Han Feng 34    

Months slipped by in a haze for Xue Li, each one a blur of anticipation and unease.

She paced back and forth in her room, her mind a whirlpool of thoughts. The wedding with Han Feng was rapidly approaching, yet it was not the union itself that troubled her. No, there was something far more pressing on her mind.

Rui Hua—she had known to expect her arrival this week, but as the days stretched on, there was no word. No news, no whispers in the court, nothing. Not even a rumor of the kidnapped daughter of a Duke from the Liang Empire.

For a fleeting moment, Xue Li allowed herself to feel a quiet sense of relief.

Had her plan worked? Was Rui Hua truly not going to make it to the palace after all? The notion seemed too perfect to be true, yet Xue Li dared to hope.