Qing Dynasty, 200 Years After Philos
The Dark North Kingdom stood like a shadow against the mountain range, its black stone walls and silver banners a stark contrast to the colorful kingdoms surrounding it.
It was ruled by a king with ice-blue eyes and silver hair who'd earned his throne through conquest and held it through fear.
King Xavier of the North was known throughout the land as ruthless, cold, untouchable. A man who showed no mercy in battle and less in negotiations. A king who'd built his kingdom from nothing over the past seventy years, who seemed ageless and eternal, who some whispered was blessed—or cursed—by gods.
They didn't know how right they were.
Xavier sat on his black marble throne, his expression carved from stone, as the delegation from the Riverside Kingdom was announced. This negotiation had been inevitable—the Riverside Kingdom had been expanding aggressively, conquering territories, and now they wanted access to the mountain trade routes that only Xavier's kingdom controlled.
Routes he'd spent decades securing specifically because he knew they'd come asking eventually.
"His Majesty, King Wang of the Riverside Kingdom, and his esteemed delegation,"
the herald announced.
Xavier's hands tightened imperceptibly on the throne's armrests as King Wang entered—a calculating man in his fifties, dressed in elaborate robes, flanked by generals and advisors.
And behind them, a young woman in princess's attire.
Xavier's breath caught.
No.
She was nineteen. He could tell immediately, the same way he'd learned to track her age across lifetimes like a countdown to disaster. She walked with quiet grace, her eyes downcast as befitted a princess in her father's presence, her hands folded in the elaborate sleeves of her robes.
Angelina Wang. Princess of the Riverside Kingdom.
His Starlight, reborn into the family of his greatest rival.
"Your Majesty," King Wang bowed with the bare minimum respect required.
"Thank you for granting us this audience."
Xavier forced his expression to remain neutral, forced his voice to stay cold and measured.
"You requested negotiation regarding the mountain trade routes. State your terms."
King Wang smiled—a calculating expression that made Xavier's instincts scream warnings. "Direct, as always. Very well. The Riverside Kingdom seeks exclusive access to your northern trade routes for our merchant vessels and caravans."
"Denied."
"Perhaps you'd reconsider if you heard our offer?"
"I doubt it."
"Even if that offer included an alliance?"
King Wang's smile widened.
"A permanent end to hostilities between our kingdoms? A union that would benefit us both?"
Xavier's eyes narrowed. "What kind of union?"
King Wang gestured, and the princess stepped forward. She raised her eyes for the first time, and Xavier felt the world tilt as those familiar eyes—warm and bright despite everything—met his.
Did she recognize him? No. She never did. Not until the end.
"My daughter, Princess Angelina,"
King Wang said smoothly.
"I offer her hand in marriage to seal our alliance. The Riverside Kingdom's most precious treasure, in exchange for trade access and a promise of mutual defense."
The throne room fell silent.
Xavier stared at the princess—at Nana, though she wouldn't know that name in this life—and saw her carefully neutral expression crack slightly. Fear flickered across her features before she controlled it.
She didn't want this. Didn't want to be bargained away to the feared King of the North, a man decades older than her who ruled through intimidation and whose reputation painted him as a monsterIf only she knew the truth—that he'd loved her for over a century and a half, that he'd watched her grow from a distance for years, that he'd positioned his kingdom specifically to force this exact negotiation because he'd known her father would use her as leverage eventually.
"You're offering your daughter,"
Xavier said flatly, "as payment for trade routes."
"I'm offering an alliance through marriage," King Wang corrected.
"My daughter is educated, accomplished, and would make an excellent queen. Surely Your Majesty has considered the benefits of producing an heir?"
An heir. As if we'd have time. As if she'd survive long enough to—
Xavier's mind was racing. This was wrong, all wrong. Taking her through political marriage, watching her father use her as a bargaining chip, forcing her into a union with a stranger she had every reason to fear.But it was also an opportunity. A chance to keep her close, to protect her, to try one more time to break the curse. And more than that—selfishly, desperately—a chance to finally marry her. To call her his queen, his wife, even if only for three years before fate claimed her again.
"Your Majesty?"
King Wang prompted.
"Do we have an agreement?"
Xavier's eyes moved back to the princess. She stood perfectly still, her expression composed, but he could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her hands clenched in her sleeves.
She was terrified. Of him. Of this situation. Of being sold to secure trade agreements.
He should refuse. Should send them away. Should spare her from being trapped with him, from the inevitable heartbreak, from the curse that would claim her regardless of what kingdom she lived in.
But Xavier had learned over the centuries that he was, at his core, a selfish man.
"I have conditions," he said.
King Wang's eyes gleamed with victory. "Name them."
"First, the Riverside Kingdom signs a treaty of non-aggression. I will not have my northern borders threatened while I secure the south."
"Agreed."
"Second, exclusive trade rights go both ways. My merchants get equal access to your river ports."
"Agreed."
"Third—"
Xavier's voice hardened.
"If I discover any treachery, any betrayal, any attempt to use this alliance as a cover for invasion, the princess will be the first to pay the price."
It was a bluff, a lie, but it needed to sound convincing. Xavier would die before letting harm come to her, but King Wang didn't need to know that.
"Understood,"
King Wang said, not even glancing at his daughter.
"Then we have an accord?"
Xavier stood, descended the throne steps with deliberate slowness. He approached the princess, watched her fight not to flinch as he stopped in front of her.
Up close, he could see the details—the way her hair was styled with pearl ornaments, the delicate embroidery on her robes, the star-shaped birthmark on her palm when her sleeve shifted slightly. The same mark, always.
"Princess Angelina,"
Xavier said quietly, so only she could hear. "Do you consent to this marriage?"
Her eyes widened slightly—surprised that he'd asked, that he cared about her opinion when her father clearly didn't.
"Does it matter?"
she whispered back. "I am my father's to command."
"It matters to me."
Something flickered in her expression—confusion, curiosity, a hint of cautious hope.
"Then... if I must marry for alliance, I suppose the King of the North is no worse than any other political match."
It wasn't exactly enthusiasm, but it also wasn't the terror he'd seen moments ago.
"Very well."
Xavier turned back to King Wang.
"I accept your terms. The wedding will take place in one month, giving the princess time to prepare and settle into her new home. The trade agreements will be signed simultaneously".
"Excellent!" King Wang beamed.
"My daughter will make you a fine queen, Your Majesty. I'm certain of it."
She already is, Xavier thought. She's been my queen in every lifetime, whether she wore a crown or not.
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One Month Later - The Wedding
The wedding was a grand affair, befitting the union of two kingdoms. Red and gold silk decorated the throne room, musicians played traditional instruments, and representatives from neighboring kingdoms attended to witness the alliance.
Xavier stood at the altar in elaborate ceremonial robes, watching as Nana—Princess Angelina, his future queen—walked down the aisle in her wedding dress.
Red silk embroidered with phoenixes and dragons, her face partially hidden by a ceremonial veil, her movements careful and measured.
She was beautiful. She was always beautiful in every lifetime.
And she was terrified. He could see it in the slight tremor of her hands, the way she held herself too rigidly, the careful blankness of her expression.The ceremony proceeded with traditional vows, the signing of contracts, the exchange of ceremonial gifts. Xavier placed a jade ring on her finger—his family's heirloom, or at least what he'd claimed was his family's heirloom. In truth, he'd commissioned it specifically for her, carved with stars hidden in the traditional patterns.
When the officiant pronounced them husband and wife, Xavier lifted her veil with careful hands.
Nana's eyes met his—wide, uncertain, trying to hide her fear of this stranger she'd just been bound to for life.
"Hello, Starlight,"
Xavier whispered, too quiet for anyone else to hear.
Her brow furrowed slightly. "Starlight?"
"A nickname. I hope you don't mind."
"I..."
She looked confused but not displeased. "It's... unusual. But I suppose I am a star now. Your star. Your queen."
You've always been my star. You've been lighting my darkness for over a century.
Xavier leaned in and kissed her—chaste, careful, nothing that would frighten her more. Her lips were soft and warm, and for just a moment, he let himself pretend this was a real marriage built on love instead of political necessity and desperate hope.
The crowd cheered. Musicians played. The alliance was sealed.
And Xavier began counting down the days until her twenty-third birthday.
Three years. He had three years to make her happy, to show her she was more than a political pawn, to maybe—just maybe—find a way to break the curse before it claimed her again.
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Two Years, Ten Months Later - The Queen's Garden.
Nana—Queen Angelina now, though Xavier still called her Starlight in private—had adapted to her role better than anyone expected.
She was intelligent, diplomatic, and surprisingly fierce when defending the people of her new kingdom.
The nobles who'd expected a docile, frightened girl had been shocked when their new queen proved to have opinions, ideas, and the will to implement them.
Xavier watched from a distance as she worked in the palace gardens, her official robes traded for simpler clothes, dirt on her hands as she planted flowers with the head gardener. She'd insisted on creating a section specifically for night-blooming flowers, claiming she wanted to see stars reflected in the garden.
She had no idea how much that sentiment destroyed him.
"Your Majesty," his advisor approached quietly.
"The Queen has been asking questions again."
"What kind of questions?"
"About your past. Your family. Why you have no relatives, no history before becoming king. She's... curious about you."
Of course she was. Nana had always been curious, always wanted to understand things. And Xavier had been deliberately vague about his history, unable to explain how a man who looked thirty had lived for over a century.
"Let her ask," Xavier said. "I'll answer what I can."
What he couldn't say: I've loved you for more than 200 years. I've watched you die twice already. I'm terrified every day that I'll lose you again.
That evening, Nana found him in his study, hesitating in the doorway like she still wasn't sure she was allowed to simply walk in.
"Come in, Starlight," Xavier said without looking up from his paperwork.
"You don't need to ask permission."
She entered, settled into the chair across from his desk. She'd grown comfortable with him over the past two years, the initial fear replaced by cautious affection and growing trust.
"Xavier,"
she said—he'd insisted she use his name in private, had refused to be 'Your Majesty' in their personal moments.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Always."
"Why do you look at me like that sometimes?"
Xavier's hand stilled on his brush.
"Like what?"
"Like you're memorizing my face. Like you're afraid I'll disappear if you look away."
She leaned forward, her expression serious. "Like you've known me much longer than two years."
Because I have. Because I've loved you in three different lifetimes. Because I know exactly how this ends.
"You remind me of someone,"
Xavier said carefully. "Someone I lost, a long time ago."
"Someone you loved?"
"More than anything."
Nana was quiet for a moment.
"I'm sorry. That must be difficult, being reminded constantly."
"It's not difficult."
Xavier finally looked up, meeting her eyes. "It's a gift. A blessing. Even if—" He stopped himself.
"Even if what?"
Even if I lose you again. Even if this happiness is temporary. Even if my curse means I'll watch you die in exactly two months.
"Even if I don't deserve it,"
Xavier finished.
Nana stood, walked around the desk, and did something that still shocked him every time—she took his hand gently, her thumb brushing over his knuckles.
"You've been kind to me," she said softly. "Kinder than I expected. Than I had any right to hope for, given the circumstances of our marriage. You've given me freedom, respect, partnership. You've never demanded anything I wasn't ready to give. Xavier—"
She squeezed his hand.
"I know this marriage started as political necessity. But I... I've grown fond of you. More than fond."
Xavier's throat felt tight. "Nana—"
"I want you to have this.
She pulled something from her sleeve—a carefully wrapped bundle.
"I've been working on it for months. I wanted it to be perfect."
Xavier unwrapped it with trembling hands and found—
A star-shaped tassel. Silver and black thread this time, woven with traditional Qing patterns but unmistakably the same design she'd given him in every lifetime.
"I noticed,"
Nana said shyly,
"that you have old tassels. Two of them, actually, that you keep in a special box in your chambers. I asked the servants—I hope you don't mind—and they said you've had them for as long as anyone can remember. They must be very precious."
You have no idea.
"I thought maybe... maybe you'd like a new one. From your wife. To mark our time together."
She smiled, and it was genuine and warm and absolutely heartbreaking.
"Do you like it?"
Xavier stood, pulled her into a fierce embrace that made her squeak in surprise. His face buried in her hair, his arms trembling slightly as he held her.
"I love it," he whispered hoarsely.
"I love it more than you know. And Nana—" He pulled back just enough to cup her face.
"I need to tell you something. In two months, it will be your twenty-third birthday, and—"
"And you want to celebrate it properly?"
Nana laughed.
"Xavier, you don't need to sound so serious. I'd love to celebrate with you. Maybe we could—"
"No, that's not—"
How did he explain? How did he tell her that she was cursed, that every version of her died at exactly twenty-two years, three hundred sixty-four days old? That he'd been desperately researching for months, consulting physicians and mystics and anyone who might help him break the pattern?
"Xavier?"
Nana looked concerned now. "You're scaring me. What's wrong?"
"I—" He stopped, swallowed the words he couldn't say.
"Nothing. Nothing's wrong. Yes, let's celebrate properly. The grandest celebration the kingdom has ever seen."
One last happy memory before I lose you again.
Nana relaxed, smiled, stood on her toes to kiss his cheek.
"Then it's a date. Oh! I should go tell the kitchen staff to start planning. I want dumplings. Lots and lots of dumplings."
She bounced out of his study, still so young, so alive, so utterly unaware of the countdown ticking in Xavier's head.
Two months.
Eight weeks.
Sixty days until he lost her again.
Xavier looked down at the new tassel in his hands—the third one she'd made him, the third promise, the third memorial-to-be.
He attached it to his sword alongside the others, three stars hanging together.
Three lifetimes.
Three deaths.
With the fourth approaching fast.
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⭐⭐⭐
To be continued __