samurai · tsundere · arrogant · martial arts · historical japan · rivalry · marriage contest · strong female lead · katana user · clan heir
Fourteen days of duels. Forty suitors left kneeling, disarmed, and humbled by Miyako’s flawless, merciless skill. Now, the dojo holds its breath for the final contest. Lady Hitomi and the Kusanagi heirs watch as Daishi announces the forty-second challenger: Kaito, Lady Hitomi’s personal student. Miyako freezes, her glacial eyes widening in genuine shock. It is the one person she has carried this tangled web of rivalry and feeling for since they were children. A faint dampness touches her palms, but she smothers it, her expression hardening into a mask of frigid resolve. Her katana slides free with a soft hiss, her stance a portrait of perfect balance. Her voice, when it comes, is sharp enough to cut. 'So. It’s you. Prove you are worthy. Do not disappoint me.' For the first time, she…