"Ruby! Ruby! You’re zoning out again."

The sound of fingers snapping brought Ruby out of her reverie.

She blinked.

"What are you thinking about in that pretty head of yours?" Jenny asked. She was sitting across from her on the small dining table.

"You!" Ruby blurted out then slapped her mouth shut.

Shit.

She was going to ruin the small intimate dinner she planned if she didn’t keep her racing heart from bursting out of her chest.

This was her only chance to confess her feelings.

The soft glow of the candles she had lit played across Jenny’s face. She’d even bought flowers. Lilies. They were Jenny’s favorite.

"What’s going on?" Jenny asked, putting her fork down. "You’re acting strange."

Thud.

Thud.

Ruby was beyond nervous but she didn’t know how to beat around the bush either. "I like you!"

There—

Her secret was finally out in the open.

"No..." she panicked, that wasn’t the right word. "I love you!"

Her gaze finally lifted, her confidence warring for a second. But she held her ground. "And I know you love me too."

Heavy silence followed after. It had her gripping her skirt tight under the table.

She imagined Jenny’s reaction all week, her saying she loved Ruby too and asking her out on a proper date.

Jenny didn’t move but her expression turned cold, almost vicious. "Why will you think I’m in love with you?"

For a brief moment everything around them froze.

Ruby’s heart sank to her stomach.

Even the temperature of the room dropped.

"You take care of me, you buy me all my favorite books—everything I like. And you took me out on a movie date for my birthday..." Her voice cracked at the end.

"I take care of you because you’re my adoptive sister."

The words landed like a weight. It was brutal.

"I buy you everything you want, because I never want you to feel like you’re not a part of our family. And your birthday? I just wanted to do something nice for you since our parents were not around."

Ruby’s hands trembled under the table. "But you always call me ’my good girl’, and say you’re proud of me. And that night you kissed—"

"That was an accident!" Jenny sighed, rubbing her temples. "I was drunk and you knew that."

Ruby’s bottom lip quivered as tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. "So you don’t love me?"

Jenny hesitated. "I love you." Then— "As my sister."

Sister.

Ruby hated that word.

Her gaze dropped, landing on the book beside her. She’d kept it there for moral support.

’Fallen Blossoms Beneath The Eastern Palace’

It was the last book Jenny bought Ruby. Called it a reward for being her good girl while their parents were away.

She remembered—

Jenny’s hand lingering against her wrist when she gave it to her. The way her thumb had pressed slightly into her skin. The way she looked at her...

Had she imagined all of that?

The goodnight kisses, the soft caress on her cheek.

"Excuse me." Ruby stood up abruptly, her chair falling back from the sheer force. "I think I need some fresh air."

She grabbed the book from the table without thinking, and fled before shame and embarrassment could crawl down her spine.

But...she could swear Jenny loved her.

She had to!

It wasn’t until she was out of the house, running down the street like she was being chased—that she let the tears finally fall.

Was she that unlovable?

Her grip tightened around the book.

She could swear—

Jenny loved her.

Right?

Her thoughts spiraled, drowning everything else.

She’d been so lost in her head that she didn’t notice the white van that had lost control and was speeding towards her.

The screeching of tires came too late. Then a flash of white.

Crash!

The force of the impact had Ruby flying down the street before slamming against the pavement.

The last image she had was red spreading across white paper before darkness swallowed everything.

-

-

"Ru Yi! Wake up!"

The voice was faint, a pair of her hands shaking her.

It was with great difficulty that Ruby finally opened her eyes. The world around her blurred in and out of focus.

"You should be sweeping the courtyard, everyone is already done with their work!"

A pair of unfamiliar dark eyes stared into Ruby’s face. She stared back in pure confusion.

The woman in front of her was dressed in a fitted long-sleeved top that was wrapped across the chest. It was cotton and plain.

There was the flowing skirt that reached her ankles, slightly pleated but not voluminous. Why was she dressed like she was in a historical costume drama?

"The van..." Ruby’s voice was hoarse.

All she remembered was the white van hitting her after she ran out of the house. She immediately sat up, wincing when a sharp pain shot through her head.

"Jenny will be worried about me," she muttered to herself. "I need to go home."

"Hey, Ru Yi." The woman tapped her shoulder. "You need to get to work. Now!"

Ruby brows furrowed, "Ru Yi?"

"Stop acting like you’re above all of us. Take that broom and sweep the entire courtyard. You’re very lucky the Chief Maid is absent this morning, you would’ve been flogged."

Ruby looked around.

There were dark wooden pillars supporting carved roofs, grey-blue tiled rooftops that arched upward at the corners. The buildings formed a square around the courtyard.

"Is this a movie set? How did I get here? I should be in the hospital."

The woman in front of her was confused. "What’s a movie?"

Ruby stared at her. Was she being serious right now?

She touched the back of head that had hit the pavement, but there was no injury there. Her head was perfectly fine.

That couldn’t be. She still remembered the blinding pain that had pulsed through her when the damn van hit her.

Wait...the notorious white van that was famous in all transmigration books. Famously called the Isekai van.

Ruby looked around her again.

No. Fucking. Way.

"Where is this—"

She was cut off when the wooden doors slammed open. The sound echoed across the yard, cutting through the silence like a blade.

Everyone suddenly dropped to their knees, even the low murmurs of the other women died instantly.

The woman beside Ruby grabbed her sleeve and pulled her down.

"Kneel," the maid whispered sharply.

Ruby stumbled, barely catching herself before her knees hit the ground.

No one spoke. No one dared to.

Footsteps. Slow and measured echoed across the space.

Ruby lifted her head to see.

Three figures stepped into the courtyard.

For a moment Ruby couldn’t process what she was seeing. They were all identical.

Blonde hair—which was unusual, was almost luminous beneath the morning night. Their features were the same, refined, striking in a way that didn’t feel human.

The maid pushed Ruby’s head down. "Don’t look at them if you don’t want to get beheaded."

"Who are they?" Ruby asked, trying to sneak another look.

"The three wolves of the Eastern Palace."

That rang a bell in Ruby’s head.

The Eastern Palace...

Fallen Blossoms Beneath The Eastern Palace.

Oh, Shit!

She had really transmigrated into the book Jenny bought her.

The wolves of the Palace were the ruthless triplet sisters, known to look like delicate flowers but wielded swords with the strength of a thousand men.

In the book they’d killed the crown prince and taken over the throne.

The maid had called her Ru Yi earlier.

That was the maid the crown prince had been in love with. The tragic side character.

No!

Ruby’s fingers curled tightly against her skirt.

The original character was a palace maid.

Soft. Kind. Loyal.

The kind of girl who believed in love even when it ruined her. The crown prince had noticed her, then became obsessed with her.

Ruby’s stomach twisted.

She wasn’t about to die in some tragic love story. She had already died once. That was enough.

The plan was simple.

She would avoid the prince at all costs. No fated encounters, no accidental meetings. She’ll find a way to leave the palace and live a happy life.

Ruby looked up, the triplets had stopped a couple feet away from her to speak to one of the maids.

She had to stay away from them too. She wasn’t about to be caught up in palace drama.

After an excruciating minute, the triplets finally left.

Ruby sighed in relief. But she’d barely gotten her bearings when a maid ran towards her.

"Ru Yi! I’ve been looking everywhere for you."

Ruby’s stomach dropped instantly.

"I have a word from the palace. Princess Lin Yuexin has summoned you to her chambers."

That was the princess who had killed Ru Yi.

Oh, no—I don’t want to die!