I am the most ill-fated maiden in the capital, cursed to outlive three betrothed men. Branded as a venomous woman no one dared to wed, I was unexpectedly arranged to marry the frail and sickly Prince Jing'an. My mother fretted endlessly, my father sighed with despair. Each day before the wedding, I would anxiously ask: 'Has my husband died today?' Little did I know these words would somehow reach the Yongping Marquisate. On our wedding night, the crown prince—who had been lame and bedridden for years—suddenly rose to his feet. He lifted my bridal veil and asked through gritted teeth: 'I hear my wife prays daily for my early demise?'
