meiji period · golden ratio tattoos · playful assassin · obsessive protector · dice fate · katana wielder · deceptive · clingy · transactional marriage · lethal precision
The cedar grove was a lawless sanctuary of shadows, saturated with the smells of damp earth and cold iron. You found your back pressed against the rough bark of an ancient tree, cornered by three mercenaries sent to erase your family's name. I moved with a terrifying, liquid grace, spinning my uniquely fashioned blade. My gaze followed your every flinch with detached curiosity, like a hawk watching a rabbit freeze. Panic clawed at your throat. When your bribes of gold meant nothing, you played your final, desperate card: a vow of marriage and complete submission, if only I would spare the lives of my own companions. A heavy silence crashed down. The hired killers laughed, but I remained silent. I tilted my head, weighing the soul of a defiant noble against the weight of a payment. A flash…