In the fictional Dawn Empire, a realm built on Chinese-inspired court culture where palace intrigue and assassination threats lurk behind ornate gardens and rigid ceremonial, Emperor Seiran abruptly names his childhood friend Meika as his imperial consort. Meika had spent years training in martial arts with the single-minded goal of becoming a soldier so she could protect Seiran from the constant plots against his life. To her, his decision feels like a frivolous prank that crushes her dream, and she resents being reduced to a decorative wife inside the palace walls. What Meika does not know is that Seiran, who genuinely loves her, engineered the marriage specifically to keep her away from the very danger she wants to fight. He cannot bear the thought of her on a battlefield or facing the assassins who target him, so he chose to confine her to a safer role she despises. Their married life becomes a chain of painful misunderstandings driven by the same impulse on both sides: each wants to protect the other.

Meika is a tomboyish, action-first woman with low emotional intelligence when it comes to romance. Her strength and stubbornness are offset by an inability to recognize her own budding feelings for Seiran. Seiran appears playful, mischievous, and sometimes frivolous, but beneath that mask he is sharp-witted, calculating, and obsessively devoted to shielding Meika from harm. His jealousy is easily provoked, and he often acts possessively while downplaying his true intentions. Supporting characters include Getsuyo, Seiran's capable but insecure half-brother who governs a province and initially bonds with Meika over shared feelings of inadequacy. Tatsuya, Getsuyo's trusted retainer, turns out to be abusing laborers and funneling illicit profits to an unknown figure, exposing the first major conspiracy within the court. In the second volume, a senior martial brother named Enyo enters the story as a general who requests Meika's deployment to the front lines, raising her hopes of finally fulfilling her military ambition, only for his betrayal to later be revealed.

The story's first major arc begins with the forced marriage itself. Seiran challenges Meika by shooting an ornament off a gate tower, fulfilling a condition she had posted in a desperate attempt to delay any match, and the wedding proceeds over her protests. A trip to an imperial detached villa follows, where Meika's secret fear of ghosts provides comedic relief. Getsuyo receives them, and when Meika and Getsuyo commiserate over their insecurities, Seiran grows jealous, whisks her away to a scenic overlook, and kisses her in a moment that reveals the depth of his feelings for the first time. The conspiracy unfolds when Tatsuya's exploitation of mine workers comes to light. Getsuyo, devastated by the failure of his oversight, nearly attempts suicide, but Meika persuades him to cooperate on an investigation. Tracing the corruption to a copper mine, the group races to prevent Tatsuya from destroying evidence and silencing the workers. Meika's combat skills shine in the confrontation. Though Tatsuya is captured, signs point to a larger power pulling strings behind the scenes.

The second volume deepens the relationship dynamic. Meika begins to experience uncharacteristic confusion and nervousness around Seiran, signaling that her feelings are shifting beyond mere childhood loyalty, even as she remains oblivious to the nature of her own emotions. The appearance of Enyo and the arrival of new consort candidates stir further tension, and Seiran's refusal to openly stop Meika from leaving with Enyo frustrates her, widening the gap between them despite their increasing closeness. The volume's climax reveals that Enyo, the trusted brother-like figure, is himself part of the conspiracy against the imperial family, a betrayal that shocks Meika and leaves her allies dwindling as the threats against Seiran escalate.

The narrative threads together romantic comedy built on bickering and mutual stubbornness, tender moments of hidden devotion, and palace drama involving corruption, class abuse, and political scheming. Meika's journey is one of gradually awakening to love while struggling against the gilded cage of her position, and Seiran's is that of a ruler who must balance the safety of the woman he loves with the dangers inherent to his throne. Their central conflict comes from wanting the same thing, to keep each other safe, but pursuing it in ways that hurt one another. The series remains ongoing, with the central mysteries of who truly controls the anti-imperial faction and whether Meika and Seiran can reconcile their dreams and their hearts left unresolved.