Xuán Zhi woke up feeling... odd. His head felt heavy, his limbs weak, and worst of all—his mouth was incredibly dry. He smacked his lips, grimacing at the taste of bitterness lingering on his tongue.

  ‘Ugh, what the hell? Did I sleep with my mouth open?’

  He blinked his eyes open, expecting the dim glow of his cheap bedside mp, but instead, he was met with silk drapes, intricate carvings on wooden beams, and the faint scent of incense.

  ‘…Where the hell am I?’

  The realization hit him like a carriage to the face. This wasn’t his tiny apartment! This wasn’t his bed! And why did his arms feel so soft and delicate?!

  Panicked, he shot up from the luxurious bed, only to feel a sharp pain in his forehead.

  “OW!”

  A loud thunk echoed through the room as his head collided with the wooden canopy above him. Clutching his forehead, he groaned, eyes watering.

  “Your Highness!”

  A frantic young man in dark blue robes rushed to his side, bowing deeply. “Are you alright?! Do you need the imperial physician? Should I call the Empress? The Emperor? Oh no, oh no, this is bad—”

  Xuán Zhi squinted. Who was this guy? And more importantly… Your Highness?

  Something clicked in his foggy brain. He had fallen asleep st night reading a historical romance novel. It was set in two fictional rival dynasties—Xuán and Gù. The plot followed a tragic female lead (FL) as she struggled against the oppressive Xuán Empire, ruled by a ruthless Emperor and his equally scheming sons.

  Xuán Zhi gulped.

  ‘No way… No freaking way.’

  He turned his gaze toward the polished bronze mirror by the bedside. The reflection showed a young man, maybe nineteen, with soft, handsome features and long blonde hair tied into a messy ponytail, His eyes red. His golden robes were embroidered with the imperial dragon.

  Xuán Zhi’s face turned pale.

  He wasn’t just in a novel. He was in that novel.

  And worse—he was Xuán Zhi, the “foolish” second prince of the Xuán Dynasty.

  --

  Before Xuán Zhi could fully process his existential crisis, the doors to his room burst open.

  A tall young man, his face sharp like a finely cut jade, strode in with authority. Behind him, a young girl, around fifteen, followed with an exasperated look.

  “Second Brother, I heard you hit your head. Again.”

  Xuán Zhi blinked.

  The man in front of him was Xuán Wei, the first prince and heir to the throne.

  The girl was Xuán Xi, the third princess, who was rumored to be too clever for her own good.

  Xuán Wei pinched the bridge of his nose. “Are you seriously trying to injure yourself again? Do you want to give Father another reason to call you useless?”

  Xuán Xi snickered. “Big Brother, don’t be so harsh. Maybe Second Brother hit his head so hard he’ll finally get smarter.”

  Xuán Zhi gawked.

  ‘These brats!!’

  Feeling his pride take a hit, he stood up dramatically, pointing a finger at his older brother. “How dare you speak to me like this, Xuán Wei! You may be the Crown Prince, but I am also a prince of the Xuán Dynasty!”

  Xuán Wei blinked.

  Xuán Xi covered her mouth, trying to hold in her ughter.

  Xuán Zhi stood tall, proud of his rare moment of dominance—

  Until he took a step forward.

  His foot caught on the hem of his own robe.

  With a loud yelp, the mighty second prince of the Xuán Dynasty fell face-first onto the marble floor.

  Xuán Wei let out a deep sigh, rubbing his temple. “Useless.”

  Xuán Xi was on the floor, ughing so hard she could barely breathe.

  Xuán Zhi groaned into the cold floor, wanting to die on the spot.

  ---

  Back in his pace, Xuán Zhi sat on his bed, staring bnkly at the ceiling. His siblings left after 'caring' for him for a moment.

  So, let’s summarize:

  He had transmigrated into a novel.

  His new identity was the so-called “foolish second prince.”

  The Emperor was his father, the Empress his mother, and yet he was treated like a joke.

  The Xuán Dynasty was the vilin of the novel.

  The female lead (FL) suffered because of this empire.

  The male lead (ML) also had a tragic fate.

  Xuán Zhi groaned. “Why couldn’t I have been reborn as a rich merchant’s son instead?”

  The reason the second prince was called “foolish” wasn’t just because of his ck of intelligence—he was literally born a fool. He was slow to learn, easy to manipute, and often the target of jokes in the pace. His father didn’t care about him, his brothers disrespected him, and the court dismissed him entirely.

  ‘Great. I’m a royal embarrassment.’

  But what scared him the most was the novel’s plot.

  The Emperor of Xuán Dynasty was a ruthless vilin in the story. His sons, except for the Crown Prince, all met horrible ends.

  The Female Lead (FL)—a princess from the Gù Dynasty—was captured and suffered in the Xuán Empire. Her best friend, the Second Female Lead (SFL), was tragically killed.

  And the Male Lead (ML)?

  He was a prince of the Gù Dynasty who was once noble and proud, but after his kingdom was crushed by the Xuán Emperor, he became a broken, vengeful shadow of his former self.

  ‘If I stay here, I’ll either die as a fool or get killed when the novel’s events begin!’

  Xuán Zhi sat up abruptly. “I need to visit the Gù Dynasty.”

  His servant, who had just entered, almost dropped the tea tray. “H-His Highness wants to do what?”

  Xuán Zhi paced. “Think about it! The Xuán Dynasty is bound to fall if things follow the novel. If I stay here, I’ll either be useless or dead! But if I go to the Gù Dynasty, I can…”

  ‘What can I do?’

  Change fate? Prevent the tragedies? Befriend the ML before he turns into a vengeful protagonist?

  His servant looked pale. “But, Your Highness, His Majesty would never allow it…”

  Xuán Zhi grinned, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “That’s why we’re going secretly.”

  His servant gulped.