She was the emperor's most beloved daughter, willful, domineering, and unrestrained.
He was a brilliant scholar, the top scorer in the imperial examinations, riding high on success.
An imperial marriage decree bound them together, but they became a resentful couple.
When the woman he loved died of sorrow, he was consumed by grief, refusing food and losing the will to live as he prepared to follow her in death.
With his dying breath, he begged her to let them not be married in their next life.
After five years of failing to warm his icy heart, she, too, had grown disillusioned.
"If you want to die, then die! And what's with that disgusting talk about being buried with someone else? What am I, then, Your Highness?"
"I've had a miserable enough life. Am I supposed to watch you two be all lovey-dovey after I die, too? To hell with that!"
She grabbed him and gave him a thorough beating!
"Die if you want. Want to be buried with someone else? Dream on!"
She was done living a life of misery. She would be her carefree, unrestrained self again.
He was the second legitimate son of the great general who guarded the nation.
An idle playboy and a little hellion, he had been her hanger-on and lackey, but vanished on the day she married.
Five years later, he returned to the capital from the borderlands, now a young general of great renown.
Marrying her had been his lifelong wish.
He'd failed to steal her away when she married the first time. This time, no matter what, he would snatch her back...
