The last thing I tasted was his breath — sandalwood and iron, like incense mixed with blood.
The last thing I heard was laughter.
Crowds raising their cups to the grand union of the Poison Alchemist and the Crown Prince —
To the girl who could melt a dragon's heart with three drops and still smile during the toast.
Me.
They used to whisper about my brilliance. Later, they feared what I could make. Finally, they smiled and named me wife, like that was a reward.
Prince Wei bent down and kissed me — soft, patient, like we had forever.
His other hand was already sliding between us, the dagger hidden in his silk sash.
When he drove it into my spine, he didn't scream.
He didn't even tremble.
He leaned in close and whispered:
"Forgive me, Xiyue. A man cannot rule an empire beside a woman who knows every poison by heart."
I collapsed.
Not beautifully. Not like a tragic poem. Just fell — limp and sudden, like a puppet cut from its strings.
The phoenix thread on my wedding gown flashed in the candlelight as I hit the floor. Red on red.
No one reacted.The councilors sat frozen. The guards stared straight ahead.Even my father — the man who had trained me like a blade — did nothing.
Only her.
Su Lian.
She stepped forward, jade robe brushing the ground, her face pale with pretend shock.
She knelt beside me, pushed a strand of my hair back behind my ear — and smiled.
"You were always too brilliant, sister," she murmured, only for me.
"Now the world can finally see me."
I tried to force out a word, a curse, a name for the poison swirling in their cups — the kind that would have them begging for death before the sun went down.
But blood filled my throat.
As the darkness crept in, I made a vow — not to gods or destiny.
I didn't plead with heaven or destiny. This was my own promise.If I'm born again… I'll remember everything. I'll come back for them. And I'll rip out their hearts with my bare hands.
The darkness closed in.
It should have been the end.
But when I opened my eyes—
I was staring at my own reflection — fifteen again, wrapped in that same red wedding gown. Prince Wei stood nearby, smiling as he reached for me. The wedding hadn't happened yet. It was all just beginning… and this time, I already knew where it would lead.