Xueyi woke up slowly.
Which was unusual—because usually she woke up either panicking or questioning her existence.
Today, she did both… just delayed.
Her eyes opened to red.
Red curtains.
Red canopy.
Red pillows with aggressively symbolic embroidery.
She stared at the ceiling for a long second.
Then it hit her.
*Oh.*
*Right.*
*I'm married.*
She sat up abruptly—too abruptly—and the silk sheets slid down her shoulders.
Her first instinct was to look beside her.
Empty.
She blinked.
*Huh.*
Her second instinct was to panic.
*WAIT—EMPTY?*
Her head whipped around the room.
That was when she saw him.
Jin Wei lay on the outer couch, still dressed in his inner robes, one arm folded over his chest, the other resting loosely at his side. His posture was disciplined even in sleep, like his body had never learned how to relax properly.
For a long moment, she just stared.
Then—
"…He slept on the couch?"
She glanced at the massive ceremonial bed.
Then at the couch.
Then back at him.
*Sir,* she thought incredulously, *this bed could host a small army and you chose… furniture?*
Something warm and annoyingly complicated settled in her chest.
*So all that talk about boundaries wasn't ceremonial nonsense.*
She shifted, trying to be quiet.
The bed creaked.
His eyes opened instantly.
Fully alert.
No confusion. No grogginess.
*Unfair,* she decided. *Deeply unfair.*
"You're awake," he said.
"Unfortunately," she replied automatically, then winced. "I mean—good morning."
A pause.
"Good morning," he answered.
Silence followed.
Thick. Awkward. Loud.
Xueyi fidgeted with the edge of the blanket. "So… did you, uh—sleep well?"
He considered the question like it required strategy.
"Yes."
She glanced pointedly at the couch. "On that?"
"It was sufficient."
*Sufficient.*
*I survived a wedding, a kidnapping, and an identity crisis, and this man slept 'sufficiently' on a wooden couch.*
She sighed. "You know the bed doesn't bite, right?"
His eyes flicked briefly to it. Then away. "I know."
Another silence.
Her stomach growled.
Loudly.
They both heard it.
Xueyi closed her eyes. "I would like to formally apologize to my dignity. She didn't survive the night."
Jin Wei looked at her.
Really looked.
Then, very calmly, "Breakfast will be served shortly."
"…Was that your way of pretending that didn't happen?"
"Yes."
She laughed before she could stop herself.
The sound surprised them both.
Something shifted—small, but real.
Servants knocked at the door moments later, announcing morning preparations.
Xueyi panicked instantly.
"Wait—what do I do?" she whispered urgently. "Am I supposed to act… married?"
Jin Wei stood, adjusting his robe. "You are married."
"That was not helpful."
He paused, then added, "You may act as you wish."
She squinted. "That sounds suspiciously like a trap."
"It is not."
She studied him, then nodded slowly. "Alright. I'll act normal."
The servants entered.
Xueyi immediately sat straighter, hands folded, expression serene.
Inside her head?
*ACT NORMAL. ACT NORMAL. DO NOT MENTION THE COUCH. DO NOT STARE. DO NOT ASK WHY HE'S LIKE THIS.*
Jin Wei stood beside her, composed as ever.
The servants glanced between the untouched bed and the couch.
One raised an eyebrow.
Xueyi smiled sweetly.
*Mind your business.*
When they finally left, she exhaled dramatically and slumped.
"That," she announced, "was exhausting."
Jin Wei hesitated.
Then said, quietly, "If you wish… tonight you may take the couch."
She stared at him.
"…General."
"Yes?"
"That is not how compromise works."
For a split second—just one—she saw it.
Amusement.
Then it was gone.
But she'd seen it.
And for the first time since entering this novel, Xueyi thought:
Maybe surviving this marriage won't be the worst thing after all.