Liang Xi did not wake up drowning. She woke up breathing. It was deep, smooth and effortless. That alone shocked her, because she had expected death to be very much painful. Her lungs filled without pain, without the burning ache she had been expecting. No water. No cold. No crushing darkness. Warmth surrounded her instead. Soft cotton sheets brushed her skin. The air smelled clean; fresh, faintly sweet, like flowers warmed by sunlight. There was a gentle hum nearby, steady and rhythmic, like expensive machines quietly doing their work.
I'm… alive?
Her lashes fluttered.
Light seeped in. Not harsh, nor blinding. Just… bright. She opened her eyes. White greeted her first. A ceiling—smooth, flawless, curved slightly like a dome with a magnificent chandelier hanging from above. Sunlight streamed in through wide glass panels above, illuminating the room in soft gold. Curtains fluttered gently, stirred by a breeze she couldn't feel. This was not a hospital.
Her heart skipped.
She tried to move. Her fingers responded slowly, weak but obedient. Her body felt heavy, as though she had slept for far too long, muscles stiff and unfamiliar.
Unfamiliar
That thought sent a ripple of panic through her chest. She lifted her hand—and froze.
The skin was pale. Smooth. Slender fingers tipped with neatly trimmed nails. No scars. No bruises. No rope burns. This was not her hand.
Her breathing quickened.
"No…" she whispered.
The sound startled her. Her voice was soft. Clear and sonorous. Not hoarse. Not broken. Before she could panic further, a sharp gasp cut through the room.
"She's awake!"
Liang Xi's head turned instinctively toward the sound.
A woman stood near the bed—elderly, dressed neatly, hair pulled back into a strict bun. Her eyes were wide, trembling with disbelief, then flooding with tears.
"Princess…" the woman whispered.
Princess?
The word hit Liang Xi like a slap.
Before she could speak, footsteps hurried in. A man entered—tall, broad-shouldered, dressed simply but carrying himself with quiet authority. His face was sharp, mature, his gaze steady as it locked onto her. He stopped abruptly. For a moment, he just stared. Then his breath left him slowly.
"You're finally awake," he said.
His voice was tight. Controlled. Emotional in a way he was clearly trying to suppress. Liang Xi's mind raced.
"Who…?" she began, then stopped.
Her head exploded with pain.
A sharp, tearing sensation ripped through her skull, forcing a cry from her lips. She clutched her temples as images crashed into her mind—violent, vivid, overwhelming.
A blue sky.
Wind screaming past her ears.
A plane.
Laughter.
Then—
Terror.
A body falling.
A scream torn from a girl's throat as the world spun wildly out of control.
Boom.
Darkness.
She gasped, chest heaving, tears streaming down her face.
"Easy," another voice said calmly.
A man stepped forward—older, dignified, wearing a white coat. His eyes were sharp and intelligent, the kind that had seen life and death countless times.
"Princess Xi," he said gently, "your body is still recovering. You've been asleep for a very long time."
Liang Xi's vision blurred. Memories poured in. Not hers. Yet undeniably hers now. Liang Xi—Princess of the Xi royal family. Feared. Revered. Untouchable. A name that made the entire capital lower its voice.
Three years ago, the princess had gone skydiving with a close friend. Something had gone wrong. Only one parachute opened, which was quite bizarre. As if the whole thing had been planned from the start. Her friend surprisingly survived. She almost didn't. As she fell to her death, the last thing she saw was the triumphant smirk of Fei Lang, who was her supposed friend!The princess surprisingly survived such a great fall,l since she had a very high spiritual constitution. But she never woke up. She remained in a coma, for three long years .
The world had moved on while her body lay still—machines breathing for her, doctors watching, enemies waiting.
Liang Xi let out a broken sound.
"This isn't…" she whispered. "This isn't my life."
The elderly woman burst into tears. "Princess… you frightened us. We thought… we thought we'd lost you forever."
The man beside her, the elder brother, stepped closer while scrutinizing her.
"You've been on this island since the accident," he said. "It was the safest place we could put you. No media. No outsiders."
Island.
She looked around again. Glass walls opened up to endless blue. Outside, waves crashed softly against white cliffs. Palm trees swayed under a flawless sky.
A private island.
Her heart pounded.
"I… I remember dying," she said softly.
The doctor stiffened.
Her brother's eyes darkened.
"Death?" he repeated.
She swallowed.
Xiamin Lake. Fog. Hands pushing her. Cold water swallowing her whole. She closed her eyes.
"That memory doesn't belong to this body," the doctor said slowly. "But memories can blur after a coma—especially one this deep."
Liang Xi knew better. She wasn't confused. She was someone else.
The doctor continued, "You've lost three years. Your body has healed, but your mind will need time."
Her brother, exhaled slowly. "The capital has been waiting for you."
That sentence sent a chill down her spine.
"Why?" she asked.
The room fell silent. The elderly woman hesitated. The doctor looked away. Her brother met her gaze directly.
"Because you are engaged."
Her heart skipped.
"Engaged…?"
He nodded once.
"To the Dark Emperor."
Her breath caught. She knew that title.
Everyone did.
It was a nickname given to only man who was regarded as Cold-blooded. Untouchable. Ruthless.
He was a man no one dared provoke.
"A marriage arranged after your accident," her brother continued, looking at her with pitiful eyes. "We had no choice. Your accident left the family open to a lot of vulnerable attacks."
Liang Xi's fingers curled into the sheets. This was surprising. She had escaped death—
Only to wake up as a princess trapped in a far more dangerous cage.
And somewhere out there… A man who already claimed her as his future wife was waiting.