Shi Seiran

Shi Seiran (茈 静蘭 Shi Seiran) is the sole remaining retainer in Kou Shouka' household. His true identity is Shi Seien (紫 清苑 Shi Seien), the exiled prince.

Appearance
Seien resembles his father in terms of appearance and is considered a very handsome man. During his younger years, he had a much colder expression in his eyes like his father. After being exiled and becoming a bandit, Seien cut his long hair shorter as long hair was a sign of nobility.

Though he claims to be 21 years old, he is actually 26 years old at the start of the series.

Personality & Characteristics
He is a very skilled fighter and swordsman, and despite his amiable disposition, can be ruthless to people who endanger his loved ones. He has known Shuurei since her childhood and is very protective of her, but prefers to watch and help from the shadows.

His true identity was revealed by Sou Taifu. He had been known as the "flower" of the royal princes due to his physical and intellectual superiority as well as for his kind heart (he was the only brother who showed kindness to Ryuuki as a boy).

Plot
When he was still a prince, he was the most talented among the princes and the one most likely to become Emperor. This encouraged a conspiracy by Seien's maternal relatives to make him the next Emperor, but their plot failed. Seien was exiled with his unloving mother, Lady Suzuran, who was killed by the assassins sent after them by the other imperial concubines.

Left alone in the distant Sa province, he was forced to join Satsujinzoku (murderous blades), a murderous band of bandits who nicknamed him "The Little Whirlwind". Ro Ensei was a part of the group as well. The two of them eventually grew closer and destroyed the band from within.

Afterward, Kou Shouka, Kou Shoukun, and Kou Shuurei found the young prince in the wilderness and took him in, giving him a new name 'Seiran', meaning 'Silent Orchid', as well as the surname 'Shi' ('Shi' is pronounced the same as the Emperor's family name but with different kanji). Seiran has since embraced this new persona and does not discuss his past, although some characters become quietly aware of his former identity.

He was found 13 years ago. Since then, Seiran has repaid that kindness by protecting Shouka's family, performing repairs, and taking small outside jobs to earn money. Once Ryuuki found about his identity, Seiran told him that he wanted Ryuuki to become a true emperor and that alone would make him happy.

When Shuurei became an official, Seiran entered the palace as the emperor's personal guard. He is considerably more perceptive than Ryuuki when it comes to the noble faction's plotting and so he also works as Ryuuki's advisor. When Shuurei leaves for the Sa Province as a governor with To Eigetsu, Seiran accompanies them. While at Sa Province, he eventually reunites with Sa Sakujun, his arch nemesis, the man who forced him to join the bandits. He was always on his guard to protect Shuurei from Sakujun as the man had his eyes on her. However, Seiran couldn't accompany her on the second trip to the Sa Province due to his duties as a officer in charge of the emperor's protection so he sent Ensei and his sword Kanshou instead. After Shuurei resigns as a governor and joins the Censorate, his interactions with her lessens as they were always busy with their own works. When Ryuuki leaves for Ran Province, he waits at the capital city to protect Ryuuki's Prime Minister Tei Yuushun. He severely rebukes Ran Shuuei beforehand for trying to abandon Ryuuki.

Skills & Talents
Archery: Seiran is a good archer and knows how to control where the arrow lands.

Swordsmanship: Seiran is very handy with his sword and his brother Ryukki even gave him Bakuya to keep.

Ability to differentiate poison's: Seiran has good knowledge of poison's. He knows when a drink has been poisoned.

Relationships
Kou Shuurei Basicámente a visto crecer a Kou Shuurei, ya que la conoció desde que ella tenia 2 o 3 años de edad. Siempre es muy protector con ella, le brinda su apoyo y le hace saber que siempre esta para ella, pero es muy reservado por lo cual no se distingue bien si esta enamorado de ella o si siente un amor fraternal. Cuando se dirigen a la capital de la provincia de Sa, y después de la encontrar a Shuurei con Sakujun, y que este ultimo se escapara y afirmara que la quería y que el la iba a estar esperando en la capital, Seiran tiene un ataque de ira, y luego de animarse a hablar con Shuurei, le dice que él siempre a sabido que algún día ella se iba enamorar, pero que si Sakujún va a ser la pareja de Shuurei, él (Seiran) sería mucho mejor elección, y que él quiere que ella sea feliz y permanecer a su lado para ello, y que por esa razón no podía perdonar a Sakujun...

Dando a entender de una forma sutil que si siente algo romántico por Shuurei, pero que por algún motivo nunca llego a confesarse como tal ni a pedir su mano, mucho menos después de que se enterarse que su hermano Ryuuki estaba enamorado de Shuurei. Así, que su forma de mostrar su amor por ella, fue protegiendola, motivo por el cual en primera instancia decidió ascender en su cargo, para estar más cerca de Shuurei, y tener mas autoridad para protegerla.

Ensei, parece ser él único que desde la primera vez que vio interactuando a Shuurei y a Seiran, se dío cuenta de que Seiran estaba enamorado de Shuurei.