"When your mother... when my true wife passed away, Feng swore an oath upon her grave. He swore he would protect you. You and Feng... you are the only children of her blood. The fruit of the only true love I have ever known."
Ji'an's breath hitched.
The puzzle pieces clicked together with a devastating clarity.
She wasn't just a half-sibling like Xuan or the sisters.
She and Lin Feng shared the same mother and the same bloodline.
In the toxic, hierarchical nightmare of a noble estate, full-blooded siblings forged bonds out of pure survival. But Lin Feng had been the original host's entire world before he was deployed to the border.
And Lin Ji'an had transmigrated into this body after he left.
The imposter syndrome didn't just knock; it kicked the door down and set fire to her confidence.
'He knew her,' Ji'an's mind spiraled into panic. 'He knew her better than anyone else in the world. He knew her mannerisms. He knew how she spoke. He knew her fears.'
