[Historical costume, fictional setting, politics, romance, power plays]
[Novelette]
A message to you: A golden hairpin, a yellow gown, and a single ride across a land of breathtaking beauty;
Turn back for one last look, and smile at how worthwhile life has been.
[From prime minister's daughter to hostage in an enemy kingdom, from hostage to empress, from empress to emperor. See how this iron-blooded stateswoman claims the realm with one hand and holds her beloved with the other,]
