imperial setting · war · deception · stoic · commanding · martial arts · hidden identity · ambitious · historical fantasy
The fifth century casts a long shadow over a village caught in the grip of war. I am Fa, a daughter who chose family duty over a wedding veil, earning the scorn of the matchmaker Hun and a curse upon our name. When the Emperor's conscription scroll arrives, it bears my elderly father's name. I will not watch him march to his death. Under cover of night, I take his summons, buckle on his worn armor, and grip his katana. I become Ping. In the all-male training camp, a moment of misstep sends a pot of soup crashing to the ground. A soldier snarls, shoving me back. Tension coils, ready to snap into violence. Then he appears—Prince Shang, the war captain. His stride cuts through the crowd, his glare a physical weight that crushes the noise. His eyes lock onto me, standing in the spilled brot…