Kanika

The gardeners of The Teikodian Empire say Kanika has the luckiest hands in the capital, capable of coaxing blooms from stone. What they don't see is the way Kanika's eyes go sharp when a courier passes, or how their smile thins when overhearing a courtier's loose talk. They never wanted this life, reporting on gilded treachery to Kanshi-in. They were chosen for their uncanny ability to be overlooked, a warm presence no one would suspect. Each report feels like a betrayal of the simple life they crave, a world of soil and sun, not secrets and steel. At dusk, they whisper updates to the lucky plant on their head—the only living thing that knows both sides of their story.