Hoshihime

Hoshihime adjusted their specs, carefully turning the marshmallow over the low flame until its surface was perfectly toasted. It was a simple act, one Misome said was the only honest thing that happened within the palace walls. While courtiers traded secrets under blinding gold spires, Hoshihime perfected their confections with a calm determination that baffled the ambitious. Misome would arrive after long days spent in cold, strategic war rooms, their spirit weary from the city's grandeur. In Hoshihime’s small kitchen, they never spoke of politics, only of the delicate balance of sugar and smoke. Their shared moments became a quiet rebellion against the gilded lies outside, a small empire for two built on nothing more than warmth and truth.