Xiao Zhi felt her mother's warm hands cupping her cheeks.
"Zhi'er… my poor child." She felt the hands trembling as they caressed her face.
Xiao Zhi froze. Mama? Her chest tightened. She hadn't heard that voice in years. What is Mama doing here?
Without thinking, she threw her arms around her.
"Mama! I missed you so much!"
Her mother stiffened. "Mama? You… never call me that."
"I know," Xiao Zhi muttered into her shoulder. "But I…I just.." She hugged tighter. "..I missed you!" Her voice cracked as she began to sob softly.
Her mother shook her head gently, a mix of confusion and relief on her face. "Are you all right? Are you safe? Oh, my child…" She brushed Xiao Zhi's damp cheek with trembling fingers. "I can't bear the thought of you going to that barbaric land."
Xiao Zhi stammered, "Mama, what do I do? I don't want this."
Her mother's expression hardened with determination. "We'll be clever, my child. We'll survive this. I may be powerless before the Emperor, but I swear, Lian Zhi, I will protect you. No matter what. Even if it costs me my life."
Xiao Zhi's chest tightened. She remembered the manuscript too clearly. In the original story, her mother would die trying to save her. The images flashed vividly in her eyes. The envoy's blade flashing, the blood. No. Not this time.
"Mama…" She clung tighter. I won't let it happen. I won't lose you again.
Her mother guided her back to bed, tucking the quilt around her like she was still a child. "Rest, Zhi'er. I'll speak to the Emperor tomorrow."
But when her mother left, Xiao Zhi stared at the moonlight seeping through the curtains. Sleep never came.
***
By morning, Xiao Zhi hadn't slept a wink.
"Is this really heaven?" she whispered. "Why does it look exactly like that trash novel I just read?"
Then a thought struck. "Wait… could this be… not heaven… but…" Her heart skipped. "I transmigrated into a novel?"
It sounded ridiculous, but the pieces fit. Just like the stories I read. A modern girl wakes up as a tragic princess in a fantasy empire.
"Great. Just great." She groaned, flopping back. "Out of all the novels I've read, why this one?"
Images from the plot swirled in her mind:
Lian Zhi married off to a barbaric prince.
Beaten, humiliated, tortured.
Her mother dying in front of her.
She squeezed the quilt, her voice shaking. "No. I won't let it happen. I'll save Mama. I'll save myself."
The door slid open. The maids entered quietly, bringing water and fresh clothes. One of them spoke in a hushed tone.
"Princess… the envoy from the Tughril Khanate will arrive in three days."
Xiao Zhi's heart dropped. "Three days?!" Her panic slipped out before she could hide it.
The maids exchanged puzzled glances, but she bit her lip and said no more. Three days… that's all I have to change the story.
She spent the day pacing her chamber, scribbling notes across scraps of parchment. By afternoon, her desk was covered in scribbled notes. Escape plans, crude maps, charts, all ending in "CAUGHT" or "EXECUTED."
By evening, she finally gave up and drifted toward the window. That's when she saw her.
Down in the moonlit square stood her so-called "sister," Princess Lian Yue. Her nemesis in this story.
Gone was the timid, sobbing girl from earlier. In her place stood someone with a poisonous smile that promised trouble.
Their eyes met.
Lian Yue smiled sweetly. "Princess Lian Zhi, I see you survived the decree. How brave."
Brave? Xiao Zhi forced a stiff smile. She's enjoying this. She thinks I'm doomed.
"Of course," she replied coolly. "Anything for family."
Lian Yue's smile sharpened, showing just a hint of teeth. She bowed gracefully and drifted away, leaving the faint scent of jasmine behind.
Xiao Zhi slammed the window shut. "Enough," she muttered. "If the original story wants me dead, then I'll rewrite it myself."
She grabbed a fresh sheet of parchment and began to scrible again. Although her hand was trembling, she was determined.
Step One: Protect Mama.
It sounded simple, but a thousand "what ifs" flashed through her mind. Either she or her mother, or both, lying dead.
Step Two: Find an ally.
"Find someone trustworthy. But who? Everyone here either wants my head or my failure."
Step Three: Survive.
"This is the big one. How do I actually survive? What if I still ended up dead?"
Then it hit her. The trope she hated but secretly envied. In all those transmigration stories, the heroine dies to return to her real world.
Wait… what if that's my only way out?
Her heart pounded. If this was a dream, a fever, whatever heaven had decided… maybe dying now was the only escape. Before the marriage. Before the torture. Before the melodrama the novels loved so much.
She bolted for the balcony doors and dashed into the garden. At the edge of the pool, she stopped, staring down at her own reflection across the dark water.
"This is it," she whispered. "Jump. Wake up. End of nightmare."
She climbed onto the stone ledge. Her heart never beat this fast. "Just one leap and poof. I'll be back to my apartment and my kitty."
She took a shaky breath. Then another. And jumped.
The cold water slammed into her, stealing her breath. Her lungs burned as she struggled for air. Her skirts wrapped tight around her legs, pulling her down. Panic rose in her chest. I'm… I'm… gonna… die?
Suddenly, a strong grip clamped around her waist. She yelped, twisting, splashing. The strong arms pulled her upward. I can't… I can't do this…
Then the world tilted. Darkness rushed in.
When Xiao Zhi opened her eyes again, the cold hadn't fully left her. Her body shivered, her teeth chattered, and her arms trembled. Then she felt a warm, steady hand holding her upright.
"Princess, are you okay?"
She blinked, taking in the face above hers. Sharp features, dark hair, eyes that were sharp but soft at the same time. Her heart was pounding, not just from fear, but from something she couldn't quite understand.
For a long moment, she just stared at him, chest rising and falling.
Maybe this novel world… isn't so bad after all.