Marissa

Emily and Elise were trying very hard not to notice they were being admired—and it wasn’t working.

Marissa walked just behind them, watching as passing students glanced, lingered, and in some cases, flat-out turned to stare. The twins moved gracefully, but there was a tightness in their shoulders that gave them away. Their expressions stayed neutral. Their pace didn’t quicken. But Marissa could feel it—the discomfort that came when attention shifted from polite to pointed.

They weren’t used to these kinds of stares.

Not before Vivian Li and her outrageously expensive gifts.

The Li silks were unmistakable—bespoke, warded, and stitched with glyphs so subtle only the capital’s elite would notice them, then immediately comment. It was status made wearable.

Emily and Elise adored the robes. That much was obvious. But they hadn’t yet adjusted to the attention that came with them. It wasn’t just admiration. It was curated interest—flattery, invitations, quiet positioning. People were already whispering about political engagements, asking if the twins had been promised to someone, or if House Zhou was fielding offers.

That sort of talk always surged when beauty and power collided.

Among the upper elite, arranged matches were still very much in practice—especially for bloodlines as old as theirs. But among the middle and lower classes, a more “modern” trend had emerged: courtship. Courting someone romantically. So they would go out publicly and do various activities—dinners and dancing and shared mana sessions under moonlight. Walks along the beach.

Marissa thought it was all incredibly stupid. If you wanted to spend your life with someone, you shouldn’t need six weeks of staged flirtation and rooftop tea to make your decision. Just say it. Or don’t.

And yet, she understood why certain people courted—especially if they didn’t know who their soulmate was.

And she understood trying to marry up. Most of the boys in their grade were suffering from that very delusion.

The twins, in particular, were blooming. Not just beautiful now—but poised. Glowing in the way young cultivators did when they started stepping into their potential. Mana clearer. Skin brighter. Posture suddenly confident, even if they hadn’t noticed yet.

And people were noticing—not just their lineage or even the fancy clothes Vivian Li gifted.

No—the masses were noticing them.

And it was driving half the boys on campus mad.

Marissa, of course, had been navigating this mess for years. She didn’t mind the attention. She didn’t chase it, but she didn’t hide from it either. Most of the school had already gotten the message: she was spoken for. It wasn't official or even public, but she’d said it enough times—loud enough for anyone with ears—that even the thickest ones had finally started backing off.

“I’m going to marry Ethan Zhou,” she had said once. Half a joke. Half not. You would have thought she’d issued some sort of challenge.

She sighed. Boys are so stupid.

Since her declaration, half the boys on campus had started treating her like a prize to steal, and the other half like a challenge to beat.

This story has been stolen from NovelBin. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

It was exhausting. Amusing, sometimes. But mostly exhausting. Especially when Ethan had yet to react. At all. Seriously—not even once. Which, if she was being honest, didn’t surprise her.

Ethan Zhou had always been… focused. He didn’t split attention well. When he worked on something, the rest of the world vanished.

Right now? He was working on something.

She didn’t know what it was—only that it mattered. That he thought it mattered. And that made it interesting, and probably important, by default.

Of course he’s ignoring me,

she thought now, amused. He probably hasn’t even realized I declared him my fiancé.

Marissa remained calm about the whole situation. But she was growing impatient. He was married and remained unclaimed. She wondered—briefly—if she should just seduce him.

She could, after all. She’d been trained in the Lover’s Arts, just like any proper daughter of House Lin. She knew how to draw attention, how to command a room. She knew how to make a man notice her and how to cater to the physical, emotional, and mental needs of a man who had things on his mind.

But the problem wasn’t Ethan. It was his silly wife.

His silly wife who was off somewhere swinging a sword, channeling ice mana into the mountains while her brilliant, handsome, kind husband wandered through politics and chaos completely untended. Vivian had no idea what she had. Or worse—she did, and simply didn’t care.

That made Marissa angry, though she’d never say it aloud. Still, she knew that Vivian was starting to notice her mistake. And it wasn’t just Vivian anymore.

There were others, ever since the Imperial Gala. The whole Empire had noticed the Princess’s actions, and her sources in the Palace told her that Princess Sophie had started looking at Ethan like he was a puzzle she intended to solve. There was also Shen Minhua—the flower of the Peacock Clan herself—who was very vocal about her interest in Prince Alaric, was suddenly batting her eyes and shifting her hips to catch Ethan's attention. She pretended otherwise, but Marissa knew better.

Marissa wanted to be mad, but she couldn’t even blame them. How could they not be interested? He was handsome, yes. That much was obvious. But he was also fascinating—sharp in ways you didn’t notice until he unraveled your entire argument in a single sentence. He was gentle when no one expected it. Kind, even when he was exhausted. A bit cold sometimes—but even that felt intentional, like he was distancing himself for your sake, not his.

The situation made her realize, more than ever, she wasn’t going to back down. Not now. Not ever.

Unless Ethan himself told her—clearly, undeniably—that it would never happen… she would persist. She would love him, even if it was behind someone else’s shadow. She would be there for him even if he never looked her way. Her life was his.

She took a breath, exhaled slowly, and let her thoughts drift back to where it all began.

Such a silly story. So cliché.

She’d been ten. He was fifteen.

She’d been playing near the river with the Zhou twins. Their mothers—Lady Zhou and her own—had been distracted, arguing over something Ryan had broken. Marissa had slipped, lost her footing on the mossy stones. The current caught her before she could scream.

One moment: water, darkness, and fear. She thought she was going to die. She felt that as the current pulled her under and the breath was almost gone.

She was scared. So very scared. She tried to call out, to reach, to fight, but she was so small, so tired. She knew it was the end; she wasn’t going to see her mom, or brother, or her father ever again. This was it.

Then she suddenly felt arms and strength and warmth. A steady voice in her ear telling her to hold on.

Ethan had pulled her out. They were both drenched and cold. She remembered how calm he was, with steady hands and even breathing. He hadn’t scolded her. He hadn’t told anyone. He hadn’t even bragged. He’d just wrapped her in his coat and sat with her until her teeth stopped chattering and her panic subsided.

She’d never looked at him the same again.

She glanced ahead. Elise was fiddling with her sleeve. Emily was trying to keep her eyes forward.

Marissa just smiled.

And then, as if the moment had been scripted, a voice echoed down the corridor.

“Ladies. You’re needed.”

They stopped and turned.

Lord Enlai stood waiting—crisp and official, hands folded behind his back.

“There’s been a formal request. You’re to come with me.”

Elise hesitated. Emily glanced at Marissa.

“By who?” Marissa asked, half-curious, half-bored.

Enlai met her gaze. “The Crown.”

The pause that followed wasn’t shock. It was calculation.

Then Emily gave a single nod. “Lead the way.”

Marissa folded her fan and tucked it into her sash.

Well, she thought, that just got interesting.