In the third year after transmigrating into the game world,
Dorothy is going to marry Prince Caesar Instalia.
Everyone thinks Dorothy has been blessed by God to be so fortunate.
The prince is young and handsome, solemn and devout, rarely smiles, and is utterly faithful.
He gives Dorothy whatever she wants, lets her wear crowns and jewels, and even builds her a palace.
And most importantly,
the seven-year-old emperor is gravely ill, and the regent Prince Caesar is the sole heir in line to the throne.
The empire's highest seat of power is within reach.
Only Dorothy knows she simply has no other choice.
She was inexplicably dropped into the game world.
Before that, she had even given herself a Mary Sue makeover.
Naturally, she was branded a heretic, left penniless and with nowhere to go, unable to log out, and nearly burned at the stake by the church as a witch.
It was then that the prince, deemed an "unconquerable character" in the game, cast a glance her way.
And so she came to live by his side, a canary kept in a cage.
She stayed there for three years.
Only she knows Caesar's mercurial moods, domineering suspicion, violent temper, cold cruelty, and overwhelming need for control.
Those three years were also spent under constant watch, with no freedom at all.
Until Caesar proposed marriage, because he said he needed her.
There was no romantic proposal and no sincere vow of eternal love. He simply recognized that she was a useful tool.
He recognized Dorothy's beauty and body, and her outstanding abilities, which could help her shoulder the duties of court. So he set aside his prejudice and contempt for her origins and graciously promised her the place of his wife.
Dorothy suddenly came to her senses.
*
Caesar never imagined Dorothy would dare to flee from their wedding.
He had given her a family name, status, and wealth, and he was so strong and handsome, powerful, and rich beyond measure.
He did not believe Dorothy would be willing to give all that up.
He thought this with absolute confidence.
That left only one reason:
some wretch who didn't know her place must have seduced Dorothy.
His Dorothy was pure, naive, and innocent of the ways of the world.
She would never betray him.
His poor Dorothy.
Caesar swore he would grind that person's bones to dust, then bring Dorothy back.
After a small punishment, she would stay by his side and in his court,
and bear him a healthy, beautiful heir to the throne.
Reading Guide:
1. Both are each other's first, happy ending, not an empowering female-lead power fantasy.
2. An alternate Western ancient setting blending multiple eras, with no historical accuracy intended. Comments nitpicking the historical details will be deleted.
3. The game setting is used to highlight the premise and add dramatic conflict. There are no fantasy, System, supernatural ability, or other elements that let outsiders overpower this world. The female lead is an ordinary person, just like everyone else in this world.
4. I love melodrama. Expect patriarchal authority, coercive relationships, groveling to win back a wife, subtle censorship, obsessive love, childbirth, and the usual dramatic chase-after-she-runs plotlines.
5. Web novels are just entertainment, not a means to greater truths. If anything makes you uncomfortable, please stop reading. Hope you enjoy the story.
Theme: All people are born equal
