The carriage bearing the Xiao clan emblem rolled through the capital streets, its wheels humming against the stone road.
Xiao Shui sat inside, hands folded in her lap, her expression serene. Only the faint tightening of her fingers betrayed the storm beneath.
In her previous life, being summoned to Prince Yang's residence before the selection would have sent her heart racing with foolish joy.
Now, she felt only calculation.
Prince Yang should not care.
Not yet.
And that was precisely why this meeting mattered.
—
The prince's residence loomed like a sleeping beast, its vermilion gates guarded by armored soldiers. Xiao Shui stepped down from the carriage, her movements measured, her posture flawless.
She was escorted through winding corridors into a reception hall heavy with incense.
Prince Yang stood by the window, hands clasped behind his back.
He turned when she entered.
For a single heartbeat, his gaze lingered.
Xiao Shui noted it instantly.
The way his eyes narrowed, just slightly. The way his gaze sharpened, as if seeing her anew.
"Miss Xiao," he said, voice calm. "You surprise me."
She bowed, perfectly respectful. "Your Highness honors me."
He gestured for her to rise, studying her in silence. In the past, she would have lowered her eyes under that scrutiny.
Today, she met it.
"Why withdraw?" Prince Yang asked directly.
Xiao Shui smiled faintly. "This humble daughter is unwell."
Prince Yang's lips curved. "You do not look ill."
"Some illnesses are not visible," she replied.
The air shifted.
Prince Yang laughed softly, but there was no humor in it. "You know what people are saying?"
She tilted her head. "This subject does not concern me."
"They say you are playing hard to get," he said lightly. "That you wish to be remembered."
Xiao Shui lowered her gaze, masking her eyes. "People talk too much."
Prince Yang stepped closer.
Close enough that she could smell the faint trace of wine on his breath.
"In the past," he said slowly, "you watched me as if I were the sun."
Her heart clenched.
He remembered.
"I did," she said calmly. "Youth breeds foolishness."
His expression froze for a fraction of a second.
Then he smiled. "And now?"
"Now," Xiao Shui said softly, "I wish to live."
The words were simple.
They struck like thunder.
Prince Yang studied her for a long moment, then turned away. "Very well. If you wish to withdraw, I will not force you."
Relief flickered through the hall.
Too easily granted.
Xiao Shui bowed again. "Thank you, Your Highness."
As she turned to leave, Prince Yang spoke again.
"Xiao Shui."
She paused.
"If I were to invite you again," he said quietly, "would you still refuse?"
Xiao Shui did not turn back.
"Yes."
Silence fell.
She walked out without looking over her shoulder, each step steady.
Behind her, Prince Yang clenched his fist.
For the first time, something slipped beyond his control.
—
That evening, Xiao Shui sat beneath the plum trees in her courtyard, the branches heavy with unopened buds.
Qingzhi whispered, "Miss… you were very bold today."
Xiao Shui smiled faintly. "Boldness invites curiosity."
"And curiosity," she added inwardly, "invites obsession."
A servant approached hurriedly, bowing. "Miss, a guest has arrived. General Song Lingfang requests an audience."
Her breath stilled.
Song Lingfang.
In her previous life, he had been nothing more than a distant name. A capable general. A man who never involved himself in court politics.
And yet…
She rose slowly.
The moonlight cast long shadows across the stones as she walked toward the reception hall.
If Prince Yang was the man who destroyed her life…
Then Song Lingfang was the man fate had hidden from her.
She stepped through the doorway.
And came face to face with the man who would one day overturn the empire.