1 CHAPTER 1 : BROKEN ENGAGEMEN

"Father emperor, I want to break the engagement with eldest miss Li as I want to get married with my sweetheart", said that heartless man.

While I'm here kowtowing in front of his father, the emperor, he didn't even glance once at me- his fiancee, now his ex- fiancee. Truly heartless!

Once, he said, "when we grow up, let's get married". But today, he was the one who break our engagement.

Once, he said, "your eyes are truly beautiful, it's like the whole universe is inside them". But today, he doesn't even take a peak at me as this pair of eyes wanted to spill her anguish.

Once, he said, "never change, I love you just the way you are". But today, he was the one who hated this attitude, the arrogance he once claimed he dearly love.

As she stayed there not moving, she remember, the despair, the hatred, the anguish she felt when that heartless man and his brother scheme to get her family on the death row. Died of poisoning, died by hanging and died killing themselves. How could she forget, she was imprisoned in the darkest, deepest chamber in the prison. And the humiliation she faced when she was nearly raped by that prison guard!! As she couldn't take to be taken that way, she killed herself by stabbing herself with her hairpin.

That man!! He said he will take care of her, but he actually forgotten her in the prison while he was having his sweet time with his new wife. How laughable. But as fate decided, she didn't die and has been reincarnated to the time that crown prince break their engagement. She truly felt like laughing now but she suppressed herself. If that man really cared about her, he wouldn't ruined her reputation like this! Didn't he know that with this, no one would ever marry her?!! He probably too happy to care about her right now. She remembers, the heroine is actually already pregnant by this time.

"...and what do you, Miss Li think about this?", the emperor question echoed in the assembly hall.

Truly laughable! This emperor actually doesn't even care! He just asked to make himself seems magnanimous!! Why would he cares about outsiders like her? She remembers, in the last lifetime, she had been adamant to not break their engagement and that emperor was furious but kept in inside while pasting a smile on his face. Later, there would be endless schemes to frame her father and make him demoted from the left prime minister to a commoner. Not being able to held herself, she chuckled silently. "Heh..". But before responding to the emperor, she makes sure she showed a hint of sadness. "Your majesty, I support the crown prince decision!", I said while glancing at those hated royal family members- the emperor, the crown prince and that bastard second prince! While glancing and the second prince, he also stared at me back. This is odd I thought, as he usually will not stare at me like that and usually will avoid looking at me. But I didn't care! Humph!

I returned to being indifferent, while the crown prince showed a shock expression but it disappear in a second. Did he thinks I would reject and started to demand anything from him? Of course I wouldn't!! My family lives is much important than you!

"...Zhen truly ashamed of this prime minister. As a token of forgiveness, Zhen bestowed a title of Princess An Ping with a land and 7 crates of gold, pheonix robes and pheonix headress to Miss Li", the emperor delighted voice sounded in the hall. Not even a hint of shame in that voice.

Peeking at my dear father, he looks aggrieved but not daring to make a commotion as I already agreed to their request, he could only comply.

"This humble servant thanking the emperor", said the prime minister while kowtowing.

In my heart, I secretly felt relieved as my father didn't refute. I didn't want to watch him die the second time. The first time is already torturing enough.

While those thought circling inside my head, I sense someone is watching me. So I lift my head to that direction. Surprisingly, it is that bastard 2nd prince. Haughtily, I showed him my disgusted look and ignored him. What ever he might think about me, I don't care! Stupidly in my last lifetime, I always try to curry favor with him but it has never work. In this lifetime, I didn't give a dam*ed of his opinion. This lifetime, I'm just gonna be me! Sure it hurts of seeing your ex-fiancee with his new love, but my family is more important. My heart is already frozen the day I was thrown into the prison, now, it will just beat for my family.

* * * * * *

Looking at that emperor's face, she smirked. He couldn't even contained his smiles anymore as his lips curved up. Sure, of course he felt happy! She knew, that heroine is the number 1 talented woman in the country! Of course he felt relieved that his beloved son choose that heroine instead of her.

She, Li Xi Rui was originally the no 1 talented woman in the country. That is until that heroine snatched her place. She beat her in everything. At first she didn't care till other noble ladies start to mocked her. Siding with the heroine, they fan the news till it's hotter than food in the market. They said, she is a woman fall from grace. They said, her arrogance is not warranted as she is now is second. But she didn't care. Why should she care about small fry like them?

But they also said, crown prince is interested with the heroine, crown prince always being seen with her and crown prince went to the war with her as the advisor. How could she stand that?!! Nobody could stand that if her fiancee makes them wear green hat! So, she stood up for herself. She is not some fragile woman! She is not a white lotus! What you see is what you get - arrogance, cold and beautiful.

While the noble ladies were 'whispering' loudly on the road, she retaliated.

"Why do you even care about my problem? Take care of yourself. At 22 years old and you didn't even have anyone interested in you".

That white heavily powdered face turned red at the moment while the passerby laughed at her. She of course didn't. She just wanted that unsightly woman to taste how her own word can hurt someone.

"You... you... ", with nothing else to said, that woman give a signal to her maid with her eye. As Li Xi Rui didn't pay particular attention to the maid, she didn't see how the maid walked up to her and pushed her to the ground. But, as Li Xi Rui is agile, she noticed at the last minute and avoid her. That maid, didn't expect that she would avoid her fell down face planted on the ground.

Just before she could say something, that noble lady before shouted, "why did you pushed my maid down?!"

She was bewildered. With which eyes they saw her push that maid down?

"Why would I even touchyour lowly maid down?!", Li Xi Rui having lost her composure shouted back. Dragging the maid up, she wanted to slap that evil being of trying to frame her. But before she could do that, a hand stop her movement.

"Stop Li Xi Rui! Have you know no shame?!", that voice irked her temper. That voice belongs to the 2nd prince.

With her hand still in his hand, she said, "why should I stop?! They disregarded me and try to frame me!".

She looked at that pair of blackeyes. That black eyes showed hint of doubt. But with a shrill cries of that noble ladies wiped it out from his eyes.

"Your highness second prince, it's not miss Li fault, it's my fault. She has never like me thus my maid try to reason with her. Because of the low status of my maid of course miss Li felt displeased. Please don't blame her", that noble lady from before suddenly turn to a white lotus.

Li Xi Rui smirked. She felt annoyed! But before she could raged on, that damned 2nd pulled her away from the crowd and take her to an alley. He started berating her. He said, why didn't she learn how to conduct herself better? Why didn't she stop being a spoiled brat?!

And how could she accept that? So she started to shout at him. And with red face, he said, "No wonder the crown prince didn't love you. A shrew like you is not suitable to be the future empress".

She was speechless. Looking at that retreating back, she collapsed on the dirty alley floor. That is when she realized, all that rumors are true. The crown prince fall in love with somebody else. But, what about her? Didn't she deserves his love too?