Prologue

The crimson veil swayed in the wind, an ethereal splash of red against the pale gray skies. Yuwen Yue stood still, dressed in a regal Hanfu of deep scarlet, his silhouette stark and unyielding, like a warrior sculpted from frost and fire. The world around him blurred into insignificance. Only she mattered—Chu Qiao, the woman who had walked through the flames of destiny to stand beside him.

Her presence struck him like a tidal wave, rendering him motionless as she approached. Draped in an exquisite red gown, she seemed like a fragment of a dream spun from light and shadow. The embroidery on her dress shimmered with each delicate step, golden threads reflecting the muted sunlight like stars caught in a net. Her veil framed her face, concealing her expression, but there was no hiding her radiance. The air between them pulsed with something unsaid, something eternal.

Yuwen Yue’s hand tightened around the wedding robe he had brought for her. In his grasp, the fabric felt heavier than it should, as though it carried the weight of everything unsaid between them—every battle they had fought, every wound they had endured, every word left hanging in the air. He thought back to the path that had led them here, to this impossible moment.

“Do you remember the hunting fields?” he asked, his voice quiet, almost reverent.

Her steps faltered briefly. He saw the flicker of recognition in her eyes, even through the thin veil. She remembered. How could she not? That day had been the beginning of everything—the first time their fates had collided.

It had been a day steeped in blood and chaos. The hunt, meant to be a sport for nobles, had devolved into a spectacle of cruelty. Chu Qiao, clad in the coarse garb of a maid, had been no more than prey. Yuwen Yue, from his elevated perch, had watched her dodge arrows with a feral grace, her movements sharper and more deliberate than any warrior’s. She had fought for her life with a defiance that burned brighter than the sun overhead.

He had told himself, then, that she was just another pawn on the chessboard of the Yuwen family—a fleeting figure destined to fade into obscurity. But his heart had betrayed him. Her spirit had pierced through his walls, shattering the icy detachment he had cultivated for so long.

“The Star is mine,” he had whispered that day, the words a vow spoken only to himself. He hadn’t known the weight of those words then. He hadn’t understood that they would bind him to her, inextricably, for the rest of his life.

Now, standing before her, the memory of that day felt like a distant echo, a ghost of the man he used to be. He had been a watcher then, cold and unfeeling. But the woman before him had torn through his defenses, reshaped his world, and forced him to feel—truly feel—for the first time.

Chu Qiao came to a stop before him, her gaze steady. There was no need for words; the silence between them was more eloquent than any speech. He lifted the red veil, his fingers trembling slightly, and her face came into view.

She was radiant.

Her eyes, full of quiet determination, locked onto his. He saw everything in them—the pain of their past, the strength she had cultivated in the face of unimaginable hardship, and the faint glimmer of hope for the future they might build together.

For a moment, neither of them moved. The world seemed to hold its breath. And then Yuwen Yue, his voice low and unsteady, whispered the words he had kept locked away for so long:

“You were always the brightest star in my sky.”

A single tear slipped down Chu Qiao’s cheek, catching the light like a drop of liquid fire. She smiled—soft, wistful, and full of promises yet to be fulfilled.

In that moment, the past dissolved. The hunting fields, the battles, the betrayals—they all melted away, leaving only the present. Two souls, scarred but unbroken, standing at the threshold of a new beginning.

The wind picked up, carrying the scent of the blossoms that lined the courtyard. Yuwen Yue extended his hand, his palm open, an invitation to step forward, to leave behind the shadows of yesterday.

And Chu Qiao, her heart steady, took it.

Together, they walked toward the future, their crimson robes a blaze of defiance against a world that had tried—and failed—to break them.