It was the season of renewal. Every ten years, the three big countries of Jin: Nan, Qin, and Fen, reunited in a banquet that lasted a whole week, as a way to rekindle their peace's treaties. The country where it would be celebrated varied each time, in a circular manner between the three. Although the decoration and festive could be already seen, it wasn’t exactly the time yet, but it would be, in a month and a half and this year, it was to be celebrated in Nan country. 

However, what was making everyone even more festive especially this day, was that today was the second prince’s birthday. His twentieth; and as such, many were invited to the palace to attend.

Graciously sitting in her place, Mu Rong An, his unofficial fiancée, was nursing a headache silently. Her smile was amiable and faultless while internally, she was glaring daggers at the one she was talking to. It was none other than Li Ming Qi, a woman who recently seemed to be everywhere where the second prince was. 

Even though there was never an imperial edict which mentioned said engagement, a vocal promise between their parents had been made in their early years. An arrangement between the empress, the second prince's mother, and her cousin, the prime minister's wife. It was something widely known which was the reason why there had never been anyone daring enough to come and propose a marriage for this famous beauty, the legitimate daughter of the prime minister. The years passed by, the second prince had yet to have the intention to marry, and as such she was already eighteen, waiting for him since she was a kid. When she turned fifteen she had thought it was the time, however, no news came from him and it was three years later already. 

That they weren't married yet, didn't prevent her from already considering him hers. That notion had been ingrained in her since birth, how could it go just because they weren't yet official? So, as his wife-to-be how could she feel good seeing others eyeing him? She very much wanted to gauge out their eyes and see if they dare to covet him again. 

From all those mindless women, the one who was really a thorn in her eyes was none other than this Li Ming Qi, the legitimate daughter of the minister of Personnel. Who knew why since last year, this usually sickly person turned into a healthy one, displaying talents for the four arts and miracle far greater than the physicians were able of.

Even the second prince, Hen Ru Ying, who usually didn't care about things like those was affected by her.

For Mu Rong An, such a person was simply too unpleasant to look at!

As such, to teach the person a lesson, Mu Rong An had tried the day before, to push the other woman in the water pond. Still, she was miraculously the one who ended in the pool. The very middle of it! The water was cold and freezing, making her feel as though millions of needles were been inserted into her very being. It took her many bitter medicines to not come down with a cold, but since then she had a terrible headache that won't leave her.

At one point, the emperor, called both the second prince and Li Ming Qi to hear the imperial decree. Smiling widely at her, the woman left to kneel beside Hen Ru Ying in front of the emperor, while Mu Rong An's face paled terribly.

It couldn't be... it couldn't be...

And yet, it turned out exactly as she feared. The emperor bestowed a marriage upon the two!

It was like a slap in her face, she could almost feel how much it stings and God, it was stinging bitterly. She could hear these women’s whispers and they, who just some minutes ago were also finding fault with this person were already complimenting her. 

As fast as she could, she collected herself. Mu Rong An, whose acting wasn’t any less extraordinary between them all, followed in complimenting the people with clenched hands under her sleeves. 

Her smile was so blazing as she was clapping that it marveled Li Ming Qi for a moment. If she didn’t know better for having already witnessed the other person’s double-faced, she would have been fooled!

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***

By the night, when the emperor and empress had already left and the invitees were taking their leaves, Mu Rong An took a stroll through the garden, hoping to meet with Hen Ru Ying. If he was willing, she wouldn't mind being a first rank concubine. It was, she thought, such a generous offer that certainly, it couldn't be refused. He already had two lowly concubines that the Empress bestowed upon him since his fourteen years, a third certainly wouldn't make that much difference.

Yet, the person couldn't be found in his favorite place after all. She kept on walking and eventually, feeling colder and her head heavier, ordered for her servant to fetch her a thick cloak. Her servant leaving, she walked a little more to sit and lean on one of the pillars by the stairs when she recognized a figure not far from her. The anger that was dormant was fueled again. If it wasn't Li Ming Qi, who else could it be?

The person was facing the stairs, giving Mu Rong An her back, seemingly waiting for someone. It didn't even feel like she knew there was someone behind her, completely absorbed in her thoughts as she was.

It was dark and easy to be concealed behind the big pillars. For was Mu Rong An it was almost of a reflex to want to push the person. Her hand stretched, with every intention to do so; however, it never reached, being blocked by another hand; and Li Ming Qi who escaped a terrible scheme waved at her own personal servant who was coming back to her, and left with her without knowing anything about it.

Seeing her prey going far away, Mu Rong An grew annoyed and in a cold voice, said,

“Can this general leave my arm already? Thanks!”

Indeed, it was the young general Ru, the great friend of the second prince and friend with Li Ming Qi too. At this very moment, the usual expressionless and taciturn face was thunderous, even scarier in this dim light. He didn’t have the gentleness of a scholar like the second prince but the bearing of someone practicing martial arts thorough and thorough. His hand tightened on hers and she winced a little, before he let go, saying in a cold and clip tone,

“For the prime minister’s daughter to think of such ways, I’m really enlightened today!”

She stumbled a little but didn’t fall, glaring at the man briefly before her face revealed the brightest smile she ever had or was capable of. He was always where he wasn’t supposed to be this person! Even yesterday, she was pretty sure that it was his fault she felt in the pond. For her to be in the middle of it, the person must have outstanding martial arts. He pushed her without others realizing at all, making a fool out of her!

“Ru general jests, wasn’t this one just trying to pass, what of it?”

He was about to say something but she lost her footing, almost falling. The throbbing in her head grew worse, as she felt lightheaded and he extended his hands for her to not actually be the one falling from the stairs. Stabilizing herself and realizing their position, she slapped his hands away and he didn’t persist in helping even though she was staggering a little still. Rather, the taciturn man’s frown deepened and she was sure that the annoying person was making a comparison between herself and the one he was actually infatuated with. Suddenly the very sight of this man was angering her,

“You had her back then, why let her go! Why must it that you be so annoying!”

Her servant came then and tried to pacify her unusually angered mistress. It was rare for her after all, to lose her cool in front of others. But where would Mu Rong An have the time to think about face? The throbs in her head were growing worse. She finally passed out, looking hatefully at this man. Why couldn’t he have gotten married to that woman when he loved her so, must he let others have her? Look now, the annoying witch was going to be married to her fiancé!

***

When Mu Rong An regained consciousness, even though her body was cold and feverish, her head stopped aching, the throbbing was non-existent too, almost as though the previous suffering was but just a nightmare. Nonetheless, her anger actually multiplied. She could finally put words to those strange sensations she felt ever since she was a kid. She was actually inside a book! She couldn’t remember past that fact, couldn’t see past that book. She couldn’t even remember who she used to be. And why would she, she thought wryly, she was the villain anyway, what would she do with her memories?

The second prince who used to be her fiancé was going to marry the woman who saved his life. That was to be expected of course! Li Ming Qi was the main character in the first arc and Hen Ru Ying, the male lead.

Mu Rong An had never liked that person and now she understood better why. She was never supposed to like that transmigrated person! Just where had it been seen that the villainess was supposed to play friends with the heroine? If they did, of course, it was never sincere for the villainess was always a two-faced person!

She had yet to recollect and ingrained in her the little details she could remember of her past life that a servant rushed to tell her that she was waited for in the main hall. An imperial eunuch had come with an invitation.

For her to come to the second prince’s wedding.