Once Promised to Be the Finest

Deep within the palace, there was no soul unaware of the Seventh Prince Jason's devotion to the maid Nova. Once, he had solemnly vowed that if he ever became Crown Prince, she would be his principal consort. On the very day he first gained an audience with the Emperor, his foremost request was for permission to marry her. Though he knew full well the contempt he’d endured due to his own mother’s lowly origins as a maid, he stubbornly insisted on wedding a palace maid anyway—throwing the imperial court into an uproar. In those days, his eyes held only her. Yet, on the day he was officially named Crown Prince, he returned with a woman from another world: Kimberly. Spouting strange ideas about “equality for all,” she effortlessly won the adoration of every servant in the Crown Prince’s Palace. On her very first day, she took it upon herself to gather all the gold, silver, jewelry, and even the love tokens Jason had given Nova over the years—and distributed everything to the servants. “Since we all live under the same roof,” she declared, “we’re one family. We should share the wealth!” Nova’s eyes stung with furious tears. And Jason, standing beside her, turned a blind eye. Back when they could barely keep food on the table, he had forbidden her from selling even a single keepsake. Now, he let Kimberly give them all away. When Nova looked at him, her eyes brimming, he merely said calmly, “Kimberly has a point. This is how we win loyalty. As the future mistress here, you should lead by example.” Later, when assassins struck, Nova threw herself in front of Jason, taking a fatal arrow meant for his heart. In the chaos, a guard was also gravely wounded protecting his master. With only one life-saving pill left, Kimberly spoke up. “Isn’t a guard’s life a life too? Without this pill, his arm is ruined forever. But Miss Nova’s injury is too severe. Even if she takes it, she might not survive.” She gently took Jason’s hand, her voice soft and persuasive. “You understand, don’t you? Which choice truly wins hearts?” So Nova watched, helpless, as the pill that had nearly reached her lips was taken back by Jason. Tears streamed silently down her face as he met her gaze, cold and indifferent. “Kimberly is right. Public favor is everything—and so easily lost. You know better than anyone how hard this road has been for me. Today, whether you live or die is in fate’s hands.” With that, he turned and left with Kimberly. From a distance, his tender murmur reached her: “You are always so clever, Kimberly, easing my burdens at the most critical moment.” Watching their retreating figures, the pain in Nova’s chest became unbearable. More agonizing than the arrow wound was the gradual chilling of her heart. Her whole body grew cold, trembling, as she felt life slipping away. In her delirium, she remembered the days before Kimberly appeared. Back then, Jason was a discarded son whom everyone could bully. His mother’s lowly status as a maid meant he was overlooked by the Emperor and humiliated even by other palace servants. It was Nova who stole food to pull him back from death’s door when he lay dying. On her deathbed, his mother had personally entrusted him to Nova’s care. She taught him how to conduct himself before the Emperor, how to win imperial favor, how to survive in a palace that devoured the weak. So when he knelt before the throne to ask for her hand, she was terrified. “Have you lost your mind? You’ve finally earned the Emperor’s notice—now you want to throw it all away?” But he gazed at her, gentle yet intense. “I know the cost. But I promised I would marry you, Nova. If I become Crown Prince, you will be my Crown Princess. If I become Emperor, you *will* be my Empress.” “For now, I can only ask you to bear the shame of being my concubine.” That day, the Emperor’s wrath was terrible. Jason was beaten until his flesh was torn and bloody. Once again, he fell out of favor—yet he never showed a hint of regret. Ultimately, he proved his worth and regained the Emperor’s approval, earning a single concession: “Youthful folly. If in six months you still insist on this, I will permit it.” Before that half-year had passed, Jason brought Kimberly back to the Crown Prince’s Palace. The first time that woman laid eyes on Nova, she looked her up and down with an undisguised, appraising stare—one that felt deeply unsettling. “So you’re Jason’s concubine?” Her tone was flippant, a slight smile on her lips. “I heard you’ve pinned your entire existence on a man.”