Xia Wei did not sleep that night. She lay awake in the darkness, her fingers curled tightly around the silk sheets, her breath slow and measured even as her thoughts spiraled. The cool night air drifted through the open windows, carrying the faint scent of blooming osmanthus, yet it did nothing to soothe the turmoil in her chest.

A kiss on the back of her hand. A whispered goodnight. That amused, golden-eyed devil of a man watching her as if he already knew exactly how this game would end.

She exhaled sharply. This engagement had to end.

Chunyu, her ever-loyal maid, found herself summoned in the dead of night. She rushed in, breathless, only to find Xia Wei sitting up in bed, eyes sharp with some unreadable emotion.

“We’re leaving,” Xia Wei announced.

Chunyu blinked, barely processing the words. “Leaving?”

“Yes. Escape. Vanish. Disappear into the night.” Xia Wei swung her legs over the bed, determination flashing in her gaze. “Pack our things, we—”

“My lady.” Chunyu took a deep breath, already sensing where this was going. “You live in a manor surrounded by imperial guards. Your fiancé is the crown prince. Where, exactly, do you plan to vanish to?”

Xia Wei’s lips pressed into a thin line.

“…You’re right.”

Chunyu sighed in relief.

“We’ll need disguises.”

Chunyu nearly passed out.

---

By morning, the world seemed infuriatingly normal. The golden rays of sunlight filtered through the screens, casting elegant patterns on the marble floors. The manor remained as lavish and suffocating as ever. Servants whispered as they passed, their eyes lingering on her with something almost akin to pity.

She ignored them.

But the moment she stepped into the courtyard, she knew trouble had arrived.

Bai Yueru was waiting.

The empire’s darling. The epitome of grace and innocence. A white lotus so pure that men tripped over themselves to worship her.

Xia Wei barely spared her a glance. “Why are you here?”

Bai Yueru smiled, demure and sweet. But there was something else there—something sharper beneath the softness. “How could I not visit? After all, my dear sister is now engaged to His Highness.”

Xia Wei met her gaze with unreadable calm. “Jealous?”

The tiniest flicker of something crossed Bai Yueru’s face before she let out a soft laugh. “Don’t be silly. I only wish for your happiness.”

“How touching.”

Bai Yueru hesitated before lowering her voice, leaning in slightly. “But sister… love cannot be forced. His Highness is not a man who can be controlled.”

Xia Wei smiled lazily. “Oh? And what makes you think I want to control him?”

Bai Yueru’s delicate fingers tightened slightly around her teacup. It was subtle—so subtle that no ordinary person would have noticed. But Xia Wei was no ordinary person.

“Because you have always been like this, haven’t you?” Bai Yueru murmured, voice soft as silk. “Always reaching for things that don’t belong to you.”

For a brief moment, the air turned deathly still.

Xia Wei set her teacup down, the porcelain clinking softly against the table. Then, she leaned in, voice as smooth and deadly as a blade hidden beneath silk.

“You’re right, Yueru,” she said with a slow, deliberate smile. “I do have a habit of taking what’s not mine.”

Bai Yueru inhaled sharply.

“And the most fun part?” Xia Wei continued, her voice dropping to a whisper.

“No one ever stops me.”

Bai Yueru’s smile finally cracked.

Good.

---

At the imperial palace, Li Xuan was in an uncharacteristically good mood.

He sat leisurely in the study, his golden eyes scanning the morning reports with idle amusement as his aide hesitated at his side.

“—Lady Bai was seen leaving Lady Xia’s residence,” the aide reported, voice careful. “She appeared rather… troubled.”

Li Xuan hummed. “Troubled, was she?”

The aide hesitated before choosing his words wisely. “Your Highness, if I may be bold… do you truly intend to marry Lady Xia?”

Golden eyes flickered toward him, and the aide instantly regretted speaking.

But Li Xuan only chuckled, low and amused. “You doubt my devotion?”

The aide wanted to scream. Of course I do!

Everyone knew the crown prince was a ruthless strategist. He did not love. He did not need to. Everything he did was calculated.

So why—why was he letting this absurd rumor spread?

And worse—why was he acting like it was true?

Li Xuan leaned back, fingers tapping against the armrest. “If people believe I love her,” he mused, “then no one will question why I keep her close.”

The aide swallowed. “Then… Lady Xia is merely a pawn?”

Li Xuan smirked. “Perhaps.”

But even as he said it, his fingers absently traced his wrist—where Xia Wei’s warm hand had rested the night before.

---

Xia Wei had barely begun to recover from her delightful morning when disaster struck once again.

Chunyu barged in, whispering frantically.

“My lady! His Highness is here!”

Xia Wei shot up, eyes widening. “Again?!”

Chunyu nodded, looking pale.

Xia Wei inhaled sharply. No.

Why was she panicking? SHE was the victim here!

She straightened her back, smoothing out her robes. She was not going to let him intimidate her tonight.

By the time she stepped into the courtyard, her expression was composed—graceful, unreadable.

Li Xuan stood under the moonlight, watching her with quiet amusement.

“You seem eager to see me,” he murmured.

Xia Wei scoffed. “Hardly. I just like to keep an eye on my obsessive fiancé.”

Li Xuan chuckled. “Is that what I am?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Why else would you keep coming here?”

He studied her for a long moment before finally speaking.

“Because you intrigue me.”

Xia Wei stiffened.

That was dangerous.

Men like Li Xuan didn’t get “intrigued.” They conquered.

“I would rather you lose interest,” she said coolly.

Li Xuan stepped closer, his fingers brushing a stray lock of her hair.

“Too late,” he murmured.

Xia Wei exhaled sharply. She had to regain control of this.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Your Highness,” she warned.

Li Xuan smirked. “Then it’s a good thing I never lose.”

And then—

He leaned in.

Xia Wei didn’t even have time to react before his lips brushed against her temple. Soft. Fleeting. Yet it sent a jolt through her entire body.

Her mind blanked.

By the time she processed it, he had already pulled away.

“Goodnight, Xia Wei,” he said, before disappearing into the night.

Xia Wei stood frozen, heart pounding.

Chunyu peeked out from behind the doorway.

“My lady?”

Xia Wei grabbed her in a death grip.

“Chunyu,” she whispered.

“Y-Yes?”

“I have made a terrible mistake.” ---

End of Chapter 17

Sky~