Ji-Lie, her second in command, was fuming as she stared at the contents of the letter laid out before them. The paper trembled slightly between her fingers not from fear, but fury.
Xu Xiaolan merely clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes.
Her father... was he even worthy of that title?
The letter demanded she return from the border at once and become a dutiful, ornamental wife to the Seventh Prince. The traitor of the kingdom had been pardoned by the Emperor, and as a "reward"or perhaps compensation she was to marry him.
Xiaolan knew better.
It was a trick.
The marriage decree had originally been issued to her eldest stepsister, Xu Meimei. But her stepmother, ever meticulous in cruelty, must have switched the names and pressed the matter under the guise of "honoring the Xu clan."
Xiaolan exhaled slowly, exhaustion threading through her chest.
It was already enough that they despised her.
Why did they still insist on dragging her back?
The wind outside the tent howled like a wounded beast, snapping the war banners until the poles groaned in protest. Inside, a single brazier burned low its flame steady and disciplined, much like its owner.
The letter lay open on the table.
Imperial seal.
Xu clan crest.
Filth disguised as silk.
Across from Xiaolan, Ji-Lie had gone rigid.
Her fist slammed down so hard the maps jumped.
"They dare?!" Ji-Lie snarled. "General, this is an insult! No this is execution wrapped in red silk!"
Her eyes burned, teeth clenched as though she were still on the battlefield.
"That man is a walking curse! The court spits when they say his name and they want you to marry him? After everything you've done for the border?!"
She cut herself off sharply, swallowing hard.
"Forgive me. But your father...."
She couldn't finish.
Outside, soldiers laughed around their fires, blissfully unaware that their undefeated general was being recalled like a disposable pawn.
Ji-Lie picked up the letter again, rereading it as though sheer will might rearrange the words.
"This was addressed to Xu Meimei," she said finally.
Her voice dropped, cold and lethal.
"Those vipers switched it. They're sending you because they think you're disposable."
Silence pressed in, thick and heavy.
Ji-Lie noticed Xiaolan's stillness and stiffened.
"General," she said quietly, controlled now.
"Say the word. I'll ride to the capital tonight and split that household in half."
Xiaolan's response was not what she expected.
"Pack up."
Ji-Lie stared at her, stunned.
"You're going?" Her voice sharpened with disbelief. "You know what this means. Once you step into that palace, you won't be a general anymore. You'll be a hostage."
She hesitated, then spoke the truth neither of them could deny.
"And the Seventh Prince... no one who gets close to him survives."
Outside the tent, a scout called for instructions. War drums echoed faintly in the distance a reminder of who Xiaolan was here.
Ji-Lie suddenly dropped to one knee, fist pressed to her chest.
"Then allow me to go with you," she said fiercely. "As guard. As servant. As anything."
Her loyalty was absolute.
"The battlefield is easier than that court. At least enemies there don't smile before stabbing you."
Xiaolan smiled faintly and reached down, pulling Ji-Lie to her feet.
"You're the only family I have left, Ji-Lie," she said. "I won't leave you behind. You'll come with me."
Then her voice lowered.
"Father added an extra message."
She flipped the scroll over. The writing was small almost hidden but unmistakable.
"Kill the Seventh Prince and you will be recognised as my legitimate daughter."
Ji-Lie froze.
Her hands, still gripping Xiaolan's forearms, went cold not from magic, but from rage so sharp it stole her breath. She read the words again, as though hatred alone might burn them off the silk.
"Kill the Seventh Prince."
"Recognised as legitimate."
Her laugh came out raw, fractured.
"So that's the price," she said bitterly. "A title bought with blood."
She bowed her head then lifted it, eyes blazing.
"Say the word, General. We don't need the court. We don't need that name. We can vanish north. The army would follow you."
The brazier flame sputtered.
Ice crept farther along the tent pole, cracking the wood with a soft tick.
Before Xiaolan could answer
A horn sounded outside.
Urgent. Short.
The tent flap was yanked aside as a messenger rushed in and dropped to his knees.
"General Xu!" he reported. "Imperial scouts have arrived at the border camp. They carry the Emperor's seal escort orders."
Xiaolan's jaw tightened.
Imperial banners snapped violently in the wind.
The escort waited.
Ji-Lie fastened Xiaolan's cloak herself, fingers lingering as though memorizing the motion.
Somewhere far away, the echoes of the Cold Palace doors still lingered in memory.
Two orders now existed.
Kill the Seventh Prince.
Marry him.
And neither woman had any intention of obeying quietly.
************************************
The mansion smelled wrong.
Fresh incense. New wood. Servants' fear carefully scrubbed into the floorboards.
It was not home.
Jian Wushuang stood alone in the inner hall, eyes closed, fingers trailing along a pillar carved with coiling dragons his family's symbol.
The grooves were shallow now, softened by time and neglect.
Ten years.
The lanterns flickered.
For a moment
The hall was no longer empty.
His elder brother stood before him, blood blooming across white robes, eyes still sharp even as the blade pierced through his back.
"Wushuang..... sorry."
Steel rang.
His mother fell next, her scream cut short, hands reaching for him through fire and snow.
Chains bit into his wrists again.
The sound of heads striking stone echoed too clearly.
His breath hitched.
The air around him darkened, shadows pooling at his feet like ink.
Azura flame stirred low, hungry.
Death whispered.
Wushuang opened his eyes.
The shadows receded.
The hall returned.
He straightened his sleeves, face smoothing into that familiar, courteous calm the one the court feared without understanding why.
Behind him, a footstep.
Casual. Unafraid.
"Your Highness." lianju bows
Wushuang didn't turn.
"You're loud tonight."
"Because you were drowning. Figured I'd throw a rope." lianju grinned
He moved closer, leaning against a table, eyes sharp despite the lazy posture.
"I checked the Xu Clan records."lianju says and paused.
"They are sending the wrong daughter."
Wushuang's reflection in the bronze mirror did not change.
Lianju continued.
"The marriage decree was meant for the Xu daughter. Minister Xu has two. A legitimate Xu Meimei. Delicate. Easy to control."
A soft scoff.
"And Xu Xiaolan. The illegitimate one. The ice witch."
Lianju lounged on a chair, balancing a dagger on one finger.
"they are sending the Xu clan's youngest daughter Xiaolan. Battlefield general. Ice user, cold and... beautiful."
The dagger spun.
"Rumor says she's never lost a campaign."
Wushuang's reflection stared back from the dark window faintly distorted, edges blurred like smoke.
"They don't send their cherished pieces."
His fingers brushed the frost forming on the wood.
It didn't melt.
It retreated.
"They send me a useless one." jian wushuang says softly
Lianju chuckled.
"Should I kill her first, then?"
Wushuang shook his head.
"No."
A pause.
"I want to see what kind of woman they think can kill me."
Lianju tilted his head. "They want you dead."
Silence stretched.
Then
Wushuang exhaled slowly. "I know."
Lianju straightened, surprise flickering across his face.
"...Then why keep the marriage?"
Wushuang finally turned.
His eyes were dark deep, endless, carrying ten winters of buried rage.
Jian Wushuang walked to the window. Moonlight traced his silhouette in pale silver.
"The Xu Clan could have sent a lamb."
His fingers brushed frost forming along the frame.
"Instead, they sent a blade sharpened by war."
A faint smile curved his lips.
"That means she isn't loyal to them."
Lianju studied him.
"Or she's loyal enough to kill you."
Wushuang's smile deepened cold, knowing.
"Then she and I are the same."
He looked up at the sky, where clouds drifted like ash.
"I've spent ten years surrounded by ghosts. Let them send me one more."
A pause.
Quieter.
"If she tries to kill me... I'll let her."
Lianju blinked.
"...And if she doesn't?"
Wushuang's gaze hardened, flame flickering briefly in his pupils.
"Then I'll give her a reason to burn the world with me."
The wind howled outside the mansion.
Somewhere on the road to the capital
Ice moved toward flame.