Crown Prince Yan Xiangze bears tremendous authority and is the predestined future sovereign of the Qian Kingdom. By nature he is cold and aloof, disliking any woman’s approach. Now eighteen and two years past coming of age, no lady has ever been permitted to attend him so closely. Above all, Yan Xiangze despises women who are coquettish and voluptuous. In theory he should meet such beauties with a frosty countenance and heart, yet when one such enchantress knelt before him, her eyes brimming with unshed tears, he felt an unprecedented tremor in his chest. Who could have imagined that a moment’s softness would allow her to sneak into his heart, take root, and become an indelible presence—one he could neither forget nor abandon for the rest of his life.

…As the first—and thus far only—woman to occupy that place in the Crown Prince’s life, Xu WanNing was undeniably favored. Yet she knew all too well that her status was merely exceptional, won by barging into his view in a brazen display. If one were to speak of how important she truly was, it would be a lie. She was nothing but a lone orphan, fostered by the Prefect to serve as his pet project for gaining influence. Even fortune’s favor—landing her before the Crown Prince—meant only that, if liked, she would be placed at his side and indulged; if not, discarded into some corner to fend for herself like a cast-off pet. A pet that could be abandoned at any moment.

So… she ran. She ran decisively, without a hint of turning back. She ran so fast that she never imagined her belly would swell with someone she couldn’t bear to abandon. That very life growing within her became the bond that tied them together even more tightly—and to their surprise, they savored every moment of that entanglement.