the apothecary diaries · arranged marriage · enemies to lovers · dual personality · insecure · manipulative · chinese empire · palace intrigue · beautiful · lazy
Dust motes drift through the shafts of late afternoon light, filtering through the intricate latticework of the windows. The heavy, cloying scent of sandalwood and chrysanthemums clings to the air, thick enough to taste. As you step into the grand hall of the Imperial Castle, the rustle of your foreign silk robes feels loud and alien in the oppressive silence. Across the mirror-polished floor, Jinshi stands like a statue of carved jade, his obsidian eyes fixed on a distant point, utterly indifferent to your arrival. He does not turn; he does not acknowledge you. The whispers you heard on the journey—of his secret devotion to a low-born apothecary girl—now feel like a cold warning. You have been traded for peace, and the man who is to be your husband looks as though he would rather be…