Chapter 1 — The Wedding Veil Still Cold, Loyal Bonds Severed

On the night of our wedding, my fiance’s sworn sister used the guise of wedding pranks to yank at the layers of my bridal gown, attempting to humiliate me before the gathered crowd. When anger flared in my eyes, she merely fluttered her lashes and offered a coy, feigned innocence.

Pranks on the wedding night are nothing out of the ordinary, she chided, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. Why must you be so devoid of humor, sister-in-law? If it were I marrying brother Lam Than today, I would never be so petty.

My betrothed glanced at her, a fond and indulgent smile softening his features. Wan Wan is generous and virtuous, he remarked aloud, unlike some people who know nothing of proper decorum.

I silently etched every word into the deepest recesses of my heart, turned on my heel, and struck him across the face with a resounding slap. Right there on the spot, I summoned my people to carry away my dowry chests and dissolved the engagement before the night had even waned.

Half a year later, Han Lam Than took Ning Wan Nhi as his lawful bride. I walked uninvited straight into their bridal chamber, stripped the bridal garments entirely from her body, and hurled them out into the open courtyard. Gesturing toward her slightly rounded abdomen, I turned my gaze upon Han Lam Than.

Behold the precious daughter-in-law your Han family was so desperate to marry, I said coldly. Take a good look for yourself—doesn't she truly look fit to grace a formal banquet?

The color drained from Ning Wan Nhi’s face in an instant. She scrambled downward in a panic, pressing her hands frantically over her belly before lifting her head to glare at me with venomous eyes.

Shen Vu, you reckless hussy, you are spouting utter nonsense, she shrieked. Everyone knows you were nearly the one to marry brother Lam Than, and now that he called off the wedding to marry me, jealousy has rotted your core. You came here deliberately to ruin my chastity. With a heart so utterly malicious, it is no wonder brother Lam Than cast you aside!

Deliberately twisting the truth to sway the sentiment of the gathering onlookers, she waited until all eyes converged on me before making a frantic dash toward the inner chamber. With a mere flick of my wrist, two maidservants stationed behind me moved with swift precision, barring the doorway entirely. Crimson with rage, Ning Wan Nhi cursed incessantly, her hands flailing as she shoved against the maids. At that precise moment, the amber glow of a glazed lantern caught the curve of her stomach, illuminating the unmistakable swell of pregnancy for all to witness.

Mistress Ning, do not thrash about so wildly or you might disturb your fetal qi, I said, standing aside with a cold, mocking smile on my lips while holding a lantern. Should anything untoward happen now, I certainly refuse to bear the responsibility.

Reality dawned upon her, and her expression contorted into utter awkwardness. Desperate to mask her exposure, she sank back down to the floor, yet the guilty panic etched across her features could no longer be concealed from the observant crowd. Whispers rippled through the gathering as gossiping tongues began calculating the exact months of the child within her womb, and it was then that Han Lam Than finally rushed into the room. Seeing Ning Wan Nhi clad only in her undergarments, his expression darkened into cold steel as he bellowed in fury, Who is responsible for this outrage?

He snatched a heavy cloak from a servant, stepping forward to shield her, but I firmly planted myself in his path. I offered a chilling laugh, meeting his enraged glare without a shred of fear.

Why must the young marquis fly into such a rage? I asked leisurely. Aren't wedding pranks supposed to be all in good fun? The two of you truly possess no sense of humor whatsoever. Didn't you once declare that your precious Wan Wan is generous and virtuous? Why is she suddenly acting so petty and devoid of grace today?

I had waited half a year for this very moment. To finally return every single word and phrase Han Lam Than had once thrown at me brought a fierce, intoxicating wave of satisfaction to my soul. A shadow of shame flickered across his face as the memory of six months ago rushed back to him, but he quickly assumed a mask of rigid righteousness, condemning my actions as unforgivable. As he attempted to step around me, I stood my ground, refusing to yield an inch. Beneath his impatient gaze, I continued unbothered.

Today is your grand wedding day, and I came merely to offer my blessings. Yet your new bride saw fit to greet me with venomous barbs, claiming you abandoned me and that my bitterness brought me here to wreak havoc in the bridal chamber.

My eyes have never tolerated a speck of dust, and today, before this very assembly, I required Han Lam Than to set the record straight. The dissolution of our engagement was a matter between our two families—you must give me a fair and public account of the absolute truth.

Our two households had long stood as prominent pillars of nobility, and Han Lam Than and I were childhood sweethearts, raised side by side under the expectations of our elders. Our betrothal and eventual marriage had been written in the stars, proceeding as naturally as the changing seasons. Who could have foreseen the public humiliation of our wedding night? Though I had taken the initiative to break the ties, the Han family fiercely opposed it, and even Han Lam Than harbored regret, desperately attempting to salvage what was broken. But I had refused to grant anyone the chance at redemption.

In the aftermath, the capital was rife with malicious whispers regarding our separation, with idle busybodies dissecting every detail to assign blame. Gradually, venomous rumors took root, claiming I had strayed from the path of virtue and was cast out of the Han household after being caught on our wedding night. Others whispered that Han Lam Than had never desired me, and that I had merely clung to him with a shameless face.

Through covert investigations, I traced the origin of every single vile rumor directly back to Ning Wan Nhi. For the past six months, I endured the judgment of the world while the two of them reveled in their romance. Today, I was resolved to tear away their hypocritical masks and grind them beneath my heel to finally appease the fury burning within my chest.