The Crown Prince's mansion was awash in red.
Lanterns hung from every archway, swaying with the breeze. Crimson banners fluttered along the courtyard walls, embroidered with golden phoenixes. Music drifted softly through the air as the guests gathered in elegant lines, fanning themselves against the summer heat. Nobles murmured, ministers sat with straight backs, and the Crown Prince's estate had never looked more imperial.
Everything was perfect.
And yet, no one smiled.
Everyone in attendance had heard the rumors. That the woman chosen to marry the heir was a used woman from a bandit camp, a ghost from the mountains, a disgrace brought in from the shadows. She had no family name that they were willing to acknowledge, no noble mother; nothing that marked her as fit for a prince. Let alone the Crown Prince of the entire Daiyu Empire.
But still, here she was.
