Chapter 5: Playing the Role

The file stayed under my mattress for three days.

I didn’t touch it again—not because I forgot, but because I couldn’t risk anyone finding it. Whoever left it wanted me to know something. Maybe even help. But if the General or Rui caught wind of it, I doubted I’d survive another “accident.”

My mother didn’t die of heart failure.

That much was clear now.

And the doctor who signed off on both her death and my recovery?

That was too convenient to ignore.

So I waited. Watched. Listened. Played the part.

Because that’s what everyone wanted from me—a daughter who smiled at the right moments, saluted when told, and married quietly into a powerful alliance.

So that’s who I became.

For now.

The Dress and the Blade

They sent a seamstress two nights before the engagement ceremony. She arrived with five assistants, three trunks, and a bodyguard.

The dress they chose for me was deep navy silk, floor-length, with gold accents that matched military formalwear. Not revealing, but form-fitting. Regal.

I stood still as they hemmed and adjusted. In the mirror, I saw someone else’s reflection—elegant, calm, obedient.

But under my breath, I whispered my own name: Hana.

One of the assistants handed me a small velvet box. “From Captain Lu,” she said.

Inside was a knife.

Not decorative. A real blade. Folded steel. Simple handle. Balanced.

I held it in my hand and smiled.

Maybe he understood me better than I thought.

The Ceremony

The ballroom was polished to a shine, every inch screaming power and performance. Military officials. Family representatives. Strategists. Political figures. All gathered for the announcement of an alliance disguised as a love story.

I stood on the raised platform beside Lu Zeyuan. He wore full dress uniform, every medal and insignia exactly in place. He didn’t touch me, didn’t speak—but the air between us felt tight, like a pulled wire.

General Jiang spoke first. His voice filled the room like thunder.

“Today is not just a celebration of family, but of unity. Discipline. Trust. These two young people will represent the values we hold above all else.”

No one applauded. They saluted.

I bowed my head just enough to seem humble. My spine stayed straight.

When the rings were exchanged, Lu Zeyuan looked me in the eye.

“You’re calm,” he said quietly.

“I’m watching,” I replied.

Aftermath

The celebration didn’t last long. It never does, in circles like ours.

An hour later, I was back in the Jiang SUV with Rui sitting across from me, arms folded. The driver kept his eyes forward.

“You looked comfortable up there,” Rui said.

“I’m getting used to pretending.”

He studied me. “You shouldn’t have accepted the knife.”

That caught me off guard. “You knew about it?”

“I know everything that moves through this house.”

I turned to the window. “Then you know I didn’t fall.”

Silence.

When I looked back, Rui’s eyes were harder than ever. “Prove it.”

The Academy – Rumors and Roleplay

Back at school, the engagement made me a target.

Whispers followed me down every hallway.

“She’s just a political pawn.”

“She faked the fall for attention.”

“She’s using Lu Zeyuan’s name to cover up her weakness.”

I didn’t respond. I didn’t break.

Instead, I trained harder. Took extra drills. Volunteered for live scenarios. I even started studying strategy—quietly—because power in this world came from the ability to outthink, not just outfight.

Lu Zeyuan visited once.

Unannounced.

He stood by the training field, watching me run field simulations in full gear. When I passed by, I slowed just long enough to ask, “You’re here to supervise?”

“I’m here to see how serious you are,” he said.

“What’s your verdict?”

“You’re still watching.”

Memory: Her Voice

That night, I had another memory.

Not a flash. A voice.

Soft. Measured. Familiar.

“You can’t trust anyone in this house, Lan’er. Not even your father.”

I sat up in bed, sweat cold on my neck. My heart beat like it was running toward something it couldn’t see.

That voice—my mother?

She knew.

She tried to warn me.