I Enslaved The Goddess Who Summoned Me

Nathan remained seated on the bench beneath the trees, with Yukihime happily holding his arm against her chest.

For once, neither of them seemed in a hurry to move.

The village around them continued its work. Shinobi crossed the paths with messages tucked into their sleeves. Horses were led toward the outer trails. Smoke drifted above the rooftops, carrying the smell of cooked rice and wood through the evening air. Yet the noise felt distant to Yukihime.

Her world had grown smaller.

It was Nathan beside her, the warmth of his arm beneath her hands, and the quiet certainty that he was safe for this moment.

If it had been up to her, she would have stayed there forever.

She would have spent every morning, every afternoon, and every night by his side. She would have gladly forgotten battles, plans, enemies, and the weight of the world if it meant she could remain close to him like this.

Unfortunately, Nathan was not a man who could remain still for long.

There were always people trying to hurt him. There were always enemies waiting somewhere beyond the next road. There was always another burden resting on his shoulders, another conflict that seemed to demand his attention.

Yukihime understood that.

It did not mean she had to like it.

”Are you two always attached to each other?”

A feminine voice broke through the silence.

Nathan raised his gaze.

Ayame stood a short distance away, smiling softly as she watched them.

Yukihime’s smile vanished at once.

Her eyes moved toward Ayame, and the gentle warmth in her expression cooled.

From Yukihime’s point of view, Ayame was far more dangerous than Shiina.

Shiina had been complicated. She had shared a night with Nathan, fought beside him, and clearly held feelings she did not fully understand herself. But she had also made her choice. Her loyalty remained tied to Norihiro, and she had openly declared that she would stand against Nathan if he tried to kill him.

That made Shiina an enemy.

An enemy Nathan cared about, perhaps, but still an enemy.

Ayame was different.

Ayame was close.

She was bold in ways Shiina was not. She was not held back by divided loyalties or old promises to another man. She had been saved by Nathan, protected by him, and placed at the center of everything he was trying to accomplish in Kastoria.

More importantly, something had changed between them.

Yukihime had noticed it long before Ayame approached the bench.

There was a difference in the way Nathan looked at her now. A small softness in his expression that had not been there before. A familiarity in the way Ayame carried herself around him. It was subtle, but Yukihime was not blind.

Nathan and Ayame had slept together.

And unlike Shiina, Ayame was not merely someone from Nathan’s past who had become a brief complication.

Ayame was one of his women now.

Yukihime knew it.

She could feel it.

Ayame walked closer, the hem of her clothing brushing softly against the grass as she approached. She did not wait for an invitation. With the same calm confidence that seemed to come naturally to her, she sat on Nathan’s other side.

Yukihime narrowed her eyes.

Ayame noticed.

Of course she did.

Yet instead of looking bothered, Ayame’s smile only became a little more amused. She shifted closer and gently leaned against Nathan’s other arm, wrapping both hands around it.

There was no attempt to hide what she was doing.

No hesitation.

No concern for the people passing along the village path nearby.

A few shinobi did glance toward them. Some quickly looked away again, pretending not to have noticed. Others exchanged quiet smiles before continuing on their way.

Ayame did not care.

She was royalty. The younger sister of the former Queen. The woman Kaguya herself intended to place on the throne after the coming conflict was settled. Her status was not something anyone in the village could ignore.

Yet there she was, openly clinging to Nathan as though she had forgotten titles, rules, and the expectations placed upon a woman like her.

She did not care whether it appeared improper.

She did not care if rumors spread.

If anything, she wanted the rumors to spread.

Nathan was her man.

The thought did not need to be spoken aloud for everyone to understand it.

Yukihime tightened her hold on Nathan’s arm.

Ayame did the same on the other side.

Nathan sat between them, feeling the quiet tension build without either woman saying a word.

For a moment, he wondered whether he should say something.

Then he decided against it.

There were battles that could not be solved with a sword, and this was one of them.

Ayame looked toward Yukihime with the same polite smile she had worn when she arrived.

”You seem comfortable,” she said.

Yukihime’s eyes remained calm, though there was a faint edge in her voice.

”I am.”

”I can see that.”

Yukihime smiled back, but it was not the warm smile she usually gave Nathan.

Nathan let out a quiet breath.

”You two are acting like I am not sitting here.”

Ayame turned to him with a bright smile.

”You are sitting here. That is the entire point.”

Yukihime gave a small nod of agreement.

Nathan looked from one woman to the other, then shook his head faintly.

Neither of them seemed willing to release him.

Not that he truly wanted them to.

There was something strangely comforting about it. Yukihime’s quiet devotion and Ayame’s bold affection were different, yet both came from a place Nathan could understand. They trusted him. They wanted to remain close to him. And despite all the pressure gathering around them, they were giving him something peaceful.

A reminder that he was not fighting only to destroy his enemies.

He was fighting to protect a future where moments like this could exist.

Around the Shinobi Village, Nathan’s name had already begun to take on a life of its own.

Most people did not know him as Nathan.

They knew him as Ryo.

The mysterious black ronin.

The man who had entered Minato and brought down Morosuke, the cruel lord who had ruled the town through fear. The man who had defeated Daimyo Sadamasa and forced the ruler of Kajiya Hara to bend. The man who had killed Yorimasa. The man who had entered Death God Valley and returned after Mitsuhide fell.

The stories changed each time they were told.

Some said Ryo had cut through entire armies alone.

Some said he had fought demons beneath an ancient shrine.

Others claimed he was a warrior sent by Amaterasu herself to punish the Daimyos for their sins.

Nathan knew most of it was exaggerated.

But the truth was already impressive enough.

Within only a few weeks, the South had changed because of him.

Two Daimyos were dead.

Morosuke’s hold over Minato had been broken.

Sadamasa had been forced into an alliance he could not escape.

Norihiro, the last great Daimyo of the South, was now being surrounded by plans he could not yet see.

To the people of the village, Nathan was no longer a stranger or a temporary guest who had arrived carrying secrets and a sword.

He had become one of them.

More than that, he had become a symbol of the future they hoped for.

The shinobi had spent years hiding in the forest, hunted and hated for the death of the King. They had survived through secrecy, fear, and sacrifice. For so long, freedom had seemed like a distant dream.

Then Ryo appeared.

And suddenly powerful men began falling.

It was hardly surprising that many women in the village had started looking at him differently.

To many of them, he had already become a hero.

And after he saved Ayame more than once, it was not difficult for anyone to understand why the future Queen had fallen for him.

Ayame had no desire to hide it either.

There was another reason for her open affection.

She knew what would happen once she returned to the capital.

The moment her position became clear, nobles would begin looking at her as a political prize. Families with power would send proposals. Ambitious men would seek her hand. Advisors would speak of marriage as though it were simply another tool for strengthening the throne.

They would expect her to marry someone useful.

Someone from a noble house.

Someone who could give her children, create alliances, and stand at her side as a king.

Ayame had no intention of accepting that future.

She did not want a husband chosen for her by ministers and nobles.

She did not want to belong to a man who saw her only as a path toward power.

If there was only one man she could ever see beside her, it was Nathan.

And she knew he could not become king.

Not in the ordinary way, at least.

Nathan was not from a noble family. He did not seek a throne. He did not want to be tied down by the duties and ceremonies that came with ruling a country. More than anything, Ayame knew that he would eventually leave Kastoria.

But that did not mean she would accept another man in his place.

Until Princess Haruka’s son was old enough to take the throne, Ayame would rule as Queen. She would carry the burden herself. She would protect the country Nathan was risking so much to unite.

And when people asked her why she had never married, she would not need to explain.

They would already know.

”Well, forgive me, Yukihime,” Ayame said, her fingers still curled lightly around Nathan’s arm, ”but I would like to monopolize Ryo a little more while I still can.”

Her smile was gentle, but there was something determined behind it.

”Soon enough, he will leave Kastoria. You, on the other hand, will follow him beyond these lands and remain at his side, will you not?”

Yukihime gave a soft, amused snicker.

The answer was obvious.

”If Nathan-sama leaves, then I will go with him,” she said. ”There is nowhere else I would rather be.”

Ayame’s eyes softened, though a faint trace of envy passed through them.

”That is what I thought.”

She lowered her gaze for a moment, then looked back at Nathan.

”Unfortunately for Ryo, and because I love him, I will remain here. I will rule as he asked me to. I will become Queen and do what I must for Kastoria.”

Her voice stayed steady, but there was a quiet sadness beneath it.

”But I will need his love too.”

Nathan looked at her for a moment.

The lightness in the conversation faded.

Ayame had accepted a difficult future. She would remain in Kastoria while he eventually left. She would carry the responsibility of ruling a country still divided by old wounds, hatred, and the ambitions of powerful men. She would do it because it was necessary, because she cared for the people, and because Nathan had asked her to help build a better future.

That did not mean she would stop wanting him.

Nathan leaned toward her and kissed her.

Ayame met him immediately, her hand rising to his cheek as she returned the kiss with quiet tenderness. It was not hurried. It was not meant to show anything to the people passing by.

For those few seconds, it was only for them.

When Nathan finally pulled back, he kept his gaze on hers.

”I will leave eventually,” he said. ”But I will come back often.”

Ayame smiled.

”I know you will.”

Then she leaned forward and kissed him again, softer this time.

Beside them, Yukihime became quiet.

Her expression cooled, and her dark eyes rested on Ayame with clear displeasure. She did not interfere, however. Nathan was there, and she could see that he was happy. No matter how much jealousy stirred inside her, she would not ruin something he wanted.

Still, the way her hand tightened slightly around Nathan’s arm made her feelings clear enough.

After the kiss ended, Ayame lifted both hands and gently patted Nathan’s cheeks.

”There is something you should do,” she said.

Nathan looked at her. ”What?”

”Sakura.”

His expression shifted at once.

Ayame’s smile faded into something more serious.

”How long are you planning to keep her here without giving her answers?” she asked. ”She is sweet, innocent, and confused. She did nothing wrong, yet she has been pulled into this mess and kept in the dark.”

Nathan remained silent.

Ayame continued more gently.

”She deserves to know what will happen to her, does she not?”

Nathan looked away for a moment.

He had avoided the question because he did not know what the right answer was. Sakura had not chosen any of this. She had become trapped between Norihiro’s world, Hanzo’s search for her uncle, and Nathan’s larger plan for the South.

He had taken her from Minami Kyoto because leaving her there had felt too dangerous.

But taking her away without explaining anything was not the same as protecting her.

It had only made her another prisoner.

Nathan gave a quiet nod.

”You are right.”

Ayame’s expression softened.

”I know.”

Nathan rose from the bench.

Yukihime immediately began to stand as well, clearly intending to follow him. Ayame reached out and caught her lightly by the sleeve.

”Come on, Yukihime,” she said with a small smile. ”You will only frighten poor Sakura.”

Yukihime turned toward her with an unamused glare.

”I would not frighten her.”

Ayame’s smile became a little brighter.

”You have a lance that appears from thin air, you can freeze grown soldiers in place, and you look at people as though you are deciding whether they are worth sparing. I think she may be frightened.”

Yukihime’s eyes narrowed.

”She would only be frightened if she had a reason to be.”

Nathan almost smiled.

Then he looked directly at Yukihime.

”Stay here.”

Yukihime’s expression changed immediately.

For a second, she looked as though she wanted to protest. Her eyes moved from Nathan to Ayame and back again. The thought of being left behind, even for a short while, clearly displeased her.

But Nathan’s voice had been calm and firm.

She lowered her gaze.

”Yes, Nathan-sama.”

The answer came reluctantly.

Nathan reached out and brushed a strand of silver hair away from her face.

”I will not be long.”

Yukihime looked up at him again.

Then she gave a faint nod.

”I will wait.”

Nathan turned and began walking toward the guest house where Sakura and Akiko had been staying.

Behind him, Ayame remained seated with Yukihime. The tension between them had not disappeared, but neither woman spoke right away.

Yukihime watched Nathan’s back as he walked away through the village.

Ayame glanced at her.

”You love him very much,” she said quietly.

Yukihime did not look away from Nathan.

”Yes.”

Ayame’s expression softened.

”So do I.”

For the first time since she arrived, Yukihime did not answer with a glare.

She only held Nathan’s departing figure in her eyes, knowing that no matter how many women cared for him, no matter how many people needed him, she would remain at his side for as long as he allowed her to.