Mei Lin's POV
My legs shake as I force myself to stand.
Through the thick veil, I can barely see the screen separating me from the Emperor. But I can feel him watching me. Studying me like a hunter studies prey before the kill.
Closer, he commands.
I take three steps forward. My heart pounds so hard I'm dizzy.
Remove the veil.
My hands tremble as I reach for the silk. This is it. The moment he sees my face—the scars, the disappointment, the truth that I'm not the beautiful Lin Rong he was promised.
I lift the veil.
The Emperor sits behind an ornate screen, his figure shadowed. I still can't see his face clearly. But I feel his attention sharpen, like a blade pressing against my throat.
Silence stretches between us. One heartbeat. Two. Five.
You're not Lin Rong, he finally says.
The words hit me like a physical blow even though I expected them. My mouth goes dry. I could lie. Beg. Pretend I don't know what he's talking about.
But I'm so tired of pretending.
No, Your Majesty, I whisper. I'm not.
More silence. Then: The ceremony will proceed anyway. Kneel.
Wait what?
Before I can process his words, officials sweep into the room. They don't seem to notice anything wrong. The head officiant begins chanting in the old language, words I don't understand. Someone presses a cup of ceremonial wine into my hands.
I kneel, completely confused. The Emperor knows I'm not his real bride. So why is he letting the wedding continue?
The ceremony blurs together—incense smoke, chanting, ritual bows toward altars I can't see clearly through my shock. I move like a puppet, doing what I'm told, while my mind screams questions.
Why isn't he stopping this? Why isn't he calling the guards? Why am I still alive?
Finally, the officiant declares us married. Just like that. I'm the Empress now.
The Empress. Me. Mei Lin, the disappointing daughter, the scarred substitute.
It's absurd.
Officials bow and leave. Servants vanish. And suddenly I'm alone in the massive throne room with only that screen between me and the man who just became my husband.
Follow, the Emperor says, his voice cutting through my daze.
The screen slides aside, and he stands.
My breath catches.
He's young. Maybe twenty-eight at most. I expected someone older, harder, more obviously monstrous. Instead, he's devastatingly handsome in a way that seems almost cruel—sharp features, intelligent eyes, and an expression so cold it could freeze fire.
This is the Blood Emperor. The man who murdered his own brothers.
And I just married him while lying about who I am.
He walks past me without a second glance, his robes whispering against the floor. The bridal chamber is this way.
I have no choice but to follow.
He leads me through corridor after corridor, past guards who bow low, past servants who press themselves against walls. No one speaks. No one even breathes loudly.
They're terrified of him.
We reach an enormous room—the bridal chamber. Red silk everywhere, candles burning, a massive bed that makes my face heat despite everything.
The Emperor closes the door behind us.
We're alone.
My heart hammers against my ribs. This is when he'll punish me for the deception. This is when
Sit, he says, gesturing to a chair.
I sit, confused. He takes the chair across from me, studying my face with those black ice eyes.
You have scars, he observes.
My hand automatically goes to my neck, where the worst of the burn scars are. I force it down. Yes.
From what?
A fire. When I was eight.
He nods once, like I've confirmed something. Then: Why did you agree to this?
The question catches me off guard. I... what?
You're not Lin Rong. You knew I would discover the truth. So why did you walk into certain death? His voice is emotionless, but his eyes are sharp. What did your family promise you?
A bitter laugh escapes before I can stop it. Promise? They promised nothing. They ordered me.
Explain.
So I do. The words pour out—Rong running away, Father's ultimatum, Mother's disgust, the choice between my life and the whole family's execution. I don't know why I'm being honest. Maybe because I'm already dead anyway. Maybe because after fifteen years of swallowing words, I'm too tired to lie anymore.
When I finish, the Emperor is silent for a long moment.
So you sacrificed yourself, he finally says.
I had no choice.
There's always a choice. You chose your family's lives over your own. Something flickers in his cold eyes, I can't read what. That was either very brave or very stupid.
Probably stupid, I admit.
The corner of his mouth twitches. Almost like he wants to smile but forgot how.
Your family will pay for this deception, he says quietly. Your father attempted to commit treason by trying to trick the throne. The punishment is execution.
My blood runs cold. But I—I'm here. I married you. The alliance still
The alliance was with Lin Rong. Not her scarred older sister. He leans forward slightly. Give me one reason I shouldn't have your entire family arrested at dawn.
I can't breathe. This is it. This is the trap. I walked right into it, and now everyone dies anyway.
But then I remember Father's cold eyes. Mother's disgust. Rong's cowardice. The fifteen years they made me invisible.
I can't, I whisper.
The Emperor's eyebrows rise. What?
I can't give you a reason to spare them. The words taste like ash. They threw me to the wolves to save themselves. They would have let me die without a second thought. So no, Your Majesty. I won't beg for their lives.
For the first time, genuine surprise crosses his face. You would let your family be executed?
I would let you decide their fate. That's your right as Emperor. I meet his eyes directly, even though it terrifies me. I came here to save them. I did that. What happens now is between you and them.
He stares at me like I'm a puzzle he can't solve.
Interesting, he murmurs. Then louder: And what about you? What should I do with a bride who deceived me?
Here it comes. The execution order. The blade.
I lift my chin. Whatever you want, Your Majesty. I walked in here knowing I would probably die. I'm not afraid anymore.
That's a lie. I'm terrified. But I won't give him the satisfaction of seeing me beg.
The Emperor stands abruptly, and I flinch despite myself. He walks to the window, staring out at the darkened palace grounds.
You're right about one thing, he says without turning. You probably will die in this palace. My previous three empresses did. This place is a viper's nest, and you're walking in blind, pretending to be someone you're not.
My throat tightens. Then why let the wedding continue?
He turns to face me, and his expression is unreadable. Because the Lin family's alliance is necessary for political stability. Because having an empress—any empress—keeps the court from questioning my ability to produce an heir. And because...
He trails off.
Because? I whisper.
Because when you agreed to this marriage knowing you would die, you proved something your sister never could. His eyes lock onto mine. You're not a coward.
The compliment, if it is one, leaves me speechless.
Here are the rules, the Emperor continues. You will live in the palace as my empress. You will attend formal functions and smile politely. You will not embarrass me or create scandal. In exchange, I won't execute your family immediately.
Immediately? The word sticks in my throat.
They're still traitors. But useful traitors, for now. He moves toward the door. You'll sleep here. I have other chambers. Someone will bring you breakfast tomorrow.
Wait I stand quickly. That's it? You're just... leaving?
He pauses at the door, looking back at me with those cold, cold eyes.
What did you expect? A wedding night? His voice is mocking. I don't bed women who were forced into my arms. That's not intimacy. That's just another kind of violence.
Shame burns through me even though I'm relieved.
Get some rest, substitute bride, he says. Tomorrow, the real nightmare begins. The court will meet you. And they eat women like you alive.
He opens the door.
Your Majesty, I call out, my voice shaking. What should I call myself? I can't be Lin Rong forever.
He looks at me for a long moment.
In public, you're the Empress. No name needed. He steps through the doorway. In private, when you've earned it, you can tell me who you really are.
The door closes behind him with a soft click.
I'm alone.
Married to the Blood Emperor.
Pretending to be my sister.
Waiting to die.
I sink onto the bed, my legs finally giving out. The silk coverlet is soft beneath my hands. Everything in this room is beautiful and expensive and wrong.
I don't belong here.
But I'm here anyway.
A sound makes me freeze, footsteps in the corridor outside. They stop at my door. I hold my breath, waiting for guards to burst in, for the execution order, for
A piece of paper slides under the door.
My heart hammering, I walk over and pick it up.
The handwriting is elegant, unfamiliar:
Welcome to the palace, false bride. Your sister sends her regards from her new life in the south. She wanted you to know how grateful she is that you took her place. Also, she wanted you to know that the Emperor's last three empresses didn't die by accident. They were murdered. And you're next.
Sweet dreams,A Friend
The paper slips from my numb fingers.
Someone knows the truth about the previous empresses.
Someone knows I'm not really Lin Rong.
And someone just threatened my life before I even survived my first day.
I press my hand over my mouth to hold back a scream and realize with crystal clarity:
The Emperor might not kill me.
But someone else in this palace definitely will.