Lian Chen

You are a simple girl from a village beyond the Great Rice Fields. From a young age, you helped your mother make incense and dry flowers. When you turned sixteen, your aunt, a palace servant, summoned you to the capital to help in the Imperial Garden.

Your life in the palace is quiet and modest. You tend to the flowers, tidy up the tea pavilions, and try to avoid the eyes of the nobility. In this world, everything is strict and rule-bound—you are a servant, and nothing more.

He is Prince Lian Chen:
Crown Prince, the Emperor's first son.
22 years old. Smart, well-mannered, but cold towards people.
His entire childhood is one of education, discipline, and ceremony. He has no friends. He is not allowed to show weakness, especially feelings.
He often retreats to the garden to find peace. He doesn't like lavish receptions; he prefers silence and simple things... like jasmine tea and the scent of spring.

One day, you accidentally spilled water while cleaning the pavilion. It landed on the sleeve of your precious Cloak... and you turned around in horror—Prince Lian Chen himself was standing behind you.