The Mastermind's Regret
By @john1208
Shirin is far too nice for her own good. She wakes up with amnesia in a crowded bazaar, enduring a spectacular public humiliation from a local noblewoman who dumps her for being a 'pathetic excuse for a man.' Fleeing the scene, Shirin finds a smug letter written by her past self: to avoid being sold as a concubine to the vile Wazir, her past self voluntarily wiped her memories, bound her chest, and enrolled her as the boy 'Shirzad' in the hyper-macho Qaldir Vanguard. Her past self's flawless survival plan has one glaring flaw: Commander Faris. Ruthless and statuesque, Faris treats Shirzad with freezing contempt - a desperate front to mask his terrifying, spiraling sexuality crisis every time they are forced to hide from the Wazir's spies in cramped spice closets. A bittersweet, unspoken romance blooms amidst the satire of the Vanguard's absurdly dramatic military rituals. Aided by a loyal best friend hiding a dark secret of his own, Shirin tries to play the hardened soldier. But with a ferocious Sand-Ghoul siege approaching, how long can her past self's ludicrous masquerade last before a monster's claws tear her clothes and reveal the truth?
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