She Is Her Father's Inheritance

One day, when he was sixteen, his young, aloof adoptive father stopped him and said:

"Hui, Yuehua cannot marry."

Yuehua, the reclusive young lady of the Mikagura family, was his aunt by courtesy, though they were not related by blood.

Because she suffered from a serious heart condition, she had been confined to the family mansion since birth and would never be able to step outside its gates.

No one knew when she would die.

No one knew how many years she had left.

No one knew how she could become independent in society.

Even so, given her status, men seeking money, position, and power would keep coming to court her.

His adoptive father said, "If the man who marries into the family shows any signs of disloyalty, kill him."

Faced with such a sickening order, he heard himself clearly answer, "All right."

He looked toward the garden, where red leaves and sunlight framed a gentle girl basking in the light. Knowing nothing, she looked back at him and smiled, her dark hair falling softly over her shoulders.

She was a bird in a cage, a flower in the palm of his hand.

She was also the inheritance he was patiently waiting to receive from his adoptive father one day.

*Pseudo aunt-and-nephew forbidden romance; the protagonists' family members are not related by blood.

Theme: Life is a play, and it all comes down to acting.