After My Enemy Took Me by Force

Down-and-out beauty of a princess x cold-blooded, ruthless powerful official

Wen Li is the daughter of a favored consort. As a child, she enjoyed every luxury and the emperor's affection. But when her mother lost favor, Wen Li fell from the heights of privilege and was confined in the inner palace for ten years, forgotten by everyone.

When she comes of age, she is sent to the bed of a newly risen power as a congratulatory gift.

This man is vicious and unpredictable, a terrifying figure whom everyone in the capital fears. The moment they meet, he wants Wen Li dead.

He looks down at her from on high and orders her about. “Why are you just lying there? Don't you know how to serve someone?”

*

Xie Ling was born into a family of scholars, but when he was eleven, his entire family was slaughtered. He grew up amid the harsh winds and frost of the frontier, with his hatred, coldness, and numbness growing stronger by the day.

Then one day, the daughter of his enemy willingly throws herself into his arms, hoping to win his protection.

She's just a plaything, Xie Ling thinks.

Behind the gauze curtains, he sees her almond-shaped eyes glistening with tears as she shyly nestles in his arms, flattering and ingratiating herself with him. An inexplicable, twisted pleasure stirs in his heart.

He grips her chin, his tone exceptionally cruel. “Don't make a sound when you cry.”

But Xie Ling never expected his usually obedient and easily controlled darling to run away from their wedding, then find herself a new husband who is young and handsome.

Outside the bridal chamber, Xie Ling lifts Wen Li's chin with his bloodstained sword. A cold smile curves across his exquisite, jade-like face.

“You don't want that boy to die in front of you, do you, darling? Good girl. Come inside with me.”

*

At first, Xie Ling only wants to take Wen Li back, keep her locked at his side, toy with her as he pleases, and punish her harshly for betraying him.

Later, he climbs into her bed night after night, his eyes red and his desire impossible to suppress. “Darling, could you try to love me?”

Content notes:

1. The heroine grows over the course of the story and is not perfect.

2. The hero is pure in both body and heart. He behaves terribly in the beginning, then risks his life to win his wife back. The hero will suffer for his actions, and there will be plenty of groveling.

3. The second male lead is the heroine's first love and has many scenes. The romantic pairing is one-on-one at different stages. He is a pure-hearted, calculating young assassin: very sweet when he is being sweet, and genuinely dangerous when he wants to kill.

Updates follow the rankings before signing, then daily after signing. I guarantee this story will be completed. Welcome to add it to your list! You can also check out my completed novel, Waiting for Her to Break the Willow Branch, about a spirited young constable pursuing an aloof and unattainable beauty. It's a super-sweet mystery with lots of romantic interactions, so you won't regret reading it!

Theme: Respect is a prerequisite for loving someone.