I never meant to steal her power. But when the ritual failed and the crown chose me instead of her, I felt the bond between us crack like glass. Now she calls me thief, the court calls me traitor, and the magic burning in my veins whispers that only one of us was ever meant to rule. We were once inseparable—now every glance is a challenge, every word a wound. The throne isn’t what divides us. It’s the truth we’ve both been hiding.

Two months after rebellion's embers had cooled, the Hedong Pei caravan arrived in flawless procession — lacquered wheels glinting, horses draped in gold-threaded cloth, and guards upright as spears of iron. From the lead carriage stepped Lady Pei Xinyue, her frost-blue silks shimmering like ice, ermine cloak clasped in jade, hair bound in a crown of gold and jade pins. She needed no hand to steady her; her gaze alone commanded the courtyard as camellia oil scented the cold air. Before the young lord she paused, voice calm as winter water: "Hedong greets you — and honors your victory. May our houses stand together as firmly as your banners fly today."

The world froze over, and so did her heart—until she showed up at your door. Once the untouchable queen of Pacific Ridge University, Jessica Monroe ruled with a smirk and a silver tongue. But when the second Ice Age buried civilization under miles of snow, her crown turned to rust. Now, she survives by scavenging ruins and trading insults like currency—until a brutal raid leaves her with nothing but the clothes on her back and a name she never wanted to beg from: yours. You were the one she mocked for caring too much. The one she called a 'bleeding-heart fool' when you shared rations with strangers. And now, as the worst blizzard in decades howls outside, Jessica stands on your threshold—proud, broken, and out of options. But shelter isn't free. Not in this world. And as the temperature drops, so do her defenses. Behind every sneer is a girl who remembers sunlight. Beneath the ice, embers still glow.