In her previous life, the kingdom where Xie Ying had been sent to marry was destroyed. Because of her beauty, her husband presented her to the new emperor, Shangguan Zhao.
The new emperor was tall and imposing. He even defied the opposition to make her his empress and abolished the imperial harem. Unfortunately, fire had left his face horribly disfigured, and he was a bloodthirsty, murderous madman.
What Xie Ying feared most were his endless demands through the long nights, and those deep, mismatched eyes that lingered over her.
Then, by chance, she entered his study and saw the walls covered with her portraits. Only then did she recognize that the new emperor was the shadow guard who had pushed her out of the fire when they were young.
But Xie Ying died on her way to find Shangguan Zhao.
After her death, she saw Shangguan Zhao take revenge for her like a madman. The streets of Changjing ran with blood, and the kingdom fell too.
He knelt silently before her tombstone, then finally killed himself to join her in death.
When Xie Ying was reborn, she was still an unloved princess confined to the cold palace, abandoned by her sisters in the mountains during a royal hunt.
She thought she would be killed by a tiger, but a slender young man in black stepped in front of her. He carried her out of the mountains, and from then on he silently protected her, risking his life to carve out a path to safety for her.
Whatever Xie Ying asked of him, he would do without hesitation, until she decided to find a man because she wanted a child. For the first time, her shadow guard disobeyed her. "Don't look for anyone else."
His voice trembled. The red mole at his throat was as alluring as blood. "If Your Highness wants a child, I can give you one too."
*
For the first decade and more of his life, Xia Ying had fought in a hidden camp where no sunlight ever reached. The princess was like a bright moon, illuminating his heart.
He had never dared to hope that one day she would hook her arms around his neck and pass him a cup of drugged wine with her lips.
Afterward, the shadow guard's ears turned red. In a hoarse voice, he pleaded, "I... want to be Your Highness's lover."
The princess smiled like a flower and hugged his waist, breathing softly against him. "Once I succeed in taking the throne, I'll marry you."
Taciturn, loyal puppy x sweet, delicate princess
**This blurb is so hard to write. Please give it a chance, QwQ**
1. In his previous life, the male lead was disfigured. The heroine marries a sickly beauty for the second time.
2. The male lead's surname is Shangguan. As a shadow guard, he was called Xia Ying. He isn't well educated, and he chose the name Zhao himself, taking it from the word for cherry.
3. The male lead was an emperor in his previous life, and that storyline is included.
Blurb revised on 2025.6.9. The original premise has been archived. Plagiarism will be pursued.
Theme: Don't give up on yourself, and don't repeat the same mistakes
