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K 01

K

Chapter 1

The moment she first saw her reflection in the mirror, her heart leaped with a conviction akin to faith.

Kasha smiled.

If I am this devastatingly beautiful, then there is nothing I cannot do.



“Huff… Huff…”

Ciara ran breathlessly, her sprint chaotic.

Even disguised in men’s clothing, pretending to be an ascetic, she was surrounded by thousands of men.

According to Imperial law, a woman could not go out unless accompanied by a man.

And even then, she had to cover her entire body with a head covering and veil, yet she had merely wrapped a single piece of burlap around her head.

Still, Ciara ran forward without fear.

Bwooooooooooo!

The blaring sound of a horn trumpet boomed through the deep blue winter sky of late December.

“Make way! Their Highnesses the Princes are passing through!”
“Prostrate yourselves, bow your heads, and clear the path quickly!”

People bustled about, hurriedly clearing stalls and scurrying out of the way.

“Oh my, goodness! It’s the Princes’ procession!”
“They went out hunting two days ago, how are they back so soon?”
“Isn’t it still the time they should be heading to the hunting grounds?”
“Right! This was the first time all seven of them went out together.”
“They must have fought again on the way. They say they always fight when they get together.”
“Hey, the Prince’s procession is coming!”
“Get out of the way, quick!”

The narrow alley became packed with merchants fleeing, arms full of their wares.

In the countless crowd surging in one direction, Ciara alone moved like a bird swimming against the tide of fate, heading towards the source of the horn’s sound.

Twisting her body this way and that, she barely managed to burst out of the alley…

Bwooooooooooo.

Against the rosy sunset sky, a vast number of flags fluttered majestically.
There were soldiers in sleek, gleaming silver armor, a line of passing carriages, and countless well-bred horses and hunting dogs.

It was as if the wealth and power of the Shirkohin Empire had become visible.

Thump… thump…

Her heart beat violently, sending shivers down her spine.

Yet, even to her inexperienced eyes, it was clear the procession contained only baggage trains and escort soldiers. The Princes’ main party had already passed.

As evidence, the prostrate pedestrians were cautiously lifting their heads and beginning to stand.

She swiftly gave chase, running after the procession again.

[Madman.]

The words, scoffed disdainfully by a Shirkohin noble, echoed in her mind.

[You want your younger sister to be accepted into the Emperor’s harem? The whole world knows the Emperor is frail with age, his illness severe, that he could pass any day now, and you speak of concubines! What insane nonsense!]

The Emperor was dying.

It was a statement synonymous with despair.

She had come all this way, thinking only of the Emperor…

Hearing those words, her hope for revenge shattered into pieces, and her shoulders trembled.

As Ciara swallowed a groan and hunched her shoulders, the Shirkohin noble sneered.

[You should have rather asked me to introduce you to one of the seven Princes. Although, depending on who becomes Emperor, their fortunes will change. Picking the wrong faction could put your life in danger.]
[……]
[Of course, the Fourth Prince is a crippled madman, so he’s excluded from the start since he can’t become Emperor.]

“Hhuuk.”

Her legs wobbled, threatening to buckle at any moment, but Ciara ran with desperate determination.

It’s not over.
It’s not over yet.

A young Prince who would become Emperor was obviously better than a dying old Emperor.

And on this very day she arrived in the city, she had encountered all the high-born, noble Princes, whose shadows were usually hard to catch in a lifetime.

She couldn’t miss this perfect opportunity.

Whether on the plains or in the Empire, a woman without a man to protect her lived a life of being plundered left and right.

Even with a man to protect her, it was her fate to be plundered eventually by a stronger man.

Since she was born a woman, someday.
Eventually.
Sooner or later.

“If my fate is to be plundered anyway, then I will be plundered by the strongest man.”

While countless crowds lay flat on both sides of the road, pressing their heads to the ground, she alone was running.

The musicians glanced at her, the guards watched with cold eyes, but seeing the white cloth on the staff she carried as an ascetic’s mark, they did not stop her. There was a legend that gods could manifest in the form of ascetics to test people.

Ascetics, who renounced life’s pleasures and even their families to wander the world alone, were treated with caution by all.

Chasing the procession desperately, she finally saw the Princes’ carriages.

It was the Seventh Prince’s carriage.

The Prince’s carriage had four pillars supporting a luxurious canopy to shield against the sun.

Now came the truly important choice.

Which of the six Princes should she ask to take her as a concubine?

The youngest son was likely the one doted on by the aging Emperor.

But the strongest was undoubtedly the first son, the First Prince.

“Huff… Huff…”

Glancing as she passed, the Seventh Prince was still a child, barely twelve years old or so.

Ciara fluttered her burlap wrap and kept running.

The Sixth Prince was also in his teens.

There was a sudden jump in age at the Fifth Prince, who appeared to be in his mid-twenties.

Moreover, she quickly grasped that each Prince had a characteristic color, evident from the different colors of their carriages.

At this rate, the First Prince might enter the imperial palace.

Anxiety surging, Ciara paid no attention to the remaining Princes and chaotically picked up her speed.

Soon, she caught up with the golden, roofless carriage.

The color symbolizing the First Prince was a dazzling, brilliant gold.

She was intensely curious about what kind of person the First Prince was, but unlike the other Princes, long, pure white drapes hung down, obscuring the interior.

“Your Noble Highness, the Prince.”

Ciara, huff huff, breathing harshly through parched lips, walked briskly alongside the carriage.

“I have an earnest plea for the First Prince. Please, stop for a moment and hear my story.”

Not one among the many attendants even glanced her way.

The First Prince was no different.

The silhouette of the Prince visible beyond the drapes did not stir, like a statue.

Instead, a man in his sixties, wearing a bright, long blue outer coat with an orange sash, blocked her path.

“Ascetic, if you have something to say, say it to me. I will listen and convey it faithfully to His Highness Axos.”
“But…”
“Furthermore, if His Highness Axos permits it, I will arrange a meeting according to palace formalities, setting a date and time.”

The official promised in a sympathetic tone.

Axos.

That was the First Prince’s name.

As Ciara hesitated, the man who looked like an official led her to a nearby alley.

“Now, now, come this way. Yes, what did you wish to say to His Highness Axos?”

His tone was gentle and pleasant to hear; he was a man with a very mild impression.

Even as she planted her feet and resisted, the man coaxed her with smooth words.

“To meet members of the Imperial family, one needs appropriate attire. So, for now, please come with me.”

Yes. That would be proper.

But she couldn’t miss this opportunity.

‘If His Highness Axos permits it’…

That was just a placating phrase; it meant ‘you cannot meet him.’

Ciara suddenly spun around and dashed towards the First Prince’s carriage.

“Good heavens!”

The official, grabbing the long sleeve of his outer coat as he turned, looked exasperated.

“Stop that ascetic, quickly! Before the Princes, who are already in a foul mood, vent their anger!”

The passersby had been saying the Princes didn’t get along.

They said all seven Princes had gone hunting together for the first time, but had another falling out, hence returning to the palace much earlier than scheduled.

Causing a disturbance here and now was terribly bad timing.

But with her father and brothers dead, and her mother and sister taken away by force…

For Ciara Asra, there would never be a ‘good time’ in her life from now on.

Clang, clang.

One soldier in silver armor and five other soldiers approached her with menacing expressions.

She tried to quickly slip away to the side, but her staff was snatched away in an instant.

To make matters worse, the soldiers grabbed her burlap wrap with rough hands.

“Ugh!”

Startled by the touch of men’s hands for the first time, she hurriedly clutched the burlap with both hands.

As she struggled, surrounded by the soldiers, the crowd cautiously raised their heads and began to watch.

Meanwhile, the Fourth Prince’s carriage was already approaching.

What should I do?

Holding the burlap with trembling hands, she hunched her upper body as much as possible.

To escape the soldiers’ grasp, she would have to let go of the burlap, but to reveal her face and hair on such a bright street in broad daylight, in front of a thousand men…

The mere thought made her skin crawl with fear.

If they discovered she was a woman without even a head covering or veil, there was no telling what might be done to her, or how.

A woman without a man’s protection was like money dropped on the roadside.

Whoever picks it up becomes the owner.

Thump. Thump.

Her heart beat as if it would burst, her breath growing short, but she steeled herself with the resolve of a lifetime.

She had to show her face anyway.

Her beauty was all she had, so she had to show that beauty.

Just as the Fourth Prince’s carriage was passing by, Ciara pulled her body out in one swift motion, like a delicate bird shedding its dirty burlap shell.

Simultaneously, Whooooo…

A strong gust of wind swept through.

It was the same wind that had always granted her freedom on the plains.

The sudden, fierce winter wind lifted her black, hip-length hair, making it billow and flutter magnificently.

“What in the…?”

The official, the commander, and the soldiers, realizing she was a young woman, stared in shock, their eyes wide.

Even the onlookers watching the situation began to rise to their feet one by one in surprise.

“Wh-what!”
“It’s not a man, it’s a woman?”

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Kasha

Kasha

카샤
Score 9.2
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: Released: 2025 Native Language: korean

Plot 

Blood and screams. A night of brutal slaughter. The marauders who had harmed her family were viciously searching for Ciara. "Where is that famous second daughter, the one they call 'the peerless beauty'?" "Hiding your daughter is useless! We'll find her!"

Ciara, who had barely escaped the carnage, fled across the frozen plains. Craving only one thing: revenge. Power. She needed power. The power of a mighty sovereign who could repay the marauders in kind for the blood spilled this day. In the heart of the howling blizzard, Ciara's eyes snapped open, cold and determined. "If my fate is to be plundered, then I will be plundered by the strongest man."


"You, what's your name?" A man lounging leisurely in an ornate, uncovered carriage looked down at Ciara and asked.

The crippled madman. The Fourth Prince, who was consequently considered completely ineligible for the imperial succession. Her plan had been to ensnare 'the most powerful prince, the one who would become Emperor,' for the sake of her revenge... yet this prince, known to be both crippled and insane, was her only option.

"Kasha."

Ciara lifted her chin gracefully as she answered.

"My name is Kasha."

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