As the carriage passed the palace gates, Xia Yu knew her fate was now sealed. There's no turning back. But soon after, she felt regret creeping into her heart like a crawling spider taking its time before biting her.

No... no regrets, Xia Yu, this is for the best.

She took a deep breath to try to dispel the nagging feeling. Her thoughts reminded her why she was doing this. 

Why was she doing this again? 

She felt a gentle hand touch her as it held her slightly stiff hands. Immediately, Xia Yu completely relaxed and turned to the woman beside her.

Though Xia Yu had rarely seen her these past few years, her relationship with her is always strong. To have her mother beside her in this crucial moment made it less nerve-wracking. 

Xia Yu offered her mother a smile of reassurance. She didn't want to burden her any more than she already was, especially given the recent strife that went their way.

Last year, her mother's adoptive family, the Chengs, had lost their last descendant. It was the remaining son of General Cheng, Xia Yu's last cousin. He died in a battle to save the northern border from the enemy kingdom. He died a hero of their Great Yong Empire but this marked the end of the Cheng's lineage.

Her uncle, General Cheng, had already passed the age of fathering another son. Apart from that, the stubborn general will never father a son from another woman. His fierce loyalty and love for his late wife is something he is known for. But, the Chengs are not entirely hopeless. That is because they still have one last descendant, Xia Yu.

Xia Yu is the granddaughter of Cheng Ting Yi who married Xia Rong Luo. Their union gave birth to Xia Rong You, Xia Yu's father. Xia Rong You married Cheng Shu Ying, the adopted daughter of Cheng Ting Yi's brother and of course, Xia Yu's mother.

And now, the future of both the Xias and the Chengs was in Xia Yu's hands. As the sole heir, she was expected to have at least two children. 

One would inherit the multiple lucrative and monopolizing businesses of the Xias.

While the other will inherit a large territory at the northern border and a massive army of elite soldiers.

As pressured as she was, Xia Yu tried not to show it. She wholeheartedly accepted any challenge that came into her life. This particular one was no exception.

Shu Ying looked at her daughter who had grown up so fast. She's not the little girl anymore who played with knives instead of dolls. Well… she did play with her dolls too but used them as target dummies for her knives. 

But since she turned 13, Xia Yu has taken on a lot of responsibilities. And now, she has taken the gravest responsibility of all.

"Yu Ying..." her mother began as she called her by her birth name. 

"We can still postpone this for a few more days. After all, you just got back yesterday. They'll believe us if we-"

Xia Yu interrupted her mother by holding her hand tight. She smiled at her mother once more.

"Thank you... but it's best if we get this done the sooner the better. Besides, Father is already inside."

Shu Ying didn't know what to say. Instead, tears fell from her eyes.

"Mother..." Xia Yu said with worry when she saw her mother wept.

"It's just so unfair!" 

Her mother began to cry as she released all the anguish she had in the past few days.

"If only your grandmother married the emperor or your aunt didn't die, you wouldn't be forced to do this."

It broke Xia Yu's heart to see her mother crying. She loved her parents so much. They raised her well and gave her everything she needed in her life. She wanted them to live their remaining days happily. But peace and happiness can't be achieved without sacrifice.

"It's okay, Mother. I'm not complaining," she said.

"You're not complaining because you're a good daughter. You never disobeyed us. I wish you'd disobey us just this once."

Xia Yu leaned on her mother to hug her. Her mother hugged back and began to calm down in her arms.

"It's going to be alright, Mother. I promise you this will be alright. Keep your mind and heart at peace." Xia Yu said, hoping to make her mother feel better.

They broke off and her mother began wiping her tears. Their carriage stopped alerting them that they had already reached their destination.

"It's time for us to go." Xia Yu said. Her mother gave her a nod for she figured her voice would only fail her because of the crying she did.

Xia Yu is the first one to step out of the carriage. As she opened the carriage door, her eyes were greeted by the splendor of the imperial palace. She had never been inside a palace before. Being inside such a massive place made her look at her surroundings in awe.

But no matter how luxurious and beautiful the palace is, it is nothing more than a glorified prison for Xia Yu and the women who had and would have the same fate. It's like a golden cage where she will live for heaven knows how long.

Well... at least it's beautiful.

Soon, her mother joined her. Shu Ying, on the other hand, had been to the palace many times. The beauty of the palace never failed to amaze her. But now, she does not see beauty anymore. All she can think about is her daughter wasting her life away within these walls.

Soon, a eunuch came and bowed to them.

"Greetings, Lady Xia and Miss Xia!" the eunuch said. "Welcome! His Majesty is expecting you from the west garden pavilion along with Her Majesty and Lord Xia."

He guided the two around the palace. This place was indeed huge. There are guards stationed at every turn and servants walking around. Every edifice looked so intricate and well-structured. However, her surroundings did not bring her the same pleasure that she had when she was in the western lands.

She had only been to the western lands twice and had only seen a bit of what these lands had to offer. She promised herself that she would explore them one day. But at that moment, her dream felt very far away.

As she looked ahead, she began to see a greenish scenery. Soon, they reached the end of the hall. She was greeted with a delightful garden that could rival the one she had in her yard back at the Xia mansion. Before long, she finally spotted the pavilion and the three people lounging in it.

The first person she recognized from afar was her father. Being the only son of Xia Rong Luo put her father in a pool of high expectations. After all, Xia Rong Luo was only a small merchant from a small town in the beginning. But through his hard work, intelligence, and determination, he gained wealth beyond anyone's anticipation.

Though it was a lot of weight to meet, her father pulled through. He not only stabilized their economic position in the Great Yong Empire. But he was also able to begin ventures outside the country. 

Xia Rong You may arguably have the skills and wealth far greater than any official. But, he never exposes himself to politics. Even if the position was handed to him, he would politely decline. He would prefer to be a businessman and help the people of this empire in his own way.

Xia Yu knew the burden of being the only child of Xia Rong You. That is why when she turned 13, she asked her father to teach her the ways of their business as a birthday present. For the past seven years, she could say that she had accomplished a lot. But, she could have accomplished more if not for this.

Shortly, she was able to get a better look at the monarchs of their empire. Emperor Zhang Zhu Yi was a bit older than her father by age. But looking at the emperor, he looks way older than his actual years. It seems the recent war threats from the north took a toll on him. 

Empress Tian Ai, on the other hand, still looked the same as she was when Xia Yu last saw her eight years ago. It was at a banquet to celebrate the 10th birthday of her youngest son, the third prince. It was held in one of the halls that the Xias owned outside the capital. 

Finally, the two Xia ladies had reached the entrance of the pavilion. The attending maid had announced their presence and was granted permission to enter. Xia Yu and her mother lowered their heads as a courtesy to the monarchs.

Xia Rong You stood up from his seat once he heard that his wife and his daughter were here. When the ladies reached the inside of the pavilion, he began to introduce his daughter.

"Your Majesties, I present to you, my only child and heiress."

As queued, Xia Yu recited her introduction.

"This meek servant's name is Xia Yu. My humble greetings to the Emperor and the Empress."

She bowed her head even lower and waited for the monarchs to acknowledge her.

"Rise, young lady." The emperor said. Xia Yu followed but kept her head low.

"Raise your head, my child". This time, it was the empress who spoke.

Xia Yu did raise her head.

"Oh my! What a gorgeous daughter you have. She has grown more beautifully since the last time I saw her." the empress exclaimed with delight.

"Of course, my dear empress. She truly is a descendant of Lady Cheng Ting Yi." the emperor chimed in. "But as I recall, remembering what Cheng Ting Yi looked like. Your daughter's beauty outshone her grandmother's by twofold."

Any woman would feel elated when called with such flattery. Especially if this flattery came from the emperor, who wouldn't be ecstatic? But Xia Yu had already heard this kind of praise too many times. 

She once thought her beauty was both a blessing and a curse. She wished she had a simpler beauty. The kind of beauty that not many people would appreciate. But she can't always have what she wished for.

"We are deeply embarrassed with your kind praises to our daughter, Your Majesties." her mother said, finally finding her voice.

"Oh, don't be silly. We are merely stating what we see before us. If only we had a daughter, we would be happy if she, at least, had half of her beauty. But now, it feels like our wish will finally be fulfilled." the empress said with joy as she held the emperor's hand. The emperor smiled at her.

"That is right, my empress. Now, we want to learn more about our future daughter-in-law. Have a seat so we can continue this discussion." the emperor invited them.

The Xias took their seats by the round table. Xia Yu was planning to take the seat between her parents. But the empress had other plans.

"Oh my dear, sit beside me." the empress said, offering the seat beside her.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xia Yu said as she took the seat.

Her mother took the seat beside her while his father took the seat beside her mother. There was one seat left vacant. Xia Yu already knew who would take the empty seat beside the emperor. He is the man who will be bound to her in marriage because of an imperial edict.

Servants came and started serving them tea and snacks. As the emperor began asking about her upbringing, Xia Yu could barely listen. She tried to suppress the growing boredom inside of her. 

When will this day end? Can't time just move swiftly?

But she knew this meeting would not end, especially since her future husband was not yet present.

Where could he be now?