SOPHIE

West Quad of Northspire was designed for theater. And this morning’s production had an eager audience.

Princess Sophie—under the alias Marin—sat beneath a copper-leaf tree, Elizabeth beside her. Both wore student gray, faces neutral, posture relaxed, observing the happenings while absorbing the results of their inquiries.

Across the quad, sitting like a planet at the center of gravity, the leading lady was already well into her performance.

Marissa Lin lounged—something between courtesan and queen. She sat at the ideal position, hips perfectly angled, silk cascading down her legs in amber folds. Her laugh rang across the stone with a cadence too smooth to be unintentional and too measured to be planned.

It was just Marissa being Marissa.

Next to her stood Emily and Elise Zhou, dressed in robes no one could stop whispering about.

“Li House embroidery,” someone murmured. “From Lady Li?”

“They say she had them hand-delivered during the Home Return.”

“A married Li heir bringing robes to her sisters-in-law... that’s huge.”

“They’re not just dresses—they’re political shields.”

Sophie’s eyes narrowed. The robes were stunning—mana-threaded, ward-sealed, stitched in a vertical waterfall style reserved for elite ceremonial cultivators. Sophie knew the weaver. He only worked triple-locked commissions, with a six-month backlog.

Vivian had gotten it done in hours, apparently.

“She had them made,” Sophie murmured, “for the Home Return.”

“For her husband’s sisters,” Elizabeth confirmed. “It made waves.”

“Waves?” Sophie muttered. “It was a full storm system.”

And now?

The Zhou twins moved like stars. Every boy tried to impress them. Every girl tried to be them. And Marissa, caught in the glow, held her own with effortless fire.

Sophie leaned slightly as another conversation carried her way.

“You know she said it, right? In the quad. Just now,” Elizabeth said with zero inflection.

“Said what?”

“That she’s marrying Ethan Zhou.”

Sophie stiffened.

“Marissa?” Elizabeth asked, low.

Sophie gave a single nod.

Marissa’s voice was unmistakable—clear, confident, far too amused.

“I don’t need a new suitor,” she was saying, spinning a mana-forged fan between her fingers. “I’ve already chosen. Ethan Zhou, obviously.”

The boys chuckled. But the moment held.

She wasn’t joking.

“She’s not just beautiful,” Elizabeth whispered. “She’s staking ground. I’m sure the Lady of the Li loved that.”

“She’s rather bold,” Sophie said coldly.

A boy tried to offer Elise a carved jade trinket. She smiled, politely refused. Emily didn’t even acknowledge the one who offered a spell-folded bracelet.

Their eyes weren’t searching. They weren’t wanting. They were waiting—for something bigger.

“Vivian dresses them like royalty,” Sophie muttered. “And now everyone treats them like it.”

Elizabeth considered it. “Great plan if you think about it. Vivian instantly curries favor with her husband, who—despite rumors—is very fond of his siblings. Well, fond of most of his siblings.”

Sophie snorted at that.

A group of passing girls giggled behind their palms.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Vivian Li is flawless,” one said. “You’ve seen her in combat robes? Like a goddess with a sword.”

Sophie’s spine straightened.

“I am objectively prettier,” she said under her breath.

Elizabeth lifted her teacup, expression utterly neutral. “More titles. More power. Better cheekbones.”

“Exactly,” Sophie muttered. She was about to rise when Elizabeth nodded discreetly toward the garden wall.

“There. That’s Ryan. Ethan’s youngest brother.”

Sophie turned just enough to see him.

Ryan Zhou sat beneath a tree, back against stone, a book balanced on one knee. Smaller than his siblings, but sharp around the eyes. And he wasn’t alone.

A petite girl sat beside him—delicate, with dark braids and shy eyes. She laughed at something he whispered. She was sitting too close for just a friend.

“Who’s the girl?” Sophie asked, eyes narrowing.

“Lily Wu,” Elizabeth said. “Alchemy family. The main family is third tier, but hers is a branch. I’ve been told someone tried to corner her a couple of months ago.”

“Corner?”

“Almost a full-on assault. One of Arbiter Wei’s boys. Behind the building near the west greenhouses. Grabbed her. She froze. He didn’t get very far, but he ripped some of her clothes.”

Elizabeth’s eyes gleamed faintly.

“Ryan found them. No magic. No warning. Just walked up and punched him in the face.”

Sophie blinked—then grinned. “My kind of man.”

“It gets better,” Elizabeth continued. “The kid started crying. Ryan gave him a few more kicks when he dropped. Right in the—well. You know.”

“What a thoughtful little brother-in-law,” Sophie murmured.

“The Wei family tried to escalate. Ryan broke some of the kid’s teeth. They pushed legal threats. Planned to pressure the Wu and Zhou families. They started the escalation when Ryan asked Ethan for help.”

“And what happened?”

“Vivian happened,” Elizabeth said. “She made it clear—formally—that if the Wei family came for Ryan or Lily or either household, she’d handle it personally.”

Sophie raised her brows. “And by handle—?”

“As in, bring the full weight of the Li family down on their heads,” Elizabeth said. “Her assistant started calling in resources. The Wei Patriarch personally apologized to the Wu family head.”

Sophie leaned back slightly, watching Ryan hand Lily a strip of fruit like it was treasure.

She didn’t feel irritated.

She felt challenged—not by what Vivian had done, but by what it meant.

The way people talked about Vivian lately—Vivian Li the graceful, Vivian Li the deadly, the untouchable Crane of the Li House—it was starting to echo in every room. Like she was the standard. Like she was the one who defined safety. Power. Prestige.

Like she was royalty.

But she wasn’t.

Sophie was.

“Vivian’s not that special,” she murmured. “I’m objectively better.”

Elizabeth didn’t comment.

“She did well,” Sophie added after a moment. “Fast. Sharp. Brutal when it mattered. I admire that.”

But admiration wasn’t the same as submission.

Sophie wasn’t interested in competing over style. She had authority—the real kind. The kind that didn’t need whispered warnings or discreet threats. The kind that could level cities or raise provinces with a nod.

She glanced back toward the Zhou siblings, the orbit they moved in, the attention they drew now.

“They shouldn’t have to depend on someone else’s name to be respected,” Sophie said softly.

Not the twins.

Not Ryan.

Not Ethan. He was going to save the world. She knew it—because he was just that smart. He shouldn’t have to worry about his family, his friends. Anything. She was determined to make it so.

“They won’t be bullied. They won’t be dismissed. Not ever again.”

She let the thoughts settle in her chest.

And then—almost an afterthought, almost a question she didn’t want to voice—

Would that make him happy?

“You’re planning something,” Elizabeth noted.

Sophie stood, brushing nonexistent dust from her sleeve.

“I think it’s time the Zhou family got formally introduced to their future daughter-in-law.”

Elizabeth blinked. “You’re going to visit Ethan’s family?”

“They’ll have to meet me eventually,” Sophie said. “Might as well be sooner rather than later. I know that Vivian put on quite the performance. I don’t want to be running around, and I’m afraid there might not be time otherwise. I cannot just seduce him, have his babies, and then marry him. He has to have time to save the world. That would be ridiculous.”

“Yeah, that is the ridiculous part of that statement.”

“Maybe I should go now. Before I meet his sisters.”

Elizabeth gave her a long look. “Wait. What? You’re going to go, like, right now? Now now??”

“Sure, why not?”

Elizabeth rubbed her temples. “I would suggest, before you start picking out bridal gowns—”

“I hadn’t considered gowns,” Sophie said without flinching. “I was going to go straight to intimate wear. That’s the fun part anyway—and since his wife isn’t fulfilling her wifely duties, I will take care of it.”

Elizabeth pinched the bridge of her nose in apparent exasperation, which struck Sophie as odd. “Before you start picking out anything, I should remind you that you haven’t had a real conversation with Ethan—the guy you supposedly want to marry. The one time you spoke to him was under disguise.”

“We’ve spoken,” Sophie scoffed. “I am the Princess. That should be more than enough. And I don’t want to marry him. It’s required.”

“We both know that isn’t how your Insight works, and orders aren’t conversations. Does Ethan Zhou seem like the type to be struck by your title or prestige? If that worked he would be fawning over Vivian Li. Probably not the attitude to take, my lady.”

Sophie’s lips thinned.

Elizabeth had a point. Not that she would acknowledge it. She hated when Elizabeth was right.

She turned back to the quad. The light caught Marissa’s cheekbones. Boys fumbled in front of the twins. Vivian’s name threaded through every conversation.

It reminded her of that file—the check she had run on Ethan.

If you had to describe Ethan Zhou in three words: Smart. Driven. Unimpressed.

A man who had once loved Claire Wang—a woman with average beauty and less-than-average charm. A man who still treated Vivian like a partner, not a pedestal.

A man who didn’t flinch.

No, Ethan was probably as hot-blooded as anyone. But he didn’t chase beauty. He chased substance.

What does he value? she wondered.

She didn’t know.

But she did know this: she wouldn’t be able to steamroll him.

And that—that made her smile.

Sophie turned into the sunlight. “I should remind you that I am objectively prettier than Vivian Li.”

Elizabeth snorted. “Sure. Sure.”