Northern Border.

Wolf Ridge Pass.

Seventeenth day of the twelfth month.

The blizzard had raged for three days and nights, blanketing the entire northern frontier in white. Gideon Burke woke abruptly, the biting cold sneaking in through the shabby tent’s cracks like sharp blades cutting at his face.

He opened his eyes. Above him was a tent roof coated in frost, surrounded by walls riddled with holes that let the freezing wind seep through.

“What’s…” A sharp pain throbbed in his head, and unfamiliar memories surged forth like a tidal wave.

Aidan Haynes shoved the flaps open roughly, the bitter wind carrying snowflakes into the tent. Aidan’s face, broad and cruel, appeared in the entrance. “Wyatt Burke! Stop pretending you’re dead! The captain’s handing out wives; if you’re late, even a sow won’t be left for you!”

Gideon sat up slowly, cold eyes sweeping over the man. The fused memories painted Aidan Haynes clearly—three years of stealing his achievements, and just yesterday, all over ration disputes, leaving him beaten and unconscious."Thanks for your concern, squad leader, but I'm still a few months away from adulthood, so I think I'll pass!" Gideon Burke sat up slowly, his voice calm enough to catch Aidan Haynes off guard.

According to military regulations, if Gideon failed to earn merit within the next month, he'd face deportation to the infamous "Death Camp," from which no one returns.

"When I say go, you go! Shut it with the excuses!" Aidan barked, reaching to grab Gideon, only for him to deftly dodge.

The current Gideon Burke wasn’t clueless about Aidan’s schemes.

Every six months, the Empire sent batches of female prisoners to the border for soldiers to choose from and marry. Naturally, this privilege came with strings attached: if the couple couldn't produce offspring within a year to replenish the Empire's population, both would face punishment in the Death Camp.

There were labor duties, too—prisoners had to work daily, and if they failed, their spouses had to cover the deficit with their military merits.

With Gideon's predecessor's timid personality, once married, all it would take was Aidan's demand for the woman to end up in his quarters instead. No consequences for him, of course.

Unfortunately for Aidan, Gideon was no longer the pushover Wyatt Burke once was.

Thinking he could trap me? Fine, I’ll play along. Let's see how you fare, squad leader. If I don’t make you regret every step of this, then I’m no special forces king.The snow on the training ground had been trampled into muddy slush. Over thirty women stood on the raised platform, looking like livestock awaiting slaughter. Their eyes, dull and lifeless, betrayed no trace of hope.

The fair-skinned, delicately built ones were clearly pampered ladies from wealthy families. Yet in this war-torn borderland, their beauty was worthless—or worse, a potential curse. Instead, the sturdy ones, capable of hard labor, or those with wide hips for easy childbirth, were the ones in demand.

Lachlan Graham, the commanding officer, barked out orders, his voice cutting through the icy wind. “Anyone who doesn’t have a child with their wife within a year will be sent straight to Dead Camp!”

“Hey, isn’t that Wyatt Burke? Shakes like a leaf on the battlefield but look at him now, rushing to pick a wife!” a few rough-looking men jeered loudly.

“Wyatt, think you’re up for this? Don’t end up picking someone and just staring at her all day, ha!”

“See that one on the left? She’s old enough to be your mother. You could marry her and call her ‘Ma’ at the same time!”

These men—all Chucky Angelou’s lackeys—had been harassing Wyatt regularly. Their taunts didn’t ruffle him though. Keeping his expression calm, Wyatt turned to Chucky and said, “How about this, Chucky? You call her ‘Ma,’ and I’ll make sure she’s my wife by the end of the day!”Chucky Angelou froze for a second, surprised that this coward actually dared to talk back. Then it hit him—Wyatt Burke was making fun of him.

"You want a beating, huh?"

Chucky’s face twisted in anger as he raised his hand to teach Gideon a lesson, but a sharp look from Aidan Haynes stopped him in his tracks.

"Pick one already! Or else there won’t be anything decent left!" Aidan barked, giving Gideon a shove towards the stage.

Gideon stepped up and his eyes swept over the group of women. Most of them were either too old, physically disabled, or frail-looking—not fit for any kind of labor.

Suddenly, his gaze landed on a figure tucked away in the corner. She was crouched at the edge of the group, her tangled hair hiding most of her face, but the pale skin of her neck stood out strikingly in the dim light. Her worn silk dress, though smeared with dirt, still hinted at its fine cloud-patterned fabric.

"Looks like there's still a hidden gem left," Gideon thought, his interest piqued.

"Wyatt, you’re not seriously thinking about that sickly one, are you?"

"That frail little thing? What, you think you’re picking someone out at Golden Phoenix Pavilion? Ha!"

Ignoring the mocking laughter, Gideon walked steadily towards the stage. As he got closer, he noticed that despite the woman's ragged appearance, her determined eyes carried an air of composure—an uncommon presence that set her apart from the others.As Gideon Burke glanced at her, the woman returned his gaze.

She had already been to over a dozen places without anyone choosing her. This isolated Wolfbane Pass was her last stop. If no one picked her again, she’d be forced into a life of shame as a prostitute.

That wasn’t something she could ever accept. If she wasn’t chosen today, she had already made up her mind to end her own life to preserve her dignity.

The reasons for her repeated rejection were pretty clear: she obviously hadn’t done hard labor before, and more importantly, she carried the stigma of being a convicted criminal.

Her father had been the Southern Borders’ Commander-in-Chief but was condemned to death by the Great Zhou Emperor after a defeat on the battlefield. His entire family was banished to the frontier. Once a pillar of Great Zhou and a loyal servant across three reigns, their downfall was heartbreaking.

Because of this connection, even those who might’ve been tempted to choose her hesitated, fearing they’d be implicated by her past.

Thankfully, Lachlan Graham, the Wolfbane Pass commander, had served under her father. He showed a trace of old loyalty by not exposing her identity publicly, but that was all he could do to help her.

“Hey, young man, pick me! I may be older, but I can still give you children. You’ve got my word—you’ll have a big, healthy boy by next year!”At that moment, an untimely voice broke in. The oldest middle-aged woman stepped closer to Gideon Burke, her two rows of yellow teeth and deeply wrinkled face making his scalp tingle uncomfortably.

As Gideon moved to leave, she grabbed his arm without hesitation.

"Young master, listen to me. There are advantages to age. We know how to care for people, and we're much more... experienced," she said with a sly smile.

Startled, Gideon quickly pulled his arm free. Seeing that she was about to follow him, he instantly pointed at the tall woman nearby. "Her. I choose her!"

The moment his words landed, the massive training ground erupted in disbelief.

"Is Burke out of his mind? Picking that one? I heard these rich young ladies can't even use the outhouse on their own! He's probably planning to worship her like some ancestor at home!"

"Ha! Guess he knows he'll be sent to the death camp in a month. He's just throwing caution to the wind now!"

Amid the ridicule around him, Gideon simply chuckled inwardly. ‘Fools! You have no clue. With looks like hers, back in my previous life, she’d be an absolute A-list celebrity.’