Satsuki Nakamura – författare

In a kingdom inspired by historical China, five clans put forth their maidens as imperial consorts--but only one will be crowned empress. The frail and beautiful Kou Reirin, the so-called 'butterfly' of the imperial court, is a shoo-in to marry the crown prince. But when 'court rat' Shu Keigetsu lashes out at her during the glittering Lantern Festival, it's Reirin who wakes up in the dungeons! Body-swapped by her assailant to steal her position at court, Reirin's plight seems dire...to everyone else! Now that she's got a robust new body, not even the looming threat of execution can stop her!

Thanks to Gyoumei’s and Keigetsu’s timely intervention, Reirin is back from the brink and ready to dish out seismic fury! At the same time, Unran pulls through after the magistrate’s betrayal. With the team reunited and recuperated, it’s time to close out the Harvest Festival, and the Untouchable Village is set to be the centre stage. But this festival is not just about having a good time; it’s also about justice. Time for Reirin and Keigetsu to drag the shadowy villains behind all this trouble into the light!

In a kingdom inspired by historical China, five clans put forth their maidens as imperial consorts - but only one will be crowned empress. The frail and beautiful Kou Reirin, the so-called 'butterfly' of the imperial court, is a shoo-in to marry the crown prince. But when 'court rat' Shu Keigetsu lashes out at her during the glittering Lantern Festival, it's Reirin who wakes up in the dungeons! Body-swapped by her assailant to steal her position at court, Reirin's plight seems dire... to everyone else! Now that she's got a robust new body, not even the looming threat of execution can stop her!

Prepare for swirling court intrigue in this magical 'trading places' tale of maidens competing for the crown--and don't miss the original light novels, also from Seven Seas!

DANCE LIKE A BUTTERFLY, FIGHT LIKE…A RAT!After a rocky start, Reirin and Leelee have no time to lose before they must compose themselves for the Ghost Festival at the Maiden Court. There, Reirin must tread a tight line between the villainess role she’s been cast and employing a diplomatic tit-for-tat of her own: confronting Kin Maiden Seika and her menacing court lady Gayou’s plots. Keigetsu, meanwhile, is pushed to wits’ end by her new body’s precarious health–the risk of her plot’s discovery rises!

The Maiden Court’s blazing summer of plots and curses wanes into cooler autumn days. Keigetsu buckles down to restore the Palace of Vermillion Stallion in the turbulent wake left by the ex-Noble Shu, along with Reirin’s bolstering support. That fateful Double Sevens night almost seems like a different lifetime, but the seasonal change also marks a big event - the Harvest Festival, a chance for the Maidens to trade the palace for the southern region, in none other than…Shu!

Taken hostage, Reirin (in Keigetsu's body) and Keikou must face the Untouchable Village's retribution by...toiling in the rice paddies? Why, it's just the type of challenge the earth-loving Kou siblings delight in! Their bamboozled captors are left in the dust whilst the dynamic duo launch a top-to-bottom agricultural revamp. But their bucolic days are cut short when a familiar face joins the captives. As hidden truths and machinations are tossed into sharp relief, everything Unran has scraped together for his people teeters on the brink. So far from home, how will Reirin face the Village's unprecedented malaise?

Keigetsu knows she must act when rumours threaten to make her already bad position at court even worse. To find the source of the rumours, she hosts a tea party with the other Maidens. But finding out who is behind the slander will take careful tact. Can Keigetsu convincingly act like the genteel Kou maiden and keep her true fiery nature under wraps? Meanwhile, dysentery grips the Untouchable Village, sending Unran on a desperate gamble to bring back medicine for his people. Reirin has always kept up a happy outlook even at the worst of times, but with so many innocent lives at stake, will she be pushed over the edge?

Prepare for swirling court intrigue in this magical “trading places” tale of maidens competing for the crown! Award-winning original light novels also from Seven Seas—and don’t miss the anime! As the crown prince’s favoured maiden at court, Kou Reirin’s future as the next empress is all but assured. That is, until her rival Shu Keigetsu, the court’s “sewer rat,” pushes her over a balcony! Reirin survives but wakes up in Keigetsu’s body! Turns out, Keigetsu has used magic to swap bodies with Reirin in order to steal her position at court. After being sickly her whole life, Reirin is determined to use this new body to turn things around. She won’t let anything stop her, not even her impending execution!

MORE TWISTS AND TURNS IN THE KIN DOMAIN! Kou Reirin, Shu Keigetsu, and Kin Seika have pulled off their grand welcome for Prince Nadir and overcome an overdose scare with a well-timed body swap. With the immediate danger past, the Maidens spring into action, infiltrating the brothel involved in the drug trade to nail down proof of their crimes. Yet when the girls come face-to-face with the brothel’s highest-ranking courtesan, the so-called “heavenbloom,” her true identity has them reeling—Seika most of all!

REAP WHAT YOU SOWThe site of this year’s Harvest Festival has been decided—and it’s the domain of the Maiden Court’s most reviled villainess, Shu Keigetsu! Down a guardian to show her the ropes, she puts her nose to the grindstone to ensure the ceremony will go off without a hitch. But when an unknown force sabotages the proceedings, Keigetsu’s fraught emotions send her powers spiraling out of control, sparking a second swap with Reirin! Amid all the chaos, villagers come to abduct “Keigetsu”…but will they get more than they bargained for?

Just when Kou Reirin has gotten the dysentery outbreak in the Untouchable Village under control, the village chief mysteriously shows up on death’s door. Reirin fights tooth and nail to keep her new friend alive—but it might not be enough to get him through the night. Meanwhile, Shu Keigetsu is all fired up and ready to get her tea party for the Maidens underway. Now that the outwardly meek Ran Houshun has shown her true collars, it’s time to best her in a game of psychological warfare!

Three months have passed since the Harvest Festival, and the five Maidens now face the Rite of Reverence - the test that will set their hierarchy in stone. The pressure is on, and each girl has her own inner demons to contest with! Unconcerned with the rankings, Kou Reirin supports her nervous wreck of a friend, Shu Keigetsu... until the two get into a knock-down, drag-out fight! To make matters worse, an unknown force is out to sabotage Reirin. Does the indomitable Kou Maiden finally have her back to the wall?!

In the Kingdom of Ei, five clans put forth their maidens as imperial consorts - but only one will be crowned empress. Just when frail and beautiful “court butterfly” Kou Reirin seems poised to marry the crown prince, jealous “court rat” Shu Keigetsu steals her body! Reirin wakes up in the dungeons as the conspirator, and things look dire… or do they? Now that she’s got a robust new body, not even the looming threat of execution can stop her!