The first thing Lin Xie felt was the weight of silk over his body.

Heavy. Familiar. Wrong.

He opened his eyes slowly, greeted by the canopy of golden drapes and the scent of burning sandalwood—sweet, overwhelming, like a lie disguised as comfort.

For a moment, he thought he was dreaming.

But dreams didn’t come with such vivid hatred.

Not after what happened.

Not after dying with his name torn apart by scandal, his heart was crushed by betrayal… and his only title — the Crown Prince’s official consort — spat on by the very court that once praised him.

He sat up.

The silk robe fell to his waist, and his fingers trembled slightly as he reached for the edge of the bedding. The warmth in his chest wasn't fear. It was rage, curled like a serpent, hissing.

“This room…” he whispered, voice smooth but cold. “I’m… back?”

He knew this chamber. The golden canopy. The peach blossom embroidery. The pillow he cried into when he first heard about the pregnancy scandal.

Lin Xie had died here.

So why was he alive again?

A sharp knock interrupted his thoughts.

“Consort Lin?” a voice called. “Are you awake?”

His eyes narrowed. That voice.

“Enter,” he replied, with none of the softness he once carried.

The door creaked open, and Xu Mian — his most trusted servant — entered with cautious steps, holding a folded robe.

“Thank the heavens!” Xu Mian gasped. “You collapsed yesterday. The physician said it was heatstroke, but I feared—”

Lin Xie cut him off. “What day is it?”

Xu Mian blinked. “Third day of the Blossom Moon… Year of the Gold Serpent.”

Lin Xie froze.

Two months before it all began. Before the palace would be poisoned with rumors of a woman pregnant with the Crown Prince’s child. Before he would be accused. Before he would die.

A smirk tugged at his lips.

He wasn’t just back.

He had time.

“Xu Mian,” he said slowly, “have the red robe prepared. The one with the phoenix embroidery.”

Xu Mian looked startled. “But Your Grace, that robe is reserved for public court appearances—”

“And?” Lin Xie’s violet eyes glinted. “I plan to attend court tomorrow. They’ll be delighted to see a ghost.”

This time, he would not be silent.

This time, he would not fall.

Let the palace shake. Lin Xie had returned — not for forgiveness, not for love…

But for war.

-------------------------------Trailer--------------------------------

The palace thought him broken.

The ministers thought him silenced.

The Crown Prince thought he would stay hidden behind brocade curtains and swallowed tears.

They were wrong.

Tomorrow, the consort they buried in rumors walks into court — not with grace, but with venom behind his smile.

Draped in crimson and defiance, Lin Xie won’t just be seen.

He’ll be remembered.

And when eyes fall on him,

they won’t see a victim.

They’ll see the beginning of their end.

“Let them stare. Let them whisper. I want their fear to taste like wine.”

The palace buzzed with whispers long before the morning sun touched the jade tiles of the imperial court.

“Consort Lin is attending court today.”

“Impossible. After what happened?”

“I heard he collapsed. Perhaps he’s… different now.”

Lin Xie let them talk.

He stood before the polished mirror in his chambers, draped in deep red silk embroidered with golden phoenixes — a robe no consort had ever dared wear outside of festivals. His long ink-black hair flowed freely down his back, a crimson pin holding the top half in place like a dagger poised to strike.

His Golden-hazel eyes stared back at him, calm… and cruel.

Xu Mian fussed behind him nervously. “Your Grace… the ministers won’t take this kindly. The Empress Dowager—”

“Let them choke on it,” Lin Xie said simply. “The moment I start asking for approval, I become who I was again. That man is dead.”

He walked out without another word.

—

The court doors opened.

A hundred eyes turned as Lin Xie stepped onto the jade-carved floor, his presence slicing through the room like a blade. Gasps echoed as they caught sight of the robe — and the man wearing it.

Not a shy consort, but a sovereign shadow.

Golden tassels swayed with each step he took. He met every glance with his own — unbothered, unbending. Not even the Chancellor’s scowl made him flinch.

The Crown Prince, seated at the throne’s right, stiffened as their eyes met.

“Lin Xie…” Jian Yu’s voice was low, unreadable.

Lin Xie smiled with perfect poison. “Your Highness. I thought it appropriate to stand by your side today. I am, after all, still your only official consort.”

The room turned to ice.

The mention of the word “only” was deliberate.

Especially with the recent rumors — about a woman from the noble clan claiming to carry the Crown Prince’s child.

“You seem well,” Jian Yu said, gaze unreadable. “After your collapse.”

“Better than ever,” Lin Xie replied smoothly, taking his place beside the throne, his head held high. “Death changes a man.”

Silence reigned.

Until the Empress Dowager’s voice rang out, sharp as a whip. “Such boldness. Do you believe a red robe and arrogance makes you powerful, Consort Lin?”

He turned to her, lips curling.

“No, Your Majesty,” he said sweetly. “But watching you squirm when I wear it… now that’s power.”

Gasps.

Even Jian Yu looked startled.

Lin Xie gave a slight bow. “If anyone has a problem, they’re free to bring it up with His Highness. I’m sure he’ll… defend his consort.”

His eyes flickered to Jian Yu for a beat longer than needed.

Let him remember how easily loyalty dies.

Today, Lin Xie didn’t come to beg.

He came to remind them all —

The ghost they tried to bury… just walked back into the light.

And he’s no longer kind.

---------------------------Introduction--------------------------

Full Name: Lin Xie (林谐)

Age: 19 (at the start of the story, after rebirth)

Gender: Male

Secondary Gender: Omega

Family:

– Father: Lin Qingshan (Prime Minister of the Left)

– Mother: Deceased (Lady Shen)

– Status: Young master of the Lin family; former Crown Prince Consort (in his past life)

Well about his personality

Cold and calculating; no longer naïve

Sharp-tongued, sassy when provoked

Knows how to play the court’s games and manipulate power structures

Doesn’t trust easily — especially the Crown Prince

Appears calm, but anger simmers just beneath

The morning court dragged on with dull reports—until the doors opened again.

A woman in soft yellow silk entered, her belly modestly rounded beneath gauzy veils. The hall stirred.

Lady Mei. The supposed mother of the Crown Prince’s child.

She bowed demurely. “Your Majesty, Your Highness… Consort Lin.”

Lin Xie didn’t blink. “What a surprise. I didn’t realize this was an open house.”

Gasps. Jian Yu shot him a warning glance, but Lin Xie only tilted his head and smiled like sin in silk.

Lady Mei's voice trembled with practiced sweetness. “I merely came to express my gratitude for Your Highness’s kindness.”

“Oh?” Lin Xie’s voice lit with venom. “Then should I prepare baby clothes? Or perhaps a cradle fashioned from royal shame?”

The court froze.

Lady Mei paled. “I–I mean no offense—”

“Oh, I’m sure,” Lin Xie interrupted, stepping forward. His fan snapped open. “After all, it takes a special kind of virtue to claim royal blood while standing in front of his legal consort.”

“Lin Xie,” the Crown Prince warned.

“Don’t worry, Your Highness,” he said silkily, not even glancing at him. “I’m merely conversing. Isn’t that what nobles do—smile while stabbing?”

He turned fully to Lady Mei, eyes glowing cold.

“Do you know what I endured to be accepted as the Crown Prince’s mate?” His voice lowered, sharp as a blade. “I bled. I bowed. I bore it all.”

“And yet,” he laughed bitterly, “a single pretty face with a swollen belly appears, and everyone forgets the law.”

One minister spoke up timidly, “Lady Mei claims the child is—”

“If claiming something made it true,” Lin Xie cut in, “I’d be Empress by now.”

That shut him up.

“Now listen closely, dear Lady Mei,” he said, circling her like a predator. “If that child is royal blood, then let His Highness declare it publicly—here, now. If not, remove yourself before I ask if you're even qualified to stand in my presence.”

She trembled, eyes darting to Jian Yu, silently begging.

Lin Xie turned to him at last. “Well, Your Highness? Will you humiliate me further, or shall I escort our guest out myself?”

Jian Yu opened his mouth—but found no words.

Lin Xie smiled and stepped back, voice sweet as honey over daggers.

“No answer? How unlike you.”

The silence was thunderous.

He turned to leave, brushing past stunned ministers and frozen servants. But before exiting, he looked over his shoulder.

“I was called selfish once. Cruel. Cold. Perhaps they were right.”

He smiled.

“But I’d rather be a selfish consort than a silent one.”

With that, Lin Xie vanished behind the curtain of red and gold—leaving behind a shattered silence and a court full of ghosts too afraid to speak.

Full Name: Jian Yu (简御)

Age: 23

Gender: Male

Secondary Gender: Alpha

Title: Crown Prince of the Great Yue Dynasty

Family:

– Father: Emperor Jian Ren

– Mother: Empress Dowager Mu

– Status: Sole heir to the throne, groomed to rule since birth

Personality : Stoic, disciplined, and emotionally restrained

Naturally dutiful and shaped by imperial expectations

Values order, loyalty, and logic over emotions

Internally conflicted between love and duty