In the kingdom of Wanglong, slave girls work in the royal palace. Tamie Beanson, Tiegan Brown, and Liz Schettner are close friends with each other. They serve as water-maids in the palace and occasionally do some other work. They get to contemplate the life of seven princes - the sons of the emperor. Tamie has a crush on one of the princes, and wishes to get closer to him - Wang Shao, the most mysterious of the seven. But as she is only a servant, she gets no chance to get closer to the boys. Furthermore, she is a woman, and women servants are regarded as even lower than men - the men servants sometimes get to become the princes' personal attendees, aiding them in hunts and battles. One day, Tamie rescues an injured fox from being captured by the princes, and her friends help her get the fox back on her feet. Sad that she is unable to reach her sweetheart, Tamie goes alone in a forest to lament and dreams if only she were a boy. After she makes this wish, her friend fox from before appears and breathes at her while she's still asleep. Later when she wakes up, she feels she has somehow changed. She crawls up to the river and discovers what the change actually is - she looks into the water, but it reflects a boy... -- The Kindle version of the book is available for $0.99 on the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DYCPXRC -- The paperback version for $8.70 can be found on the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1983246131

Dear Reader, The following work was found sealed in the library of a castle, belonging to an ancient noble family, in the Champagne region to the east of Paris. The dates of the events contained within are attributed to sometime in the 18th century. It appears that any other record of the Marquis featured within, and the estate that he kept, have since been expunged from historical record. It is as if there was an omertà (conspiracy of silence) which sought to erase him entirely from collective memory - one that might have succeeded if not for the astonishing recovery of these letters. It has been my duty to act as caretaker to this work since I agreed to its restoration. I have found, regrettably, that my colleagues have failed to grasp the momentous importance of these letters and their wider significance. There is, I admit, some question of authenticity that requires consideration. For my part, I have forcible reasons to believe that these letters are genuine. I have submitted the work to a broader audience, however, for precisely this object; I have hope that, by breaking outside the narrow remit of literary academia, I may yet find a willing readership committed to studying these letters as seriously as I have. As the Judge might once have heard it, so the Reader shall hear it now. Unfortunately, I must also include a notice of warning: the letters of Charlotte B--- speak of diabolical horrors and the direst human cruelty. I believe that, were these letters recognised, they would take the place as the first of the modern écritures maudits (damned writings), above de Sade or Corbière. Hence, I recognise that such subject matter is certainly not for everyone. Should you decide to turn to more pleasant reading, I certainly could not blame you. The world can be a sombre and unforgiving place without having to reflect on its grimmest parts. The choice to continue, Reader, is entirely your own. Yours faithfully, Dr. Samuel J. Collins