On the day I married the crown prince of a neighboring kingdom in a grand wedding, my childhood sweetheart, who had demanded I become his concubine, rode after me and knelt in front of my bridal sedan, begging me to stay. I was the real princess, raised outside the palace under a concealed identity. I had been childhood friends with the heir to the Duke of An’s estate for more than a decade. I thought our feelings were mutual, but he proposed to the Prime Minister’s legitimate daughter and wanted me as his concubine. “Shi An, you’ll be the only noble concubine in my household. That way, I won’t be betraying your feelings.” He had no idea that my father, the emperor, needed a princess for a political marriage and was eager to acknowledge me. This time, I didn’t insist on marrying my childhood sweetheart. I agreed to my father’s plan for an alliance marriage. When the neighboring kingdom’s crown prince came to escort me, I wore a phoenix crown and red wedding robes, and the entire court knelt to see me off. My childhood sweetheart was among the wedding procession, going mad with panic.
