Hidden Beauty

[Updated irregularly] [The blurb for the upcoming story Bite of Rouge is at the very bottom] [Blurb] [The domineering Crown Prince steals his brother's bride] The Chu family of Jinguan had served the realm faithfully for generations. By imperial decree, with ten miles of wedding finery, the family's only daughter, Chu Ning, was sent far away to marry Prince Xuan. Unexpectedly, something went wrong that very night, and the wedding never took place. When Chu Ning awoke, she found Crown Prince Gu Linyue lying beside her. Faced with such an absurd turn of events, Chu Ning ran headfirst into a white marble pillar, trying to end her life. She survived, but when she woke, her memories were jumbled. She clung to Gu Linyue, calling him her husband and snuggling into his arms. The palace servants thought their future princess was done for. But the Crown Prince fell silent for a moment, then wrapped his arms around the delicate beauty. He gave a quiet cough and said, “This is a difficult situation. For now, I suppose it wouldn't hurt for me to look after Miss Chu.” With everyone watching, he took her straight back to the Eastern Palace. Prince Xuan: ...Elder Brother? * Several months earlier, Gu Linyue had had a dream. In it, a young woman named Chu Ning, dressed in bridal robes, married his younger brother. But on their wedding night, it was Gu Linyue who entered her bridal chamber. When he awoke from the dream, Gu Linyue suddenly remembered the love he had shared with her in a past life. He also remembered how she had died before his eyes, her white clothes stained with blood. Gu Linyue finally understood how foolish he had been in his previous life. He had hidden away a precious treasure he could never have, only to watch her be abandoned by another man and meet a tragic end. So he stopped at nothing to ruin her wedding and take her back to the Eastern Palace. This time, he would make sure she didn't call him husband in vain. # I give you a land of splendid mountains and rivers # [Notes] 1. All romantic developments take place after the heroine's wedding fails to happen. 2. Past and present lives, not reborn. Sweet romance, both leads are each other's first and only, one-on-one, happy ending. 3. The second male lead doesn't deserve any sympathy. Upcoming story Bite of Rouge [The second male lead takes the lead / Fostering / Coercive romance] Yu Ci is the most beloved princess of the Jiang Kingdom. But after falling ill as a child and failing to recover, she has no choice but to be sent to the Jin Zhao Prince's residence in Gusu, a place the court sees as a potential threat, to recuperate. Qin Jin, the eldest legitimate son of the Jin Zhao Prince, is peerlessly handsome. Yet he is cold and aloof, his reserved phoenix eyes always carrying a world-weary look that makes people fear him. When five-year-old Yu Ci first arrived at the residence, she looked at him timidly. Qin Jin's lips curved in a smile that might or might not have been genuine. He pinched the pale cheek of the little princess, his voice low and clear. “Poor little thing.” How did you end up in my hands? No one expected that, over the next ten years, Yu Ci would grow closer than anyone to this man no one dared to cross. When Yu Ci came of age, Lu Yan, the Chancellor's son, arrived under imperial orders, carrying a marriage contract and a summons to take her back to the palace. Qin Jin idly toyed with his pistol and crippled one of Lu Yan's legs. Tsk. What kind of man did he think he was, to imagine he could marry the girl Qin Jin had raised? * At first, Yu Ci only wanted to recover and return to the palace as soon as possible. After coming of age, she met Lu Yan, the man to whom she was betrothed, and her pure young heart began to flutter. But later, she learned that Lu Yan was the sworn enemy of Brother A-Jin. That night, the man entered her chamber, his phoenix eyes dark with obsession. “You've fallen for him?” Only then did Yu Ci realize: It seemed she wasn't going anywhere. * Much later. Yu Ci stood before the full-length mirror in her room, frowning with concern. “Brother A-Jin, have I... gained weight lately?” Qin Jin's gaze held a deep, quiet amusement. He bit her increasingly rosy cheek. “Not enough yet.” Yu Ci didn't know that hidden in the man's sleeve was a prescription for medicine to protect her pregnancy, written by the physician who had examined her. # When golden wind meets jade dew, what more could one ask for? # # He raised her until she was grown, so she belongs to him now. # Theme: The point of getting another chance is to use our true nature to overcome life's disappointments.