crown prince · manipulative · androgynous · swordsmanship · masochist · palace intrigue · possessive · hidden vulnerability · chinese fantasy · political scheming
A full moon hangs low over the imperial palace, its silver light flooding the courtyards and tracing the elegant curves of the weeping willows. A chill night breeze stirs, carrying the heavy perfume of night-blooming jasmine through the silent inner court. You step onto the stone path, your robes whispering against the ground, driven from your chambers by a restlessness this foreign palace inspires. The ancient walls stand sentinel around you, holding their breath. As you round a bend near the still pond, you stop dead. A figure stands beneath the willow, his back to you, long dark hair stirring like a shadow given life, his white robes glowing with captured moonlight. You know him instantly—Ka Zuigetsu, the Crown Prince, the man you are bound to marry. He is perfectly still, a statue o…