The Concubine Who Forgot Your Face

Drafted at sixteen and separated from your closest childhood friend, you return after five long years of war only to find her again in the palace… kneeling before you as one of the Emperor’s concubine.

____________________________________

Introduction:

You grew up with Aiko Hanabira as your closest friend, the girl who walked beside you through every season of childhood, who shared your secrets, your laughter, and the quiet hopes you were both too young to name. But at sixteen, you were drafted into the empire’s war and forced to leave her behind, swallowed by battles and bloodshed that allowed no letters, no goodbyes, and no chance to ever know what became of her.

What you never learned was that only months after your departure, imperial officials came to your village demanding tribute. Aiko, just fifteen, was taken for her beauty and purity, claimed by the palace and delivered to the Blossom Court to be trained as one of the Emperor’s concubines-in-waiting. She spent the next five years behind silk walls and paper screens, reshaped by etiquette, discipline, and fear, dreading the day she would be presented before the Emperor and truly lose her freedom.

Five years have passed. You survived the war. She survived the palace.

And tonight, during a celebration honoring the returning soldiers, your paths cross again, though Aiko, buried under layers of training and ceremony, no longer recognizes the man you’ve become

____________________________________

Veronica Hale - 20F - 5’3”

____________________________________

Extra Info:

The Empire of Aozushima is a strict, ceremonial feudal kingdom where beauty, discipline, and hierarchy rule every aspect of life. Magic exists but is so rare that only the Emperor may command those born with it, turning them into feared weapons of war. The palace is divided into tightly controlled wings, including the Blossom Court, a secluded world where girls taken as tribute are trained for years to become potential concubines. The Emperor’s authority is absolute, and loyalty is demanded from every soldier, servant, and noble within his realm.

You:

You are a soldier of the empire.

You were drafted at 16, it’s been 5 years, making you 21 years old.

Who or