The Lady-in-Waiting. Secrets and Mysticism of the Imperial Court. Book 2

By Elena Kryuchkova and Olga Kryuchkova

The second book in the series.
Life at the Court goes on as usual. But the appearance of the spirit of the dead lady brought unrest to the peaceful life at the Court. Komachi and two onmyōji have to find out the true motives of the spirit...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elena Kryuchkova
• Release date: Oct 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215049358

Elena Kryuchkova

Elena Kryuchkova started her creative path in 2012. She writes in different genres, such as: esotericism, fantasy, Slavic fantasy, sci-fi, dystopia, post-apocalyptic and others. Has several graphic works. A number of her novels were co-authored with Olga Kryuchkova.She is inspired by various fantasy and science fiction.Loves cats and draws.

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The Lady-in-Waiting. Secrets and Mysticism of the Imperial Court. Book 2.

Elena Kryuchkova, Olga Kryuchkova

The Lady-in-Waiting. Secrets and Mysticism of the Imperial Court. Book 2

Written By Elena Kryuchkova, Olga Kryuchkova

Copyright © 2023 Elena Kryuchkova, Olga Kryuchkova

All rights reserved

Cover Design © 2023 Elena Kryuchkova

Book 2

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

List of Historical Persons

List of Poetry

This story is fiction and any similarity to real people or events are coincidental.

The names of real people who lived in the past are marked. But the description of their life in this story is fictitious.

This story is completely fiction.

Book 2

Chapter 6

Seventh year of the reign of Emperor Ninmyō (840 AD), Heian.

The end of winter has come. Snow, a soft white mass, lay everywhere, sparkling in the sun.

The winter this year turned out to be severe, in the palaces of the Emperor, the Empress and in the pavilions of the consorts and court ladies, the saving braziers did not go out. Many court ladies wore down, under a beautiful top dress, not one warm kimono, but two.

Komachi was still serving Lady Katoko. After celebrating the New Year, she received a promotion to the rank of lady-in-waiting and her duties expanded. In addition, she continued to write poems, which were very popular at Court.

Her sister Kaori, as she intended, left her husband and returned to Heian. The woman entered the service of the lady-in-waiting to Lady Junshi, whom she had already served in her youth. The Empress, upon learning that Kaori's husband had taken the wife from Emishi, sincerely sympathized.

Kaori was so offended by Atsutada that she soon agreed to become the wife of an official from the Ministry of the Treasury. With her ex-husband, she was now connected only by their daughter, Hanako.

Atsutada's parents, who took care of the girl when their son and his wife went to Dewa, acted wisely in the situation and assured Kaori that they would continue to take care of their granddaughter. The woman was very grateful for this, and with a calm heart she began the service.

Komachi's friend Kenshi left the Court at the beginning of winter, before the New Year. Kenshi and Hirotsugu's relationship went very well, and lady Tachibana became pregnant. The active lady did not leave the Court for some time, continuing to serve Lady Katoko despite her delicate condition. Only closer to the middle of the term, she went home.

Lady Katoko recently gave birth to a healthy baby boy. The child was named Kuniyasu*, and a celebration was held on the occasion of his birth.

Katoko herself has finally calmed down: her position is now unshakable! And let the boy never become the heir to the throne, but he will grow in care and prosperity.

However, not everything went as smoothly as it seemed at first glance. Shortly after the birth of Prince Kuniyasu, strange things began to happen in the palace. In one of the remote rooms of the pavilion (which was occupied by Katoko), a woman's crying began to be heard at night. Previously, this chamber was occupied by a Court Attendant named Mikuni no Noriko, but, alas, she died six years ago from an unknown disease. At one time there were even rumors that she had been poisoned.

Komachi was the first to hear the weeping as she passed by. Being inquisitive and impressionable by nature, she dared to look inside the room, and to her horror she did not see anyone... The room met her with emptiness and a gust of wind from nowhere...

Other maids and ladies-in-waiting, hearing about this strange event, were seriously frightened. Did Lady Noriko's restless spirit appear? Had she really been poisoned? But Lady Katoko, who had never been particularly superstitious, took the news calmly. After all, six years ago, the deceased Court Attendant was buried in accordance with all the rules, Shinto priests and Buddhist monks prayed for the repose of her soul. They also performed purifier rituals in her chambers. Why would the spirit show up after so much time?

And the wind can blow from anywhere! No one lives in those chambers, it's cold outside... A gust of frosty air could easily penetrate some hole or crack in the wall!

The servants responsible for the repair of palaces and pavilions were called. They carefully inspected the chambers, restored some small cracks formed on the shoji. Suddenly one of the men screamed and turned around sharply.

What happened? others were confused.

The unnaturally pale servant replied:

It seemed to me that a cold female hand grabbed me by the shoulder…

What woman's hand? It's just us here! And the ladies of the court are hardly interested in you! laughed back at him.

The man just shook his head.

No, he said, this is not just a lady... You yourself know that six years ago the woman died here…

The rest of the servants waved their hands as if to say: Shut up! This is not the right topic to discuss! They turned pale, and began to look around fearfully...

... Crying continued to be heard at night from the chambers of the deceased Court Attendant. In the gallery next to her room, the wind was blowing. Even Lady Katoko, who didn't believe what was happening for a long time, began to show concern.

At the request of her and other ladies, Emperor Ninmyō sent a kannushi (a person responsible for the maintenance of a Shinto shrine who conducts sacred rituals) from the Nakatomi clan and miko, priestesses of Shinto shrines.

Nakatomi, as well as other main clans of kannushi, Imbe and Sarume, according to legend, led their genealogy from the deities. Nakatomi descended from the deity Ame-no-Koyane, Imbe from Futodama, and Sarume from Ame-no-Uzume.

The deities, from which three glorious families originated, in ancient times, by cunning, lured the goddess Amaterasu out of the Heavenly Rock Cave when she closed herself there after a quarrel with her brother Susanoo, the god of wind and storms.

Being the goddess of the sun, as soon as Amaterasu shut up in the Heavenly Rock Cave, the whole world immediately plunged into darkness. In order to return the goddess, other deities hung a mirror Yata-no-Kagami in front of the Heavenly Rock Cave and placed an empty bucket, on which the goddess of happiness and joy, Ame-no-Uzume, ascended and began to dance.

The goddess bared her breasts and loosened the strings on her skirt. The other deities watching the spectacle burst into laughter. This surprised Amaterasu, who was hiding in the Heavenly Rock Cave, and then she looked out and ask what was happening.

The deities answered her that they had found a goddess even greater than she, and therefore they were having fun. As proof, they showed Amaterasu the mirror. Even more surprised, Amaterasu leaned out of the Heavenly Rock Cave, and the god Ame-no-Tajikarao, who hid nearby, pulled her by the hand. Thus, the sunlight of Amaterasu once again returned to the world. And the deities decided to expel her brother Susanoo...

...The head of the Nakatomi clan himself arrived at the palace, accompanied by two miko.

The head of the clan was a man of advanced age, but completely retained a sober mind. He was dressed in a traditional kannushi outfit.

Behind him were two young miko, about twenty years of age, wearing a wide-sleeved white kimono and bright red hakama. Women carried various items and talismans necessary to put the spirit to