The Autumn I Learned to Bargain with Dragons

Hinata lands in another world with braid cord in her hands and no safe place to put her fear. She survives by turning every glance, silence, and gift into a bargain she can understand, even when the first deal she makes is with a dragon who would rather bite than trust. Her sixteen strand braids carry messages in color, and that old craft makes her useful in places where nobles smile too easily and lies travel faster than horses. She wants coin, shelter, and one clean path home. Instead, she keeps being pulled toward a lost crystal, a sealed royal scroll, and a bond that grows painful every time it deepens. Her own mouth stays dry when she has to choose kindness that hurts. The dragon at her...