Aruna is the princess of B Kingdom. One day, it is decided that she will marry the king of E Kingdom, a country known for it's bloody conflicts. This is the tale of a girl who carries secrets and ambitions, and a game in which love, pride and life will be played.

"In the sky, they are the Bird of Hiyoku. On land, they are the twining branches."

Despite war, the bond shared by two remains fast. As circumstances worsen, which path will they choose to tread?

Contains two side stories:

Racing Queen

Chijou 20m De Aimashou

Ai has been a jimmies (slang: girl who is plain and behind in fashion) all her life, and she's never had a boy as a friend, and much less a boyfriend. She's always lived in the shadows, and blamed others for her misfortune.

One day she becomes the laughing stock in front of her whole class, including the boy that she likes, because of her Cutey Bunny panties. That is the turning point for Ai, and she decides to become a fine woman and start over in a high school where no one knows her.

Thus begins Ai's search for love.

Includes a oneshot entitled The Day of Finals.

Collection of love stories:

1) Butterfly Cloud by ASHIHARA Hinako
N Island is a small island where all the kids know each other, and they're excited to meet the new transfer student from Tokyo. Fifth grader Kanta doesn't want it to be a girl, because his classmate Kyo is the only icky girl the island needs. In a way that makes Kyo happy -- because she's always known she wants to live out her life on the island as Kanta's wife someday. But the transfer student, Ritsuka, is a girl, and a shy one with a mother who's shunned by the island. So Kyo makes it her mission of good faith to assimilate Ritsuka, but then Kanta starts acting more interested in Ritsuka than in Kyo... When the main cloud splits into a butterfly cloud, which girl will be the one to separate from the rest...?
This story was released as a oneshot in Chouchou Kumo.

2) Racing Queen by IZUMI Kaneyoshi
When it comes to being a racing queen (it's like being a cheerleader for Nascar), you're either a bitch or a lost puppy. Ei learns this lesson the hard way from Akane, the reigning racing queen of the famous Meitoh Team, when Ei joins the team to put herself through college. It's only by doing harm to others that you succeed, and once you've succeeded, everyone wants to do harm to you. Ei's dream was to be the top racing queen, but once she gets there, it turns into her worst nightmare...
This story was released as a oneshot in Ni no Hime no Monogatari.

3) English Garden by SAKURAKOJI Kanoko
Hayato is moving to England in one month, so he approaches Fumio and tells her to date him -- almost like a command. He's dominating, stubborn, and selfish, and Fumio really can't say no. But Hayato isn't without his charm; he has a talent for making things grow, and he designed a gorgeous English garden. Now he wants to spend his last month in Japan building a garden with Fumio. As the garden grows and changes, so do its gardeners... and as time becomes strained, so do their emotions... This story was released as a oneshot in Baby, Star.

4) Pure White Anniversary by AYASE Riu
Just by selecting her, and saying her name, she became the class´ representative, and after time, trusted by teachers and students. That always maked her excited about working hard and being better. But, not all is white, not all is pure, when she was in trouble, A guy suddenly appears to help! Who is this guy? Why is he helping her? And, why does Sakura feels scared whenever she is with him? Well... we sure want to know.

5) The Coffee Shop that Ends Unrequited Love by ADACHI Keiko
This story is about a girl called Rui. She's always too late on dates. But when she met Shiyouta she fell in love with him an want to be not late anymore...

6) Great Waiters? by WASHIO Mie
At 175 cm, Eisei (real name Haruyo) never thought she would ever find a boyfriend because of her height and her rather tomboyish looks and demeanour. Under her friends' recommendation, however, a visit to the renowned 'Hot Cafe' caused her to fall for a charming waiter named Kono... who promptly dragged her to fill the vacancy -- as a male waiter?! Having a chance to get closer to him is one thing, but has Kono also accidentally mistaken her for a boy?! How is Eisei supposed to express her feeling for him now? With a cafe filled with handsome waiters and the pretty girls who swoon over them, this 'pretty boy' has work cut out for her!
This story was released as a oneshot in Kanojo ga Cafe ni Kayou Wake anthology volume.

From Serenus Dreamers:

Five minute walk to the sea. The closest train station takes 50 minutes by car. Famous private dormitory male high school Seihou is located in that super remote place. What will happen at that place where men are crazy for love?!

From Anime Waves:

Meet Shizuki Maku - to say she looks "above average" would be a slight overstatement, but it's especially bad compared to her older twin brothers, the high-school heartthrobs Retsu and Tetsu. She always wondered whether or not she really belonged in her family, but things take a shocking twist when her brothers plant the suggestion that they may not be related after all.

Now she's supposed to pick one of them to be her boyfriend, all the while defending herself from all the other girls at school who want to keep her "brothers" for themselves! Life isn't easy when you're the ugly duckling!

Sonnan Ja Nee Yo received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shoujo manga in 2006.

From Transcendence:
Long ago, there existed a land divided into four countries: Sou, Kou, Do, and Ah.
The King of Ah took on a wife from Kou and soon thereafter one from Do, creating a shaky alliance between the three nations. When the Second Queen gave birth to a son, the King cast aside the sickly First Queen and her daughter Aki into the depths of the Palace. But as Fate would have it, Princess Aki encounters a slave named Hakusei, who has peculiar golden hair and sky blue eyes. He promises his life to her and helps her train in the Six Arts under the guidance of the enigmatic merchant Seitetsu. However, when Aki outshines the Prince during a hunt in an attempt to gain her father's acknowledgement, she sparks a war by besmirching Do's honor and drives the Second Queen to poison her mother.
With nothing left but her faithful Hakusei, Aki is banished to the small country of Kou with a vow to return to Ah one day for revenge. But in the face of the mighty allied nations of Do and Ah, will the two survive long enough to carry out Aki´s vow?

Note: Won the 60th Shogakukan Manga Awards for Best Shoujo in 2015.