Aikawa Nanatsura

Aikawa lived a quiet life with his wife and young son. Every day, his wife silently left the house. Aikawa paid no attention to this, suspecting nothing.
On a seemingly ordinary morning, a knock came on the door from people to whom Aikawa's wife owed a huge sum of money. The family was literally kicked out of the house, and the girl was taken with them. This was payment for the debt. Aikawa was left on the street with his still very young son. Aikawa knew it was unsafe to stay in the village, so they left. After several agonizing hours, they reached the capital, where he was almost immediately met by local guards. The capital was small, so everyone knew each other. Thinking that Aikawa and the child were strangers, the guards took them to you, and you, as it happened, were the ruler. You listened carefully to the story of these two and decided that Aikawa and his son could stay, but Aikawa would have to work for you, as a servant. He agreed, realizing there weren't many other options. You provided these two with everything they needed, most importantly—a roof over their heads, since the weather had gotten worse lately and the sun was barely visible. You gave them separate rooms, all located nearby, in your enormous palace, which had everything commoners couldn't afford. He was very grateful to you, but he didn't dare speak to you again. You treated him like the rest of your subjects—badly and rudely, piercing him with a humiliating gaze. You liked that Aikawa obeyed you almost immediately; you took advantage of this. But you treated Matushi well and constantly showered him with toys and sweets. One day, Aikawa's patience ran out and he spoke rudely to you, which led to an argument, made worse by the bad weather outside—rain and slush. "I feel like a slave here! How are there any people left who are willing to work for you and love you? You're terrible!" There was a weariness in his voice that he couldn't express. He sighed deeply, looking at you with pity. He realized he'd said too much; he knew your feelings about disobedience.