She Was Once High Above

(The story is complete! I have a historical romance sibling pseudo-incest novel, Tempting My Sister, in the works next door. Come check it out, dears!)

Blurb:

[Clearheaded, resilient, career-driven princess of a fallen kingdom X hopelessly lovestruck foreign general]

Princess Zhaoning of the Great Yin Dynasty was beautiful as a celestial maiden, noble and otherworldly. She was the emperor's beloved daughter and the dynasty's precious jewel.

Then the city fell. The jewel was cast into the dirt, shackled, and sent to the enemy camp. There, from a distant seat of honor, she saw the taciturn foreign slave who had once been so cold and aloof.

At the victory banquet, the young man's handsome, clear-cut face was just as she remembered. But when his lord began handing out rewards, his dark eyes narrowed and his burning gaze fixed on her, making her fingertips tremble.

The hall fell silent. His thin lips parted. "I want her."

Beneath the dim candlelight, the young man curled a long finger around the strands of hair at her neck, tangling them as he smiled with wild, wicked abandon. "My princess, how have you been?"

Becoming a prisoner of war in the State of Yin through one careless mistake was a disgrace to Xie Yi. But meeting Shen Wan was the greatest kindness heaven had ever shown him.

He had often wondered how to draw the moon, hanging high above him, into his arms. After much fruitless contemplation, he gave up.

In this life, he would gladly be a dog at her side.

But the moon was destined to descend to the mortal world. He stayed by her side for three years, letting her order him around and make things difficult for him, only for her to eventually marry another man.

On the eve of her wedding, she sat high in the main hall. "I know you resent this. I hereby set you free. From now on, the world is yours to roam, and we will have nothing more to do with each other."

He knelt on the cold brick floor, his lean knuckles clenched until they turned white.

His moon didn't want him anymore. How could he bear it?

The day cavalry trampled the city walls, he saw shock written across the face that had always been so proud.

So what if he was vile and cruel? He only wanted his moon by his side, even if she no longer shone as brightly as before.

At last, she bent her jade-like knees, lowered her head, and slowly knelt before him.

"Shen Wan is lowly and ill-fated. I beg... General, have mercy on me..."

Beneath the red curtains, he kissed away her tears again and again.

"Do you regret it?" he asked.

"Never." She clenched her teeth and wiped the glistening tears from the corners of her eyes.

"But I do."

His moon should never have fallen.

Reader's Guide:

1v1, both leads are virgins;

Old-school melodrama;

The heroine's kingdom falls for objective reasons;

The heroine is no helpless beauty. She will continue to grow throughout the story;

Set in a fictional world, so please don't nitpick historical accuracy.

Coming Soon:

[Appears pure and noble, but is actually a gloomy, unhinged, scheming younger brother X Appears principled, but is actually a softhearted, easily seduced, innocent older sister]

Ever since Cui Jingci came from the countryside to the capital, she dreaded falling asleep each night.

In her dreams, a man tormented her night after night, their encounters steeped in intimate desire.

At first, she couldn't make out his face, but there was something familiar about him.

Every time she woke, the vivid sensations from her dreams made her blush and her heart race.

Gradually, she began noticing the missing undergarments from her wardrobe, the freshly changed bedding each morning, and the paintings of her filling the entire room...

Everything was getting stranger and stranger.

Then one day, she accidentally poured away the calming soup her younger brother brought her every night.

Half-asleep, she finally saw the man's face.

He looked exactly like... the younger brother who shared her bed every night!

**

The newly crowned top scholar, Cui Jingnian, was cool and handsome, unrivaled in the world, and as refined as snow on a rooftop.

His affectionate eyes swept past on horseback, stealing the hearts of countless young noblewomen in the capital.

A promising young talent and rising star at court, he turned away every matchmaker who came calling.

Every day after work, he sought neither entertainment nor company, but went straight to his little courtyard at home. People who didn't know better assumed he was keeping a beautiful woman there, since he seemed so distracted by her day and night.

"Sister, my head hurts again..." He nestled against the young woman's neck, looking aggrieved.

He had suffered from this chronic ailment since childhood, and in all these years, even the finest doctors had failed to cure it.

Left with no other choice, they had to follow the old remedy from when they were children: sleeping beside his older sister, Jingci, could ease the pain a little.

She felt sorry for him. Though she thought it inappropriate, in the end she couldn't bring herself to refuse.

He hid his dark desires deep in his heart, only letting them loose beneath the black night sky.

Then one day, his sister blushed as she held out a newly made wedding dress and said, "The scholar Li next door is a good man. I want to get married."

The jealousy that had been growing wildly inside him broke free of its restraints in an instant, ripping away his disguise.

He gazed at the torn wedding dress in his hands with crazed infatuation, then laughed in fury. "Say that again. Who does Sister want to marry?"

**

Later, the handsome top scholar climbed ever higher in the ranks, eventually becoming chief minister.

In the haze of night, moisture glistened in the corners of his eyes. Like a dog begging its master for affection, he licked and kissed the woman beneath him again and again, leaving no part untouched.

"Sister..." he murmured, delirious.

His black hair was damp as they tangled together on the bed. His breath was scorching, his manner humble and cautious. "Please don't leave me..."

Theme: Never abandon the people in your heart.