A/n:

After 5 long months I am finally back! A big thank you to everybody who waited for me. To explain my long absence, I'd been feeling like I no longer knew where I was going with this story. It also seemed like no one really cared about it anymore, until a few readers asked me about it not long ago. I realized that there were still people waiting for me to show more of what this plot and the characters had to offer, so I figured I'd try to regain motivation to complete this story at least. I managed to do that as I looked back on the comments that I've received on every chapter. It's really very heartwarming to be able to see and feel you guys' support. It means a lot to me and certainly renews my will to (re)organize my ideas and carry on writing.

Hope everyone has been doing well and staying safe these days. For those who celebrate it, happy Chinese New Year!

Without further ado, here is the new chapter. Enjoy!

Princess Nongyu had finally arrived at the imperial court of China, the place that she called home for the most part of her life.

Just that home did not feel like home anymore.

To her extreme surprise, relief, and joy, her brother, Lu Han, was still alive. She found out about it when he managed to instigate a rebellion — he got in touch with some military leaders and politicians that were loyal to his late father, the previous emperor. They preferred to bow to Lu Han, the legal heir, and did not appreciate that Yibo usurped the throne. This rebellion succeeded in destabilizing the new emperor’s reign, which was both good news and bad news for Nongyu.

The good news was that her country falling into a state of anarchy and being engrossed in a civil war meant that it no longer had the capacity to invade Korea. This bought some time and safety for her beloved husband, Prince Jooyoung, and it was what she was here to do. She would have strived to keep him safe even if not for Queen Joohyun manipulating her so deviously.

The bad news, however, was that she had become the perfect person for Yibo to seize and use as leverage over Lu Han. This put a temporary stop to the rebellion, though at least Lu Han had managed to make it back to the palace, in close enough proximity to engage in a one-on-one duel with the usurper.

As the two half-brothers battled, their respective troops clashed. It was an understatement to say that the palace was a mess. The guards that were originally supposed to keep her under strict surveillance had either been deployed or murdered in cold blood, which enabled her to escape incarceration. She could have just chosen to stay hidden in an unguarded room to maximize her own chance of survival, but now was not the time for cowardice. If Lu Han was in the palace, she needed to go to him and back him up. Death was all around her, but for some reason she was not that worried about her own — she reckoned she was too valuable to be killed on purpose. If Yibo wanted her dead, he would have had her executed long ago and he had no shortage of opportunities to do so. Clearly he found her more valuable alive than dead.

The likeliest place for Lu Han — as well as Yibo — to be was the Throne Room. This was a place that hardly any woman could ever set foot in as power had always been concentrated in the hands of men. This time, even with no weapon or tool she could use to defend herself, Nongyu was going to make her way to this historically and politically significant hall anyway.

Scattered on the floor at the entrance of the hall among the dust and debris was a sword. Gingerly, she picked it up and slowly made her way inside.

As expected, she found the two men there, alive but covered in blood from head to toe. They seemed to have paused in their duel with blades, but not with their words and glares as they engaged in a dramatic conversation. Yibo was standing in the middle of the hall, with his back to the entrance, which meant that he could not see Nongyu approaching. Lu Han, on the other hand, was standing right in front of his half-brother, and could take notice of his sister’s presence.

Once the eye contact was established, Nongyu shuddered. Never had she ever seen her brother look so menacing. She would have been frightened if not for just how relieved she was to finally get to see her brother in the flesh, alive even if not well. She placed a finger in front of her lips, sending a signal to Lu Han while she sought to creep and sneak up on Yibo as discreetly as possible. She was trembling, bur in fear, not at all in hesitation. Lu Han kept him distracted while she approached, her footsteps shaky but her determination definitely not. She was gripping the weapon tight with both hands, but holding it without skill and not knowing how best to use it. She raised it in the air and took a deep breath, but it was too late. She moved too slowly and Yibo moved too swiftly. He did not even have to turn around — he simply flicked his sword and ed it into her torso. He did not even need to take a look at her or figure out who it was, because her eye contact with Lu Han was enough to indicate to him that an enemy was approaching from behind.

Nongyu froze, still keeping a tight grip on the sword in her hands. It took a moment for the debilitating pain to register; before it came, it was the pressure and weird, unprecedented feeling of having a lengthy blade in her guts that took over her. She was aware of the fact that she was brutally stabbed, but could hardly react as the shock was too strong. Lu Han was also shocked, but not to the same magnitude. He was more accustomed to the sight of people getting stabbed left, right, and center, and most times from the back. Even though this time it was his sister out of all people who suffered that treatment, his quick reflexes drove him to take action before all else. Yibo’s sword stayed where it was, which implied that he was temporarily unable to use it on other people. Even if it was just for a split second, it was enough for Lu Han to do what he needed to do. He swung his sword horizontally and with as much as raw force as he could muster, directly decapitating his sister’s assailant.

Lu Han flinched as the head rolled farther and farther away, the rest of the body collapsing just as it should. As the threat was removed, the more pressing issue at hand was his sister’s critical condition. There was no physician around, nor would one show up anytime soon. He had her lie down and hastily attempt to apply pressure on the wound. She was still unable to react as the pain was making her dizzy and disoriented. Her skin was already pale to start with, and now it had become cold and clammy too. Her lips that used to be so pink and lovely were now characterized by a blue tinge. She never knew it was possible to feel thirsty yet nauseous at the same time, as if her system could not decide if it wanted to ingest water or throw up everything that was inside. Perhaps both. She became conscious of her rapid, shallow breathing, which only made her more scared, as if it was not already bad enough that she was bleeding copiously.

“Stay with me,” Lu Han urged, gritting his teeth. The sweat and tears on his face formed a gross mix, once again hydrating the dried blood stains. “Don’t you dare fall asleep.”

Nongyu’s mouth remained open as she had to gasp for air, but she was also yawning. Her body wanted rest, but her mind did not, and was still restlessly, desperately searching for the words to say. She had a hunch that these were going to be her last words. She had very little time left and if she had any final wishes, now was the time to reveal them.

“Majesty,” she spluttered once she mustered all the strength she had to speak. It was the first and last time she was going to be able to address him as the Emperor. It brought her relief and reassurance to know that at least she played an integral role in making it possible for him to claim the throne that had always been meant for him.

“I’m listening,” he replied, even though his voice was also breaking in despair and shaking in frustration. He was angry with himself; he tried so hard to keep her safe, but in the end he had to rely on her sacrifice to secure what he spent his whole life fighting for. “Talk to me, sister, stay awake.”

“I know you had me married to Jooyoung because you want to annex Korea,” she whispered in broken phrases. “Don’t you dare.”

“What?” Lu Han uttered in disbelief. He was thinking of China the whole time, thinking of power, thinking of