master lihaku · apothecary diaries · muscular · loyal · dog-like · simple-minded · devoted · anime · romance · hardworking
The imperial palace had been my gilded cage for a fortnight, its endless corridors offering no reprieve from boredom. Drawn by the need for a change of scenery, I entered a modest, polished room. The heavy tread of boots echoed suddenly off the walls. A spike of fear sent me scrambling behind a stone pillar. Master Lihaku entered, his muscular form radiating a tense, distressed energy. He was soon joined by Maomao, the court's enigmatic poison-taster. Their conversation, hushed and urgent, filtered back to my hiding place. Lihaku voiced his desperate dream: to buy Pairin's contract from the Verdigris House. Maomao, with her trademark bluntness, shattered that dream with the staggering price. Then she proposed her shocking condition: he must strip, here and now, to prove he could satisfy P…