☾Book I of the Lady of Dai☽ Years have passed since the Mad Emperor was deposed and peace has spread throughout Ordan, or so the people say. As the Fifth Dai Emperor ages and the end of his reign become inevitable, thoughts turn to the future and towards the vacant Crown Prince position, yet to be filled. The Imperial Sons bare their fangs and sharpen their swords for a brutal fight for supremacy. The last man standing must have more than intelligence or wealth--he must be willing to crush all opposition in his way. Mei, a foundling taken in by a ducal household is at the very fringe of the keen observers of these fights. Her duties and her concerns have little to do with the inevitable battle. That is until her life is upended and she is forced into the Imperial Court in order to preserve her own wellbeing. Although her resolve is to keep her head down and live a simple life, the events around her make this impossible-she must not only live, she must survive, by choosing to ally herself with an unlikely individual-the Emperor's scandalous 8th son, the Prince Shen Jao. Intrigue, glamour, magic and mystery lurk the corridors of the Imperial Court, where trust is gold, wealth is king and blood flows like wine-but love and passion may be in the cards for the dissolute prince and the foundling with the scarlet eyes.

To the country she was born to, she is Princess Le-Anne, the king's illegitimate daughter hidden in the shadows. To the empire she is sold to, she is Lady Wei Li Lian, a traitorous spy sent to infiltrate an enemy throne. But who is she really? Gifted with rare beauty and keen intelligence, Li Lian once desired nothing more than a peaceful, ordinary life. She dreamed of traveling distant lands and living freely, far away from politics and power. That fragile dream shattered the moment her estranged royal father finally noticed her existence. To him, she was not a daughter, but a tool. She was given one mission. Enter the enemy empire of Nevoria. Seduce its emperor. Survive the harem. Become empress. And hand the empire to her homeland. From a young age, she trained relentlessly in etiquette, strategy, and deception. She learned how to smile while scheming, how to walk through danger without leaving a trace. She would maneuver through the Nevorian court, evade the vipers of the inner palace, send secret missives in the dead of night, and climb her way to the phoenix throne. It should have been simple. So why did no one warn her? The greatest threat was never the harem, but the emperor himself. Cold, inscrutable, and merciless, he ruled with an iron fist and revealed nothing of his thoughts. Every encounter between them felt like a silent confrontation, where one misstep could lead to quiet destruction. Those eyes of his held no warmth, only sharp calculation, as if he had already seen through every lie she told herself. _____________________________ Cover By Ei_Daisuki

* THIS IS A COPYRIGHTED STORY OF MINE, MIDNIGHT_LILAC, PUBLISHED ON WATTPAD. IF YOU FIND IT ON ANY OTHER WEBSITE, IT HAS BEEN COPIED/REPUBLISHED WITHOUT MY CONSENT AND YOU ARE LIKELY AT A RISK OF A MALWARE ATTACK. IF YOU WISH TO READ THIS STORY IN ITS ORIGINAL, SAFE FORM, PLEASE GO TO WATTPAD * Takara Harumi is innocent, bright and cheerful - a young girl bustling with life and energy and loved by all. She's as normal as any other girl her age, but perhaps only on the outside because she hides a secret that most normal people would find freakish. On a very ordinary evening, she and her grandfather are thrown into a world much different from their own with people having different powers and living in the midst of violent chaos. Hesitant at first but in dire need of earning their bread and butter, they jump into the business they have always done which, unexpectedly, gets them tangled with the world's most feared group of S-Rank Criminal Nins - the Akatsuki. But having gained acceptance of her powers, even if it is from a group of S-Rank Nins, Harumi is happy and finally proud of who she truly is. But everything changes when she crosses paths the most powerful and feared Uchiha to have ever existed in all of history who seems to have more plans than just using Harumi's special power. ~~~~~~~~~~ Naruto and all its franchise (C) Masahi Kishimoto OC and creative plot (C) Midnight_Lilac

Twenty-six-year-old Kasiemobi Ejindu knows something sinister has been moving on with her for as long as she could recall even though she's oblivious of its true threats but a shocking revelation regarding her ancestral background and her sudden encounter with a young Hispanic-American pastor might just be her first true direction to finding salvation and love. * * * It's Christmas holiday, a time of joy, relaxation, thanksgiving and being with family but not for Kasiemobi, well, at least not this year. Twenty-six-year-old Kasiemobi Ejindu is conscious of the fact that something sinister has entwined with her life for as long as she could recall, and even though she is oblivious of the true threat it poses, she has learned to live with it. That is until a week before Christmas when her fiancée abruptly breaks off their engagement and she eventually travels to her hometown alone on major account of her young cousin's wedding. There, she meets Cergio Suarez, a young Hispanic-American pastor whose company she eventually grows fond of but their relationship-and ultimately her life is threatened by forces beyond her control and if she doesn't give into its demand, she stands a chance of losing her entire family and what they stand for. 2021 ©️