This winter in the Kingdom of Li was colder than any in recent years. Fluffy white snow fell gently, blanketing the Cold Palace courtyard. A few blood-red plum blossoms bloomed—and then withered—as if mourning.
In the center of the empty courtyard, on the ice-cold stone ground that could shatter bones, a young girl knelt alone. Her thin silk robe barely shielded her from the wind. Her shoulder cloak was torn, and snow clung to the ends of her tangled hair.
"Xianlan"
The fourth princess of the Li Kingdom.
Daughter of the Emperor and a concubine who had passed away when she was still young.
Today… she was no princess.
She was merely a girl condemned—for "poisoning Crown Prince Su Yan," the current heir to the throne.
A baseless accusation, never once investigated.
Only because the one who accused her was Consort Su Zhen, the favored noble consort who held unrivaled power within the inner palace.
Her foster mother since childhood—who was, in truth, a devil cloaked in grace.
The sharp crack of a cane striking flesh echoed again and again. Yet Xianlan did not utter a single cry.
Even as blood soaked through her back, staining the snow in wide crimson circles.
"If you're innocent, why hide a poisoned needle beneath your pillow?"
Su Zhen's voice was calm, almost gentle. But her eyes gleamed with cruel satisfaction.
"I never… I never even touched it…"
Xianlan struggled to speak, her voice hoarse. Tears spilled from her reddened eyes.
The tall, elegant figure of Su Zhen leaned in and whispered near her ear, as if even the snow might overhear.
"You sinned by being born—and by being too dearly loved by your royal father."
"I will make him hate you… until he forgets you ever shared his blood."
She let out a soft laugh—dry and brittle like a withering flower.
The silent disappearance of the palace guards confirmed everything. No one would come to help.
Tonight, the little phoenix would become a lifeless corpse—unmourned, unseen.
⸻
In the final moment before her consciousness faded, Xianlan turned her gaze eastward—toward the direction of the main palace.
Her eyes filled with hope that someday, her father might believe in his daughter's innocence…
But there were no footsteps.
No royal guards.
No lantern light from the grand palace.
Only darkness.
And the soft sound of snow falling upon her frozen body.
"Father… I never even got to tell you… how much I love you…"
The princess collapsed into the white snow,
leaving behind only a trail of blood—
bright red, painted across the white-blue silence of the night.