The Swallow of the Jade Pool

Yan Yu knew her younger brother was vain, haughty, and prickly. She had always indulged him, but this time, she was leaving.

A severe drought had struck the Northern Dynasty, and the Southern Dynasty's price for lending grain was her. The emperor couldn't bear to give up his daughter, so he sent Yan Yu, a princess of the royal family with no parents and no powerful family to rely on, off to marry into another land.

Before climbing into the bridal carriage, Yan Yu spoke to Yan Shi seriously for the first time, treating him like an adult as she admonished him: “Don't be so willful from now on. Your sister is leaving, so take good care of yourself.”

The ten-year-old boy, unusually, didn't make a fuss. He held her in silence and wouldn't let go for a long time.

Suddenly, pain flared in her shoulder. Yan Yu felt his sharp teeth scrape against her skin.

His voice beside her ear was fierce, though he was clearly forcing the words out: “Listen. Don't die.”

Then he added, “You have to come back within five years. If you don't, I'll come and kill my way there.”

After a long pause, Yan Shi's voice softened, cool as ice against her skin: “Older sister, if you die, I won't be able to live either.”

The road ahead stretched on without end, but Yan Yu still answered softly, “Mm.”

But Yan Yu died all the same. After her soul drifted through the void for who knew how long, she awoke again as Rong Yu, a princess of the Southern Dynasty.

The Northern Dynasty's army was at the gates, and the city was on the brink of falling. In her confusion, she found herself setting off on another diplomatic marriage.

She had heard that the Northern emperor had a pair of mesmerizing golden eyes and a dazzlingly beautiful face. Though only sixteen, he was cold and indifferent by nature.

Yan Yu gripped her clothes until the fabric creased. Even tea couldn't hide the trembling in her voice.

She managed to ask a palace attendant, “Do you know the Northern Emperor's name?”

“The Northern Dynasty's imperial surname is Yan. The emperor's given name is Shi, the character meaning ‘time,’ formed from ‘sun’ and ‘temple.’”

(One-on-one, both leads are sexually inexperienced.) The male and female leads are not related by blood. To avoid spoilers, details about this are in the author's note at the end of Chapter 1, since it needs to be clarified there. If you don't want spoilers, you can skip it.

Theme: Unhesitatingly fulfill one's duty to the nation