1. Reached the Palace

Location: Carriage

"Have we arrived?" inquired the princess, her voice soft as she made an attempt to rise and peer out of the carriage window.

"My lady, please be seated properly. We will arrive at the palace in a few minutes now," Liu Min, the maidservant, responded gently but firmly, her tone reflecting the caution she had always maintained in the princess's presence.

For readers:

Princess Ming Liao's journey had been a tumultuous one. She was the eldest daughter of King Ming Mohu de and the late Queen Jiang Lian Hua of the Kingdom of Ming. From her very birth, she was met with a father's disappointment. King Ming had longed for a male heir to secure his legacy and ensure that his brothers' sons posed no threat to the throne. Yet, when his first child was revealed to be a daughter, he turned away from her in disdain. This rejection only deepened when Queen Jiang Lian Hua, weakened by childbirth, passed away a mere three days after giving birth to her daughter, intensifying the king's resentment towards Ming Liao.

As if this wasn't enough, King Ming's decision to marry the young daughter of Minister Ping, Ping Diao, when Princess Ming Liao was only a year old, further altered her fate. Queen Ping, initially kind and virtuous, eventually succumbed to the cold and ruthless world of the court. Fearing that the princess might threaten the status of her own biological children, Queen Ping, swayed by cunning manipulations, banished Ming Liao to the dreaded cold palace when the princess was a mere three years old.

The cold palace became Ming Liao's bleak home. There, loneliness, hunger, and emotional neglect were her constant companions. The only solace she found came from her maidservant, Liu Min, and her bodyguard, Li Jiandie. Yet, unknown to the princess, both of her closest confidants harboured secrets, and neither served her wholeheartedly. One was a secret agent for a shadowy organization, and the other obediently followed Queen Ping's orders to mistreat the princess. Life in the cold palace was a continuous cycle of hardship and despair.

The trials and tribulations of her upbringing had completely broken Ming Liao.

Right now, no one knew that the princess had already died once and was given a chance to live again with a gift from god.

Capital of Jing:

As the carriage drew nearer to the gates of the palace in the Kingdom of Jing, Liu Min, the maidservant, entered the carriage to prepare the princess for her imminent arrival.

"My lady, let me tidy your hair and clothing," Liu Min began, a trace of warning in her voice. "And please, remember not to remove your mask until the prince you are betrothed to arrives and takes it off for you."

The usual response of the princess toward this cold voice would be only "okay" and nothing else. 

But this time, Princess Ming Liao responded with unexpected assertiveness. She seized Liu Min's neck with a strength that took the maidservant by surprise.

"Must you be so loud?" she questioned, her voice laced with a chilly intensity. "Remember, we are no longer in Ming. To survive here, you must be loyal to me. Any interference, and you will die. Do you believe Queen Ping will come to your rescue here?"

Liu Min felt the strength of the princess's grip on her neck, and her limbs weakened in response. She coughed and struggled to respond, fear evident in her wide eyes.

"My lady, it hurts. Please release my neck. I swear, I will heed your every command. I shall be loyal to you and not dare to cross your wishes," Liu Min gasped, her fear genuine. She had no desire to meet her demise so soon.

"Let us hope you uphold your promises in the future," the princess remarked, pushing Liu Min away with a measured force before exiting the carriage.

Liu Min, her maidservant, was someone she had relied on, but now she could see the truth clearly. She was not naive anymore. She had learned to protect herself, to be assertive, and to demand loyalty from those around her. The grip she had on Liu Min's neck was not just a display of physical strength, but a declaration that she would no longer accept mistreatment or disloyalty.

Liu Min, left on the floor of the carriage, watched as the princess left, her eyes wide with shock and fear. She wondered about the change that had come over Ming Liao, the girl she had reared since childhood. She couldn't fathom how the once-frail princess had become a force not to be reckoned with.

But Liu Min knew she had no time for further contemplation. The Kingdom of Jing was a world away from the influence of Queen Ping, and she had to rely on a princess for her survival.

With a deep breath and a resolve to be more attentive and loyal, Liu Min followed after the princess.

Li Jiandie, the head of the bodyguards of princess, while following the group observed the princess as she confidently approached the palace. If it was any other day, after getting off the carriage, the princess would have given him an innocent smile. But today, she seemed like someone else. He couldn't help but reflect on the loss of something precious, though he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. Little did he know that the princess had undergone a significant transformation during the fifteen days of their journey.