The river's icy fingers curled around Li Xian's limbs, dragging him deeper into the dark abyss. The world above him—the war, the palace, the endless scheming—melted away, replaced by the cold silence beneath the surface. Every broken plan, every whispered betrayal haunted his mind like ghosts, relentless and merciless.
He closed his eyes, his breath slowing—surrendering. Tonight, the pain would end.
But fate had other designs.
A brutal grip clamped around his wrist, yanking him from the depths with painful force. Air slammed into his lungs, burning and desperate. For a moment, he was between worlds—death's peace and breath's agony.
Rage erupted as Li Xian's eyes snapped open, wild and furious. He stared up and saw a face carved of ice—Zhao Wei, the emperor. The man whose victory had become his cage.
A cold storm rose in Li Xian's chest—betrayal, helplessness, hate. Every part of him screamed: how dared this man defy the river's silence, stealing away the only peace Li Xian could grasp?
He thrashed, fists pounding against Zhao Wei's chest, his voice ragged, savage.
"Let me die!" His words cracked through the frozen air. "Don't you have the right to end this? To free me from this living hell?"
Zhao Wei's dark eyes flashed with disdain, his grip never wavering. The emperor's fingers dug harder, iron and merciless.
"You don't get to choose death," he replied, voice frigid. "Not while I still want you breathing."
Li Xian's heart shattered at the words—each syllable a bar in his invisible prison.
Venom seethed in Li Xian's throat.
"You think I'm your prize? Your victory? But I'm no trophy to be paraded or owned!"
A cruel smile touched Zhao Wei's lips, cold as steel.
"You are mine," he said, voice like winter. "I won you in war. I'll never lose you."
Those words shackled Li Xian's soul; the cruel truth he had always tried to deny.
Tears burned fiercely as Li Xian glared, pain twisting each breath.
"I hate you," his voice broke. "I hate the fate that brought me here... I hate you for it." He shoved Zhao Wei harshly, chest heaving. "I wish I'd never met you. I wish you had died in the war instead of me."
Zhao Wei's expression stayed stony, untouched by Li Xian's agony.
"You will not die tonight," Zhao Wei snapped, roughly hauling him ashore. "You don't have that right. Not when I say you don't."
Li Xian collapsed to his knees on the riverbank, the world blurred and his anger burning hotter than flames.
"I don't have the right to die?" His bitter laugh split the silence. "Nor the right to live? What am I then?" His voice trembled. "A puppet for you to discard or cherish whenever you choose?"
Zhao Wei's glare sliced through him like a blade.
"You are necessary." His words were a prison and a sentence. "The game is not over—not until I say so."
Li Xian's fists clenched, nails biting into palms. His body trembled—not from cold, but from the weight of captured hope strangled beneath cold command.
Yet even as the emperor crushed him with words, a flicker of rebellion survived, stubborn as flame.
Zhao Wei's grip tightened as Li Xian's struggles grew desperate, his fists pounding against the emperor's fist.
"Let me go!" Li Xian hissed, gasping for breath, but Zhao Wei's hold was unbreakable.
With a swift, brutal motion, Zhao Wei lifted him up—chest pressed to chest, possession clear. Li Xian's heart thudded in fury and helplessness, his wild gaze defiant even as he clawed at Zhao Wei's arms.
"I am not yours to hold. You don't get to keep me."
Zhao Wei held his gaze, unflinching and cruel.
"You will live. Because I say so."
Carried away from the river's edge, Li Xian's protests faltered, swallowed by the heavy night—two souls bound by war neither could escape.
Then, Li Xian burst out, voice raw and shuddering:
"Why did you save me? What are you trying to prove?" Every word was torn between anger and despair. "That you are in control of my life and my death? Is that it? I can't live the way I want to and I cannot die the way I want to. I can't live in Yan Dynasty or Liang Dynasty—you're isolating me and now you won't even let me die!" His voice broke. "Tell me—get away from me!" He tried to fling Zhao Wei's grip off, desperate, trembling.
Zhao Wei's face remained stone. In one sharp motion, he seized Li Xian's wrist even harder, his voice a cold shout:
"Stop. That is enough. Not another word. You complain and mock all the time—sometimes I did this to you, sometimes I did that, sometimes I took your life from you, isolated you. Until today, you did whatever you wanted to and said whatever you wanted to. I accepted your conditions. I gave you everything you asked for." He leaned in, voice tightening. "Now I want to know—what do you think of yourself?"
Li Xian stared back, breathing hard, fury flickering behind his eyes. Zhao Wei's grip didn't falter.
"You are allowed control over your life, but it is my duty to keep the pride and honor of the Liang Dynasty intact. I will never allow you to do anything to either of these things. Yes, I made mistakes—when I realized, I admitted it and apologized to you in front of everyone."
Li Xian looked down, teeth clenched.
Zhao Wei's tone was unfeeling.
"But did you ever stop to think—you are not the only person who has pride or wants respect from all the people around them. Other people want it too! Yes, I married you because of the hate I feel in my heart for you, but never forget—it all happened because of your family."
Li Xian cut him off, eyes blazing:
"Don't you dare drag my family into your dirty games! How dare you accuse them?"
Zhao Wei chuckled, voice ice-cold:
"Your family. If they had helped my family, they could have saved my father and my older brother." For a moment, pain flashed in his eyes, a shadow across his cruelty. "I'm just getting revenge for what they did to me," he spat.
Li Xian trembled with fury. "I will not let my family be slandered!" His voice shook with force. "And I am done with your words, your cruelty, your endless questions."
Li Xian spat:
"If you hate me so much, if you can't stand me existing around you, then why don't you just put an end to my life?"
Zhao Wei's answer was deadly calm:
"Because if that happens, then you will win this war between us—and I don't want that." His smile was razor-thin. "I won't let the pride of the Liang Dynasty be a problem in this game."
Li Xian glared, silence stretching between them.
Zhao Wei leaned close, voice dropping to a cruel, commanding whisper:
"One more thing, Li Xian—if anyone in the palace discovers you tried to tarnish the image of the Liang Dynasty, I will hurt you. Understand?"
Li Xian swallowed, the threat hung between them heavy and real—like chains binding him to a war far beyond swords and banners.
The two stood in the moon-glow, locked in enmity, pain shimmering in every breath—one cold as iron, the other desperate, burning for any freedom.
And so, in the hush of night, the promise of love twisted with hate, and nothing was gentle in the grip that grip that kept Li Xian alive.
--------------
Hello everyone 🤍
This story is very different from my previous novel—and honestly, that's what excites me the most.
My last story came from a softer place, but this one is born from conflict, pain, and unanswered questions. It's darker, heavier, and much more emotional. While writing this, I wanted to explore power, pride, revenge, and what happens when two broken people are forced to stay together when all they want is to escape.
This novel is not a light romance.
It's slow. It's intense.
It's about survival before love.
There will be moments where characters make wrong choices, hurt each other, and act out of pain rather than reason. Please remember—this story is meant to show growth, not perfection.
I'm honestly very nervous but also incredibly excited to share this journey with you. Your thoughts, theories, and emotions mean a lot to me, so feel free to comment and tell me how you feel while reading 🤍
Thank you for giving this story a chance.
I hope it stays with you.(つ﹏⊂)