Six years ago, he was a prince sent to Qiaocheng to manage the river, while she was the daughter of an ordinary family.
Yet she had dared to dream of reaching for the moon in the sky.
After they had shared tender intimacy, he finished managing the river and returned to the capital to marry a noblewoman, leaving her in Qiaocheng.
Her heart died completely. She left Qiaocheng and married someone else.
Six years later, he came to her door to deliver the belongings of her husband, who had died in battle.
So she told two lies.
She told her five-year-old son, "Your father was a great hero who died for his country."
She told the dignified crown prince, "My son has nothing to do with Your Highness."
But the man who had once seemed beyond her reach had reddened eyes as he raised a hand to touch the identical brows she and her son shared. "I'll take you to the capital. Even if I'm not your father in this life, I'll protect you and keep you safe."
She planned to go to the capital to receive her imperial title, protect her son, and live out the rest of her life in peace, with nothing more to do with him.
The capital was bustling, and she met many old acquaintances. The chancellor and the top-ranked palace graduate were both attentive to her.
But the usually restrained and proper, aloof crown prince lost his reason. His gaze burning, he pinned her in a corner against the wall. "If you're going to remarry and find your child a stepfather, then choose me!"
