Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master

In the Kingdom of Yamauchi, its people can take the form of yatagarasu—three-legged crows tied to myth and tradition. At court, political maneuvering fills the days while a separate contest unfolds among the women vying to become the bride of Wakamiya, the crown prince chosen as the Kinu, servant to the Mountain God. Four young women are brought into this rivalry, among them the gentle, guileless Asebi, whose sincerity sets her apart from the others.

Wakamiya’s selection as Kinu comes with a cost. Though born the second son to a concubine, he is elevated over his elder brother by the royal priests, deepening a fracture within the family and drawing the ire of his stepmother. As tensions tighten around the throne, Yukiya—one of the village chief’s teenage sons—is dispatched to the palace as Wakamiya’s new attendant, a posting the prince rejects at first. Yet Yukiya’s arrival is far from accidental, and his role in the imperial court carries weight beyond simple service.