“What are your intentions with regard to this Mori prince?”
“He shall marry, as you already know, the Lady Wistaria, and in that way will become an outcast, both legally and morally.”
“And after their marriage?”
“Immediate notification of the fact to his father.”
“And after that? What of the order from the shogunate touching his execution?”
“It shall be destroyed. I have given my promise to my daughter.”
“But when this fact reaches the shogunate people they will resent it, and will never permit so valuable a prisoner to escape them. They will send troops, if necessary, to take him from you. In the event of your refusing to execute him, they will find another who will do so.”
“Very well, let them do so. I have no doubt, however, that the Prince Keiki will escape them. But having become an outcast, he will be useless as an Imperialist leader.”
“Which does not alter the fact that the Shogun’s men will continue to fear him. Even now, you say, their spies and soldiers are lurking about on all sides. I tell you it is quite impossible for him to escape them now.”
“Well, all that is his affair, my lady. So far as I am concerned, on the day of his Eta marriage I shall destroy the order of execution.”