A small, rural town named Ether Cloud was buzzing with activity. A festive atmosphere filled the air. It was the day of the marriage of the Governor's only daughter. Such a big event! What's more, everyone in town had been invited. From simple commoners to haughty nobles, all would be welcomed.
With his hand under his chin, a young man looked out of the window at the servants going about their business.
Beautiful was a word that usually didn't apply to men but it was difficult to find a word more appropriate to describe Ren Lei. He had flawless skin that seemed to be made of priceless jade, his black hair flowed with the gentle breeze in a hypnotising dance, his bearing, a delicate white swan in a flock of crows. His existence alone was enough to make the world around him feel dull and colourless.
His beauty was such that it would even fill the proudest daughters of heaven with envy.
Dressed in red wedding garbs made from the finest silk, he truly appeared to have just emerged from a heavenly painting.
Yun Meili was said to be the number one beauty in the entire region. Her talent for the profound arts was leaps and bounds ahead of her peers. Her character was said to be noble, her bearing elegant and divine. Wealth, she couldn't run out of even if she tried. There was nothing the Princess of the Ether Cloud didn't have.
And this very Princess would be his lawfully wedded wife by the end of the day.
Yet, there was no joy in his eyes.
Many men would kill to be in his position. They would even be willing to give up ninety percent of their lifespan just to be in his position for a mere few hours.
Yet, he felt no happiness in his heart.
Instead, he felt like he had been pushed into a suffocating bog, into a bottomless abyss he had no way of escaping from.
The marriage was not a matter of his decision. In fact, he had only learned of it like the rest of the people in town did, when the Governor himself had announced it and extended an invitation to the whole town. His pretty face had been sold to strengthen the family's position.
Ren Lei was born in a small merchant family. While the people of his family never had much talent for the profound arts, he was one of the few unfortunate people who were born without the ability to cultivate at all— a cripple.
Although the Ren Family wasn't very wealthy or influential, they were still minor nobles. As such, his father had several concubines. He was the son of one of them.
He had three older brothers. So him, a son of a concubine, inheriting the family was an impossibility, even if he hadn't been born a cripple.
The only blessing the heavens had given Ren Lei was his beauty. Or perhaps, it could be considered a curse.
His entire life, his beauty had brought him nothing but pain. He was bullied for it, he was made fun of for it, there were even people who tried to kidnap him because of it. Him being a cripple only added fuel to the fire.
Ren Lei was a useless waste with a pretty face. Everyone thought this, including his family. Beneath his appearance and his inability to cultivate, lied a kind, caring child who only yearned for love and compassion, a young man who liked to read and smell the flowers. No one saw what he was beneath a very shallow surface. They couldn't be bothered.
The first person to see him for who he was, was ironically, a blind servant girl who worked for his family. She was neither beautiful nor did she have some other outstanding qualities. Wholly unremarkable, yet he had fallen for her with all his heart. In a world of darkness, even the tiniest of embers shine as bright as a sun.
The feelings he had for her weren't one-sided, she seemed to care about him just as much. He would go see her at every chance he got and she did the same. They spent countless hours in the library where Ren Lei most often was.
Ren Family didn't have any expectations for Ren Lei. That was why no one had any objections to him spending so much time with a servant girl despite being a noble.
What did it matter if the cripple held feelings for a servant girl? They even laughed and mocked him behind his back. A cripple and a blind servant girl, a match made in heaven, they ridiculed. Not like you can get anyone better, they derided.
To him, those words sounded very pleasant. After all, they did care for each other deeply. Wouldn't it be wonderful if they were a match made in heaven?
If nothing out of the ordinary had happened, he would have married that servant girl, have a couple of children with her and die of old age.
Fate had her own way of doing things, however. On the Princess' 15th birthday, all the nobles had been invited to the celebration. It was one of the few rare occasions where Ren Lei was obligated to leave his house.
During the party, the two had met by complete accident and had shared a few words. Despite being a cripple, the Princess treated him with much more respect than his own father and siblings ever had.
Hearing her soft and gentle voice refer to him as "Young Master Ren" was something unimaginable to him. He had tried his best to reciprocate her politeness and met her with as much amicable feelings as he could. He had been exceedingly gentle and caring towards her.
Very soon, a marriage proposal had arrived at Ren Family's. His father had swiftly accepted and the decision to marry him off to the Princess had been made.
Why wouldn't the Ren Family patriarch trade his useless cripple son for a chance of deepening his friendship with the Governor? The choice was far too easy. Ren Lei's feelings, why would that even matter?
As for his love, the poor servant girl didn't even dare to come close to him after the marriage had been announced. Every time he tried to find her; she ran away. Soon, the other servants began obstructing their meeting. Even seeing her became a rare occurrence, let alone speaking to her.
During this time, the Princess would often show up at the Ren Family's. At first, he had tried to avoid her the best he could. Even when he couldn't avoid her, their exchanges were short and he barely spoke. There were always official reasons for her visit but she always came up with an excuse to see him. It was clear she came for him.
Because he kept trying to avoid her, Ren Lei's father had spoken to him for the first time in years and told him to be thankful that someone like the Princess was even willing to look in the same general direction as a cripple like him. He reprimanded him on how stupid he was being, chasing after some blind servant girl when he should have been doing his utmost to please the Princess. He even threatened to have the servant girl killed if he didn't behave.
It was not like he particularly disliked the Princess. In fact, from their meetings, she truly seemed like a noble and likeable being. Her beauty was dazzling and her voice was enchanting.
But even if that was true, how could abandoning one's feelings be so easy? The woman he loved ran away the moment he went near her yet he still could not erase his feelings for her.
Ren Lei glanced at the small paper packet above the table like he had done so many times before. His gaze lingered but ultimately, it returned to the servants scurrying about down below.
He let out a sigh and condemned his fate like he had done so many times before. He knew it was fruitless, but he couldn't help but do it.
The door slid open, revealing a servant with a bowed head. He was there to take Ren Lei to the wedding ceremony.
The entire wedding was organised by the Governor, Ren Lei was marrying into the Princess' family, not the other way around.
He had been treated rather well. The servants were all polite and subservient, they even assigned a personal maid to him who followed behind wherever he went and fulfilled all his needs. Such treatment, he didn't even dream he would get one day. He might have been of noble birth but his treatment wasn't much different than a dog back in the family.
Yet none of that made him the least bit happy. He was going to marry a woman he did not care for. He thought he could bring himself to accept it, bring himself to be happy even. Yet every step he took towards the door, he felt like turning back, he didn't want to move forward but he had no choice.
"This way, Young Master Ren."
The servant's voice could be heard beyond the door.
Yes, he no longer had the choice. Ren Lei picked up the packet with resolute eyes. That was the only way he could take control of his destiny, no matter how paltry and petty it may have amounted to.
The servant walked ahead with a slightly bowed head. The sound of his footsteps filled the air. Ren Lei moved almost silently.
Many thoughts in his head had formed a knot that couldn't be unravelled. He didn't know how he could come to terms with all of them but he wouldn't be able to do much at that moment anyway. He had a wedding to attend.
The entire town had gathered for the ceremony, forming a sea of humans around the main altar itself. The sheer number of eyes on him made him uncomfortable. Within this sea of people, at the altar, the Princess waited for her bridegroom.
As he got closer to the altar, the Princess turned around to look at him. She was wearing a red veil but he felt like she was smiling at him. He returned the smile but he really didn't feel like smiling.
Ren Lei walked slowly, drawing the eye of nearly everyone present. His presence was so strong that it made the world around him seem colourless and lifeless. As long as he stood there, was it not a shame to have your eyes on something else? Such thoughts arose in many of those in attending.
After making his way to the altar, he only looked forward, no emotions could be seen in his eyes. He felt the Princess glance at him but he did not turn his head to face her.
Thus, the wedding ceremonies began. He was in a daze as he simply followed the instruction of the wedding officiator. He simply didn't want to think of anything.
Ren Lei took a deep breath as the final ceremony began. This was it.
"The first bow, to the Heaven and the Earth."
Ren Lei and the Princess bowed towards the altar.
"The second bow, to the elderly."
The duo turned towards where their elders were and bowed. This included the Governor, Ren Lei's father and a few of his concubines.
"The third bow, to each other."
As Ren Lei turned towards the Princess, the Princess turned towards him. Their movements were perfectly coordinated, as if they had practised it countless times.
It was the first time he had been forced to look at her properly. He had seen the Princess many times but he had never looked at her. She truly looked like a divine celestial fairy who had descended from the heavens. Even with a veil, the beautiful smile she gave him was enough to nearly stop his heart. Now he knew why she was called the number one beauty in the entire region.
The two people bowed to each other, one as high as the heavens themselves, the other as lowly as a dog. But these two people had bowed to each other and claimed the other to be their equal.
Man and woman had become husband and wife.