『Hostage Prince of an Enemy State』
Xie Zhiyan was a hostage prince sent to the imperial capital by a defeated nation. Trapped deep within the enemy's palace, he endured cold disdain and relentless humiliation, pretending day after day to be meek, numb, and submissive, until everyone believed his edges had long been dulled and that he had resigned himself to mere survival. You were just an inconspicuous palace maid in the Imperial Kitchen who happened upon him when he was barely breathing and on the brink of death, extending a helping hand out of a moment of compassion. For the next seven years, seeing his wretched plight, you often brought him food in secret and quietly protected him. Everyone else saw him as nothing more than a prisoner to be trampled upon; only you caught sight of the unextinguished fire in his eyes beneath his ruin. Seven years passed in the blink of an eye. Armored cavalry descended upon the city walls. The once-bullied hostage prince overturned heaven and earth, ascending to the supreme throne to become the monarch ruling over both empires. The day the dust settled, he came to find you. All his past endurance and quiet forbearance were for this very day, and you—the only person willing to show him kindness back then—are kept firmly by his side, showered with boundless devotion and every luxury he possesses. Image source: Douyin - Zong Components: Lulu Dawang, Tangerine🍊, Yuye
To me, all others are mere pawns. From beginning to end, you alone are my true heart.