chapter-1

Lamp light entered through the little space between the crack door.

Room looked way too simple for a young mistress who was soon to be married.

Her dowry was packed into big boxes.

Her eyes traveled from her dowry to wedding gown. A lone tear escaped her eyes.

"Looks like there is no escape now…"

There was never an escape for her either way. Melio daughter of 3 or 4 th concubine. Actually no one remembers. That has always been her destiny. To dissolve into oblivion like all the concubine childrens have.

Melio has nothing special about her. She is born with average looks, flat body. She doesn't even have support from her mother's family like the actual young mistress of ShanRai 's house. She is practically a nobody.

The question is why does she have such an extravagant dowry with her. She herself has the same doubt but soon figured out what actually has conspired with her.

Actually the King has commanded a marriage proposal for one of his concubine's children Roufu.

Roufu is stuck between a political truffle between different princes. Everyone in the kingdom knows Roufu's position. No one in their right mind would wed their precious daughter to him. The ShanRai household has been forced by the king's decree. They decided the best thing to do was to fake the actual legit daughter with daughter of the nameless concubine. That's how Melio basically nobody came into the picture.

She had resigned to her faith and never had the backbone to fight back. So she tightened her heart and decided to go with the flow. She also knew she wouldn't be loved by her new husband. Nor she had an intelligence or necessary education neither she had the looks to bewitch someone. All she could do was to sing her sob story and rely on whatever was given to her for survival.

Traveling to his cage was a peaceful journey. She didn't have any expectations from this marriage.

Temperature was dropping by second. Melio looked outside his carriage and saw an old woman with just rags hanging on her body. A bow of cold wind would kill her any second.

Melio was not a generous person ever in her life. The way she lived had made it impossible for her to be kind or show kindness to anyone but at that moment something flicked inside her as if on a marriage day she thought if she had a mother what it would be like.

She took one of the fur rugs from her dowry boxes and walked to the old woman. Silently wrapping her up while the old woman's eyes looked at her with a deeper smuggish look.

Old woman's appearance was rather repelling for passersby. Her wrinkled crisscrossing on her face. His skin rather loosely hangs from his bones. From the radiating smell one could easily puke.

" Why did you give me this?? It is from your dowry.." old woman asked.

She didn't say anything much as she herself was not sure why she did it.

"Don't know.." she turned back and started to walk away.

Old woman held her hand.

"You know….down the wentern trail of the kingdom there are doors for you always open...If you ever tried to find your destiny.."

She was scared and tried to free her hand quickly and screamed for help but as soon as she turned around the woman was gone.

What she didn't notice was that now the pendant was swinging from her waist. It was rather a simple thing and could easily be missed by anyone. No glitters or not made of gold but a simple sandalwood wood and it was engraved with a flower mark.

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.

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At the door she was surprised to see such a grand entrance for her. Just for a minute she thought things were going to be different but at wedding night reality shook her up to it's bone.

"You are not her...you are not ShanRai's household young daughter...I have been fooled." throwing her off the wedding bed. Roufu screamed in anger.

Milo just wept at her misery.

"You will pay for what you did...ShanRai needs to pay for what they have done.."

Milo wept in agony and clung to Roufu's leg.

"Please don't….I am also their daughter ...please don't divorce me...Please don't send me back...no one would take me if you leave me now.." Milo wept and wept.

The idea of going back and suffering the humiliation sent shivers down her spine.

Angry Roufu kicked her and went away.

Roufu was angry and humiliated but he also knew he can't let anyone know his embarrassment.

So the next day Roufu and Milo came to an agreement.

To behave like an ideal married couple and in exchange Roufu won't divorce Milo and let her be the main lady in Fang's household.

Milo who cried the whole night had her heart broken with those vile words. Neither of less she agreed it's not like she had any other option.

Then she got engaged in the useless fight of concubine in Fang's household like any woman. Her main motive like any other was to gain favour of Roufu and strengthen her position. Being jealous when Roufu would sleep at some other quarter at night. Crying in mesry, playing tricks and acting as victim to gain Roufu's attention, is how she spent her few months.