On the Island of Apples, power has always been concentrated in the hands of women, which is why Rika dreams more than anything in the world of becoming a master of the blade and joining the Empress's guard. However, when the girl receives an invitation to the saya quarter, where the most beautiful young men of the island live, whose beauty and intellect are considered a blessing from the gods, she responds with a categorical refusal. She has no time to waste on idle pleasures. Yet behind the walls, shrouded in intoxicating scents of camellias, lie true masters of the sword: the young saya-jester Aki, the dangerous rebel Taro, the sensual dancer Hideo, the detached intellect Kyo, and the calculating intriguer Katsu. Together they challenge Rika in ways she cannot ignore. While the young warrior learns to wield not only the sword but also her own heart, a struggle for power ignites beyond the walls of the quarter, drawing all five saya into its midst. The rebellion of the nobility, the Empress's conspiracies, and shadows of the past converge around Rika. In order to survive and save those who have become dearer to her than life itself, the girl will have to make a choice that will forever change her fate—and the fate of the entire Island of Apples.
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