15/03/2025
That night, during my coming-of-age ceremony, someone had slipped a drug into my drink, making it nearly impossible for me to endure. Struggling against the unbearable sensation, I sought out my betrothed, Crown Prince Sở Vân Nghị, only to inadvertently overhear a conversation between him and the maidservant by his side.
“You don’t believe in the destiny of the phoenix, only in the fate ordained by the heavens. Liên Nương, you will surely, with your own hands, raise her to the position of empress.”
“As for Giang Từ, after tonight, she will be utterly ruined, a laughingstock for all under heaven.”
Before me lay no escape; behind me, a pit of hell—I had no way out. With trembling legs, I slowly knocked on the door of someone—a man who always appeared cold and unapproachable, one who kept himself chaste and distant from women.
“Brother… I’m burning…”
“I want…”
My elder brother, his deep and inscrutable gaze fixed on me, lifted me onto the bed, his low, husky voice murmuring beside my ear.
“Be good.”
“Whatever you want, take it yourself.”
Amidst my delirium, someone roughly threw me onto a bed.
My head spun, my throat parched, an unnamed fire raging within my chest.
In a daze, I reached to undo the layers of clothing over my breast, hoping a breath of cool air might dispel this searing heat.
I also longed to press myself against a cool body, something to quench the inferno consuming me.
“Oh my, little lady, can’t hold it in any longer, can you?”
“Your husband’s here to cherish you…”
A strange man’s voice, laced with the pungent stench of alcohol, exploded in my ears, yanking me back to reality.
This wasn’t right.
I’d been drugged!
Today was my coming-of-age ceremony—who could possibly want to ruin my honor to this extent?!
The man pinned me to the bed, tearing at my clothes with brutal force.
I bit down hard on my lip, tasting the metallic tang of blood before regaining a sliver of clarity.
Drawing the hairpin from my head, I summoned all my strength and plunged it into his neck!
Blood gushed forth like a spring.
The man, gravely wounded, could no longer move.
I shoved him off, hastily grabbing the tattered remnants of my robe, and bolted outside.
Only one thought remained in my mind.
I had to find the Crown Prince… Sở Vân Nghị.
Ten years ago, word spread through the capital that Giang Từ, the legitimate daughter of the Giang family, was the phoenix of destiny. Because of this, Crown Prince Sở Vân Nghị and I had been betrothed since childhood, awaiting only my coming-of-age to proceed with the grand wedding.
Today was that very ceremony. The Crown Prince was present, even staying overnight at the Giang residence.
Tormented by the drug’s effects, I fought to hold on, stumbling toward his quarters.
He was my betrothed.
If tonight had to happen…
It would be better with him than anyone else.
But then…
Through the papered window, I saw the unmistakable silhouettes of two figures pressed close together.
Sở Vân Nghị embraced his maidservant, whispering tenderly.
“You don’t believe in the destiny of the phoenix, only in the fate ordained by the heavens. Liên Nương, you will surely, with your own hands, raise her to the position of empress.”
“As for Giang Từ, after tonight, she will be utterly ruined, a laughingstock for all under heaven.”
Fate ordained by the heavens?
Utterly ruined?
So it was him.
It was him all along!
A chilling cold swept over me, completely subduing the fire scorching my skin.
My nose stung, my eyes burned, and my heart ached as though gripped by an iron fist.
From childhood, I’d been taught that the Crown Prince was my future husband.
All I had to do was wait for my coming-of-age, and I would marry Sở Vân Nghị.
For over a decade, I never once let my guard down—not for a single day.
Careful, dignified, never once stepping out of line, never allowing another man near me, all to preserve my spotless reputation.
Yet, on this very day of my coming-of-age, someone had pushed me into the abyss.
And the mastermind was none other than the Crown Prince!
Behind me, servants had heard the commotion and were coming to investigate.
In my disheveled state, I couldn’t possibly let anyone see me like this.
But ahead lay hell itself.
The drug surged through me in relentless waves, granting me no moment to catch my breath.
At this point, I had only one path left.
To find… my brother.
