Kaguya…
She had no family name and came from a modest farming family.
Yet, she possessed an appearance worthy of a high-society lady.
Thanks to this, it didn't take long for her to catch the eye of a wealthy merchant named Kazuto Hatori.
She didn't become his wife but one of his many concubines.
The only notable thing was the influence she wielded within the Hatori family, for yes, Kaguya gained influence.
She hadn't received a proper education due to her humble origins, but the Hatori merchant family provided her with the resources necessary to create the monster she would become.
Kaguya was a genius.
She managed to increase the Hatori family's profits through her keen insight and understanding of economics, surpassing even Kazuto Hatori himself.
Quickly, she became more than just a concubine within the merchant family.
But Kaguya wanted more.
Unfortunately, Hatori wasn't serious about their "romantic" relationship.
He was only interested in Kaguya's intelligence and beauty.
The lovely young woman was doomed to live in this gilded cage, but things changed rapidly one day.
She stumbled upon a strange sect.
For a pragmatic and rational woman like Kaguya, sects were foolish things.
But this one was somehow… a rival to the Hatori family for control of the region's trade.
This sect resembled more of an organization with a logical hierarchy than a true cult centered around a single leader.
She even discovered that there was an entity called a "department," managed by an individual with a proper education.
The department heads of the sect met frequently at the end of the month with the sect leader to decide the future direction of the various departments.
It was an interesting idea that Kaguya copied for the Hatori family, as it decentralized power from her husband's hands.
More importantly, it sped up decision-making without sacrificing efficiency.
This discovery pushed Kaguya to investigate further.
Thus, she became a significant donor to the cult and regularly met with the man named Doma.
Kaguya could describe him in one word: monster.
Doma's intelligence was beyond what Kaguya considered normal.
The young woman even felt intimidated by the innovative ideas Doma proposed as merchandise.
She quickly became a regular visitor to the cult, following Doma's teachings.
His sect didn't just teach how to reach paradise but how to "live."
The man named Doma took every measure to guide and help those in need.
All these discoveries turned Kaguya's life upside down, as she had always been resigned to her fate… a mere concubine, more useful than the others.
She quickly realized that the power to change things had always been in her hands.
The night of the monastery incident was decisive for Kaguya, as she understood something crucial: even Doma could perish at the hands of a group of bandits.
She orchestrated the assassination of her husband, after paying a generous sum to a ronin samurai and his band of outlaws.
After this act, she bribed all the heads of the various departments of the merchant organization led by the Hatori family.
For such a bold move, she had to use various promises of wealth and promotion.
For simple employees who had become department heads thanks to Kaguya's ideas, the opportunity was too good to pass up.
The result exceeded her expectations.
Kaguya became the head of the Hatori family, as the elders deemed it a necessary compromise.
She had the power, and they… a prestigious family name in the region.
The agreement was sealed on one condition:
Kaguya would have to bear a child, but if she couldn't conceive, she would have to hand over the merchant business to the family elders.
This led to the current situation.
Kaguya went to the cult to confess her mistakes and hope to obtain from Doma… a child.
Why Doma? The young woman judged him to be the only one worthy enough to give her something Kazuto Hatori had failed to provide.
But…
"W-what?!"
Doma saw right through her.
"Are you really surprised? Well, I must admit your little act was well-played, but I'm not stupid~" Doma declared with a shrug.
The young woman stood stunned for a moment before an expression of… "as expected of Doma-sama" crossed her face. She opened her mouth again.
"Indeed… I lied, but the murder of my husband is very real," she said, her eyes reflecting an unusual coldness.
If Jay had seen this in his first life, he would've said, "Damn yandere."
"Oh… well, I'm terribly sorry. You're still the guilty one, aren't you?"
Kaguya nodded and gracefully picked up the tea in front of her. Her face was no longer marked by grief but by complete indifference.
Doma felt like he was seeing his own reflection in a mirror, but he pushed that thought aside.
"So… you're not here just to confess your crimes?"
Kaguya hesitated for a second before answering in a calm tone.
"Not exactly… I did come to 'confess,' but I didn't want to explicitly state how my husband died by my hand," she said, pausing before continuing, "I didn't want to ruin the image you have of me."
Her indifferent face suddenly turned tomato red. A detail Doma noticed immediately.
'No… don't tell me her husband died because of me?'he thought.
This idea shocked him without needing to use his power, as he never expected someone to die because of his indirect influence.
In the original timeline, Kaguya's husband never died because she never realized her potential.
Thus, Kaguya's husband died because she was drawn to the intelligence and business strategies Doma had demonstrated.
'A yandere… I've stumbled upon a yandere widow,' Doma thought.
Doma became more cautious around her but let nothing show on the surface.
"Hm… I see, but you still did something wrong," he said, shaking his head slightly to express his disapproval.
Surprisingly, Kaguya didn't contest his words.
"Indeed, that's why… I was already prepared to go to hell when I chose this path," she declared.
Her words made Doma's eyes widen slightly, surprised by the boldness of her statement.
He wanted to confirm her feelings and motivations:
"What drives you to follow this path? Why go so far?"
Kaguya hesitated for a moment, then suddenly stood up and walked toward Doma. He remained calm, confident in his ability to control her if necessary.
"I… I want to bear your child… Doma-sama," she confessed, her face no longer able to maintain the seriousness she had displayed at the start of the conversation.
Doma saw the young woman confess her feelings, but…
"Sorry, but… I'm sterile."