Deborah_Leo

In the grand empire of Skiiri, a marriage is arranged between the noble Prince Xìn Xuān and the elegant Princess Lù Zhāo—a union meant to strengthen alliances, not hearts. Among her guards is a silent, sharp-eyed knight named Shèng Lín, whose loyalty masks a deadly secret: he is a spy sent to assassinate the prince.

But fate has other plans.

On the final night of their journey through the mountains, beneath pouring rain and hidden desires, the prince and the spy share an unexpected kiss. When dawn comes, they wake up not with regret… but in each other’s bodies.

Forced to switch lives, the proud prince must live as a lowly knight, and the cold spy must pretend to be royalty. They must fool their kingdoms, survive political traps, and navigate the palace’s endless gaze—all while untangling the growing feelings that neither can deny.

Yet when the prince discovers the truth—that the man he’s falling for was once sent to kill him—the fragile trust between them shatters.

Will love survive betrayal?
Or will duty and destiny tear them apart for good

(bl) Swapped lover

The first rays of dawn slipped through the silk curtains, catching on the sheen of sweat on their skin.

Shèng Lín was the first to stir, his eyes fluttering open to find himself staring at a hand that was not his own—long, elegant fingers with the faintest calluses from sword training, but too refined to be his.

His heart dropped, a bittersweet ache flooding him.

Beside him, the Prince—now in Shèng Lín's body—opened his eyes, blinking at the unfamiliar ceiling, then at the hand resting in his own.

They were tangled together on the floor, robes still rumpled, hair strewn across each other's chests. For a moment, neither moved.

> "You're awake," Shèng Lín—now in Xìn Xuān's body—whispered.

The Prince nodded, shifting slightly, testing the weight of Shèng Lín's body, the way his muscles moved, the familiar scar on the left wrist that he traced with his thumb.

> "Are you in pain?" shèng lín asked quietly.

> "No," the Prince replied, though his voice caught, foreign in his own ears.

Shèng Lín—Xìn Xuān—reached up, brushing a strand of hair behind the Prince's ear, a soft gesture that made them both pause.

> "We will only do this once," shèng lín said softly, his dark eyes meeting the Prince's.

The Prince—in Shèng Lín's body—nodded, gripping the fabric of the robe tighter.

> "He's arriving today," he said, referring to Lù Xiǎng, his voice calm but hiding a storm beneath.

They remained close, breathing in each other's scent, grounding themselves.

> "Are you afraid?" the Prince asked.

> "Always," shèng lín admitted with a small smile. "But you are worth it."

They stood, helping each other fix their robes, adjusting belts, smoothing out wrinkles—each small touch an unspoken promise that they would protect each other no matter what came.

Before they left the room, Xìn Xuān—still in Shèng Lín's body—paused, lifting the Prince's chin with a finger, studying his own face.

> "Don't let him see you break," Xìn Xuān said, eyes soft but commanding. "Not him."

Shèng lín nodded, swallowing hard. "I won't."

As the palace bell rang, signaling the arrival of the Eastern delegation, the air thickened with tension.

Prince Lù Xiǎng's banners, golden dragons on red silk, fluttered in the breeze as his caravan passed through the gates.

The entire palace lined up in the courtyard, and at the front stood:

The Prince of Skiiri, in Shèng Lín's body, standing tall, eyes hard.

Shèng Lín, in the Prince's body, expression serene but fists clenched at his sides.

As Lù Xiǎng stepped down from his carriage, his sharp gaze swept over the crowd until it landed on Shèng Lín.

For a fleeting moment, warmth flickered in his eyes before he masked it with a regal smile.

> "It has been a long time, Shèng Lín," Lù Xiǎng said, his voice soft, his eyes holding unspoken words.

Lù Xiǎng's eyes shifted to the Prince in Shèng Lín's body.

> "And you must be the Prince of Skiiri."

The Prince, in Shèng Lín's body, held his gaze, lips curling into a polite, cold smile.

> "Welcome, Prince Lù Xiǎng. Let us discuss what you came for."

A battle of kingdoms, of past debts, of unspoken love—

all while the two men who loved each other stood side by side, protecting each other in the only way they could.

Chapter 45 — Dawn of the Storm