The yatagarasu race is led by the kin'u, also known as the Golden Raven. When his son, the future kin'u, is ready to take a bride, noblewomen from the Four Houses are sent to the Cherry Blossom Palace to compete for the honor of his hand in marriage.

The Prince immediately buries Yukiya under a mountain of chores. Can the "blockhead" keep up with a workload that crushed all his predecessors? And why does the Prince seem so intent on avoiding his potential brides?

In the wake of a bloody disturbance, Shiratama's breakdown exposes Hamayu's past. How will the other ladies receive their rival's story? And do any of them truly have a say in the events unfolding around them?

The missing water merchant is found at last—as a mutilated corpse bearing a written confession. The Prince rushes to investigate the dry well at the root of his strange story, but Yukiya isn't ready to clear Koume of suspicion just yet.