In “A Borrowed Peony,” we follow the kunoichi Botan on the eve of what should be a joyous occasion, her wedding. Instead, she is bound by a different vow: loyalty. The setting is a once-proud ninja household now facing decline, and Botan’s love for her master is so absolute that she willingly becomes the instrument of its salvation. When her uncle, the clan’s financier, makes a request, she accepts, viewing it as a necessary, transaction for the greater good. What follows is a something she doesn’t expect. She tells herself it is merely a mission, a transaction for a greater cause. She clings to this rationality. In secret, hidden away from the master she truly wishes to serve, Botan surrenders herself to her uncle’s demands.