The decree was read aloud in the hall.
"By the will of Heaven and the grace of His Majesty, the King of Great Liang—
In recognition of her virtue, loyalty, and willingness to sacrifice for the realm—
The daughter of the Prime Minister is hereby adopted into the royal lineage and bestowed the title of—
Princess Anle."
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.
She knelt at the center of the hall, head bowed, as she extended her hand to receive the decree.
Princess.
In her previous life, she had worn the title of Empress—yet died nameless, discarded, her corpse left to rot.
This time, she wore a crown before shedding a single drop of blood.
"Princess Anle," the king said, stepping forward. His gaze was sharp, assessing, but not unkind. "From this day onward, you bear the honor of the royal house. Your words and actions will reflect upon the crown itself."
She lowered her head further.
"This subject accepts the decree," she said calmly. "And will never forget His Majesty's grace."
The king nodded in satisfaction.
"To sly you," he added deliberately, his eyes flicking toward the assembled princes, "would be to sly the throne."
The message was clear.
Very clear.
She rose slowly, the weight of invisible chains settling around her shoulders—not chains meant to bind her, but armor meant to protect.
Across the hall, Li Yuan's expression was perfectly composed, but his clenched fists betrayed him. His nails dug into his palms as he stared at the woman who had slipped through his fingers in a single morning.
Princess.
Not his fiancée.
Not his future empress.
Not something he could discard at will.
She did not look at him.
Not once.
Prince Xie Yan stood among the Northern envoys.
He watched quietly.
The ceremony.
The reactions.
Her posture—straight-backed, unyielding.
The way she accepted royal power without trembling.
When her gaze finally lifted, it did not search for gratitude or reassurance, it instead Heald confidence and authority, she looked more like an empress than a princess.
Xie Yan's lips curved faintly.
Interesting.
Later that afternoon, the palace corridors were eerily quiet.
Princess Anle walked unaccompanied, her footsteps measured against the polished stone floor. The new jade hairpin marking her royal status gleamed faintly beneath the light—but her expression remained cold.
She knew he would come.
And he did.
"Anle."
The voice behind her was familiar enough to make her bones ache.
She stopped.
Slowly, deliberately, she turned.
Li Yuan stood a few steps away, his expression dark, controlled fury simmering beneath the surface.
"Insolent," he said quietly. "You didn't even wait to address me properly."
She inclined her head—just enough to be polite.
"Ninth Prince," she replied coolly. "Forgive me. I forgot."
His jaw tightened. "You forgot… what?"
"That you still expect obedience from me."
Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating.
"You planned this," he said finally. "From the moment you entered the hall."
She smiled faintly.
His eyes narrowed. "You humiliated me before the entire court."
"I saved you," she corrected gently. "By removing an unsuitable match."
His laugh was short, sharp. "Unsuitable? You were desperate to marry me yesterday."
She met his gaze calmly, unflinching.
"Yesterday," she said, "I was foolish"
The word seemed to offend him.
"And today?" he demanded.
"Today," she replied, "As you can see, I'm smarter. Marrying the northern princes benefits the realm and eases His majesty's worries and it also ensures my survival."
Something shifted in his expression.
"You think becoming a princess protects you?" he said coldly. "Titles are fragile things. So is royal favor."
She took a step closer.
Close enough that he could see the frost in her eyes.
"Do you know," she asked softly, "why I asked His Majesty to adopt me instead of merely granting a courtesy title?"
He said nothing.
"Because adoption makes me blood," she continued. "And blood is not so easily spilled."
His lips pressed into a thin line.
"You're playing a dangerous game."
She tilted her head slightly.
"So are you."
For the first time, she saw it.
Uncertainty.
"You chose the Northern Prince," he said slowly. "Do you know what kind of man he is?"
Her smile did not waver.
"I chose a blade," she replied. "One that cuts outward, not inward."
His voice dropped. "He will destroy you."
She leaned closer, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Then at least," she said, "I will die knowing who held the knife."
Li Yuan stared at her, searching—perhaps for the obedient girl he once knew.
She was gone.
"You think your family is untouchable now that you're a princess?" he said quietly.
Her eyes hardened.
"Not with the marriage alliance on the line" she said.
"And why are you so sure?"
"You might be dumb," she answered calmly, "but your father isn't, why risk a war when a single woman who offered herself can bring peace"
His breath caught, anger flaring in his eyes
"If anything happens to my family," she continued, "it wouldn't take much to declare war
"You wouldn't—"
"I would," she said simply. "And so would my husband."
The word landed like a curse.
Li Yuan's face darkened.
"You belong to me," he said suddenly, sharply. "Engaged or not—"
She slapped him.
The sound echoed down the corridor like a gunshot.
Li Yuan froze, stunned, his face slowly turning red where her palm had struck.
She stood perfectly still, her hand lowered, her expression composed.
"Choose your next words carefully," she said quietly. "You are speaking to a princess."
Footsteps echoed from the far end of the corridor.
Li Yuan's gaze flicked past her.
In the distance, partially obscured by a column, Prince Xie Yan stood watching.
Their eyes met across the space.
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to narrow.
Xie Yan's gaze lingered on her—assessing, intrigued, something darker simmering beneath the surface.
Li Yuan followed her gaze and stiffened.
"…You planned this," he said hoarsely.
She turned back to him.
"Yes," she replied. "And this time, I won't miss."
She stepped past him without another word.
Behind her, Li Yuan stood frozen—humiliated, furious, and for the first time—
Afraid.
And from the shadows, the enemy prince watched the woman who had chosen him over a throne, and who intended to use him as a weapon.