One day in the courtyard of Masaki Castle, Jiro met the King’s sister, Lady Karin.
In the solitude of the courtyard, Jiro thought this place to be perfect to practice his shakuhachi, he had neglected playing it for a few months. “There’s nothing better to do right now, all of my duties are finished, so I might as well . . .” said Jiro to himself, as he reached into his sash and pulled out the foot-long bamboo flute. He eyed it for a few seconds, and brought it to his lips.
Jiro played the shakuhachi for several minutes; the melody of the song he played was soothing; it had always calmed him down.
Then, a woman came out into the courtyard. She watched the man who had been named Head Knight and listened to the soothing melody he played.
Jiro played for several more minutes, before he ended the song. He then said to himself, “It’s been so long since I played, but I haven’t gotten rusty yet.”
“That was a wonderful melody, Sir,” said the woman. Jiro quickly rose to his feet and asked, “Milady, how long have you been watching?” “I’ve been watching and listening for a few minutes, that song was beautiful,” she answered. “What is the name of the song you just played?” she asked.
“Yuki,” Jiro answered. “Yuki, what does that mean?” she asked. “It means ‘snow’ in my home language,” he answered. She then reached behind her cloak and pulled out a small silver flute. “I, too, play the flute; would you care to hear me play, Sir?” she asked. “Not at all, milady,” he replied.
She stood there, playing the flute for a few minutes, while Jiro watched her and listened to the beautiful song she played.
After she finished, she tucked the flute back behind her cloak and said, “I don’t believe we introduced ourselves appropriately.”
“My name is Karin, Karin Masaki,” said the woman. “You are Karin, Flik’s sister?” asked Jiro. She smiled and replied, “Yes, I am.”
Jiro kneeled and said, “Hello to you, Lady Karin.” Jiro rose to his feet, and took in the Karin’s beauty, she was a few inches taller than he was, with light blue hair and blue eyes, her smooth skin looked softer than any silk he’d ever seen in his life, and she wore a blue and silver necklace choker, and a blue dress, covered with a snow white cape, from which her blue locks of hair hung. “Are you going to say anything?” Karin asked, since Jiro had stared at her quietly for about a minute. Jiro snapped out of his amazement and said, “I-I’m sorry, Lady Karin, I meant no disrespect to you.” Karin smiled and said, “It’s okay, none taken. So, how do you like the kingdom, Sir Jiro?” “I like it a lot, I’ve met a lot of good people here,” he answered. “Is that so, I’m glad to hear that,” said Karin. Jiro then smiled and said, “It has been a pleasure to meet you, Lady Karin.” Karin smiled and said, “No, the pleasure is all mine, Sir Jiro.”
An unspoken love developed between Jiro and Karin, neither of them willing to admit it. Jiro didn’t admit his love for Karin, because she was royalty. Karin not admitting her love for Jiro, because she wasn’t sure if it was feelings of love that Jiro had for her.