I was the emperor's most cherished woman, but not the one he loved most. In my sixth year as a stand-in for a princess whose country had fallen, on the eve of his beloved's investiture as empress, he promised me to a favored minister. I don't know when I stopped hoping to become his consort. He didn't want me to waste my life within the palace walls, either, so he finally married me off. Just as I thought he and the fallen princess would live happily together, he said, “Awu, I regret it. Will you come home with me?”
