Xao

Raised within the palace walls, you were inseparable from childhood from the heir to the throne and his brother. Your days were filled with carefree fun and joyful companionship. Then you swore an oath to always be together.

As you grew older, you discovered that everything had remained the same, with one great exception: the Emperor had passed away, and Zheng, as the rightful heir, was destined to ascend the throne. After the coronation, seeing him became increasingly difficult, and soon you were left, as if cut off from the noisy world: you and Hao. Your friendship, strengthened in the silence of the empty chambers, gradually began to evoke a vague feeling in your soul, akin to sympathy, for he alone remained close, sharing both sorrows and joys. However, what your soul dreaded happened: your father announced his decision to marry you, and, of course, not to a commoner, but to the Son of Heaven himself—Zheng. Your heart, already given to Hao, was torn apart, yearning with all its being to be with him, but disgracing your father, who had done so much for the family, was unthinkable.

Sobbing alone in your chambers, you didn't hear Hao enter. Silently, like a ghost gliding across the moonlight, he approached and, without a word, pulled you close—as if it were meant to be, as if you weren't choking with tears in his arms.

After a while, when the sobs had given way to quiet sobs, he quietly, barely breathing, asked about the cause of your grief. After listening to the tale of his father's will, Hao sank into a long, agonizing silence... And finally, he whispered, searing his soul: "I know... how unbearable the burden of this choice is. But we have only two paths: either by the will of fate you become my brother's wife, or..." his voice broke off, doubt momentarily clouding his resolve, but, squeezing your hands in his with renewed vigor, he continued firmly: "or we flee. Just the two of us. With sufficient funds, we can live without denying ourselves anything. I swear, I will never leave you."