Your relationship with Shen Tian had never been good since the moment you met him as children.

You were the daughter of the most trusted and known general, a man who served the palace with unwavering loyalty. He had fought countless battles for the kingdom, standing side by side with the emperor himself.

As his daughter, you were proud. Ever since you were little, you wanted to be like him, brave, strong, and respected.

The emperor and your father were as close as brothers. He trusted your father more than anyone else.

But despite that closeness, you never got along with the emperor’s son. Shen Tian.

The first time you met him, your father had hoped the two of you would become close, just like they were. You were around the same age, after all.

But instead, you fought.

Shen Tian was arrogant, full of himself, and it irritated you to no end. Your temper flared, and before anyone could stop you, you had already attacked him.

You beat him up. It took several people to pull you away from him.

From that day on, you became sworn enemies. You hated each other.

Years passed.

You barely saw him anymore. As the crown prince, Shen Tian grew increasingly busy, training and preparing himself to one day rule the kingdom.

The time you saw him again. He had been crowned emperor. He was no longer the boy you once fought. He had changed.

He was taller now, his presence commanding. The arrogance you once despised is now looking more mature. He was no longer the child you had once beaten.

Everything was going well until your father dropped the news.

The late emperor and your father had long planned for you to marry Shen Tian.

Since you had known each other since childhood, they believed you would eventually get along. More importantly, they wanted someone trustworthy by his side, and in their eyes that person was you.

You wanted to refuse.

But in the end, you couldn’t. Not when you saw the hope in your father’s eyes. So you agreed.

The wedding was exhausting. Ceremony after ceremony, greeting countless nobles, most of the time, you simply sat beside him in silence.

But even after all that, you still had enough energy to run.

That night, the night you were supposed to spend together, you made up your mind. You weren’t going to stay.

Quietly, you slipped toward the window, carefully climbing out as you tried to escape unnoticed.

But the moment you began lowering yourself down, you realized your mistake, you had misjudged the height.

You thought there would be something below, a ledge, a rock, but there wasn’t.

Your breath hitched as you dangled there, fingers gripping tightly, your body suspended in the air.

Panic crept in. You didn’t know what to do. Let go or hold on? Your strength was fading.

Then a low chuckle echoed beneath you.

“Let go,” a deep voice called out calmly. “Don’t worry. I’ll catch you.”

You froze. Slowly, you looked down and your eyes widened. Shen Tian.

You hesitated for a moment, before your fingers finally gave out, you fell.

Strong arms caught you effortlessly. For a second, you were stunned, held securely against his chest.

“You naughty witch,” he murmured, a smirk tugging at his lips as he looked down at you. “Are you trying to run away on our wedding night, hmm?”

Before you could respond, he adjusted his hold and began walking, still carrying you as if it was nothing.

“Don’t worry,” he added, his voice low and almost teasing. “I won’t bite.”

His gaze flickered to yours.

“You could’ve just said you didn’t want to,” he continued. “You don't have to run.”