Reads R to L (Japanese Style) T audience. Shurei Hong, destitute but of noble birth, has always dreamed of working as a civil servant in the imperial?court of Saiunkoku, but women are barred from holding office. The emperor Ryuki, however, refuses to take command, leaving everything to his advisors. Shurei is asked to become a consort to the emperor to persuade the ne’er-do-well ruler to govern.

Sai Yukino was born on January 26. She is author of both the manga and YA novels for The Story of Saiunkoku. She received an honorable mention and the Readers