Stealing Fragrance (Possessive Love)

Updated daily. Dear readers, be sure to scroll to the very bottom for the content warnings before you start! Optimistic, easygoing, honest country girl X two-faced, dark, creepily obsessive crown prince Coercive love + collecting men + groveling redemption arc + a little male rivalry Orphaned young and plain-looking, Jiang Qiao never dared dream of wealth or status. Her only wish was to marry a decent man and live a comfortable life. Unfortunately, her life was full of hardship, and she suffered one setback after another. By the age of twenty, her wish still had not come true. One day, Jiang Qiao rescued a private tutor from the capital and let him recuperate at her home. He was about her age, exceptionally handsome, noble in bearing, humble, and kind. He taught Jiang Qiao to read and write, and instructed her in etiquette and medicine. He was patient and meticulous, never looking down on her for being an uncouth country girl. Jiang Qiao respected him and never entertained the slightest improper thought about him. But she never saw how, as he held her hand to teach her to write, his burning gaze traced every inch of her slender wrist and fair neck. When he had recovered and was about to leave, he asked Jiang Qiao if she had any wish, telling her she could speak freely. After a long hesitation, Jiang Qiao said she wanted a husband. His expression changed, but he still agreed. After that, Jiang Qiao followed him to the capital and married three times in three years. Each marriage ended hastily when she initiated a divorce. All the complications along the way exhausted her enthusiasm for marriage and ruined her reputation in the capital, leaving her with nowhere to turn. So, after her third divorce, Jiang Qiao packed her things and prepared to return to the countryside. Just then, an imperial edict ordering her marriage was delivered to her. * A few days later, Jiang Qiao, a woman who had been married three times, was sent to the Eastern Palace to become the Crown Prince Shen Shuyuan's principal wife. She was anxious and dazed, unable to believe how absurd it all was. It was only at night, when she entered the bridal chamber and her veil was lifted beneath the wavering red candles, that she saw a familiar face before her. Only then did Jiang Qiao learn who had been behind her string of failed marriages, and who had held her close in those dim, sultry nights, whispering against her ear and calling her Qiaoqiao again and again. Terrified and humiliated, she used a pilgrimage to repay a vow as an excuse the next day and fled the capital in a panic. * Rumor had it in the capital that the Crown Princess came from humble origins and was frail and sickly. The Crown Prince indulged her, building her a new palace and lavishing her with affection. But the palace was heavily guarded, sealed off from the world. The Crown Princess, who should have been adored, was instead confined within its walls, suffering day and night. In the past, Jiang Qiao had only heard that Shen Shuyuan was a man of impeccable virtue, gentle and refined, like a snow-covered peak she could never aspire to reach. Later, she learned that he was nothing but a complete madman, a despicable, underhanded villain who would stop at nothing. But Jiang Qiao never imagined that someone so despicable would one day kneel before her, weeping as he begged her to love him a little more. Reader's guide and content warnings: 1. From an omniscient perspective, the heroine's early story is frustrating, as many people around her deceive her. It is less so from her own point of view. 2. Both leads are sexually inexperienced, as are the male supporting characters. For the heroine, this means she has never had sex, though she does have intimate contact. For the men, this means they have no romantic involvement with any other female characters. 3. The heroine has no actual marital relationship with the three male supporting characters. They are all part of a charade arranged by the male lead. All three develop feelings for her but are powerless against him. 4. Some elements draw on the Han dynasty, but the setting is otherwise fictional. Theme: Depending on yourself is better than depending on heaven or earth.