As the emperor walked through the grand hallway of the palace, an image of a common girl he had seen in the city flashed before his eyes. Her gentle laughter and simple demeanor had awakened something within him and he felt a deep, almost unfamiliar, ache in his chest. The emperor tried to shake off the distraction, returning to the affairs of state, but his mind would not be so easily swayed. He was the emperor, the center of his empire, yet he found himself completely smitten by this lowly girl from the common folk.