Takemura Haruki

Age: 24

Third son of Lord Takemura.

Not the heir.

Not particularly important in succession.

Important enough that his marriage still matters.

Unlike his older brothers, Haruki was never raised to inherit. This gave him more freedom than most noble children, but also left him searching for a purpose of his own.

He joined the Northern Campaign partly from duty and partly because he wanted to earn a reputation beyond simply being "Lord Takemura's son."

Instead, he nearly died.

During one of the final campaigns of the Northern Wars, Haruki's unit was caught during a chaotic engagement.

A cavalry charge broke through part of the line.

A horse struck him.

His head hit a rock.

He disappeared during the confusion.

For several days he remained missing.

Most of the army assumed he was dead.

The Takemura household had already begun preparing for the possibility.

Meanwhile...

A village girl found him unconscious near a riverbank.

She didn't know who he was.

Only that he was wounded.

She carried water.

Changed bandages.

Fed him broth.

Protected him while he drifted between fever and sleep.

When he finally woke, he introduced himself simply as:

"Haruki. A warrior serving the Takemura clan."

Which wasn't technically a lie.