"Zhi'er… my poor child."
Xiao Zhi felt warm hands cupping her cold cheeks, trembling as they caressed her face. Hearing the voice she hadn't heard in years made her chest tighten.
What is Mama doing here?
Without thinking, she threw her arms around her. "Mama! I missed you so much!"
Her mother stiffened, confused by the unfamiliar term of endearment and the foreign gesture. "Mama? You never call me that."
"I know," Xiao Zhi muttered, burying her face into her shoulder. "But I... I just—" She hugged her tighter and began to sob. "...I missed you!"
"Are you all right? Are you safe?" Her mother pulled back to look at her. Her heart broke to see her precious daughter crying like that. She brushed Xiao Zhi's damp cheek with her fingers. "Oh, my child. I can't bear the thought of you going to that barbaric land."
Seeing her concerned expression, Xiao Zhi broke down even more. "Mama, what should I do? I don't want this."
"We will fight, my child," she said, brushing her finger through Xiao Zhi's hair with the tenderness that felt too real to be a dream.
"I may be powerless before the Emperor. But I swear, Lian Zhi, I will protect you." Her mother's hands tightened on Xiao Zhi's shoulders, meeting her eyes with a gaze that was filled with determination. "No matter what. Even if it would cost me my life."
Xiao Zhi couldn't breathe for a second. She remembered the manuscript too clearly. In the original story, Lian Zhi's mother, Consort Ling, would die trying to save her. Xiao Zhi could almost see it now: a flash of steel, red blood on the floor, and her mother's last scream.
No. Not this time.
"Mama…" She clung tighter as if not wanting to let her go.
I won't let it happen. I won't lose you again, Mama.
After they finally broke the hug, Consort Ling guided Xiao Zhi back to her bed, tucking the quilt around her like she was still a child. "For now, rest, Zhi'er. I will speak to the Emperor tomorrow."
But when her mother left, Xiao Zhi could only stare at the ceiling. Sleep never came.
***
By morning, Xiao Zhi hadn't slept a wink.
"Is this really heaven?" She looked toward the ceiling as if waiting for an answer.
"Why does it look exactly like that trash novel I just read? Even the characters are the same."
Then a thought struck. "Wait… could this be… not heaven… but…" Her heart skipped a beat. "I transmigrated into a novel?"
It sounded ridiculous, but the pieces fit. It was the ultimate trope. A modern girl wakes up as a tragic princess in a fantasy empire.
"Great. Just great." She groaned, flopping back onto the silk pillows. "Out of all the novels I've read, why this one?"
Images from the plot swirled in her mind. She saw herself being tortured to death by her barbaric husband. She saw her mother dying in front of her, blood everywhere.
She squeezed the quilt hard. "No. I won't let it happen. I'll save Mama. I'll save myself."
The door pushed open, letting in three maids to tend her morning routine. They brought water and fresh clothes. One of them spoke in a worried tone as she helped Xiao Zhi clean her feet.
"Princess… the envoy from the Tughril Khanate will arrive in three days."
"Three days?!" she blurted out, louder than she intended.
Seeing the maids exchanging puzzled glances, Xiao Zhi bit her lip and said no more.
Three days… that's all I have to change the story.
She spent the day pacing in her chamber, scribbling notes across scraps of paper. By afternoon, her desk was covered with escape plans, poorly drawn maps, and charts, all of them ending in "CAUGHT" or "KILLED."
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 was not amused. She's enjoying this. She thinks I'm doomed.
"Of course," she replied, sounding as cool and as nonchalant as possible. "Anything for family."
Take that, you walking plot device, she thought, watching Lian Yue's eyes narrow.
The "perfect" princess didn't say another word. Instead, she bowed gracefully and drifted away, leaving the annoyed Xiao Zhi behind.
She slammed the window shut with a frustrated force and turned back to the room. Her eyes were now burning with a sudden determination. "If the original story wants me dead, then I'll rewrite it myself."
Grabbing a fresh sheet of paper, she began to scribble again. Although her hand was shaking, 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 clichéd plot she hated. In all those transmigration stories, the heroine dies to return to her real world.
Wait… what if that's my only way out?
If this was a dream, a fever, whatever heaven had decided… maybe dying now was the only escape. She had to leave before the marriage, and the torture began.
She bolted for the doors and dashed into the garden. At the edge of the pond, she stopped, staring down at her own reflection across the dark water.
"This is it," She gripped the edge of her heavy silk robes, bracing herself.
"Just jump. Then I'll wake up, the nightmare will end."
Climbing onto the stone edge, she took a deep breath. "You can do this Xiao Zhi. Just one leap and poof, back at your apartment and Mocha."
Then she jumped.
The second she hit the surface, her mind screamed.
Cold... it's too damn cold.
It wasn't anything like the movies. There was no graceful sinking or beautiful silence. She choked on a mouthful of freezing water as she struggled for air.
She began to panic, instantly regretting ever making this decision.
Am I… am I… gonna… die?
Just as she was about to give up, something hard slammed against her body.
A pair of arms locked around her waist. She tried to scream, but it came out as a mere splash of bubbles as she twisted in the water. The person didn't let go, grip firming as he dragged her body toward the surface.
But the air in her lungs was not enough to reach the light.
I can't… I can't do this…
Then everything went dark.
...
...
When Xiao Zhi opened her eyes again, the cold hadn't fully left her. Her body shivered, and her arms trembled.
She coughed violently, trying to get some air back into her lungs. 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 wouldn't slow down. From near death experience, obviously. But there was another feeling mixed in too, and she couldn't name it.
For a long moment, she just stared at him. She didn't even notice her chest rising up and down, trying to catch her breath.
Maybe this novel world… isn't so bad after all.