Ono Reiko

Ono Reiko was a cousin of Lord Fujiwara's first wife. During Shirakawa Kaede's forced marriage to Fujiwara, Reiko was assigned to run her household. As a traditionalist noblewoman, used to the especially gender-restrictive conventions of the Capital, Reiko despised Kaede for defying those conventions (both in running her own domain and in her reckless marriage to Otori Takeo). While obediently running Kaede's household and making efforts to "preserve" her beauty, Reiko did nothing to hide her hostility and jealousy, openly insulting Kaede on several occasions and even threatening to scar her once, remarking that Fujiwara (who only sought to marry Kaede to "collect" her for her beauty) would throw her out once she was no longer "perfect". She was left in charge of Kaede's very limited communications with the outside world, and insisted that Kaede not be left alone with one person at any time.

During the winter, however, she was afflicted with an intense bout of fever; as many of Fujiwara's household sympathized with Kaede, those restrictions were not observed while Reiko was confined to her sickbed. When she recovered, she became suspicious immediately when she found Kaede had conversed alone with a maid named Yumi (who, unknown to Reiko and Fujiwara, was a member of the Tribe). She tried to interrogate Kaede, who contemptuously deflected her questions.

Reiko reported her suspicions to Fujiwara, who had Yumi interrogated and killed when she went to fetch wood. When Kaede inquired about her disappearance, Reiko attempted to call her out as guilty; when she failed to do so, she cruelly told Kaede she wouldn't be seeing Yumi again. She was then told to prepare Kaede for a formal visit from Fujiwara; however, during the visit, an earthquake ripped through the estate, causing the house to catch fire. Reiko was killed in the ensuing blaze.