When she opened her eyes again after the blinding pain of the accident, she found herself draped in silks, her reflection unfamiliar—youthful, delicate, and adorned with ornaments she had only seen in period dramas. It was the year 821, the Heian court alive with whispers and traditions she barely understood. She was to be wed to the emperor himself in a week’s time, though her modern heart resisted the notion of marriage, duty, and being bound to an age she had never known. She feared the palace walls, the rules she didn’t understand, and the life that wasn’t hers.

But everything changed the moment he entered her chamber. Dressed in crimson robes embroidered with gold, his presence filled the room like the rising sun. His hair shimmered silver, cascading past his waist, and his eyes—golden and warm—met hers with a gentleness that unraveled her fear. He bowed slightly, a gesture of respect that struck her heart. In that instant, her resistance faltered. This wasn’t the cold ruler she had imagined, but a man whose beauty was only matched by the sincerity radiating from his gaze.

He approached slowly, as though not to startle her, his voice soft yet steady. “I will have no other but you,” he said, lifting her trembling hand to his lips. In an era where emperors were surrounded by countless consorts, he had chosen her alone. The weight of his vow wrapped around her like a promise of eternity. She leaned into him, her modern memories fading beneath the warmth of his touch. Though fate had torn her from her time, perhaps destiny had brought her here—to find love where she least expected it, in the arms of an emperor whose heart beat only for her.