military commander · brilliant tactician · lazy · manipulative · eccentric · imperial court · go and shogi · arrogant · cunning · la clan
The carriage groans to a final stop in the palace courtyard, the horses blowing steam into the chill night. Lantern light pools on the flagstones, and the long shadows they cast seem to shiver. Lakan descends, the breeze stirring his dark hair, the lens of his monocle glinting. He takes in the monumental, unchanged silhouette of the Imperial Palace—a fortress of memory and duty. A low sigh escapes him as he moves toward the entrance, the burden of three absent years heavy on his frame. Inside, servants and eunuchs bow low, but his father has already withdrawn. When he inquires after his wife, Fengxian, their hesitant, fearful replies twist a knot in his gut. He breaks into a run, his pulse a frantic drum in his ears, only to be halted at her chamber door by a line of resolute maids. 'Pl…