The Empire of Minh was a land of war and ambition. Its empress, Evelyn Jin, had risen from the battlefield, undefeated for a decade. Yet, even the sharpest sword could falter before an unforeseen enemy.
Tonight, the imperial war tent was heavy with tension. Outside, the battlefield still reeked of blood and burnt soil. Inside, dozens of Minh's most formidable generals stood in silent disdain, watching a kneeling figure in front of their empress. The man, draped in the ceremonial robes of the Zhou Kingdom, was none other than the newly appointed Prime Minister of their enemy nation.
The emissary read aloud the Zhou king's plea for peace, his voice trembling. When he finished, he pressed his forehead to the floor, awaiting judgment.
Evelyn Jin did not respond immediately. She twirled a set of red, blue, and green war banners between her fingers, her golden eyes fixated on the war map before her.
"Seraphina... Seraphina," she murmured, her voice carrying both amusement and contempt. "The so-called 'Great Wall of Zhou.' A princess turned general, she held my army at bay with a mere thirty thousand soldiers, while I commanded two hundred thousand. Yet now, her own emperor discards her like a broken chess piece? How laughable."
The tent was deathly silent. Even the seasoned generals shifted uneasily. Everyone knew of Princess Seraphina Li, the Iron Rose of Zhou. She was brilliant, ruthless, and had nearly outmaneuvered Evelyn in battle. A worthy adversary—until now.
The Prime Minister chuckled nervously, wiping sweat from his brow. "Your Majesty, Seraphina Li is no longer a princess nor a general. The Zhou emperor has stripped her of her title and branded her a criminal. She has been cast into slavery… and delivered to you as a gift."
At those words, even Evelyn's carefully veiled expression flickered with surprise. The tent erupted into murmurs, disbelief evident in every pair of eyes.
"So, this is how Zhou repays loyalty?" Evelyn's laughter rang through the tent, cold and sharp. "Their greatest warrior, reduced to a bargaining chip. What a wise and noble emperor indeed."
Mocking laughter rippled through the tent, but Evelyn's amusement quickly faded. She straightened, her voice commanding once more.
"Bring her in."
Moments later, the tent flaps parted. The air shifted, thick with unspoken tension.
Two guards dragged a figure forward. She was shackled, a heavy iron chain around her neck, wrists, and ankles. Her once-pristine robes were now little more than tattered rags, stained with blood and dirt. Bruises marred her pale skin, and her knees were raw from kneeling on rough ground. Yet, even in this state of ruin, her posture remained proud.
This was the legendary Iron Rose? This was the woman who had held the line against Minh's greatest army?
Evelyn's fingers tightened around the war banners. Anger flickered in her golden eyes—not at Seraphina, but at the betrayal she had suffered. To be a warrior, only to be discarded so easily...
Evelyn stood abruptly, her sudden movement making the Prime Minister flinch. "Everyone, leave," she commanded.
The guards hesitated, but one sharp glance from the empress sent them scurrying away. Soon, only Evelyn and the broken warrior remained.
Evelyn stepped forward, draping her heavy imperial cloak over Seraphina's shoulders. The prisoner trembled, but not from fear. She had expected cruelty, mockery, perhaps even execution. Not… kindness.
"You fought me as an equal," Evelyn murmured. "And I do not discard equals."
Seraphina exhaled shakily. For the first time in weeks, she allowed herself to hope.