I, the Princess, Killed the Imperial Tutor's Beloved

My new novel, Falling for My Cousin's Beloved, is now updating! A ten-year age gap · a restrained aide X a naive palace maid · a slow-burn romance. When someone comes for you, yet you have no idea...

Come take a peek at my author page, lovelies~~ The blurb is at the very bottom.

Blurb:

[Obsessive Imperial Tutor X Princess of a Fallen Kingdom · The Long Road to Winning Her Back]

Huai Xiu kept a secret she had never told anyone: she had fallen in love with her teacher, a man who held power over the entire court.

She was Zi Shu Lu's only female disciple, and had learned from the Imperial Tutor himself in the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, painting, riding, archery, and swordsmanship. The Imperial Tutor, revered and feared by all, was gentle and attentive only with her.

Her teacher was wonderful in every way. Unfortunately, he had not the slightest romantic affection for her. She could have kept that secret and stayed by his side, until the day she stumbled into his study after drinking too much and saw the portrait on his desk...

The woman in the painting wore a red dress, burning like a flame in the pitch-black night.

Only then did Huai Xiu realize that her teacher was not incapable of love. His heart had long belonged to someone else.

Much later, Huai Xiu held her sword to his chest. Amid the raging wind, she asked him, "Is your moonlight tucked away in here, Teacher?"

*

Zi Shu Lu was no saint. He, too, had selfish desires. He kept the woman he loved by his side, but could only call her his disciple, never daring to cross the line.

In the middle of the night, he often remembered the past: Princess Gao An in a fiery red dress, blazing like a flame, had burst into his world and rekindled the dying light in his heart.

Later, he personally plotted to send Princess Gao An to Da Qi, erase her memories, give her a new name and surname, and call her "Huai Xiu."

From then on, he hid himself inside the body of a saint, deceiving himself as he cultivated his so-called virtue as a teacher. After carefully raising her for years, Huai Xiu had become a piece of broken jade in his heart, fused into his flesh and blood, a secret buried deep within him. He kept that secret, yet one stormy night he saw the moonlight illuminate the girl's reddened eyes. Her tears, not yet fallen, were like a crystal-clear sword suspended over Zi Shu Lu's heart.

He asked, "Why are you crying?"

She replied, "It has nothing to do with you, Teacher."

In the end, she had nothing to do with him. So on that final day of blinding snow, he resolutely stepped forward and met Huai Xiu's sword with his own flesh and blood. At last, he found release. "Your Highness, you have always been in my heart."

[Short Scene]

Zi Shu Lu looked at Huai Xiu and, in a daze, found himself back in the capital of Yan, within those towering palace walls.

It was the season when flowers drifted across the ground. Spring was at its height, yet already nearing its end. Along a quiet palace path, Princess Gao An, dressed in red like a flame, took his sleeve and led him running forward without hesitation.

The spring breeze lifted her skirt and long hair. Even the pale moon-white sash at her waist fluttered up, drifting over like a cloud and settling against his cheek.

Zi Shu Lu still remembered to this day that the sash was made of silk. It felt like cloud and mist: impossible to grasp, impossible to forget.

"Come with me, Teacher!"

"Where are you taking me, Your Highness?"

"To drink! This Sang Luo wine came from Bingzhou. You haven't tried it yet, have you, Teacher?"

Content Warnings:

* Set in an imaginary dynasty, with many original world-building details. Historical nitpicking is not discouraged.

* Both leads are sexually inexperienced, 1v1 romance.

* The leads are bound by the hatred between their countries and families. The extras have a happy ending. Their ending will be made as reasonable as possible. Please don't attack the author if you dislike it~~ May there be peace in the world~

[Blurb archived by screenshot]

New Novel Blurb (updating regularly):

Falling for My Cousin's Beloved: A ten-year age gap · a restrained aide X a naive palace maid · a romance between a peacock and a career-minded woman · a true story of mutual salvation

Female Lead's POV*

A Beauty named You died in the palace. No one cared. I was the only one who said goodbye at her bedside, calling her Cousin.

As my cousin lay dying, the Emperor was enjoying the hot springs at his palace retreat and had no time to visit. The night snow raged around Xingyun Pavilion as I knelt by her bed and heard her murmur someone's name.

I leaned close to listen and whispered, "Do you want to see him, Cousin?"

"If you want to see him, I'll go find him right now."

The snow howled. I waited a long time, until at last my cousin spoke in a voice like shattered jade: "No need. It's enough just to think about it..."

I knew who my cousin was thinking of: Wei Mian, a young officer in the Longwu Army, full of youthful ambition and destined for a brilliant career.

I had seen him many times, carefully arranging chance encounters between him and my cousin while pretending not to know him. A few times, our eyes accidentally met, and I was so frightened that I fled in a panic.

After my cousin passed away, I struggled to survive alone in the palace. I also ran into Wei Mian many times, and by a twist of fate, he helped me on several occasions.

I thought he had never recognized me, much less remembered me. But later, somehow, we became companions, walking the long road together with swords in hand, stopping at the very edge of life and death...

Beneath the sword's edge, I saw blood welling in his eyes, though a satisfied smile lifted the corners of his lips. "A Yin, this time, I won't fail again."

What? Fail at what?

My mind was in a fog, but I heard him say, "This time, I will make sure you survive."

Male Lead's POV*

Wei Mian carried a pair of eyes in his heart, both unfamiliar and familiar. In the sleepless dreams of the long night, he was always searching for them. He was obsessed, and even after waking, his heart still thundered like a drum.

He had thought they were the eyes of a nightmare. He never expected that such eyes truly existed in this world: shimmering like water, glancing his way with cautious care, then fleeing in panic. He could not tell whether she was afraid or repulsed...

He pursued those eyes, wanting an answer to his nightmare, wanting to bring it to an end. But when the owner of those eyes finally stood before him, he felt panicked and wanted to run.

He watched helplessly as she walked up and bowed respectfully. "Lord Wei, thank you for your help yesterday. This humble servant has no way to repay you."

Wei Mian sensed her distance and felt flustered, but his words came out even colder. "If you want to thank me, yesterday wasn't the only time I've helped you."

Those eyes lowered as if she were pondering his words. "What do you want, Lord Wei?"

Theme: No one can step into the same river twice