Your Highness, Back Off! Don't Cross the Line. You're Only the Princess Consort's Boss

[Marriage first, love later + both leads have only ever been with each other + a quirky, chatty, sunny heroine vs. a brooding, scheming prince]

The moment she opens her eyes, Song Jiuxi finds herself in a book as an utterly hopeless cannon-fodder supporting character.

She’s the male lead’s devoted pursuer, the stand-in for his first love, and the unloved legitimate daughter of the prime minister’s household.

She could have been a perfectly good wife to the God of War, but instead she insists on being an NPC for the leads, only to be sentenced to death after the autumn harvest.

Wait, she thinks she still has a chance to turn things around.

Refuse to be a lovesick fool: “Someone seize him! He tried to seduce this princess consort. Give him thirty strokes!”

Expose her stepsister’s act of looking frail: “Someone, fetch a physician.”

Get along with the God of War Prince: From now on, I can do whatever I like in the capital. I’m second in command at the prince’s estate, and I even get a few hundred taels in salary every month.

Who says the prince is no good just because he’s crippled, violent, and moody? He’s wonderful.

When the emperor orders the prince to fill his back courtyard, she thoughtfully helps him choose beautiful concubines.

So why does the prince look furious? And why has he put out the lights?

Mo Linxiao went to war at fourteen. After eight years of battle, he was gloomy and taciturn, fond of peace and quiet, and weary of worldly affairs.

When the emperor arranged his marriage, he saddled him with a chattering sparrow.

At first, he found her nothing but annoying. When a friend asked who she was, Mo Linxiao answered coldly, “A useful tool.”

Later:

When he hears her deny that she’s his wife, he blocks her with red-rimmed eyes. “I’m your husband.”

When his heart stirs, he pins her against the window and murmurs, “Kiss me again.”

When the heir comes looking for her, he regrets everything: “Xiao Jiu, you’re the only one I’ve ever loved.”

On the other side of the wall,

Mo Linxiao grips her slender waist, his eyes burning with desire.

“Tell me, do you love me or him?”