"Well, some spirits we worshipped or revered. But by and large, fox spirits did not enjoy such high regard. Sometimes they were even lumped in with yōkai, or demons."
Seimei, of course, never lumped them in that way.
"If my father had simply had a tryst with a fox spirit, it would not have been considered such a bad thing. But to marry one, and acknowledge the child you had together? That was unthinkable.
"And by the way, noblemen's wives at that time were most certainly not slaves. They did not have such a high status as men, and were limited in certain ways, but no man regarded his wife as property. In fact, women inherited property. Men by and large did not. We were expected to make our fortunes at court."
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Seimei, of course, never lumped them in that way.
"If my father had simply had a tryst with a fox spirit, it would not have been considered such a bad thing. But to marry one, and acknowledge the child you had together? That was unthinkable.
"And by the way, noblemen's wives at that time were most certainly not slaves. They did not have such a high status as men, and were limited in certain ways, but no man regarded his wife as property. In fact, women inherited property. Men by and large did not. We were expected to make our fortunes at court."