A Decree That Changes Everything

The morning sun bathed the Xia Manor in warm golden light, but inside the elegant courtyard, the atmosphere was anything but warm.

Xia Wei sat in her pavilion, staring at the golden imperial scroll in her hands. The emperor’s decree glistened like a trap she had just walked into.

Her mother, usually the picture of grace, pressed a shaking hand to her chest, her face drained of color. "Marriage… to the Crown Prince?"

Her father, Minister Xia, was a man known for his wisdom and composure, but even he looked as if he had just been sentenced to exile. His hands, which had written countless political strategies, now trembled slightly as they clenched into fists. "This must be a mistake."

Outside, the servants were in turmoil, whispering behind their sleeves.

"Didn’t Lady Xia openly offend His Highness at the banquet?"

"She insulted him right to his face! Everyone thought she would be punished, not rewarded!"

"Could it be that His Highness actually… likes her?"

The sheer absurdity of that statement made Xia Wei choke on her own breath.

If only they knew.

She was the one who did this to herself.

---

Flashback: The Day She Sealed Her Fate

It had started with a simple strategy.

After she had challenged the Crown Prince at the imperial banquet, she was summoned to the palace the next day.

She expected the emperor to be furious.

She had prepared for it.

Her plan was simple: act clever but remorseful. Admit her rudeness, but hold her ground just enough to leave an impression of strength.

But the moment she stepped into the grand hall and saw the emperor's cold, piercing gaze—

Everything fell apart.

"Xia Zhiwei," the emperor’s voice was low and heavy, carrying the weight of the empire itself. "Do you understand the consequences of insulting the Crown Prince?"

She should have followed the script she had prepared.

But instead—

Her traitorous body trembled.

Her fingers gripped her sleeves as if bracing herself.

Her eyes lowered, her lashes quivering.

And then—

"Your Majesty, I… I only acted that way because… I have long admired His Highness, but I knew he would never return my affections…"

WHAT?!

Even now, remembering it made her want to throw herself into a lake.

The emperor, who had been poised to scold her, paused.

His expression shifted ever so slightly. "So… your actions were out of love?"

NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT.

But her body—**her cursed, uncontrollable body—**nodded.

And thus, instead of punishment, exile, or disgrace…

She was granted a royal marriage.

She had successfully trapped herself.

---

Back to the Present: The Arrival of a Certain Someone

Xia Wei exhaled deeply, rubbing her temples as she processed the weight of her mistake.

This was not how things were supposed to go.

The plan had been to navigate this world safely, not speed-run her way into becoming the Crown Princess.

As she sat in her room, mentally cursing her own existence, her maid, Chunyu, peeked in hesitantly.

"My lady…" she whispered cautiously. "His Highness is here."

Xia Wei froze.

"…Who?"

Chunyu swallowed. "T-The Crown Prince."

A sharp headache immediately bloomed in Xia Wei’s skull.

It seemed the consequences of her stupidity had arrived faster than she expected.

She forced herself up, straightened her robes, and mentally prepared for battle.

The goal was clear: fix this situation.

Maybe she could politely reject him.

Maybe she could convince him this was all a misunderstanding.

Maybe—

The moment she stepped into the receiving hall and met his gaze—

Her mind blanked.

---

A Private Audience with a Dangerous Man

Li Xuan stood at ease, hands folded behind his back, his golden robes flowing like molten sunlight.

His expression was calm.

Too calm.

Xia Wei had spent enough time studying people to know—calm meant dangerous.

The moment the doors shut, leaving them alone, she finally—finally— allowed herself to react.

With a deep sigh, she collapsed into the nearest seat.

"I can’t believe this," she muttered, rubbing her temples. "This is all your fault."

Li Xuan, amused, raised an eyebrow. "My fault?"

"If you weren’t so infuriating," she grumbled, "I wouldn’t have insulted you in the first place. And if you weren’t so terrifying, I wouldn’t have—"

She clamped her mouth shut.

Li Xuan leaned forward slightly, eyes glinting. "Wouldn’t have…?"

She turned away immediately. "Nothing. Forget it."

A slow silence settled between them.

Then—

"You know," he mused, voice smooth and teasing, "there is one good thing about this arrangement."

Xia Wei didn’t trust that tone at all. "What?"

Li Xuan smiled. A slow, knowing smile.

"You can’t pretend to hate me anymore."

Xia Wei froze.

Then, horrified, she realized—

He was right.

If she acted out of character in front of others, they would only assume she was playing hard to get.

She couldn’t insult him.

She couldn’t avoid him.

She couldn’t even genuinely glare at him without people thinking it was secret longing.

Unless…

Her eyes flickered toward him, thoughtful.

Unless he was around.

If she could only be herself when they were alone… then staying near him in public would give her some freedom.

A ridiculous thought. Completely insane.

And yet—

She exhaled deeply, crossing her arms. "Fine."

Li Xuan tilted his head, interest flashing in his eyes. "Fine?"

"If you’re around," she muttered, "I won’t have to fake anything."

Li Xuan chuckled. "So you want me by your side all the time?"

"Absolutely not," she snapped.

Then paused.

Then scowled.

Because, technically, that was exactly what she had just implied.

Li Xuan’s smile widened.

And this time, it held something undeniably victorious.

"Then I suppose," he murmured, voice low and amused, "you have no choice but to stay close to me from now on."

Xia Wei wanted to scream.

---

End of Chapter 16

Sky~