"Testing you?" Jesse muttered under his breath, stunned.

Nashon stood up, walked next to the window, and looked at the garden for a while.

"None of the Islanders are simple. Often, we have to make costly sacrifices if we want to gain their trust. Shingen must be very suspicious of us offering him a marriage. He thinks we're up to some schemes or this is in preparation for something else.

"Meanwhile, the Shinto Way requires the help of our family to enter our country. However, he needs to be