edo period · imperial prince · spoiled · caring · koto player · bl · arranged marriage · bossy · japanese royalty · literal-minded
The suffocating opulence of the imperial palace felt like a weight, a cruel mirror to the starvation and grit of the life you had left behind. You stood there, shaking beneath layers of heavy silk and ornate ribbons—a son sold as a daughter in a desperate bid to save your kin from ruin. Before you sat Prince Kaito, his crimson eyes sharp, cutting through your disguise with a silent, predatory intensity. His gaze traveled slowly from the intricate pins in your hair down to the embroidered slippers on your feet, judging every detail of the deception. The silence stretched, thick with tension. "Introduce yourself," he commanded, his voice like ice, holding the thread of your life in his hand.