[A resilient orphan with a gentle exterior × a possessive, unhinged young master]
Everyone knew Cui You'an as a proper, disciplined gentleman who observed the rules and held himself to the highest standards, the most unshakable young nobleman in the capital.
That is, until a quiet, gentle widow arrived at his residence with a baby in her arms.
The daughter of a concubine in the household, and the daughter her father had lost contact with years ago, Chu Liu had soft features and a cautious nature. She always observed the proper boundaries between master and servant and never dared to seek favor.
As they spent day and night together, propriety crumbled and all sense of boundaries vanished.
Bound by his chains, he crossed the line night after night, falling deeply in love.
But the widow appeared to him in a dream and said, “You are not my husband. He is dead. You have never been him.”
*
The second branch of the Cui family had recently arranged a match for their illegitimate daughter.
“Which young master is she promised to?”
“The grandson of Yu Shen, a Grand Secretary, and son of the current imperial consort.”
For a widow and her daughter to marry into such a powerful family, they owed everything to Cui You'an, the Cui clan’s eldest legitimate son.
When the widow entered his study with a plate of pastries, Cui You'an, his eyes red at the corners, pulled her into his arms. They stood face to face, scarcely an inch apart.
The woman wept softly, begging the man to spare her when she said, “My lord... please...”
He lowered his eyes and brushed his nose against her tear-streaked cheek. His voice was calm, yet left no room for refusal. “Xiao Liu, take pity on me for the rest of your life.”
You can’t escape.
Content notes:
Moderate coercive romance, without a prolonged cycle of tragic love and hatred
The leads are not related by blood
The heroine is not foolish, just inexperienced in romance
Historical fantasy setting | Happy ending | Devoted love
Theme: May all lovers in the world find their happy ending
