Sophie White's Past

Alexander Hayes carried the gravely wounded Sophie White back to the frontier military camp, exhausting himself to save her life.

Alexander Hayes still remembers the moment Sophie White first opened her eyes after her ordeal. The first thing she did was grab his hand and plead, "My father was not a traitor to the Kingdom of Jin. He was loyal to our country until his dying breath. General Hayes, please petition His Majesty to clear my father's name!"

Looking at the petite but determined Sophie White, Alexander Hayes felt a deep ache in his heart.

The White Family had once been officials in the Kingdom of Jin. To help Jin infiltrate Chu and win their trust, they staged a public betrayal. As a result, everyone believed the White Family were traitors.

Now, when people in Jin heard that the White Family had been wiped out in Chu, they applauded, claiming this was the rightful end for traitors.

Sophie White’s only wish now was to clear her family’s name, so their remains could return home and be laid to rest in the ancestral tombs.

But even such a modest request was something Alexander Hayes could not grant.

If Jin officially restored the White Family’s reputation, it would expose them as spies sent to Chu. The massacre in Chu was based on suspicion, not proof—following the ruthless rule: better to kill the innocent than let a traitor slip away.

Alexander Hayes couldn’t let the truth of the White Family’s espionage come to light. If Chu started investigating everyone connected to the Whites, all Jin’s spies in Chu would be exposed. Then, it wouldn’t just be the White Family who faced death.

In the worst case, every agent Alexander Hayes had planted in Chu would be wiped out.

Back then, Alexander Hayes had to harden his heart and refuse Sophie White’s request, explaining the dangerous consequences to her in detail.

Sophie listened quietly. She didn’t cry or make a scene; all she wanted was for Alexander to let her see her family one last time.

The bodies of Sophie’s entire family were hung in the public square by the people of Chu for three days, and then thrown to the wild dogs. Alexander would never forget the look in young Sophie’s eyes as she stood in the corner, watching her loved ones suspended high above.

From that day forward, Sophie never brought up the injustice suffered by her family again.

The White Family became notorious throughout the Kingdom of Jin, branded as traitors who got what they deserved. Whenever their name was mentioned, people would clap and cheer, wishing they could tear into these traitors themselves.

Alexander gave Sophie a new identity and hid her away in a military camp at the border.

At the time, the war between Jin and Chu was locked in stalemate. Alexander rarely returned to the capital, always fighting at the front. Feeling guilty over the fate of the White Family, he pitied Sophie—so young, her family destroyed, forced to live under a cloud of infamy despite her loyal heritage, condemned to anonymity for life.

So Alexander had the young Sophie disguise herself as a boy and serve as his personal aide, teaching her military strategy and martial arts.

Sophie was strong-willed and brave, her personality just like a boy’s. Even as she grew up, everyone in the camp still thought she was male. Only Alexander’s closest confidants knew the truth about her identity.

Alexander shook himself from his memories, recalling that Sophie was now gravely injured—perhaps just as she had been the first time they met.

After a moment’s thought, Alexander went to the secret compartment in his study, took out a pill, and handed it to his aide. “This is the Six Divine Tablets, a miraculous life-saving medicine gifted by Dr. Rowan Lin. Send it to the ship by carrier pigeon immediately. If Deputy White’s condition worsens, this pill will keep her alive long enough to reach the capital for treatment.”