who are you?' I was kinda hypnotised by his grey eyes.

'Takeda Shingen, at you service Lady Saori.' He shot me a disarming smile and I was swooning in an instant.

'Oh my goodness! More famous warlords?!'

'You've heard about me, I see. Good. I'm planning to get to know you too... Deeply.' He stroked my cheek.

I was speechless. Shingen's gaze shifted to my tied up hands.

'Yuki, what did I teach you about treating a lady properly?' He looked at his vassal, frowning.

'She is not a lady.'

Shingen stared daggers at him.

'What? She said it herself.' Yukimura shrugged.

'Now, now. A refined lady like you should not be treated like a bandit.' Shingen untied me. 'Are you hurt?'

'No, I'm okay.'