The General's Reluctant Bride

My husband is a man from a world of books.

On our wedding day, he told me that I would one day be madly in love with him.

I smiled and nodded. “My husband speaks the truth.”

But the moment I turned away, I was already discussing with my maid how best to arrange a few concubines for him.

As the lawful wife of a noble house, who cared for such trivial things as “love”? I craved only power.

And children—enough of them to make my position unshakable.

1

I grew up in a prince’s manor.

I had long seen through all that power brought, and the restless hearts beneath it.

So while other girls at the tender age of fifteen would blush at the sight of a handsome young man,

I was only interested in uncovering their backgrounds and considering whether they might one day serve my purposes.

Ethan Warrington was the eldest legitimate son of the Grand General of the Realm.

He was handsome, skilled in martial arts, and well-versed in military strategy and tactics.

One day, he would inherit his father’s title and command great influence.

When my father included him among the candidates for my hand, I immediately sent people to investigate everything about him.

I discovered that, beyond his impressive exterior, he was also shrewd and pragmatic. At court, he was not as rigid as his father but rather smooth and worldly.

He was exactly the kind of dignified man I needed.

So the marriage negotiations went smoothly.

After my fifteenth birthday, we began finalizing the wedding date.

A year later, I married Ethan Warrington.

2

A princess marrying a general—the wedding caused a stir across the entire city.

All the officials of the court and the most prominent nobles of the Northern Kingdom came to offer their congratulations.

Ethan had a few too many drinks. According to his nursemaid, he rested in the front hall for half an hour before returning to the bridal chamber.

The moment he stepped through the door, he stared straight at me. “You’re Claire Ashford?”

I inclined my head slightly. “General Warrington.”

He clutched his head and muttered under his breath, “It’s over, it’s over. I really did transmigrate into a book. It’s all those rotten friends of mine and their stupid novels…”

The words were strange, and I couldn’t quite understand them.

But from his expression, I could tell he wasn’t entirely pleased with this marriage.

Of course, I couldn’t ask him outright.

So I tried to steer the conversation. “This ‘transmigration’ the General speaks of… what sort of thing is it?”

Ethan looked at me gloomily.

Then he plopped down on the edge of the bed and said, “It means that you and everything here are just a story in a book. I came in from outside. I don’t belong here.”

He even made a diving motion, a childish gesture.

I quietly signaled my nursemaid, who was at the door, to come closer. Leaning in, I whispered, “Have someone find out if Ethan has a history of madness. But don’t let my father know.”

3

When Ethan saw the nursemaid leave, he immediately became wary. “You don’t believe me?”

“No, my husband. What you’re saying is very novel. I just haven’t fully grasped it yet.”

He launched into a detailed account of everything in the Capital City.

He was remarkably accurate.

But he had lived in the Capital City his whole life. Knowing all this was only natural.

Why did he act as if he were proving something?

If he *didn’t* know, *that* would be strange.

When he finished, his gaze shifted to me. “According to the book, you’ll love me so much in the future that you’d die for me.”

I nodded and smiled. “My husband is right.”

But inwardly, I sneered. Love? What was love compared to life? Even power and wealth mattered more than that.

Still, mad as he seemed, he was very proper. His words and actions toward me were full of respect.

Probably because I was a princess.

But his flat refusal to consummate the marriage was deeply humiliating.

When Ethan saw I was angry, his face reddened with urgency.

“It’s not what you think!” he explained. “It’s just that you’re too young. Sixteen isn’t even an adult yet. I’d be an animal to lay a hand on you. Where I come from, that’s a crime. You go to jail for that.”

His tone was sincere, and he didn’t seem to be lying.

More importantly, I never expected a battle-hardened general to blush so fiercely. It was… oddly endearing.

My anger cooled slightly.

I decided to tease him. “And if your family asks about it? What will you say?”

Ethan froze.

He thought for a moment, then suddenly shoved his finger into his mouth and bit down hard.

I couldn’t stop him in time.

When blood welled up, he threw back the covers and started wiping it on the bedsheet.

This time, I was faster. I grabbed his hand.

Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gotten any sleep that night.

4

That night, I slept in the bed while he made a pallet on the floor.

Afraid that someone listening at the wall might discover the truth, he even let out a few grunts and groans himself.

I buried my face in the blanket and laughed.

Ethan sat up and said, “Don’t laugh. At your age, where I come from, you’d be in high school, studying until your hair falls out. The last thing on your mind would be marriage.”

His words were still full of things I didn’t understand, but I caught the part about girls studying.

“What did you study?” I asked.

“I graduated from university,” he said. “Then I enlisted in the army.”

He went on to explain what a university was and what graduation meant.

I knew about enlisting. He had joined the army very young.

On our wedding night, one of us in the bed and the other on the floor, we talked for half the night.

The next morning, while it was still dark, Ethan sat bolt upright and asked in alarm, “Why didn’t they sound reveille?”

5

I regretted not investigating him more thoroughly before the wedding.

If he kept talking like this, how would I ever explain it to others?

Where would my dignity be?

Fortunately, he managed to behave himself when we went to serve tea to his parents.

But the moment we left the main hall, he started muttering again. “What a mess. What were you people thinking, marrying a general to a prince? Aren’t you afraid the old emperor will get suspicious?”

I frowned at him. “Show some respect. His Majesty approved this marriage.”

“Sure, he ‘approved’ it. And then he’ll stab you in the back. You won’t even know where to cry.”

He turned to look back at the hall we had just left. “And them? They won’t even have a chance to live.”

6

Mad again. I gritted my teeth.

When we returned to our room to change, I called for my nursemaid.

She carefully closed the door before coming close to report. “Your Highness, I’ve made inquiries. There’s no record of General Warrington having any madness.”

“Are you certain?”

“Quite certain. Our sources in the Warrington household asked the old general’s attendants. They said the young general has been sharp since childhood. He’s never even spoken a foolish word, let alone shown signs of insanity.”

She lowered her voice cautiously. “Could it be… that he was possessed by something on the wedding day?”

“He’s a general who’s killed countless men on the battlefield. Even the King of Hell would fear him. What spirit would dare possess him?”

Still, I wavered. “After we pay our respects at the palace, we’ll make a trip to the Great Temple.”

Ethan was already waiting for me. The Warrington carriage was waiting outside as well.

Before we went to pay respects to the old general, he had already given us a detailed explanation of the court etiquette for thanking the royal family.

We didn’t need his instruction.

I had been coming and going from the palace since I was a child, as familiar as if it were my own home. There was nothing I didn’t know.

But as soon as we got into the carriage, Ethan warned me, “Claire, when we get to the palace, don’t say anything unnecessary. Especially in front of the Imperial Noble Consort.”

There was only one Imperial Noble Consort in the palace. She was my mother’s younger sister.

She had always been kind to me.

7

Still, Ethan’s reputation for shrewdness wasn’t undeserved.

Since he was warning me, I decided to be more restrained and see how things played out.

The carriage stopped at the palace gate, where eunuchs were already waiting.

We followed them on foot to the main hall to pay our respects to His Majesty.

By common custom, I should have called him “Uncle.”

But in the imperial family, there was only sovereign and subject. So Ethan and I performed the proper kowtow.

His Majesty sat high on his dragon throne, smiling benevolently. “Serenity, your father came to court this morning and told me he already misses you terribly, though you’ve only been married a day. I told him to wait and see you, but he insisted on waiting until your third-day visit home.”

Serenity was my title.

I curtsied before answering seriously, “My father is respectful of propriety and would never overstep.”

His Majesty was pleased. He stroked his beard and said, “Hmm. A bit rigid, though.”

“Rules must be followed,” I replied.

He then turned to Ethan and asked about border affairs.

I was terrified that Ethan might blurt out something about “reveille” or “transmigration” and arouse His Majesty’s suspicion. I was about to change the subject when he spoke first.

“The situation on the border is critical. We cannot afford to be without a general for even a day. Now that my marriage to Princess Serenity is concluded, I can head north next month.”

I barely managed to keep my composure. Inside, I was in utter chaos.

What was he doing?

Who goes off to war right after their wedding?

Had the war reached the Capital City?

Even His Majesty found it hard to accept. He raised a hand to calm him. “General Warrington, I understand your concern for the border. But you and Serenity have only just married. You must remain in the Capital for at least a full year before you can leave.”

Ethan started to argue, but His Majesty cut him off. “Enough. Go to the rear palace and pay your respects to the Empress and the Imperial Noble Consort.”

The eunuch handed the imperial gifts to our attendants and escorted us out of the main hall.

I dismissed the servants and pulled Ethan into a pavilion. “You really want to go north?”

He winked at me. “Yeah. I know how to fight. It’s the right place for me.”

I was speechless.

He was a general. Knowing how to fight was the most basic requirement.

But what did he mean by “the right place”? Was the Warrington estate not suitable for him?

Ethan didn’t elaborate. He just urged me on. “Come on. Let’s get this over with and go home. It’s getting cold. I don’t want you catching a chill.”

8

The Empress was frail. After a few pleasantries and bestowing her gifts, she let us go.

When we arrived at the Imperial Noble Consort’s palace, Ethan became more cautious.

Before we entered, he reminded me again not to be too casual.

Still irritated by what he had said in the main hall, I ignored him and walked straight in.

A maid came out to greet us. “Princess Serenity has arrived. Her Grace, the Imperial Noble Consort, has been expecting you.”

I paused, swallowing the word “Aunt” and replacing it with, “I have kept Her Grace waiting.”

Ethan, who had caught up, shot me an approving look.

I turned my face away, pretending not to see.

Inside the main chamber, the Imperial Noble Consort took my hand, her face full of smiles as she called me by my childhood name.

In the past, I would have thrown myself into her arms and called her “Aunt.”

But today, I was much more distant.

The Imperial Noble Consort noticed. Her gaze flickered to Ethan.

She said to the maid, “His Majesty bestowed some new tea yesterday. Take the young general to the side hall to try it.”

Before the maid could move, Ethan clapped his hands together in a rough salute. “Thank you, Your Grace. But I’m a simple man. I don’t know anything about tea.”

He looked at me. “And Serenity—she slept quite late last night. She woke up this morning feeling unwell, with a headache. I’m afraid if she stays too long with Your Grace, she might pass on her illness. So… may I take her away?”

The Imperial Noble Consort and I were both stunned.

Then my face burned crimson.

The Imperial Noble Consort, however, laughed. “I never knew the young general was so frank and considerate. Our little Serenity is truly blessed.”

She took my hand. “If that’s the case, go home early. Your health is the most important thing.”

Those words made me want to crawl into a hole.

9

If we weren’t still in the palace, I would have asked Ethan what on earth was going on in his head.

How could he bring up such a thing in front of others?

And the worst part was, *nothing* had even happened!

Our visits to the other palaces were a blur of formalities.

But after this, the entire palace knew that we had “slept quite late” the night before.

I wondered if anyone would believe me if I told them we had just been talking.

When we left the palace and returned to the Warrington estate, a maid came giggling up to me before I even entered the gate. “Your Highness, the mistress requests your presence in her chambers.”

It was the first day for the new bride. Of course, I had to go when my mother-in-law summoned me.

When I entered the courtyard, I saw more than a dozen maids, each holding a tray.

Behind me, more were waiting to enter.

The old general’s wife was standing under the eaves. When she saw me, she hurried over. “Your Highness! You must be exhausted!”

I was confused.

Remembering all the walking I had done in the palace, and the anger Ethan had caused me, I went along with it. “I am a bit tired.”

My mother-in-law’s face was full of concern.

If there hadn’t been so many people watching, I think she would have knelt down and carried me on her back.

The moment we entered the room, she had the maids bring me a chair, piled with two quilts and a pillow for my back.

Only then did she carefully help me sit down.

Then she took a bowl of bird’s nest soup from a maid. “Your Highness, this was just taken off the fire when we heard you were leaving the palace. It’s cooled down perfectly now. Have a taste.”

I was utterly bewildered.

“Mother… what is this about?”

My mother-in-law’s face flushed strangely.

She covered her eyes with her handkerchief. “It’s all that boy Ethan’s fault. Before the wedding, I told him clearly to be moderate in all things. But who knew he would be so young and impetuous… Ah, Your Highness, you’ve had a hard time. Please, have something to fortify yourself.”

The maids set down a dozen bowls and jars, instantly covering the table.

Just looking at it made me full.

10

News traveled fast.

Before I could finish dealing with my mother-in-law’s soup, my own parents sent someone.

An old matron, accompanied by four maids, was first taken to our courtyard.

My mother-in-law, probably afraid I would complain to my parents, apologized profusely and promised to give Ethan a good scolding.

I thought to myself, *He deserves a good scolding for his loose tongue.*

Back in our courtyard, I couldn’t keep up the pretense with our own matron.

I told her plainly, “Reassure my father and mother. Ethan hasn’t mistreated me. He was just worried I was tired after spending so long in the palace and said that on purpose. He didn’t expect others to misunderstand.”

The old matron recited a prayer to the Buddha. “When the Princess Dowager heard of this, she was beside herself with worry. She was afraid you weren’t taking care of yourself.”

I would have liked to take care of myself.

But Ethan hadn’t given me the chance.

Wait. What was I thinking?

I pressed a hand to my wildly beating heart and spent a good while explaining and reassuring the matron.

I finally managed to send them off. Before I could catch my breath, my mother-in-law came in, dragging Ethan by the ear.

She gave him a thorough scolding right in front of me.

I quite enjoyed that. I kept my head down and said nothing.

When I judged she had scolded him enough, I put on a shy expression. “Mother, the palace gifted a piece of white mutton-fat jade today. The quality is excellent. I’ll have Fragrance deliver it to you so you can have a pair of bangles made.”

The day’s commotion finally ended with that piece of jade.

We didn’t go to the front hall for dinner. It was served in our own courtyard.

Ethan was quite pleased with himself. “See how smart I am, Claire? I killed two birds with one stone today.”

I didn’t feel like talking.

He cheerfully analyzed it for me. “First, I got you out of the palace early so you wouldn’t have to listen to their probing questions. Second, I let everyone know we’ve already… you know… so no one can say anything bad about you.”

I gave him a cold look. “And in two months, when people ask if you have good news, dear husband, how do you plan to explain that?”

11

Ethan had no answer.

But I did.

Since he thought I was too young and refused to share my bed, I would find him some older women.

It wouldn’t look good to take concubines so soon after the wedding.

So I would start with chambermaids.

Once they had children, the children would be registered under my name. Everything would be perfectly proper.

As the mistress of the Warrington estate, having no children was a fatal flaw.

I would not allow that to happen.

With this plan in mind, I quietly called in Fragrance and Summer Dream.

This matter couldn’t involve too many people. If word got out, who knew what rumors would spread.

So I only consulted my two closest maids, who knew how to keep their mouths shut. I told them to find a few young, respectable women to bring into the household.

We would say they were to serve me.

The Warrington family probably wouldn’t object.

That evening, when Ethan returned from his sword practice and heard about my plan, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

I glanced at him. “Husband, there’s no need to be so happy. Taking concubines is inevitable. I’m just doing it a little early.”

Ethan held up a hand. “Wait, wait, wait. Let me get this straight.”

He licked his dry lips and repeated my words in a fluster. “You, a princess, my own wife, on the second day of our marriage, want to find me chambermaids?”

I nodded. “Yes. But don’t worry. Once they have children, I’ll make them concubines. I’ll give them proper status.”

Ethan scratched his head frantically. “No, no, no. Don’t I get a say in this?”

“You disagree? What man doesn’t want more concubines? They only complain if there aren’t enough.”

“I. Do. Not. Agree.”

Ethan’s voice was so loud that the maids in the outer room heard him. There was a soft tap on the window. “Your Highness? Is everything all right?”

“It’s fine. I’m just talking with the General.”

Ethan shouted, “It’s *not* fine! Your mistress wants to find me chambermaids! Do you know what that means? It means she’s offering you up to her husband! Run!”

12

Just then, my nursemaid happened to pass by the door. She pushed it open and walked straight in.

“Your Highness, is what the General just said true?”

I was speechless.

I wanted to smash Ethan’s head in, if I had the strength.

I hadn’t wanted the nursemaid to know about this. Once she knew, my parents would know.

And then I would have to explain everything all over again.

I was wondering how to salvage the situation when Ethan looked rather pleased with himself.

He even brought up the day’s events. “I’ll just be more moderate from now on. You don’t have to push me onto other women. If outsiders find out, they’ll say bad things about you.”

The nursemaid agreed wholeheartedly. “The General is right. You’ve only just been married. If word gets out that you’re already taking concubines and chambermaids, it will reflect poorly on both families.”

And so, my plan died before it could even begin.

That night, listening to Ethan’s tuneless humming, I was particularly angry.

Just as I was about to lose my temper, he came over to apologize.

“Alright, alright. Don’t be angry. I wasn’t trying to oppose you. It’s just… I think that as husband and wife, we should stick to monogamy.”

“It *is* monogamy. I’m not talking about elevating a secondary wife. Just a few concubines and chambermaids.”

Ethan clutched his forehead. “Claire, your feudal thinking is really hard to deal with.”

“What thinking?”

He rolled his eyes.

As if making a great decision, he pulled up a stool and sat down in front of me. His voice was low. “Can’t we just be the two of us? No concubines?”

“No concubines? And you won’t consummate the marriage? Where will the children come from?”

“Why do we *have* to have children?”

“To carry on the family line! You are the head of the great Warrington household. Without children, who will inherit your title? Who will lead the army?”

I was desperate. “Given your nature, husband, I know you won’t spend your old age in the Capital. You’ll be stationed on the border. And who knows what might happen in a place like that? If something… happens to you, and I have no children to protect me, how will the Warrington clan treat me? Have you thought about that?”

Ethan was stunned.

He waved his hand in the air a few times, then stood up and paced around the room.

Finally, he sat back down in front of me, his voice suddenly soft. “How about this? We’ll have children. But you’re still young. Wait two more years, until things are more stable. Then *we’ll* have them. Lots of them.”

Before he even finished speaking, his face was red from the corners of his eyes to the tips of his ears. He couldn’t even lift his head to look at me.

I really wondered how he managed to kill people on the battlefield.

13

But I wasn’t going to agree to his plan.

According to his thinking, he wouldn’t share my bed until I was at least eighteen.

In the meantime, no concubines, no chambermaids, and no children.

And he wanted to go to the battlefield.

That meant an accident could happen at any time.

Even if there was no accident, for the next two years, we would be constantly asked, “Why isn’t there any news yet?”

By his parents. By my parents.

And then what? Would we say it was his problem? Or mine?

He even had a point. “That’s why I said I’ll head north next month. If I’m not in the mansion, it’s only natural that there’s no news.”

I was so angry I could see sparks. “You’ve been married for a month, and you’re already rushing off to the battlefield? What will people think of me? What will they say? General Warrington, if you were unhappy with this marriage, you should have said so. I, Claire Ashford, am not so desperate that I had to marry you.”

“I’m not unhappy! The point is, at that time, it wasn’t *me*.”

I gave him a cold smile. “I didn’t know the General was so good at shifting blame.”

“I’m not! I didn’t…”

I didn’t let him finish. I turned around, lay down on the bed in my clothes, and pulled the blanket over my face.

I felt Ethan standing by my bed for a long time.

Then he walked away, got his own blanket, and spread it out on the floor beneath me.

“Claire, don’t be angry. I’ve heard that it’s bad for a woman to go to sleep angry. Her eyelids will be swollen the next day. And tomorrow is your visit home. If your parents see, they’ll worry.”

His reminder jolted me. Tomorrow was the day I was supposed to visit my family.

The gifts were already prepared, so there was nothing to worry about there.

But I did need to look my best. I couldn’t let my parents suspect anything was wrong.

I turned over and looked down at Ethan on the floor. “Husband, can you at least give me a straight answer about the children? What are your real intentions?”

14

Ethan sat up as well.

He met my eyes for a moment, then looked away.

“If I tell you… will you believe me?”

I didn’t believe anything about him.

He was different every time I saw him, nothing like the man I had investigated before.

I was beginning to suspect he was a fake.

But I needed to get information out of him, so of course I said, “Of course I believe you. You are my husband. From the day I married you, we have been one. Who else would I believe if not you?”

Ethan’s eyes lit up.

He bit his lip, his expression serious. “The truth is, I’m not from this world. What I told you yesterday about transmigrating into a book is real.”

I felt my brow furrow and quickly smoothed it with my hand.

“You’re possessing someone?”

“No… well, yes, sort of.”

Ethan looked like he had given up fighting it.

“The situation is this: I know everything that happens in this book.”

He gestured at me. “Our marriage, the alliance between the Ashford Manor and the Warrington estate—it’s all a trap set by someone else.”

I understood that much, and I immediately perked up.

“Whose trap?”

“The Emperor’s and the Imperial Noble Consort’s.”

This time, I couldn’t keep my brow from furrowing.

“Impossible. His Majesty has always been lenient with my family. And the Imperial Noble Consort is my aunt. She is close to our family. How could she do such a thing?”

Ethan wasn’t flustered. He sat cross-legged on his pallet, hands on his knees, back straight. “Don’t get upset. Hear me out first. If I’m wrong, you can refute me then.”

I saw that he was straining his neck to look up at me. “Come sit on the edge of the bed,” I said, patting the mattress.

His face turned crimson again. His eyes darted away. “No, it’s fine…”

15

In the end, Ethan did come and sit on the edge of the bed with me.

His face was bright red, and his eyes seemed to have nowhere to rest. They flitted from the washstand in the corner to the festive paper-cuts on the wall.

This only deepened my suspicion of his words.

Yet he spoke with such conviction.

“The current Empress is frail and has no children of her own. She managed to raise one prince, but he’s not very bright, is he?”

I nodded. That was true. That was why the position of Crown Prince had been vacant for so long.

Ethan continued. “For the past two years, there have been rumors in the palace that the Imperial Noble Consort’s son might be made Crown Prince. But her son is too young.”

I had heard that too.

Of course, it was no surprise that the Warrington household knew such things.

But what Ethan said next truly shocked me.

“Your elder brother just turned twenty. He often goes in and out of the palace and is highly favored by the Emperor.”

This time, his gaze didn’t waver. He looked me straight in the eye. “The Emperor has hinted to him, hasn’t he? That he intends to pass the throne to him?”

I lunged forward and clapped my hand over Ethan’s mouth.

My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would leap out of my throat.

I looked around wildly, making sure no one was eavesdropping, before turning back to him.

I glared at him. “Do you know that words like that can get you killed?”

His face was as red as a boiled shrimp, and his lips were burning hot against my palm.

I couldn’t hold it any longer.

“Don’t say such things again,” I warned.

Ethan nodded quickly.

I pulled my hand away and wiped the moisture from it on his sleeve.

Now even his gaze felt hot.

16

I couldn’t sit still under his stare.

I got up and went to the outer room, telling Fragrance to brew a pot of tea.

While we waited for the tea, Ethan finished telling me the rest in a low voice.

“The Emperor didn’t mean what he said to your brother. It was a test. Your family probably didn’t believe it either. But you can’t get past the Imperial Noble Consort. She doesn’t believe that you don’t believe it.”

“She wants her own son to succeed the throne. As long as your family exists, they are a threat to her. So she has to find a way to get rid of your brother.”

“Your brother is the male lead of this book. He won’t die, that’s for sure. But he’s gentle and follows the rules. He won’t fight back until his entire family is dead.”

“So, do you see how it ends? This marriage is the beginning of the end. The Warrington family and the Ashford Manor will be framed for treason and dragged into hell together.”

Ethan looked at me. “According to the original plot, you and I won’t survive either.”

And even at a time like this, he had the nerve to joke. “So, my lady, do you still insist on finding me chambermaids and having children?”

Hearing Fragrance’s approaching footsteps, I put the conversation on hold.

I took the tea and went back to the inner room. After pouring a cup for each of us, I didn’t dare be as careless as before.

Because what the Emperor had said to my brother was something even my mother didn’t know. Only my father and I knew.

Our conclusion at the time had been the same as what Ethan said today.

The Emperor was just testing us, to see if my father and brother had any ambition.

But I never thought that even if we had no ambition, he would still not let us go.

I lowered my voice even further. “Is there a way to change it?”

Ethan was silent for a long time.

I grew impatient. “What if my father requests to be sent to his fief? And my brother stops going to the palace? Would that help?”

“No. It would make things worse.”

He said it with certainty. “If you’re in the Capital, under the Emperor’s nose, he’ll watch you and still be uneasy. If you request to be sent to a fief, he’ll think you’re about to rebel.”

“Then what do we do? Is there no way to change it?”

17

Ethan’s next words crushed my hopes.

“The book’s plot is set. The main direction is probably very hard to change.”

I couldn’t sit still anymore. I couldn’t even drink my tea.

I paced around the room a few times, then gritted my teeth and made a decision. “We’ll get a divorce.”

Ethan spat out a mouthful of tea. “Just like that? You’re just going to say ‘divorce’?”

“Between life, death, and the annihilation of my entire clan, what is a marriage? Husband, thank you for telling me this. Tomorrow, when I visit my family, I will discuss it with my father immediately. We’ll find a suitable reason…”

“Wait, wait, wait! I didn’t say it was completely impossible to change.”

I didn’t dare take any risks.

The crime of treason was dangerous when hidden, and it was a death sentence the moment it was brought to light.

Once someone even mentioned it, even if we had never intended it, it would become a thorn in the Emperor’s side. It would be a problem sooner or later.

I couldn’t let the Ashford Manor and the Warrington family be destroyed because of this.

Ethan, on the other hand, was no longer in a hurry. He kept telling me to wait, that he needed to think it through again.

I didn’t want to hear it. I told him to go to sleep so we could leave early the next morning.

Ethan seemed possessed. Long after I had lain down, he was still muttering to himself.

“It said you would love me like your own life, that you would die for me. And now, before anything has even happened, you want a divorce. Is this book even real?”

18

The matter was too big, too shocking.

I couldn’t sleep.

Neither could Ethan.

After tossing and turning several times, he sat up again, rested his chin on the edge of the bed, and called out to me. “Claire, let’s talk about this.”

I turned over and met his eyes.

In the darkness of the unlit room, they shone brightly.

Like the brightest stars in the sky.

For a moment, I felt a strange sense of peace.

I didn’t move. We just looked at each other. “Talk about what?”

Ethan cleared his throat and tilted his head uncomfortably. “Look. I know what’s going to happen now. We can start changing things from this point on.”

“According to what you said earlier, the most important part of this trap is our marriage. The Warrington estate and the Ashford Manor need to be joined together to create the power of military and imperial might, and to give a reason for rebellion. So a divorce would be the best choice.”

He sucked in a breath, as if he had a toothache.

“Hmm… but we can look at this from a different angle.”

“What angle?”

I pressed him, which made him agitated.

He got up and paced around the room again. When he reached my bedside, he suddenly bent down and pulled up the blanket that had slipped off me. “I’m just saying. Cover yourself up. Don’t catch a cold.”

He was too close. His breath was hot on my neck.

I turned my head to move away, but at that moment, Ethan pulled back.

My lips brushed against his cheek.

In the candlelight, he froze completely. His face turned red as fast as a shrimp thrown into boiling water.

He even started to stutter. “Wh-What are you doing? I told you, you’re too young. It’s not appropriate now…”

I pulled the blanket up to my chin. “You said we could look at this from a different angle. What angle?”

Changing the subject seemed to help Ethan relax.

He stood up straight, keeping his distance, as if he was afraid I would pounce on him.

His words, at least, were clear.

“If we follow the original plot, we get the original ending. But if we don’t follow it, things might turn out differently.”

“A divorce *is* not following the original plot,” I reminded him.

Ethan waved his hand irritably. “Stop talking about divorce. It’s not that big a deal. Do we really have to solve it with a divorce?”

I didn’t want to interrupt his train of thought, so I kept quiet.

Ethan thought for a moment, then said, “The thing the Emperor and the Imperial Noble Consort fear most right now is, first, the military power in my hands, and second, your brother.”

“Here’s the plan. Let’s deal with my side first. Don’t wait until next month. Tomorrow, after your visit home, you’re coming with me to the border.”

“What?”

I thought I had misheard.

Ethan said, “They’re afraid of my military power. As long as I stay in the Capital, they’ll find a way to get rid of me or take away my command. I have to leave.”

That made sense.

But I had grown up in the Capital. I had never been anywhere else in my sixteen years of life. I had no idea what the outside world was like.

Besides, even if