ã€ŠThe Descendant of Luã€‹


 [Chapter 1] A Tall Tale

    Clear and bright moonlight shone down upon a bustling restaurant courtyard. A fuming middle aged woman sat opposite a nonchalant young lady. The younger of the two sized up the elder, watching as the woman''s hair pieces jiggled around with her sharp movements, looking as though they might be in danger of flying off at any moment. The silver rings on her fingers and bangles on her wrists jingled loudly as she reached for her cup of water and promptly threw it over the young lady in front of her, slamming the ceramic back down on the table cloth.

    ¡°What a home-wrecking, lowly whore you are! You dare to seduce my husband and embarrass me in front of everyone! Shame on you! You threw my family into turmoil, now my husband is in hot water with the King and our reputation is being destroyed. How dare you! How dare you ruin my marriage!¡±

    Other customers kept their eyes well away from the dramatic scene, a few who were further away tried hiding themselves behind their menus to take a peek. The restaurant was buzzing when word got around that Countess Lee was to confront her husband''s lover there while she dined alone. In any other circumstance the lover would be shamed, maybe even prosecuted if the family held enough power. Image and reputation was a big deal in the Kingdom of Ranhara and infidelity was not to be taken lightly.

    What made this particular instance of infidelity interesting was that the lover in this case was an official member of the Royal Ranharan Court - The Witch Ara. The Witch Ara was the closest advisor to Queen Yifa and was believed to be a loyal, reliable, skilled servant and confidant. Ara calmly lifted the napkin from the table where she was dining and dabbed her face dry.

    ¡°If blaming me for your marital problems will help you sleep at night, then go ahead.¡± the Witch replied, reaching for her own cup of water to drink from.

    ¡°You dare talk back to me? You should be on your knees in front of me begging for forgiveness!¡± the Countess roared, her face reddening.

    ¡°If blaming me is easier than admitting your marriage is failing because Count Lee happens to be a serial adulterer who doesn''t care about your feelings and has no respect for you or your relationship, then go ahead. But let me ask you this; why is it everyone else''s responsibility to make sure your marriage doesn''t fail and not his? He''s not an animal that can''t control himself.¡± Ara replied, standing up. ¡°Count Lee''s values don''t lie in fidelity. Although, from what I''ve heard around the army barracks, it seems yours don''t, either. Good evening.¡±

    Ara''s heart hammered in her chest as she walked away, her usual serious and dignified expression slapped on her face. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. The Countess was too stunned to respond and Ara used the delay to get out of there as soon as she could before anything more happened. Reaching the front desk, she quickly handed over the correct money for her dinner before briskly walking outside and taking a carriage back to the palace. She never expected that old leather boot to come looking for her, never mind attempt to humiliate her in front of the whole restaurant. How desperate was she to make such a public scene?

    Thunder rumbled outside as the carriage reached the palace and Ara stepped out with the help of a royal guardsman. She paid the driver and gripped her umbrella tightly as she hurried through the gate and began the long walk back to the main palace building where her bedroom was situated. The palace was a massive place ¨C one could spend an entire lifetime inside without ever leaving. It held spas, restaurants, guards, gardens, libraries, theatres, courtesans and all other kinds of interesting people and things. With a few exceptions, members of the Ranharan Royal Family were forbidden from leaving the walls.

    Ara, however, was not a member of the family, neither was she part of the nobility nor was she a commoner. She existed outside of that. Though all people in Ranhara were capable of performing basic magic, Ara had powers that reached well beyond what the average witch was capable of ¨C she was able to receive visions of the future. It was well known that she was a direct descendant of Lu, the Great Astrologer, who had founded the nation of Ranhara alongside King Ultan seven-hundred years ago. Ara was destined to spend her entire life ¨C from birth to death - in the palace. It was the only home that she had ever known and it was her responsibility to inform the King and Queen directly of any and all new information that came to her.

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    ¡°Welcome back, Your Holiness.¡±

    Ara powered through the main palace building, her robes dragging heavily behind her from being soaked in the rain. When she arrived at her bedroom, Ara barely took two steps inside before the chief housekeeper appeared outside her door. The middle aged woman cleared her throat and as Ara turned to face her, she curtseyed in respect.

    ¡°Queen Yifa requests your presence immediately, Your Holiness.¡±

    Ara nodded and returned back to the hallways. As they approached the door, the housekeeper opened a large umbrella and covered both of them as they hurried across the wide courtyard and into the smaller, though still impressive, Queen''s Quarters. Ara dismissed the housekeeper and continued on alone, knowing exactly what the Queen wanted to talk to her about. Word travelled faster than she had, apparently. The Queen had likely sent a chaperone in secret, who had probably sent word back through a pigeon or something. Damn pigeons.

    ¡°Your Highness.¡± she said, swinging her foot back and bowing her head gracefully in a curtsey, only returning to her upright position after the Queen acknowledged her presence.

    Queen Yifa stood up from her stool, her light, sheer nightgown robes trailing behind her ever so slightly as she approached the witch and smiled.

    ¡°You caused quite the scene today.¡± she said finally.

    ¡°Your Highness-¡±

    ¡°I know. I know how Countess Lee is.¡± Queen Yifa replied, running a hand idly through her long, grey hair. ¡°But you have to be careful. You are our nation''s highest religious figure, you ought to be more cautious about who you have these... romantic meetings with.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Is there any reason you chose to go after Count Lee?¡±

    ¡°I heard he had some connections to underground Vampire gangs-¡±

    ¡°The real reason, please.¡±

    ¡°I liked the jade ring that Countess Lee always wore on her little finger and was curious to see if Count Lee was really so... so...¡±

    ¡°Stupid?¡±

    ¡°If Your Highness says so.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    Ara held up her right hand, the small green ring shining on her little finger, and the Queen threw back her head to let out a hearty laugh, crossing to the other side of the room and sitting down on an emerald green velvet stool, pulling small ornate golden jars towards herself in order to begin applying her skin care.

    ¡°Help me comb my hair.¡± she said and Ara nodded, opening the top drawer of the wide vanity dresser and pulling out a smooth lacquered wooden comb. Standing behind the Queen, she began gently combing her long hair from the ends towards the roots. ¡°You were lucky this time that you brought up Countess Lee''s affairs. We have sent word that we will ensure that gossip doesn''t spread and that you will immediately cease contact with her husband. There should be a reply soon.¡±

    ¡°I apologise for causing such trouble, Your Highness. I''ll accept any punishment without protest.¡±

    ¡°The Lee family are not important. If it were higher nobility, within our royal family, then I would certainly have you punished without hesitation, but Ara, there are so many noblemen here. They are handsome, young, rich and single. Wouldn''t you prefer one of them?¡±

    ¡°Of course, Your Highness.¡±

    The Queen smiled at the young witch as she reached for her night cream. Their eyes met in the mirror, before Ara looked down once more, careful not to hurt her.

    ¡°I should have worked harder to push you and one of my boys closer together.¡± she sighed. ¡°I would have been more than happy to have you as my daughter.¡±

    ¡°It would have been unethical.¡±

    ¡°I know, but I wish for nothing more than you to be married off happily. Zhan is off with the Duchess of Orr, Min is off with Baroness Frida and our Bea...¡±

    ¡°Princess Bea is with the Duke of Albion.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Our smart and strong Bea knew exactly what kind of man was right for her. The only advice I could give her was to never marry a man who looks like a rat. I don''t trust them.¡±

    ¡°Princess Bea listened to your advice, Your Highness.¡± Ara said, returning the comb to its drawer. ¡°Put the Duke beside a frog and you can''t tell one from the other.¡±

    ¡°That''s quite enough for tonight, Ara.¡± Queen Yifa scolded, suppressing a laugh. ¡°You must go to the observatory tomorrow, so have a bath and take an early night.¡±

    ¡°I will, Your Highness.¡±

    Ara nodded to the Queen and headed for the door, but stopped short as the Queen spoke again:

    ¡°I hope you can marry soon. I wish for you to be happy.¡±

    ¡°I am happy as I am, Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Goodnight.¡±

    ¡°Goodnight.¡±

 [Chapter 2] Starlight

    Ara stood before the observatory, which was situated half way up Oma Mountain, a large range at the north-eastern side of Ranhara. The observatory was actually the ruins of a small temple made entirely of marble, originally constructed to serve as Lu''s home. Ara often wondered how her ancestor survived living up such a mountain, but she imagined a lot had changed over the last seven hundred years. Ara pushed her long, black ponytail back over her shoulder, adjusting her deep burgundy silk robes and hooded cape. Her large amber eyes scanned the area to ensure there was no other presence before she strode across the small plateau and up onto what was left of the observatory. Gracefully, she sat down, her robes pooling around her neatly, and took a deep breath in, closing her eyes and gently grasping her necklace.

    A connection could only be made once twilight came ¨C a period of only twenty to thirty minutes. A calmness overcame Ara as she sat, and a glimmer of light appeared in her consciousness after a moment.

    Blobs of darkness that swirled around slowly formed into clear, sharp shapes. The Lan Temple, the largest temple in the country, appeared in front of her. Except, instead of constellations decorating the stained glass windows at the front, it was instead a mother holding a child. A drop of red fell from the sky and splashed onto the ground. More drops fell, becoming heavier and heavier until the entire ground flooded red. A blinding light changed the scene and the obscured face of a young man flashed for a fraction of a second. Blue. White. Long hair. Another flash showed only the scene of plains ¨C tall grass swaying gently in the wind and a tree that was almost entirely split in half, yet still standing.

    ¡°Yaoyao!¡±

    Ara flinched at the sudden voice, the images in her consciousness wavering, blurring and eventually melting away. Opening her eyes, she blinked a few times, the morning light shining too brightly. Letting go of her necklace and gazing towards the sky, she took note of the position of the stars before rising up once more and walking back the route she came, her boots crunching over the gravel as she made her way down. The messages were not normally so abstract and rarely did she ever hear voices. Still, there was nothing directly concerning the family, so the observation proved useless. Well, sometimes that was just the way it was. The stars had not changed, things were as normal and that was not something to be disappointed by.

    Interesting things rarely happened in Ranhara. It was an isolated nation, as many nations were in their realm. People rarely travelled or mixed with other groups unless they happened to be of the same group. Two nations in the realm were entirely populated by Witches. Others were home to Demons, Vampires, Werewolves and so on. The Kingdom of Revenet belonged to the Demons, The Republic of Maine to the Werewolves and Indan to the Vampires. Some nations had managed to live in peace with combinations of different groups having been developed from refugee groups forced out of their homelands during war. So many wars had taken place over the centuries that it was impressive that nations had managed to remain closed off and maintain a majority grouping.

    ¡°Your Holiness!¡±

    Ara looked up to see a royal guard standing before her, slightly out of breath.

    ¡°What''s the matter?¡±

    ¡°The King requests you return to the palace as soon as possible.¡±

    One hour later, Ara alighted the carriage and rushed inside the palace, lifting her robe so as not to trip. As she reached the King''s bedroom, she quickly curtseyed and strode over to where he lay.

    ¡°Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Ara...¡± the old man trailed, his voice hoarse, sweat forming on his brow that the nurse quickly wiped away. ¡°You know I do not have much time left here.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness-¡±

    ¡°The Crown Prince... I have yet to name one, Ara.¡±

    ¡°Who do you wish to be your successor?¡±

    ¡°I want you to use the observatory to see who will be the rightful heir. That is the only right way.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness!¡±

    ¡°They are my sons... my dear Bea is not interested in the throne. Those two boys will fight between themselves for it if they think that I am to name the successor.¡±

    ¡°Should it not be the eldest son?¡±

    ¡°The Crown Prince is the one who is most worthy, Ara. They respect you and they respect the universe, even Min. If the announcement comes from you, they will accept it without contest.¡±

    Ara simply nodded.

    ¡°I have not yet seen anything regarding this.¡±

    ¡°They can wait until then, I won''t be going that quickly. But if I do go before then, my dear wife can rule alone until the throne is overtaken. She won''t want to, but she is strong and wise, she will be okay.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°You may go, child.¡±

    ¡°Rest well, Your Highness.¡±

    With that, Ara stood up, turned away and left the room. Making a quick departure from the King''s Quarters, she walked briskly across the courtyard, diverging from her usual path and headed towards the herb garden. Patrolling soldiers greeted her as she rushed past them and through the gates of the garden. Passionflower, she needed a passionflower. Anxiety filled her veins as she remembered that it was all the way in the back near the sunflowers. She pulled her robes up and broke into a light jog as she went, too agitated to take her time.

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    Ara''s hand gripped the side of a small stone bridge over the stream that ran though the garden, her knuckles white as her other hand went to her throat, a lump having risen. She was so close to what she needed. Her nostrils flared and her brow furrowed as she hunched over, her mouth watered as she took deep breaths, trying her very best to make the sickening lump go away. She didn''t want the responsibility of naming the next ruler, why couldn''t the King just do it himself before he died? Why was everything always left down to her? Why could he never make big and important decisions for himself?

    Useless.

    * * *

    A bell rang and a middle aged man looked up to see Ara come barging through the door looking pale and irritable as she thrust a bunch of passionflowers at him.

    ¡°Your Holiness?¡±

    ¡°Tea.¡±

    The doctor peered over as he prepared the tea, adjusting his thick, round, black glasses on his nose. Ara was sprawled out over the counter, her long black ponytail spilling over the other side, her face squashed ungraciously against the cold marble. He didn''t like this. He didn''t like it at all.

    ¡°Your Holiness, the tea is ready.¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡± she gasped, sitting up, grabbing the steaming ceramic cup and blowing on it harshly before taking a sip, her free hand resting on her stomach.

    ¡°Okay, what''s going on?¡± the doctor asked, putting one hand on his waist, the other resting his weight on the counter. ¡°You pregnant? You should''ve come to me if you ran out of pills.¡±

    ¡°It''s not that.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? Count Lee isn''t that terrible in bed.¡±

    Ara''s large eyes stared at him from over the cup.

    ¡°Not that I''d know.¡± he continued, flicking imaginary hair out of his face and running his hand down the back of his shiny bald head. ¡°Anyway, pray tell, Your Holiness, you can''t be running around here looking like that. People will think the entire world is coming to an end.¡±

    ¡°It was just a strange observation.¡± she lied.

    The doctor raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Look, it''s going to be your first experience with losing a loved one.¡± he said. ¡°Nothing can prepare you for that until it happens.¡±

    Ara averted her gaze. Losing the King wasn''t what was making her anxious, it was the overwhelming responsibility of having to name the next one. She was supposed to use her visions to name the next ruler, but what if they never came to her?

    The King''s death was already finalised.

    It was a waiting game now.

    ¡°But you seriously need to keep yourself calm. People know you''re meeting with His Highness. Moreover, you won''t get to grieve, because this isn''t about you. You''re going to have to be there for everyone else.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°So grieve now, kid. It''ll be less shocking when it happens.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°Your Holiness.¡± the doctor corrected himself before grabbing a clean cloth to wipe down the counter before turning back to her with a huff. ¡°I''m old enough to be your father and yet here I am getting sass from you. What is this realm coming to?¡±

    ¡°Here.¡± she mumbled, handing her cup back to the doctor to be refilled.

    ¡°You look better now.¡± he commented, shaking his head. ¡°Why haven''t you found yourself a man yet? The female form may not be my taste but even I can see you''re beautiful, Your Holiness.¡±

    ¡°It''s either not in my destiny or it''s not something I get any visions about.¡±

    The doctor laughed. ¡°You''ve got about one year more until you''re officially a spinster at the ripe old age of twenty-six. So, only casual encounters for this witch?¡±

    ¡°You probably don''t know this, but being not just a witch, but the witch means not only are my magical powers stronger than others, but I''m also stronger than normal people. I''m really really strong, I almost sent Count Lee through the window by accident one night. Anyway, my point is that it''ll be hard finding a man who is okay with their wife being stronger than them.¡±

    ¡°Then pretend not to be? Either way, good luck. Drink up.¡± the doctor laughed, sitting down opposite Ara with his own cup of tea.

    As the sun was lowering in the sky, Ara made her way back towards the main building to retire in her room. The tea and chat with the doctor had calmed her nerves. He was always someone she could talk to, he was good at comforting others as well as healing them. She felt sorry for him, too. He had to pretend that he was just not interested in relationships and that the only thing he cared about was his work. Admitting that he liked men would''ve put an end to his career. Hopefully Ranhara had moved far along enough that it wouldn''t put an end to his life, too. His secret was safe with her - and Count Lee, apparently. She laughed at the thought of Countess Lee finding out about that. If she got water thrown over her, she shuddered to think what she would do to the poor-

    ¡°Shut up, Zhan!¡±

    Ara snapped out of her thoughts, raising an eyebrow at the sudden outburst. That sounded like Prince Min''s voice. After a quick scan of the area, she realised the boys were inside the dining room, the door still slightly ajar.

    ¡°Father won''t declare a new king!¡± Zhan shot back.

    ¡°Then we have a fair fight to see who is the rightful heir to the throne!¡± Min said. ¡°How can he not choose between us?¡±

    ¡°Because he''s waiting until the last second! He will die soon and mother doesn''t want to rule alone for long.¡±

    ¡°You watch your mouth! You dare speak of father like that? He will hold on longer.¡±

    ¡°I mean no disrespect, but his health is taking a turn for the worse, Min.¡± Zhan sighed. ¡°In any case, there''s no reason why it won''t be me. I''m the eldest of us three, it makes sense for me to be the one who takes over.¡±

    ¡°I''m the one who''s been directly involved in every stage of affairs of my region!¡± Min argued back. ¡°What do you know about running a country? You leave everything up to your civil servants!¡±

    ¡°Is that why the execution rates in your region are the highest in the country? You''re that good at running the place?¡±

    ¡°You''re weak willed!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    The door burst open as ametal vase was thrown at it, hitting the corridor floor tiles with a loud clang.

    ¡°Now look at what you''ve done!¡± Min growled, marching outside and grabbing the brass vase, turning back to face his brother and spotting Ara leaning against the door, her arms folded.

    ¡°What do you mean what I''ve done? I didn''t break anything. What''re you looking at?¡± Zhan asked, stepping out and following his brother''s gaze. ¡°Ara!¡±

    Slowly, she stood upright and greeted them properly, silent judgement all over her expression as both of the princes faces grew increasingly red once they realised she had heard everything.

    ¡°Good evening, Your Highnesses.¡± she said, pointedly looking at each brother before promptly leaving their presence.

    ¡°Zhan started it!¡± Min yelled after her.

    ¡°I did not!¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Zhan. Ara, don''t tell our father!¡±

    ¡°Please don''t tell him!¡±

 [Chapter 3] Come To Me

    ¡°You''re going to the observatory?¡±

    Ara turned, spotting Prince Min standing some way down the hall.

    ¡°No, I''m going to the moon, Your Highness.¡± she replied.

    ¡°When you come back, come and find me.¡± Min smirked.

    ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°I have a proposal for you.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness-¡±

    ¡°My name is Min.¡±

    ¡°Indeed it is, Your Highness.¡± Ara replied, noticing his smirk had become a grin. ¡°The visions that come to me are the final word. Once I receive confirmation about who the next King will be, I will report directly to your father.¡±

    Prince Min strode over to her, running a hand through his wavy, shiny black hair, his strong eyebrows and sharp eyes piercing hers as he towered over her. He folded his arms as he stood in his dark grey robes and leaned over.

    ¡°I fear you have misunderstood me, Ara. I don''t mean that kind of proposal.¡±

    ¡°You have a wife.¡±

    ¡°So?¡±

    Ara recalled the Queen''s comments about interfering in royal relationships and excused herself, rolling her eyes and continued along the path she was walking, heading towards the carriage awaiting her.

    ¡°Ara!¡± Min called, trying his best not to walk too quickly behind her.

    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Ara began, suddenly whirling around on her heel, surprising the younger prince. ¡°If you need me to explain in detail exactly why no proposal of any kind you have for me is worth proposing, then perhaps you need to rethink your suitability for the throne!¡±

    Ara''s blood immediately ran cold. What had she just said? Daring not to make eye contact with him, she stared at his boots. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Had she gone mad? Where on earth had she gotten the courage to speak like that to a member of the Royal Family? What was wrong with her? She would be lucky if Min didn''t want her head for that, for the stories of his executions were not tall tales, but very, very real. The Prince stared down at Ara. Never in his life had anyone except Zhan spoken to him like that.

    ¡°I think you need to go, Ara.¡± he said finally.

    ¡°Your Highness.¡± Ara replied, and the prince watched as she backed away and almost ran towards the carriage that waited for her.

    * * *

    Ninety minutes later, Ara stood at the base of Mount Oma. She looked up to the sky and let out a sigh of exasperation.

    ¡°Look, would you just give me something, please? I can''t keep everyone waiting.¡±

    With that, she pulled her robes up and began the same old boring journey she had been making for as long as she could remember. In hindsight, it seemed irresponsible at best to send a young child alone up a mountain. No one had ever expressed concern that she might fall to her death on a windy day or get eaten up by a wild boar. Her stomach rumbled at the thought ¨C how long it had been since she had eaten wild boar? Skipping breakfast was a mistake, that was for sure.

    She stopped and stared at a small bush with fruit on it. Was it safe? She had been taught many things while growing up under the guidance of some quack shaman called Zayr, but nothing about wilderness survival. That old fart only taught her how to teach herself magic from books and nothing more. He was strict and a perfectionist and she wasn''t at all sad when he died after choking on a walnut.

    Better not risk dying on a mountainside choking on dodgy bush fruit, then.

    Ara yawned as she reached the plateau, now wondering why Min was up at such an early hour. Though, knowing him, it was more likely that he hadn''t yet gone to sleep. He didn''t even live in the palace, not after getting married, but he and his brother had returned to see their father before he passed. It was considerate of them, but put more pressure on her having them both there. Ara took a moment to clear her head of any thoughts and strolled over to the observatory. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and calmed herself, taking hold of her necklace and waiting...

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    and waiting...

    The sunlight gradually grew stronger and before long, the time had passed for any observations to be made.

    ¡°Really?¡± she complained, gazing up at the sky. ¡°Nothing? At a time like this and you give me nothing?¡±

    Ara hastily rose up, dusting her robes off and muttering under her breath about what a waste of time it was. Trudging back down the pathway, she felt more and more sleepy. She stretched her arms up above her head as she went, yawning and rubbing her eyes. Suddenly, a low but chilling growl rang through the air. Ara stopped in her tracks, scanning the area for any signs of an animal. With a few words and the wave of her hand, she cast a protection spell ¨C she would barely be harmed should something come her way, but that didn''t stop her nerves as she descended the mountain, the growl seeming to follow her.

    Halfway down, she spotted the source: a beast of a puma stood high up on the path above her. A much fiercer growl came from it and in the time it took Ara to blink, it had pounced. Time seemed to slow down as Ara curled herself into a ball, arms over her head as she waited for its powerful jaws to clamp around her.

    But no such thing happened.

    Instead, the creature screeched and there was a loud thud. Slowly, Ara unfurled herself and looked over in shock to see the beast dead on the ground, a large sword skewered through its neck. Where the hell had that come from?

    ¡°Miss! Miss! Are you okay?¡±

    To her left, Ara spotted a young and handsome man with long black hair wearing white and blue robes come careering down the mountain. Without a word, she nodded her head and accepted the hand the young man offered her to help her to her feet. He smiled a genuine, pure smile and Ara felt a flutter in her stomach. She averted her gaze. It wasn''t the time to be flustered. How dare he come along with that smile.

    And that face.

    Ara stole another look, one hand grasping her elbow.

    ¡°Forgive the violence, miss. I was merely passing through and noticed I wasn''t alone on this mountain. Once I heard the puma, I thought it was best to catch up.¡±

    Ara cleared her throat and stood more confidently. ¡°I did cast a protection spell the second I heard that thing growl. I can take care of myself.¡±

    ¡°I''m sure you can. I mean no disrespect, but after seeing a large cat lunge at someone it would be safer to assume there was no such protection.¡±

    Ara blinked a few times.

    She couldn''t exactly argue with that reasoning.

    ¡°That was quite impressive.¡± she admitted.

    The man smiled again and strolled past her, putting one foot on the animal before pulling his sword back out, wiping it off and sheathing it. The pair walked together down the mountain in total silence until Ara couldn''t fight her curiosity any longer:

    ¡°I''ve been coming to this mountain every week for as long as I can remember and never did I see another soul here. Who are you?¡±

    ¡°My name is Jun.¡± he replied.

    ¡°Jun.¡± Ara repeated.

    ¡°May I know your name?¡±

    Ara gave him an incredulous look and let out a laugh in disbelief. How could he possibly not know who she was? Who else went to that mountain every damn week? It sure as heck wasn''t a hiking trail. Everyone knew who she was, how could he not know The Witch Ara? Did he live under the mountain or something? Maybe he lived on it and never travelled to the city, that would his explain his long hair, but not his immaculate clothes and appearance.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Jun exclaimed, his eyes lighting up, ¡°Wait, you''re The Witch Ara, right? What an honour it is to meet you, Your Holiness!¡±

    Yes, yes, that was the correct response.

    ¡°Forgive me, Your Holiness, I have only ever seen paintings and drawings of you, so I didn''t recognise you right away. I live on the other side of the mountain and came here to hunt today. We don''t get much interaction with the rest of the country since we''re such a rural area. Forgive my ignorance.¡±

    ¡°It''s fine, it would be unreasonable to expect everyone to recognise me.¡± she said nonchalantly, not seeing the grin on Jun''s face as he watched her walk ahead.

    How endearing she was.

    ¡°May I escort you to wherever you''re going?¡± he asked politely.

    ¡°You may.¡±

    ¡°The palace is rather far from here, isn''t it?¡±

    ¡°It is, a ninety minute journey by horse and carriage. There it is, just over there.¡± she said, pointing to the guard who awaited her.

    ¡°Then I will leave you here.¡± Jun replied, stopping in his tracks.

    Ara turned to him, her eyebrows raised a bit. They were still some distance away from the carriage. Didn''t he just say he would escort her?

    ¡°It was nice to meet you, Jun. Take care of yourself and thank you very much for your help today.¡±

    ¡°I''m happy to help Your Holiness in any way I can.¡± Jun gave a shallow bow and righted himself, a wide grin on his lips.

    * * *

    Some time later, after Ara had reported back to the King, she found herself relaxing in a steaming hot bath in her private bathroom. Rose petals floated around on the surface of the fragrant water, some of them sticking to her hair as she leaned back and rested her neck on the tiled edge. The King wasn''t disappointed with her, but she felt pressure ¨C either real or imagined ¨C to provide answers as soon as possible. Muffled voices caught her ear and she turned her head towards the source of the noise, rolling her eyes as Prince Min confidently strode in, several ladies-in-waiting following him and trying to convince him to leave.

    ¡°Ara! I''ve come to discuss the proposal. May I join you?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Ara replied, sighing as the prince began to disrobe anyway.

 [Chapter 4] Circus

    Ara stood at the side of the court room, to the right of the King ¨C who had found the strength to attend that day - alongside his other special advisors. The room was a wash of deep green civil servant robes, the only pops of colour coming from the brilliant white and gold of the King and Queen and the deep black that Ara preferred to wear. The murmur of chat between rulings flooded the large hall, echoing around the stone building. The chief special advisor stepped forward to hand the King the next document for consideration, but before the King had a chance to look, a civil servant stepped out and greeted him. All eyes turned to him, Ara''s included.

    ¡°Your Highness, there have been rumours floating around the northern regions that have travelled down through our small nation... the rumour that the Demons are coming from Revenet, Your Highness. Is there anything we can do to quash these rumours and let our people relax?¡±

    The King let out a hearty laugh before responding: ¡°The Demons? What reason would they have to come here?¡±

    Ara noticed Queen Yifa glance over at her husband. There was a reason after all, then, but what was it? Ara ran through Ranharan history in her head. There was no mention in any of the books she had read about conflict between Ranhara and Revenet. Odd. Surely the King was right, there was no reason for them to come, it was more than likely just a baseless rumour.

    ¡°Ara!¡± Queen Yifa called and Ara stepped out to greet both monarchs. ¡°Ara, your visions show us everything that is held in our future. Have there been any indications of such an event?¡±

    ¡°No, Your Highness. No such visions have appeared.¡± she said with confidence.

    ¡°Are you satisfied?¡± the King asked to the civil servant, who nodded.

    Ara turned her head slightly to address the now trembling man in green: ¡°The rumours were more than likely started by rebel republican groups in the area who want to cause upset and instability to try and start a revolution. It''s futile, of course, but they''ll try anything. You ought to keep better control over the people in your region so that nothing like this happens again and so no more ridiculous rumours spread further than anyone who tries to start them. If the northern peoples have any doubts about the strength of our nation, that falls on you ¨C they ought to have full confidence and fear nothing. Do your job properly if you don''t want to fall out of favour.¡±

    ¡°I apologise, Your Holiness.¡± the civil servant stammered, apologising profusely to the King and Queen before returning to his position within the court, Ara doing the same.

    Her large eyes slid over to the King and Queen before returning to the wall in front of her. They usually relied on her to put civil servants back in their place, anyone who dared to question their authority, strength or knowledge. Ara shook off the ominous feeling that rested in the pit of her stomach. She had known the Queen her entire life and something was definitely up, she knew something. It was true that she had no clear visions about an invasion, but... there were some more abstract things that had come to her. Warnings? No, surely not. Ara rolled her head, her neck stiff from a bad night of sleep. Whatever they were, she wouldn''t worry about them until there was a reason to.

    * * *

    ¡°Your Holiness!¡±

    Ara stopped in her tracks on Mount Oma, looking behind her before continuing on her path down, suppressing a smile and ignoring the sound of feet crunching on the gravel for she already knew who it was.

    ¡°Have you been well, Your Holiness?¡±

    ¡°I have. Are you hunting again today?¡±

    ¡°That''s right. It seems that the puma we ran into last time wasn''t the only one on this mountain, so I''ve been coming back frequently to try and get rid of them.¡±

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    ¡°That''s very brave of you.¡±

    The pair strolled together in the early morning sunlight, stopping to rest on a small marble bench under an apple tree. As Jun reached up to pick two red apples from the branch that hung lowest, Ara glanced over at him and smiled at his cheerful expression. The corners of his mouth curved upwards, almost feline-like, when he smiled, which seemed to be more often than not. It was nice to see someone so relaxed and happy, especially as the palace was fast becoming a place of doom and gloom with the King''s impending death.

    ¡°May I ask what it is you do for a living, Jun?¡±

    ¡°Well, I help out around my town where I can. I''m a teacher and an aide to the head master at the school.¡± he replied, offering her an apple. ¡°The mayor came to us for help in protecting the town. I came this far to make sure, and that''s where I found the pumas.¡±

    ¡°I see. Do you teach ethics?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Holiness, along with government and other practical things.¡±

    ¡°You strike me as that type.¡± Ara admitted, accepting the apple from him.

    Taking a bite out of it, Ara covered her mouth with her hand as she chewed and used her other sleeve to wipe away juice that ran down her chin.

    ¡°Here, Your Holiness.¡± Jun offered, fishing a handkerchief from under his white robe collar.

    ¡°Thank you. You may call me Ara, there''s no need to be formal.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, Miss Ara.¡±

    A comfortable silence fell between them as they ate through the fruit, tossing the remains into the grassy area below before continuing on their way.

    ¡°So, you live on the other side of Mount Oma. Did you happen to hear any rumours lately?¡± Ara asked as they continued down the mountainside.

    ¡°Rumours?¡± Jun repeated, scrunching his straight nose as he thought. ¡°Nothing very scandalous, although people are speculating that the town mayor Mr. Ma might be the real father of lawyer Tang''s firstborn son. I''m not curious, but the older he gets the harder the resemblances are to deny.¡±

    Ara laughed loudly and Jun found himself stunned by her beauty, even more than the first time he had encountered her. What an interesting young woman she was. Jun noticed the dazzling jewels hanging from her hair pins and clips ¨C simple and elegant. She was surely elegant, but he had a feeling she was anything but simple.

    He looked forward to finding out whether or not he was right.

    ¡°Have you ever come here at night time, Miss Ara?¡± Jun asked, stepping once to his left so as to be slightly closer to her.

    ¡°In winter time the sun doesn''t rise until much later.¡± she replied. ¡°You can see every single star. It''s very beautiful here.¡±

    ¡°The weather must be awfully harsh in winter time.¡± he commented. ¡°You must be well acquainted with astronomy, given your profession.¡±

    Jun tried not to stare at her too much as they walked, but he couldn''t help notice how lovely her skin was and briefly wondered if her cheeks felt as soft as they looked. She always seemed to wear dark make-up on her large eyes whenever they met, though they were her only features with any heavy amount of product on. Besides a light pink sheen on her lips, from what he could tell, her fine features were left alone.

    ¡°Of course I am, but I think anyone would have a deep appreciation for the universe if they were able to see such a sight.¡±

    ¡°If you wouldn''t mind the trouble, I would like to view them with you on a clear night.¡±

    Ara stopped suddenly and turned to look at her companion, his expression giving nothing away. He looked at her calmly, his lips in a faint smile, though they always seemed to be that way. She took the opportunity to have a good look at him, from his hair, half-up and tied neatly on top of his head, the other half hanging down his back, to his high and prominent cheekbones, to his well-defined jaw line. For a man who seemed so pure, what were his intentions, exactly? Her eyes darted to his fingers, searching for a ring of some kind ¨C she really, really did not want to get in trouble again ¨C but there was nothing, all ten were bare.

    ¡°Ah!¡± he exclaimed, realisation suddenly hitting him. ¡°I am a teacher, Miss Ara. My students have been asking me about astronomy and my knowledge only stretches so far. I do realise how inappropriate it sounded, I apologise. If you would like to teach me, please don''t hesitate to bring along a chaperone.¡±

    Ara smiled at him, though felt a pang of disappointment in her chest. How arrogant it was of her to assume he meant the worst. Experience had taught her that any time a young man proposed something like that, it was for other intentions. Wouldn''t it be nice for someone like him to show more than platonic interest for once? Jun gave her all the signs of being a very honourable man and it dawned on her that she was being absolutely ridiculous ¨C the chances of someone like Jun being engaged to a suitable woman were very high. What on earth was she disappointed for? She''d only met the man a few times.

    ¡°I would be happy to help!¡± she replied brightly, still smiling through her disappointment. ¡°I''ll be free any time, choose a night that suits you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡± he grinned. ¡°Would next Saturday night be okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

 [Chapter 5] Door Closed

    Ara''s mind had calmed down over the last few days. The vision she needed had finally come to her, clear as day ¨C there was no mistaking it. As she sat in the lounge room of the Queen''s Quarters, she studied the simple d¨¦cor. She decided that if she were ever to be a queen, her palace would be decorated in the most ridiculous, over-the-top fashion, with gold and diamonds hanging from the ceiling and silverware so expensive they would have an issue with servants stealing it. She would have a deep purple silk robe that trailed metres behind her wherever she went and a team of ladies-in-waiting to tend to her every need.

    How nice life would be.

    Ara laughed at her own ridiculous ideas and quickly stood up when Queen Yifa entered the room, curtseying.

    ¡°Ara, how have you been, dear?¡± the Queen asked, taking her hands and giving her a brief and shallow hug.

    ¡°Very well, Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Come, let''s sit. Tea should be arriving shortly. Have you eaten breakfast yet? Shall we have brunch?¡±

    ¡°I have eaten already, please go ahead if you haven''t.¡±

    ¡°Very well. I was so pleased at the news my husband gave me today, I could barely contain my excitement. I''m so happy, Ara.¡±

    ¡°I''m happy that you are.¡± she replied, watching the servant who brought in a tray of tea. ¡°His Highness said he will make an announcement this evening. I''m worried that he may not be well enough to do so.¡±

    ¡°He has improved recently, it won''t be an issue.¡± the Queen replied, turning to the servant who had finished preparing the tea. ¡°Would you bring some brunch for me? Please tell the chef to surprise me.¡±

    ¡°Certainly, Your Highness.¡±

    Ara watched the young woman leave, before her turning her eyes back to Queen Yifa, a bemused expression on her face. She hadn''t seen the Queen be so joyous in such a long time. She had spent her entire life alongside the grand woman in front of her and knew that she was a compassionate person and soft hearted. That was why she always called upon Ara to smack down any civil servants who showed signs of disrespect ¨C she didn''t have it in her to do it herself.

    ¡°Ara,¡± Queen Yifa began after finishing her meal, ¡°I wanted to see you, not only to thank you for finally having the vision we so desperately needed, but because I have arranged something for you.¡±

    ¡°Is it a date?¡± Ara asked, perhaps a little too bluntly as the Queen shot her a look.

    ¡°My dear, you know I want nothing more than for you to settle down and marry.¡± she explained. ¡°But yes, it is indeed a date. Are you willing to meet him?¡±

    No.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Ara, I found the best man I possibly could. I sent out Lady Camilla to pursue the list that I had come up with and while there were a few positive results, I couldn''t ignore the most suitable man, and he''s someone I know well!¡±

    ¡°Who is he, Your Highness?¡±

    ¡°General Lang! The second-in-command of the Royal Guard.¡±

    ¡°General Lang? He''s ancient!¡± Ara blurted out, disgust all over her face.

    ¡°Oh no, no! That General Lang retired a few months ago, his son recently took over for him. His name is Hunter, he''s only a few years older than you.¡±

    Ara placed her hand on her heart, relief washing through her, the Queen chuckling at her dramatic reaction.

    ¡°So, will you meet him this coming Saturday afternoon?¡±

    ¡°Certainly, Your Highness.¡±

    Some hours later, Ara stood in her usual place at court, her heart racing as the King stood up, poor as his health was, to make the announcement. The room fell deadly silent as everyone waited with bated breath, though Min and Zhan were the most anxious of all. Her eyes fluttered closed as the King''s voice boomed out into the court room, echoing off of every surface:

    ¡°As King of Ranhara, I am duty bound to name a successor. My time is coming soon and I cannot leave my people behind without being rest assured that they have a strong leader to guide them. I hereby officially declare that the next King of Ranhara will be my son Zhan.¡±

    The hall did not erupt into applause. Instead, the civil servants and Ara and all other members of Ranharan court chanted together:

    ¡°Long live the King. Long live the King. Long live the King.¡±

    Ara didn''t have to search for Prince Min to know that he was staring daggers at her. She wasn''t sure what he expected of her but she imagined he would have a lot to say if he managed to catch her outside. It was for the best this way, she knew that, but Min wouldn''t be able to accept such a decision so easily. He would seek her out and interrogate her about every second of her vision, as he often did with any decision he didn''t like. She didn''t have the energy to deal with him, she couldn''t be bothered and she felt tired just thinking about it.

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    ¡°Do you have any idea what kind of man General Lang is?¡± Ara asked the doctor as he set down two cups of black tea, taking a seat opposite her in his kitchen-like surgery.

    The doctor shifted his weight, adjusting his glasses and thinking for a moment.

    ¡°I haven''t met the man many times, maybe twice or three times in the past few months. I didn''t really get much of an impression from him honestly, Your Holiness. He seemed a bit... well, he came across very masculine.¡±

    ¡°He is a man, isn''t he?¡± Ara deadpanned, blowing the steam from her tea as she drank.

    ¡°I mean really masculine. He''s in the military, so... you know how they can be.¡±

    Ara made a face at the implication, staring into the liquid in her cup, shining red under the sunlight.

    ¡°I have a date with him on Saturday afternoon. The Queen set me up.¡±

    ¡°Oh dear.¡± he grimaced.

    ¡°I know.¡± Ara leaned her head on her hand. ¡°I''m not sure what her criteria was for choosing a good man for me, but I doubt it involves anything that I actually look for.¡±

    ¡°Status and income.¡±

    ¡°Probably. It''s not that those things aren''t important ¨C I have to continue this line of witches after all ¨C but I''m worried there''s going to be no connection.¡±

    ¡°Well, you won''t know until you meet him, Your Holiness. It seems to me that you aren''t even keen on that.¡±

    ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± she snorted.

    ¡°Give him a chance. My impression of him might be wrong. Queen Yifa only wants what''s best for you, she wants you to be happy.¡±

    ¡°I''m already happy!¡± Ara snapped. ¡°Why does she believe happiness means getting married? Why didn''t she listen to me every time I''ve told her I''m happy as I am? Is it so hard to believe? She''s done this on purpose, she always does this ¨C making herself out to be some saint because she took the initiative to do something I told her I didn''t need.¡±

    ¡°She''s just trying to help!¡± the doctor argued back. ¡°It may not be your idea of caring but it''s how she shows it. I doubt she forced you to meet this guy, you probably agreed to it yourself when you had the option to reject it. Why agree if it makes you so annoyed?¡±

    Ara placed a hand over her cup, sliding it forward over the counter and rising from her seat, ignoring the doctor''s protests as she stormed out of the office and across the courtyard. Great. He was the only real ally she had and even he was defending the Queen? He wasn''t close with the Queen, how could he possibly understand the pressure that came along with serving her directly? He couldn''t. He had no idea. She continued to blaze across the grounds, her mood apparent to every passing servant who steered clear of her path upon catching sight of her.

    * * *

    Ara looked at herself in the mirror, scrutinising her choice of clothing for the date. She was to meet Hunter that afternoon at a museum. From there, they were to decide what they would do together. She didn''t own many different colours of robe, almost everything in her closet was black or some shade of deep green, purple or red. Nothing she owned screamed femininity or fragility. Then again, would an army man appreciate that? She cocked her head to one side. She didn''t really care about what he appreciated.

    It was decided, then. Her usual black robe would do. She would tie her feather shawl around her shoulders and wear a fancy headdress, maybe an amethyst one. Her eye make-up looked good, her eyes were one of her best features. Picking up a headdress, she examined the mechanics of it, being unused to putting them on by herself. It just looked like one intricate loop attached to another intricate loop. Fiddling around with the clasps, she soon realised that the thick loop was supposed to go around her ponytail and the thinner, more delicate loop was the bit that sat flat on top of her head, the jewel of which would fall to the centre of her forehead.

    Impressed by her own efforts, Ara dug out the matching earrings from her jewellery box and fastened them in. There. She stood back, pulling her sleeves down a little bit, wondering if the robe was too much. It was one that had a more snug fit on the sleeves and body.

    ¡°It''s fine!¡± she told herself, getting tired of looking at her reflection and grabbed her feather shawl, securing it around her shoulders before leaving.

    One hour later, Ara stood in front of General Hunter Lang outside of the National Ranhara Gallery. She stretched her palm out and stopped herself from scoffing as the tall man with an expression as handsome and as mean as her own dipped his head to place a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. His eyes were deep brown in colour, wide and upturned, his nose a smooth and strong slope, jaw well defined and strong with a head of thick, neat hair on his head.

    He was a man, that was for sure.

    ¡°It''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Holiness.¡± he smiled, the upward curve of his lips suddenly reminding her of Jun.

    Of the fact that they were to meet that night.

    Ara quickly dispelled the thought and gave him a small smile in return.

    ¡°I have very little free time as it is and I don''t normally waste it on things like this, so I hope you understand my intentions behind agreeing to meet you.¡± Hunter''s deep voice said as he followed Ara around the first show room.

    ¡°I understand.¡± Ara replied airily, stopping and turning at a large picture of a jester. Hunter was slightly taken aback, but nodded nonetheless, assuming the same pose as Ara as she regarded the painting. ¡°It''s not as though you could refuse Queen Yifa.¡±

    Hunter glanced over at her, suddenly wondering if that was the only reason she had turned up. Surely not? He was General Lang, the son of General Lang, no woman in their right mind would pass up the opportunity to spend a night with him, never mind go on real dates. He certainly hadn''t agreed only because it was Queen Yifa''s idea ¨C every man in the palace knew of the icy beauty that was Ara, of how difficult it was to get close to her. He''d taken it upon himself as a kind of challenge.

    ¡°Then, are you saying you agreed only because it was Queen Yifa''s idea?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Had I not spiked your interest beforehand?¡±

    Ara smirked to herself as she continued on, enjoying how riled up she was making him. Arrogant prick. If this date was just a waste of his time then she''d surely make him wish he never took the Queen up on it.

    ¡°I hadn''t heard of you until Queen Yifa shared her idea with me a few days ago. I thought you were your father and almost emptied the contents of my stomach onto the floor right then and there.¡±

    ¡°How is it possible you haven''t heard of me?¡± he pressed. ¡°I led our troops when we worked together with Western Pan to help get the guerilla groups out of their southern territories. It was an admirable and difficult feat.¡±

    ¡°I don''t recall.¡± she shrugged. ¡°Moreover, I''m not interested in your job. Unless your job is all you are, then I''m not interested in you.¡±

    ¡°You-!¡± Hunter started, unsure how to respond to her harsh words yet unable to keep a grin from forming on his lips as he watched her walk on with her head held high.

 [Chapter 6] Discover

    "And this here..." Ara began, holding her finger high in the air, "is Hercules."

    Jun couldn''t help but smile at her - the absolute adoration she held for the stars was clear in her expression.

    "Beautiful." he commented, his head snapping up to the sky the moment Ara looked at him. "All of it is. It must have taken you a very long time to study all of this... the alignments, the brightness."

    "Indeed." Ara agreed, looking up again, frowning slightly as she noticed an increasing dimness in a certain area.

    "Is something wrong?" Jun asked.

    "The King..." she trailed, reaching into her robe and pulling out the pendant that hung around her neck. Jun''s eyes landed on the shimmering, translucent, pearlescent teardrop shaped stone. There was no way... surely...? His heart hammered in his chest and he took a step back, giving Ara room to do what she had to.

    Grasping the stone in her hand, she wrapped three fingers around it, her index finger resting on the tip of her nose, her thumb resting under her chin. She closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating before muttering: "Show me."

    Her hand suddenly flew upwards in the direction of the star, palm outstretched, the stone suspended in mid-air. Jun jumped back as multiple circular glyphs appeared, each one zooming closer and closer until the star that was lightyears away appeared before her in perfect clarity through the window of the final glyph. It had been a while since he had witnessed someone using Farsight. Walking closer towards the window, her eyes narrowed as she studied the planet. No, everything was still okay... for the moment. Her fingers curled into a fist and the window disappeared.

    "Is everything okay, Miss Ara?" Jun asked, stepping close to her again.

    "Yes." she said carefully. "It''s fine."

    "That''s a relief... for a moment I thought something terrible had happened to our King."

    "Not at all." she shook her head. "Shall we?"

    "Let''s."

    The pair began a slow meander back down Mount Oma, their conversation flowing back and forth with ease. The sun was just about to peek above the horizon, the sky having turned from deep blue to a pale periwinkle wash tinted with yellow. Ara had taken the opportunity to vent to an outside party, her frustrations with Queen Yifa, her thoughts about General Lang, the pressure of being the decision maker, the comforter, the judge, jury and executioner for the Royal Family and how she only had space to breathe and think while she was on the mountain.

    "It sounds like you spend every minute taking care of others and have no time for yourself. It''s not really relaxing to come here either, is it? Not when there''s pressure on you for the universe to give you guidance?"

    "Exactly. That''s exactly how it is."

    "So you should marry me, then. You''ll never have to lift another finger so long as you live." Jun commented lightly, pride swelling in his chest as he watched Ara fall about in laughter, how her delicate nose scrunched up and her smile went all the way up to her eyes. That sound was something he''d grown very fond of over their meetings on Mount Oma. His pride swelled even further as he noticed a pretty blush blooming over her soft cheeks and his heart leapt at how shy she had become, hiding behind her long black hair that she was wearing only partially up with plenty of pretty pins and decorations dotted around.

    Ara didn''t quite understand it herself. She was no virgin, she had plenty of experience with many different types of men and yet she had never felt this shy, this girlish in front of a man. For some reason she wanted to show Jun only her best, prettiest and softest sides. Perhaps it was because he was so chivalrous, so polite and that was a breath of fresh air for her. The other men she had encountered were very upfront in their intentions and expectations and rarely would they take ''No.'' for an answer. If she found them attractive enough, she usually didn''t mind, but never had she been treated so carefully and with such... respect. Perhaps it was because she was used to dealing with cold city boys and being from far on the other side of Mount Oma, Jun wasn''t about that.

    "Wouldn''t that be something." she giggled at last, twirling on her heel to face him, walking backwards down the gravelly path.

    "You met with General Lang today?" Jun asked and if Ara wasn''t mistaken, there was a hint of distaste in his voice.

    "I did." she confirmed, though her demeanour changed to something less jovial. "It was very... I dare say he is the type of man to challenge a tiger to a fight and come out the victor. He does not handle loss gracefully, or so I''ve heard."

    Suddenly, Jun''s hand flew out, wrapping itself around her forearm, the other hovering around her shoulders bringing both of them to an abrupt halt. Their gazes locked and a shiver ran though Ara for a split second as she regarded him. The golden bird that wrapped itself around her ear reflected the sun onto the smooth skin of his prominent cheekbones, illuminating his handsome features and she noticed his strong brows were furrowed ever so slightly. After a few silent seconds, her fingers wrapped around his forearm in return, the fabric of his white and blue robes soft under her touch.

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    "Miss Ara, forgive me if I''m overstepping," he began cautiously, his voice sounding deeper the closer it was to her, "but please do not let anyone pressure you into doing something you don''t wish to do, no matter who it is. You deserve to be respected."

    Ara was stunned.

    For a moment she felt he was being rather condescending, as though she didn''t know that herself. And yet she felt a lump rising in her throat, a heat flushing across her face as she found herself unable to look at him. What was wrong with her? It wasn''t that she was some fragile flower who needed protecting, rather, it was the first time anyone had ever said such things to her and it had caught her off guard. How many times did she give in to what the men around her wanted just so that she wouldn''t have to deal with their temper tantrums? How many times did she try to disagree with the Queen''s suggestions for her personal life, only to be ignored and forced into attending some kind of event so she could meet suitors? And no one, not the Doctor, not even Lady Camilla whose light purple robes she had borrowed for her meeting with Jun had ever felt anger for her, or supported her when she expressed her annoyance with herself for giving in almost every time. In fact, she realised in her personal relationships, she had all but given up trying.

    Fear immediately ran through Jun as Ara''s free hand came up to wipe away moisture in her eyes.

    "Did I offend you? I''m so sorry, Miss Ara, please forgive me. It wasn''t my intention to upset you."

    "It''s not that." she smiled, warmed by his alarm. "It''s just... no one has ever said those words to me before. I know it myself, but this is the first time someone else has said it."

    A high-pitched humming noise startled them both and Ara jumped back, landing solidly in the arm Jun had placed around her shoulders, though he had dared not touch. Their attention was taken as they both tried to locate the source of the noise, their eyes darting all over the place, both of them trying not to think about how intimate it felt to hold and be held, unwilling to acknowledge it or to let go and step away. The noise came back again, though this time the culprit made itself clear - a bronze mechanical hummingbird came to a stop by Ara''s shoulder. It belonged to her driver - he was sending for her.

    This early on a Sunday morning?

    "My driver is sending for me. I must go." she whispered and Jun immediately manouvred them around the rock she was about to trip over when he grabbed her arm and let go.

    "Absolutely. Please go safely, Miss Ara."

    It was a blur of forestry, gravel and chilly morning dew that seemed to meld together as Ara ran down the remaining path and across the base where her driver, Wan, was waiting for her with the carriage door already open.

    "What''s the matter?" she asked as she drew nearer.

    "The map changed." he explained, helping her up the steep step, shutting the door and hopping onto the front seat. "The palace changed colour, it became a bright white colour, then turned golden and then it went back to black. I''ve never seen such a change before, so I called you to come back."

    "Neither have I. You were right to call me." Ara nodded. "We ought to go faster. Hold on, Wan."

    Pulling the pendant out once more, Ara gripped it between her index finger and thumb and concentrated. The words ''Haste'' left her lips and with the flick of her wrist, she flipped the pendant upside down, inviting a golden glyph to appear over the roof of the carriage.Immediately, the surrounding nature - birds, rabbits, wild deer, falling leaves and buzzing bees slowed almost to a complete stop as they continued to gallop through the forest floor, the path leading to the palace well worn after years of use by her predecessors.

    Wan encouraged the horses to go faster as they ran, Ara holding on for dear life inside the safey of the carriage. She thought back to twenty minutes prior when she had been held in Jun''s arm; safe, small and shy. It was ridiculous how he made her feel. She wouldn''t dare talk to him the way she would to others with cutting, witty remarks. But then, she had no reason to be on the defensive, to prove that she was a woman who could take care of herself when she was in front of him. She didn''t have to prove that she wasn''t to be messed with because he never made her feel like that''s what he was out to do. She felt foolish for becoming emotional over what he said, because she absolutely was not a pushover but it didn''t mean she didn''t get worn down and recently it had been taking a toll on her more than ever.

    She was a person, too, she wasn''t always consistent with how she acted or felt.

    As the palace walls came into view in the distance, she sat up straighter, her game face on. As far as she could tell, there was no fire, no emergency, nothing out of the ordinary from here. She twisted her wrist and snapped her fingers as they entered the last stretch of road leading to the back end of the palace, not too far from the main buildings. Time sped up once more as the guards stood aside.

    The massive wooden gates creaked open to reveal a picture of chaos.

    Servants running around carrying all sorts of things - flowers, food, vases, people yelling here and there, wailing in the distance. Ara looked to Wan as they disembarked just off the main central courtyard. He shrugged, and she yelped as she was suddenly grabbed by the shoulder and spun around.

    "Where have you been?" Min yelled, his eyes puffy and red, hair dishivelled and unkempt.

    "I just got back..."

    "Wearing that?" he hissed, looking down at the pretty, overtly feminine robes she never ever wore.

    "Your Highness, what happened?" she sighed, ignoring his glaring.

    "Father is dead!" he spat, wiping his sleeve over his mouth and eyes as Ara stared at him in shock. "You need to- you need to- take care of this! Do something, Ara!"

    Ara simply nodded, too stunned to think, and so she made her way back towards the main building and into her bedroom, avoiding anyone who even looked like they might want something from her. A breath escaped her as she closed her door, resting her head against the wood for a minute before she pushed back and took off the pretty light purple robes and changed once more into her all black ensemble, removing her hair pins, tying her hair up into its usual ponytail, changing out her jewelry and touching up her makeup before making her way back over to the door. Her fingers curled around the handle and she paused for a moment, mustering up her strength and swinging the door open, entering the madness with her head held high.

 [Chapter 7] Are You Happy Now?

    A white hot pressure was building up in Ara''s head. She woke up with a throbbing headache, her skull feeling as though it was caught in a vice and the mere thought of dealing with everything and everyone made her feel like throwing herself out a window. She took a few extra moments to rest, mentally running through her checklist for the procession, sermon and burial where she would send off the King''s spirit.

    That was the other talent she had that set her apart from the regular Witch.

    Spells, potions, hexes, curses, she knew them all, but Ranhara enforced their usage very strictly. Spells for making life easier, that was, making objects perform their intended purpose without manual interference, were very much allowed. Potions were mostly used for curing ailments and only a few dedicated institutions actually knew how to make them properly. The average Ranharan usually knew enough from their high school days to cure simple things - cuts and scrapes, but not more than that. Ara knew she should know, but her head hurt too much for her to think clearly nor did she have any of the ingredients on hand to even try healing her headache.

    The hexes and curses were reserved for the Witches of the underworld who decided to use it for evil - torture, extortion and harrassment. Thankfully, such illegal magic was heavily monitored, the perpetrators caught more often than not and a permanent tracking and binding spell placed upon them, essentially revoking their right to privacy and their ability to perform magic of any kind - a harsh and irreversible punishment for those seeking to abuse their powers.

    Ara''s eyes slid open, meeting the dark wood canopy of her four post bed. With all of her energy, she rolled over and pushed herself up, her hand flying to her head as she stood properly - the pain hitting her again from a different angle and almost knocking her over once more. Slowly, she righted herself and grabbed her long, pitch black leather cape covered in golden embroidery - trinity symbols, infinity knots and all kinds of circular artwork, trimmed with the hair of black boars and accented on the shoulders with their tusks that had been coated in gold. ''Heavy'' was an understatement. Still, she managed to secure the cape around her shoulders with the largest ceremonial brooch she owned; an ornate ring the size of a small plate pierced through with a sword-like pin.

    She double checked her appearance. Hair was neatly done - no flashy headwear or pins, just plain dull gold with no jewels. Dark circles loomed under her eyes. She looked like hell, and she couldn''t look like hell because the press were going to be there covering the event - the parade throughout the city, oh god, she would give her left arm to not have to do the parade. Why today of all days did she have to fall ill with a sinus infection? Was it because she stayed out all night with Jun? She didn''t regret it, but she could very well do without this nonsense. Using what felt like massive amounts of energy, she located her concealer and painted it over her already powdered face, under her eyes and chin, on her nose and cheekbones. Hmm. At least she looked much better than she felt. A sudden knock on her door alerted her that she ought to leave as soon as possible and so she tossed aside her concealer and truged over to begin the day.

    *  *  *

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    As the evening drew in and the sun started to set, the send off for the King finally began. The doctor had managed to sneak through security during the procession and slip her some medicine to take which helped a little, but not enough, and so it was with a convincingly sombre attitude that Ara delivered the speech.

    "Dearly beloved friends, family, loyal subjects and allies from other territories, we are gathered here on this evening to show our deepest sorrow and gratitude for the departed King. He was beloved by our people, respected, powerful yet gentle, compassionate and understanding and will be missed and mourned by all and so, it is with my... fullest sympathy that I invite those that he is survived by: Queen Yifa, Crown Prince Zhan, Prince Min and Princess Bea and his grandchildren to come forward and say their final goodbyes."

    Ara lowered her eyes as she heard the Queen burst into tears. The grandchildren brought flowers to put inside the metal casket that was full of large holes, the King still partially visible. It allowed the body to remain on earth while the spirit could escape and cross over. The casket did not allow any spirit to re-enter, thus preventing any connection with the body and therefore stopping any spirit from taking a human-like form. It also prevented resentful, sad or vengeful ghosts from lingering around. She stepped back as Prince Min accompanied his mother to view his father''s body one last time, the anguish clear in his own voice as he spoke. Zhan was much more put together, his voice stable, controlled but with a hint of sadness. Princess Bea, the gentlest of the three children, was just as bad as her mother, though thankfully had her husband by her side to keep her calm.

    As the last of the evening light faded, Ara turned her back on the casket, as did the mourners, and she pulled her necklace off and held the pendant between her palms, silently praying before uttering "Ascend".After a moment of silence, the sound of wind rushing grew louder and louder, disturbing the mourners and causing their robes to flap around violently as a strong gale suddenly stormed behind them, whirling around at breakneck speed. The mourners did their best to hold firm in their stances until the wind died down to a calm breeze and when Ara voiced that they could turn around once more, they did so in time to see the final orbs of light rising from the casket that was slowly lowered into the ground. Once the last orb of light left, the keepers used the ''move'' spell to gently fill the space and then proceeded to plant seeds on top of the dirt.

    "Ara."

    The Witch turned her head slightly in greeting to Prince Min, who stood sheepishly by the door of the dining room where she had escaped the mayhem.

    "Your Highness."

    The young man ran a hand through his wavy black hair, his wide eyes focused on the ground as he battled with himself over what to say. He felt embarrassed, because he was so hung up on demanding answers from Ara about her visions and feeling somehow wronged that Zhan was the one who would be King and now his father was gone and the reality of an entire country relying on him made him feel overwhelmed.

    "I''m sorry."

    Ara''s ears pricked up at his apology and she fully faced him, her head resting against the stone wall where she sat in the bay window. She said nothing, but simply looked at him with blank, tired eyes and a slight frown on her face. What was he on about now? What would she have to comfort him over? Min cleared his throat, glancing sideways for a split second before he realised that she was waiting for him to explain.

    "I shouldn''t have grilled you so much over your visions. That''s not something you would lie about and I''m sorry for doubting you."

    "Why this all of a sudden, Your Highness?" she yawned, fighting off sleep.

    "After everything that happened recently, I just thought I should apologise."

    "Okay." she said, her large eyes heavy with fatigue.

    Well, then.

    Min nodded and turned back around, leaving the room as quietly as he had entered.

 [Chapter 8] Thats Your Cue

    A red sky was the primary vision that kept returning to Ara when she went to mount Oma. There was no rain any more, but the sky was red. She was standing in Pan Plaza - the largest public square in the city - and in front of her were thousands of armed Ranharan civilians. When she turned around, she was faced with even more human-like black, shadowy figures who charged towards her and the civilians. Ara was unharmed. The mesh of black and blue swirled together until it turned into a framed abstract painting hanging on a wall. A large tiger was sat beside her, calm, unmoving and with a noble aura. Her necklace was hanging around its neck and as she reached out to touch it, a bright white light blinded her, the scene morphing into the court room at the Palace. No one was inside, but two robe stands sat on opposite sides of the stage. On the left side hung the Ranharan King''s robe. On the right was a very elaborate robe whose design she didn''t recognise.

    And that was the last vision she had.

    She didn''t feel afraid by what she had seen, but she didn''t feel it was positive, either. Visions as clear as thousands of civilians rising up together was rarely going to be a sign of anything except that. The atmosphere was still different from the last vision she had - less hopeless, less fearful.

    As she sat in the City Council room, she mulled over her thoughts, exhaustion sweeping over her as the headache that arrived on the morning of the King''s burial had refused to budge. She looked around the room full of middle-aged men in dark green robes and smirked. Not a single member of the Royal Family was present, not even Zhan, who would be crowned in a few days time. Would any of them ever bother to get involved? Were they just going to rely on her forever to make their decisions and come up with solutions for their problems? Was there really nothing those useless leeching Royals would do for themselves? Were they even capable at this point?

    Ara''s nostrils flared as she picked at her nails, waiting for Southern District Representative to shut up before it was her turn to speak and inform them of what she knew.

    There was going to be some kind of uprising against an enemy and civilians would be involved.

    Something big was coming.

    "Her Holiness, The Witch Ara." a deep voice boomed over the room, gaining her attention.

    Righting her posture, Ara stood up, wincing as the pain in her head throbbed harder when she rose.

    "Chairman." she greeted the elder man. "Most recently I have been having visions of a red sky. They have been appearing consistently over the last few months. However, there appears to be no ill-will or ominous aura during the vision which leads me to conclude that the red symbolises a more positive energy."

    "Such as?"

    "Intimacy or passion. It could be a marker for closer relations with another territory. Given our status as a primarily isolationist nation this strength of colour could simply indicate the beginning of a new relationship with another country which, for us, would largely be unprecedented. Since His Highness, Crown Prince Zhan has yet to be crowned but it is most certainly a positive sign of his impending leadership."

    A murmur rippled around the room at her statement, ceasing as she continued.

    "However, the presence of a golden fish swimming through that sky means it is much more likely to simply be a symbol of an impending child. Crown Prince Zhan has yet to have any children with his wife, this is a sign that there will be good news on that front this week." she smiled sweetly as the room brightened up and their doubt turned into applause.

    "Any other visions to report, Your Holiness?" the Chairman asked.

    "Nothing of any significance." she lied, nodding as she sat back down.

    "Your Holiness, we''ve arrived." Wan''s voice floated through the carriage as they came to a stop in the forest at the base of Mount Oma.

    Ara''s eyes flitted open, having tried and failed to nap on the journey to the mountain.Pushing herself up, she leaned on the door handle, stumbling out of the carriage and almost tripping over, Wan''s arms out in alarm as he rushed to catch her.

    "I''m fine, Wan." she assured him, shaking her head to get rid of the dizziness.

    "I''ll be waiting here." he replied, stepping back to let her go about her business.

    She had been going to the mountain more frequently over the last few months, which was out of character for her. She never used to go unless she had to but it seemed like something was forcing her to go more often. Or someone. Wan mounted the carriage again, kicking his feet up and pulling his novel out. He didn''t care in the slightest what she was up to, even having refused Prince Min''s generous monetary offer to spy on her. He knew better than to trust him, accepting anything from Min would almost certainly end up with him mysteriously disappearing and ending up dead in a river somewhere.

    "Miss Ara!"

    Ara looked up, smiling at the sight of Jun waiting for her by the edge of the forest. Her whole body relaxed somewhat, her light blue robes feeling a lot less uncomfortable against her skin. Her energy seemed to perk up a little as she strolled a little faster, picking up the skirt of her robe as she crossed the forest floor to reach him, his own smile as bright as hers was upon her arrival.

    "Miss Ara." he repeated with a respectful bow that she returned in kind. "How have you been?"

    Jun''s smile faded as her face crumpled, her small body collapsing against his chest as she burst into tears. Automatically his arms wrapped around her shoulders, unsure whether to ask what the matter was or whether it was better to just let her cry. He couldn''t help but feel a little bit glad that she felt comfortable enough around him to be vulnerable. Still, he felt concerned for her first and foremost, the heat of her skin wasn''t normal and it was clear that she had a fever of sorts.

    "Miss Ara?" he murmured, slightly startled as she suddenly drew back and began apologising profusely for her behaviour. "I think you have a fever."

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    "Do I?" she asked, her puffy eyes widening somewhat as she felt her own forehead.

    "You''re practically a radiator." he joked, managing to get a bubble of laughter from her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small green paper talisman. "In our neck of the woods this is how we cure minor illnesses."

    Ara allowed him to turn her around and separate her hair so as to apply the talisman on the back of her neck. He carefully put her hair back and handed her his bottle of water that she gulped down.

    "How come you have fallen ill?" he asked gently, brushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear and placing the back of his hand on her forehead, noticing it had already cooled somewhat.

    "I don''t know." she admitted. "Probably just stress."

    "Just stress? You''ve had all the stress in the world placed on your shoulders." he said. "You''ve been taking care of everyone."

    "You''re not wrong." she laughed bitterly.

    "So you should marry me, then." he began, both of their smiles growing as this joke began again. So, this was going to be their thing? "And I promise you''ll never have to lift another finger again! You won''t have any stress at all."

    "I''m not so sure." she replied, suppressing a grin as Jun feigned shock. "Perhaps you''d be a lazy husband."

    "Is that how you think of me?"

    "Of course not! But many a man has been more than proactive when chasing the lady he wishes to marry and then completely changes after the wedding is over."

    "Miss Ara, as much as I can assure you I am not that kind of man, I do have the feeling you''re not the kind of woman who would let such behaviour slide. I wouldn''t dare take your love for granted."

    Love?

    Ara stared at him for a moment as Jun froze in shock.

    Hospitality, he meant to say hospitality.

    Is that what he really meant, though?

    "Well, then. I ought to keep that in mind." Ara grinned, her headache finally subsiding.

    The pair didn''t ascend the mountain this time, instead following the crooked path around the base. The sun came out and a warm breeze engulfed them as they walked in a comfortable silence peppered with chit-chat here and there. Neither of them acknowledged their fingers brushing together until Jun''s large hand captured hers and both of them felt as though they would explode from giddiness.

    "What kind of woman do you think I am?" Ara asked suddenly, glancing up at Jun.

    "You''re fascinating." he replied immediately. "You''re an absolutely formidable woman and you certainly don''t need any man in your life and dare I say you certainly don''t need any guidance, either. Many people would do well to learn from you, I certainly would."

    "I feel like there''s a lot I could learn from you, too." Ara said, their feet coming to a gradual stop as they reached a large pond on the western side of the mountain.

    "Miss Ara, I doubt there''s anything I could possibly teach you."

    Jun''s handsome face softened somewhat as she gave him a good look. He wasn''t one iota intimidated by her, on a physical level at least. He had no doubt she could kick his backside up and down the street when it came to anything involving witchcraft, government and policy, regardless of all his years of study. And yet, he was so intrigued by her. Perhaps because she was only carefully revealing parts of herself to him and he had yet to know the full extent of who she really was. Perhaps because he was doing the exact same thing, that was what kept her coming back to him - they knew how to pique the other''s interest in the right way.

    "I feel like that should be true, but something is telling me it isn''t." she smirked.

    "Well, would you like to find out?" he asked, taking her other hand in his.

    A delightful, conniving smile spread over her lips and for some reason Jun found it many times more charming than her smiles of joy, so much so that he could feel his heart skipping several beats, especially as she stretched up on her tiptoes to be closer to him as she whispered:

    "I think I would."

    Ara''s heart rate skyrocketed as his hands softly cupped her face and his lips cautiously found hers, her feet slowly falling once more as her fingers curled into the pristine white and blue fabric of his robes - colours matching the soft chiffon of her own dress. His hands moved to her waist, his lips moving perfectly with hers. There was no rush, she didn''t want the butterflies in her stomach or the dizziness in her head to dissipate any time soon. It felt too good - comfortable yet exciting, new yet familiar.

    Jun broke away by only an inch, their foreheads still touching as their eyes met.

    "I do, too." he breathed. "I want to know every single part of you, Miss Ara."

    The second kiss was searing, Ara finding herself pushed up against the trunk of a redwood tree, their hands snaking around each other''s necks, tangling in each other''s hair, though never venturing anywhere that might offend. They didn''t notice the humidity in the air, the steam rising from the pond with the temperature, the sounds of nature surrounding them, they didn''t notice any of it. The only thing that mattered was the feeling of being this close, of finally breaking through the flirtatious glass wall that had been hanging between them from they had first met.

    Part of Ara wished that he would go further - he was certainly stronger than any other Ranharan man she had ever met - but she also wanted to wait. Her standards were higher than the forest floor for a first time encounter, nor did she think her ancestor''s former abode would be appropriate. Delight ran through her as his lips travelled down her jaw and settled on her neck. General Lang suddenly sprung to mind and she tightened her grip in Jun''s hair, wishing he would leave a glaringly obvious mark that would be impossible to miss. It might not get the General to back off, but it sure as hell would knock his cockiness down a few rungs.

    She didn''t mean for such a lewd noise to leave her lips as Jun worked on her neck - a mixture of surprise and pleasure. How come she had never felt this with any other man? Not even Prince Min who (though she would never ever admit it to his face) was probably the best lover she had ever had in terms of attentiveness had made her feel like this over something so simple as a love bite.

    Stars above, she needed more of this.

    It was only as their lust fueled make-out session cooled down somewhat did Jun suddenly snap back into gentleman-mode and look horrified at his own work.

    "Miss Ara! I am so sorry-"

    "Don''t be." she said coolly, holding a palm up and tugging her robes back where they had been pushed aside. "Really, don''t apologise for that. The only thing to be sorry for is that I must go or I''ll be late for a meeting with our new King."

    "I''ll accompany you back to your carriage." he offered and Ara accepted, welcoming his hand this time as they set off again through the woods.

    "Jun..." Ara began, realising she had never learned of his own relationship status. "Is there perhaps someone you''re engaged or married to?"

    "Ah, that?" he smiled gently. "You don''t have to worry. There''s no one else like that in my life."

    "Really." she replied, somewhat unconvinced. "How is it possible that someone has handsome and eligible as you is still single at your age?"

    "I never said I wasn''t being pursued by anyone, Miss Ara. However, like yourself, I have had past loves but nothing ever came of it and now I find myself in my late twenties with more work than ever and I simply wasn''t interested."

    "And now?"

    "If I didn''t make myself clear I could always show you again." he teased, laughing as Ara squealed when he suddenly picked her up and peppered a few light kisses over her face. "Besides, I have an awful lot of competition to beat myself, it seems."

    "Perhaps." she shrugged nonchalantly.

    They stopped short of the carriage only a hundred metres in the distance.

    "I''m not worried about any competition." he said finally, facing her fully.

    "Is that so?"

    "In the end, I know we will be together. No matter who else is in the way at the moment."

    Ara stepped back and folded her arms, taking him in fully.

    "And here I thought that marriage was just a running joke between us."

    Jun clutched his chest in mock anguish. "How could you, Miss Ara? Stepping all over my feelings like that."

    "You are aware we are of completely different worlds, Jun? I am supposed to marry a prince or a member of the aristocracy, a high ranking military man or perhaps even another member of the clergy... I''m not sure a teacher is on the cards for me."

    "I am." Jun grinned, gesturing with his left arm. "Your King awaits."

 [Chapter 9] Like It Red

    King Zhan was awake early.

    The sun had risen and was shining from somewhere, though the sky was still dark and overcast. He sat with his wife, Queen Ina, as they ate breakfast together. She had been unable to sleep well recently due to a change in her health and Zhan wasn''t sleeping well knowing that she was suffering. They quietly ate their way through plates of sliced cured meats, fruits, bread, salad and cheeses with a bowl of cereal on the side each and a glass of orange juice. The perfect breakfast in his eyes.

    The King''s Mother quietly entered from the door on the left of the room, surprised to see them both up already but greeting them both a good morning nonetheless. She fussed over Ina for a few minutes asking about her health and how she slept and if there was anything else she might like to eat if she wasn''t feeling particularly hungry. The Duchess of Orr, timid as she was humble, politely refused all offers as she excused herself to use the bathroom.

    "How are you finding things?" Yifa asked, accepting her own plate from the staff.

    "It''s fine I guess." Zhan shrugged. "Ara hasn''t indicated there''s anything wrong, so... so far so good!"

    Yifa smiled at her eldest son, taking a cup of coffee that was freshly poured in front of her and mixing it with milk.

    "You''ll be fine, Zhan." she assured him. "You will grow into the role of King, though I think you and I - and your father - we all know you were born for this role. Ara even confirmed it, saw you as clear as day upon the throne. You have nothing to worry about. You are surrounded by good people - you have Ina and Ara and all your civil servants."

    "I know, mother. I''m not worried about that." he sighed, picking at his plate, worry instead beginning to creep over him at the absence of his wife. "I just hope Ina is okay, she hasn''t been feeling well recently."

    "Are you sure it''s not something else?" Yifa asked.

    "Such as?"

    His mother caught his oblivious gaze, a pitying look on her face. She said nothing, but held up a scone and chuckled as she watched the cogs tun in her son''s head before he pieced it together.

    "No! I mean... I don''t think so?"

    "Rumours were spreading like wildfire down at the council after Ara attended the monthly meeting."

    "Why didn''t she say anything to me?"

    "Because it''s only a possibility. She wouldn''t want to get your hopes up, you know she''s careful in how she interprets and shares information."

    Yifa didn''t miss the flash of glee over Zhan''s face as he suddenly shoved a scoop of cereal into his mouth, grinning at the thought. Him? A father? He had been married for a few years already, never having thought anything of starting a family because he was so busy all the time and didn''t want to give Ina too much she couldn''t handle. Their house in his province was large enough and had staff, but there were too many issues for him to handle alone to devote energy and time to a family. Now though? Well. There was more than enough support for both of them.

    Queen Ina came back after a few more minutes looking decidedly better than before she had left and assured them it was nothing more than an upset stomach. Yifa kept her lips sealed as Zhan agreed with Ina that it probably was just that, though he did so with a big smile on his face that made her wonder what on earth her husband was so happy about.

    Zhan saw Ina back off to the Queens Quarters before returning with his staff behind him back through the Palace and out into the sheltered courtyard where he stopped at the end of the walkway. One of the staff members ran back to get an umbrella as the skies had opened up and rain was hammering down, splattering all over the gravel. He noticed that Ara was standing on the opposite side of the walkway under the shelter of the Palace roof, her expression unreadable - and that wasn''t uncommon - but it did unnerve him.

    She stood silently in her black and grey robes, her hands folded in front of her stomach as she faced him, her eyes piercing right through his. Something was wrong - he could tell that much. He ran a hand through his chestnut brown hair, recently having refreshed his undercut and adjusted his robes as he licked his lips in anticipation as to what, exactly, lay ahead. Before he could muse for too long, the servant came scurrying back and opened the umbrella, escorting him across the watery pathway where Ara greeted him appropriately on the other side.

    "Your Highness." she curtseyed. Zhan wasn''t sure he was going to get used to being called that, to being treated with respect and being kept at arms length by Ara of all people. She was the one who was supposed to antagonise him and his brother, to pull faces and make dry comments. They grew up together for goodness sake. This was... weird, but somehow it thrilled him, too.

    "What''s wrong?" he asked.

    "Something''s coming." she replied, her eyes travelling over the sky as though watching out for something, her eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Soon."

    "Is it bad?"

    "Yes."

    Zhan''s right hand never relaxed its grip on the throne in the court room that morning, the ominous warning from Ara having unnerved him. He had only been King for a few days, what degree of bad news would unsettle Ara like this? Normally she was relaxed, cool, but relaxed and but now her expression had turned stony as though bracing herself for something terrible. It was even worse that she wasn''t privy to what, exactly, it was.

    "The Representative for South Gate." the Speaker called as a man dressed in the usual garb stepped out into the centre of the room.

    "Your Highness." he bowed slightly in greeting as he took his place before the King. "My constituents have been concerned with the lack of funding we have been receiving for our new environmental protection program to help preserve the population of endangered foxes in-"

    "Excuse me." Zhan interrupted, holding his hand up to stop the man.

    Silence fell over the hall as Zhan stared at the two large doors on the opposite end, the representatives in the room slowly turning their attention that way.

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    This was it.

    The sound of hooves grew louder and before long the two massive wooden doors were pulled open, revealing several armed Royal Guards surrounding a young man dressed entirely in black, his robes a completely different style from those in the hall. Ara craned her neck, squinting to get a better look and she immediately stepped out into the centre of the room upon realising what, exactly, had come.

    A Demon.

    A Demon was standing in a court of Witches.

    Without waiting for Zhan''s instruction, Ara stalked forward, head held high, shoulders back and chin up as she approached the man.

    "Explain your presence." Ara demanded, the guards stopping abruptly in front of her.

    The man blinked, his gaze flitting between Ara and the King some distance behind her.

    Well damn.

    He turned to the small scary woman in front of him and reached into his robe pocket, pulling out a large jade token that was immediately swiped from his grip before he could get a word out. He tried his best not to smirk as the Witch in front of him examined the token, as though she had any idea if it was-

    Wait.

    The man''s jaw dropped when she pulled out her necklace, his eyes fixated on the pendant as she whispered a basic ''Verify'' spell and watched as the jade briefly emitted a golden flash of light confirming that it was, indeed, the official Royal Revenet token, complete with the King''s seal on the reverse side.

    "Ara?" Zhan asked as she turned around to face him, the token still firmly in her grip.

    She gave nothing but a simple nod, striding back over to the King with the token in her fist, dropping it into the his open palm.

    "Let the messenger come forward." Zhan ordered and the guards nudged him, prompting him to approach the King, the entire court room staring daggers at him as he walked. "That''s quite close enough. Speak."

    The young man stood before Zhan, his sandy blonde hair tied up in a knot on top of his head and encased in a silver accessory with a pin sticking straight through. He hadn''t spoken a word yet, but his expression, his body language, his entire aura came across as arrogant and it unsettled Ara. For a man to be so hopelessly outnumbered should anything go awry he sure as heck was confident. He had strong eyebrows that seemed to be fixed in a natural scowl, his cheekbones were high and prominent and he had a smirk plastered on his face.

    Ara didn''t know enough about Revenet or their culture to know if this man was in any way high ranking. She only recognised the style of his clothing to be those of the powerful nation to their north, she didn''t have the first idea what to look for in order to determine his status and so she instead focused her entire attention on the two men.

    "King Yun of the Kingdom of New Revenet sends a message to the new monarch of Ranhara: A red sky is for new beginnings! Congratulations on ascending to the throne."

    The room remained deadly silent.

    "Thank you." Zhan replied courteously. "And?"

    "And an envoy from Revenet will arrive in four days time, including our Crown Prince Jing Han. We will anticipate the hospitality that Ranhara is so known for and eagerly discuss how our relations will be going forward."

    Zhan was not able to reply before the Demon gave a courteous bow and turned on his heel, dismissing himself and heading for the exit where the entire room let him leave without question. Silence plagued the hall before it erupted into chatter and it wasn''t long before the old rumour about a Demon invasion resurfaced.

    Ara didn''t dare dismiss their concerns this time.

    "Ara, didn''t you see any of this coming?"

    "No, Your Highness."

    "You seriously didn''t? How is that possible? Are you sure there wasn''t actually something that you just interpreted wrong or ignored?"

    Ara regarded the King before her.

    All she had seen were visions of citizens on the street and a red sky. She knew for certain that the civilians fighting an unknown enemy was a sure sign of something bad, but at the same time... she didn''t care so much. As terrible as it sounded for someone who had literally spent their entire life inside the Palace, she never felt very patriotic. But then again, being relied on from the age of ten to deliver visions of the future so that an entire country could decide its next move would do that to a person.

    It only bred resentment.

    Whatever was coming, Zhan could figure it out by himself.

    "That''s everything that I saw." Ara replied. "I''m sorry I can''t be more helpful but I can''t very well fabricate visions I didn''t see and as you know I cannot control whatever I see, either."

    "I know!" Zhan shouted, his fists slamming down on the table in the meeting room, shoulders heaving as he breathed heavily trying to control his temper. "But these ministers are coming soon and General Lang will arrive any minute, I can''t be empty handed so would you just - just give me something!"

    Zhan didn''t like Ara''s silence. He didn''t like the way she looked at him. It was easy for her to stand there looking arrogant and judgemental - she wasn''t the one who had to lead the country. Ara fidgeted with the ring on her left hand, glancing down at the shiny jewel on her middle finger before taking a deep breath and deciding it would be better to just be straight with him.

    "Your Highness, my job is not to tell you what you want to hear, but the truth - do you understand? It didn''t matter to you when you were governing your own province but things are different n-"

    "Who the hell are you to say that to me!" he yelled, standing to his full height.

    "Your Highness?" A third voice intruded on Zhan''s outburst and the pair whipped round to see General Lang standing in the doorway looking between the two.

    Ara waited for him to join them at the end of the table before speaking again.

    "General Lang."

    "Your Holiness."

    "I was just about to tell His Highness."

    "Please go ahead."

    "We cannot jump to any conclusions about what the Demons want with us, but if the rumours of an invasion are true then we don''t stand a chance against a military power like Revenet."

    "We''re going to fight!" General Lang interjected.

    "I know." Ara almost laughed, folding her arms.

    "We can''t..." Zhan shook his head, his hand flying to his mouth. "We''re a tenth of their size with an even smaller population."

    "Your Highness!" General Lang protested. "We must!"

    "How can we?"

    "What do you suggest we do should they end up attacking?" Ara asked.

    "I don''t... I think you''re right, if they do end up attacking us for whatever reason they find, we need to protect the people."

    "So we fight." the General nodded.

    "The military fights." Zhan breathed. "But the people... we don''t know what the Demons are capable of - they''re even more isolationist than we are."

    "Exactly." Ara agreed.

    "We need to evacuate civilians." Zhan decided. "Not right away, we need to wait until the delegation arrives and see what, exactly, they want."

    "That''s the best approach, Your Highness. A wise decision." Ara smiled. "If we''re exceptionally lucky they just might want to open trade deals."

    The two men laughed with her, the mirth quickly dying down.

    "I need to contact our allies. Ara, can you please get Sixi for me? He can arrange talks."

    "Your Highness, I''ve already been in touch with Western Pernesia and the Iske Federation''s foreign ministers. They have arranged a meeting for the day after tomorrow." Ara said. "To discuss any eventuality."

    The King simply nodded and thanked her while General Lang hid a smile. Ara sure as hell was on top of things, more so than Zhan, and that did a few things to his heart. They bid her goodbye as she excused herself and left for other business and Hunter sat down beside the King, trying to think of what he could say to make him feel better. Nothing came to mind, however, and so he simply said what was on his mind:

    "Your Highness... for the integrity of our nation and for history... we need to fight tooth and nail for whatever we have."

    "We will, General." Zhan began. "But the civilians have to go. Their lives are more important than avoiding embarrassment. Western Pernesia is incredibly far away but a few weeks on a train should get everyone to the other side of the world. The Iske Federation... should be willing to help, but I hear they''ve been having their own issues recently with an imbalance of power in their government."

    "Then let''s see what they have to say." General Lang sniffed. "But anyone who wants to stay and fight is welcome to join me."

    Their quiet crisis was disrupted by the intrusion of twenty representatives flooding into the meeting room, already in the midst of their own arguments. Zhan sighed at the sight, a headache already creeping into his temples.

    It was going to be a long, long day.

 [Chapter 10] An Imperial Clock - Pt. 2

    It didn''t matter who the competitor was, Jun would be the one who would marry her.

    No matter who else is in the way at the moment.

    Ara twisted the shiny ring on her middle finger as she thought about Hunter. Even if Jun was the one she liked, Hunter would be the obvious choice. He was brazen and bold and far too much sometimes in his protectiveness, but over the weeks she''d realised that he wasn''t a bad person. Protectiveness wouldn''t get him anywhere, as sweet as his sentiment was. There was something endearing about a grown man as muscular and angular and intimidating as Hunter Lang being so naive that he genuinely believed he was going to be first to break through her ''icy shell'' and be with her on an intimate level.

    She''d had various sexual relationships starting in her late teens, the vast majority purely physical. Prince Min had been the first guy she''d ever slept with and she supposed that she always had a soft spot for him because of that and because of their secret relationship that could never be. It was improper for a member of the Royal Family to be in a relationship with The Witch because it risked compromising impartiality and it would cause chaos should the public or the Palace''s inner circles find out.

    She''d had a wild one night stand with a Vampire, a young Lord of the Republic of Indan who had been visiting as part of a delegation years ago over some issue she couldn''t remember. She discovered that Vampires weren''t all that strong either, despite what the media had made them out to be.

    Ara wasn''t super popular amongst the men in the Palace. She was very beautiful, no one would dare deny that, her looks often had her labeled a goddess amongst the Ranharan people for whatever that was worth. Her reputation, however, made most steer clear of her. One could get used to a beautiful woman, but it was far harder to get past said icy exterior and so most of her encounters were with men who knew her personally - knew her for who she was. Some encounters she had were for her own convenience, in order to learn information, out of boredom and sometimes for no other reason than to find out if she could.

    She almost always could.

    This time, though... she was unsure what the reason was.

    Morning sunshine streaming through the curtains told her it was time to get up and go and so she picked up the arm that was draped over her waist and dropped it back on its owner who grunted, rousing him from his sleep as Ara went about getting dressed.

    "Leaving already?"

    "I''m busy, Your Highness."

    "I ought to get up, too." Zhan yawned, rolling over and sitting up on his elbows. "Thanks for last night, Ara."

    The Witch shot him a look as she fastened her robes, the deadly expression sending a chill down the King''s spine. She wasn''t disappointed in sleeping with him, he didn''t do anything wrong to her - she consented to everything, but the whole experience left a bitter aftertaste and she felt weird. Disappointment? That Zhan was no better than Min or any other man she had encountered in the Palace? Was that it?

    "Is everything okay?" he asked, running a hand through his hair.

    No.

    "Yes." she replied, "I''ll take my leave, Your Highness."

    "You can just call me Zhan." he protested, feeling embarrassed by her insistence on addressing him by title at all times. "It''s just the two of us, you can call me Zhan when we''re like this."

    "Like what?"

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    The King gestured vaguely around himself.

    "It''s okay, really. You know me, Ara. Just call me Zhan."

    Ara paused for a moment, her expression unreadable though certainly not positive.

    "No."

    With that, she turned on her heel and strode out of the room, the door shutting behind her with a loud bang.

    "You must leave as soon as possible!"

    "No."

    "Why are you so difficult? It''s not safe here!"

    "We don''t know that yet."

    "You can''t be that naive!"

    Ara didn''t bother looking up at the desperate General Lang who had come to find her as she read through reports.

    "Of course not." she replied, running her tongue over her teeth as she grabbed a pen and began writing annotations.

    "So you must go!"

    "No."

    "Ara!"

    With a sigh, the Witch set down her pen and sat back in her chair.

    "Do you have anything else to say?"

    "Why won''t you listen to me?"

    "Who do you think you are that you think I should listen to you?"

    "Do you really think that little of me? Do you hold me in such low regard as to refuse to even consider what I''m asking of you?"

    Hunter flinched as the table shook when Ara''s hands landed on the wooden surface. He took a few steps back as she went around the table to face him directly.

    "Hunter, let me say this once because I will not repeat myself. I am The Witch in this nation and that means my strength and power cannot be contested. When it comes to running this country my own powers and visions are what keep everyone, including yourself, safe from harm and danger. Yet, for some reason, you''ve decided to come here to tell me that I ought to listen to you and escape as soon as possible and leave the King and nation open and vulnerable to harm from the outside, because you''re afraid. If I am not here they will have absolutely no information about what is to come and I don''t think that little head of yours has quite understood exactly how important I am to our future efforts, because if you took five seconds to think this through before barging in here and demanding I do as you say for no other reason that you happen to like me, then you would''ve realised how ridiculous you sound. Maybe you''re the one who should get out as soon as possible and leave it to the rest of us so you don''t get in our way and waste our time with your inane ideas."

    "I-"

    "Get out!"

    Hunter was stunned.

    Silence hung around the air before he simply nodded and quietly moved towards the door, softly closing it behind him as he left.

    Ara let out a breath before returning to her desk and continuing her work.

    "He really does care about you." the doctor said, sliding a cup of hot tea towards Ara. "You can''t deny that."

    "I''m not."

    "And see? He wasn''t so terrible after all." he added. "Cute as heck thinking he''s going to be your first, though."

    Ara chuckled as she raised the cup to her lips, blowing carefully on the steam before sipping from the edge.

    "But I''m with you this time. I don''t know what planet General Lang is living on where he thinks any war would have a chance at success without you."

    "How about you?"

    "I''m not sure yet. I suppose I''ll go wherever I''m told." he sighed, wiping the table and sitting down opposite and handing her a bag of mixed dried leaves. "Here, these will prevent any mishaps."

    "What''s this?" Ara asked, taking the bag and opening it to sniff the contents.

    "Well since the King is using his new position to the full extent I thought you ought to have them. It''ll prevent and or cure any illnesses he might''ve given you plus preventing any babies."

    "Is this new?" Ara asked, raising an eyebrow.

    "Not new, just the really powerful stuff I don''t usually think you need. But, and forgive me for saying this, since we didn''t expect the King to summon you we don''t know where else he''s been. A clean and healthy downstairs is essential."

    A spray of tea landed over the Doctor as Ara laughed out loud at his prudishness.

    "What about this other boy you''re seeing?" he continued with a small sigh as he cleaned the lenses of his glasses. "The one you actually want to be doing the deed with? How''s- look at you! Grinning like an idiot when I just mention him. Maybe he''s the one, Your Holiness?"

    "Wouldn''t that be something." she smiled, staring out the window dreamily. "That won''t be possible, though. He''s only a teacher in a village."

    The Doctor pouted as he put his glasses back on. "I''m sure Zhan won''t be as rigid as his mother. Plus now Bea is Queen and it''s not like she cares - it''s like she barely exists, sure you never see her about."

    "The people would lose faith. I''m the Descendant of Lu, I''m their guide and protector and that warrants a husband who is equally able to support that."

    "Like a general."

    "Like a general." she nodded, though gave the Doctor an equally displeased pout.

    "Well, Your Holiness. I dare say this is probably the least of your concerns at the moment, but anyway - here''s to hope!" they clinked their cups together and drank, the sky outside turning deeper along with the topic of discussion as they chatted into the warm night.

 [Chapter 11] æƒŠå¿ƒåŠ¨é­„

    Rain pelted the ground in unceasing heavy lines as a delegation in grey approached the palace gates - the men at the front and back carrying long poles adorned with grey and red fabric - the colours of the Revenet flag. How confident they were.

    How brazen.

    A golden sedan chair, flanked on both sides by silver chairs, was in the middle of the cluster, the men surrounding them carrying large swords at their hips, their hair tied high on top of their heads secured with pewter pins and clasps and their large bodies were clad in shiny armor.

    General Lang stood at the gate with a few other members of the military, his heart rate steadily increasing as the sheer size of their group caught him off guard. But now was not the time to show any weakness - not the time to show even the possibility that a weakness might exist, despite what everyone already knew. He mounted his horse as they came to a gradual stop and the front-most guard presented a token. The general only nodded and nudged his horse, leading the way through the massive palace grounds. The thought that they could probably cause a massacre inside if they so wished flittered around in the back of his mind. Others might want to run, but he wouldn''t. Even if it was a useless effort, fighting and dying for something he loved and believed in was better than just handing it over on a silver platter.

    King Zhan bit the insides of his cheeks, barely able to handle the suspense as he waited for the Demons to arrive.

    Why now?

    They could have easily flattened the entirety of Ranhara without warning if they so wished. Revenet was a big country and Ranhara had no allies in combat. It was a small country, not unnoticeable, but almost looked like a footnote at the side of Revenet. The Demon nation was an odd shape, a crescent surrounding a large body of water where a peninsula protruded out, with a large square area towards the south. On the map it looked like a rugged crystal ball and was one of the largest nations in the world.

    And powerful.

    The Revenets had a history known only to themselves, and that made them all the more dangerous.

    Why now?

    Zhan frowned as he stared at the edge of the table in the hidden negotiations room - a place his father never once talked of because it had never been used before. Their history was surprisingly free of conflict, their military only ever having been used to quash republican uprisings in the country, never for international incidents. No other country would be brave enough to stand up to Revenet, he didn''t think. Maybe they would shed some light on that when-

    "Your Highness! The envoy from Revenet has arrived."

    Three handsome faces smiled in a way that made Zhan feel uncomfortable - his heart hadn''t stopped hammering in his chest, sweat dripping down his back and neck as he faced futility. Crown Prince Jing Han, after congratulating Zhan personally on becoming King and throwing in a comment about his jealousy since his father was still ruling, swiped his cup from the solid wooden table and drank the remainder of his water before clearing his throat.

    "I''ve come with a proposal." he said simply. "Ranhara originally belonged to us and we want the land back."

    "Since when?"

    Crown Prince Jing Han scoffed, the man on his right who Zhan remembered as being the messenger from the previous week mirrored this, though the man on his left did not.

    "Since before it was annexed from us at the end of the Golden War seven hundred years ago. We want to take back what is rightfully ours."

    "What war?" Zhan frowned, looking to General Lang, who shook his head. He didn''t know. There was no record of a war that recently in Ranharan history. "There exists no records of any such war in our history books."

    "Then you''ve been lied to, Your Highness."

    "How do you know you haven''t been lied to?"

    Every Demon in the room erupted into laughter for a long minute before it died down and strangely enough, Zhan didn''t doubt that what they were saying was true.

    "There''s pieces of Revenet all through this land. Ranhara was gifted to the Witches left stranded far from their homeland after the war by a temporary peace-keeping body who made a treaty amongst our nations that expired the day after your father did."

    "You-!"

    "I''m offering a peaceful resettlement. Western Pernesia is willing to accept their own kind back out of concern for your wellbeing, even though they have no obligation to do so."

    "I''ve never heard of this treaty!"

    "I brought our copy in case you didn''t believe me."

    "And ours?"

    "It wasn''t an agreement that needed your approval since none of it was your land to begin with."

    The man on the right of Jing Han, who had remained polite the entire time handed over a thick file earmarked with all the important pages. More water was brought over as Zhan silently read through the documents, only raising his head to ask if she had arrived yet and was informed that she was coming. Zhan turned his attention back to the file, ignoring the three faces opposite him, embarrassment burning through him the more he read.

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    Ara huffed as she rushed through the hallways, barely able to remember where the meeting room was. Somewhere down a secret passageway behind a statue in the court room. Luckily the crier had witnessed the small mass of people entering behind the statue of King Ultan to the left of the thrones and so it was there she headed, finding an arched entryway and scuttling down. The passage went on and on, straightforward but much too long. It took her a good few minutes to reach the end where she found non-descript wooden doors. Striding forward, she knocked with confidence and entered after a guard on the other side opened it for her.

    Slightly breathless, she greeted King Zhan with a polite curtsey and raised her head, turning to the Demon envoy to do the same, though froze instead.

    Jun.

    What was he doing there?

    Sitting beside their Crown Prince, what was he...?

    Her fingers tightened in the fabric of her robes as she forced herself to curtsey to them, trying her best to ignore the whirlwind of emotions that suddenly raged inside her. Helping Zhan was her priority. That was the only reason she was there.

    "Ara, have you heard of the Treaty of Oma?"

    "I haven''t."

    King Zhan handed her the thick file that she immediately flipped through. Jun finally dared to look at her as she studied the document intensely and he could tell that she knew... she knew it was real. The quiet realisation on her face and the look in her eyes that showed sadness and resignation were making him feel very guilty indeed. Crown Prince Jing Han had expected an argument over the treaty expiration, expected to go to war immediately with the flimsy offer of resettlement for their people.

    They never expected that the Ranharan people had never been made aware of this.

    They never expected that even their Royal Family hadn''t the first clue.

    Ara handed the document back to Jun, their gazes never meeting as she kept her head down, not daring to look at him lest she beat the living daylights out of him... or burst into tears out of shame. She didn''t trust herself not to react and so she kept her attention on the King.

    "Ara..." Zhan trailed, his confused face turning to her. "Have you had any visions about-"

    "I know exactly how this ends, Your Highness." she replied.

    He didn''t need to ask any further to know what that meant.

    His nostrils flared, jaw set as he regarded the three men in front of him.

    "Regardless, this is our home. We will fight for it."

    "An unwise decision, Your Highness." Crown Prince Jing Han commented with a half-hearted laugh, brushing a strand of icy blonde hair out of his eyes.

    "You can crush my skull under your own foot if you so wish, but I''m not leaving Ranhara."

    "Then so be it."

    Ara watched with puffy red eyes as the envoy left the palace, keeping herself hidden in an alcove in a window above the court room. She didn''t like that her heart still leapt as Jun looked back at her with an apologetic smile, his expression pained somewhat. Who was he to look pained? Who the hell was he to make her fall for him and then pull the carpet from under her feet? Ara wiped the tears that dripped down her cheeks as she took a deep breath in and out.

    She felt so foolish.

    Angry.

    She should never have fallen for him, she should have known better.

    But how?

    She blamed herself, and didn''t.

    Their relationship still seemed independent of this whole fiasco, until it wasn''t. Until the one facing her behind enemy lines was him. What was his motivation in going this far? What exactly was he trying to get out of knowing her? She had never shared anything too personal with him, only the superficial things that never really mattered. Only her thoughts about life and everything else that popped up in conversation. Never about the country. Never about what King Zhan was planning and now that she thought about it... Jun never asked. He was only ever concerned about her, or so it seemed.

    In the middle of the night Ara lay in her bed, unable to sleep. She tossed and turned and eventually gave up, sitting up and grabbing the most boring book she had nearby. It wasn''t helping much as she found herself still reading two chapters later, though couldn''t remember a single word. She pushed on, trying to force herself to focus on the words, though the sound of flapping wings distracted her and she tossed the book down as a fiery red bird landed on her desk, an envelope secured around its neck.

    Ara threw the covers back and scurried over, whipping the envelope off the bird and flinching as it suddenly took off through the window it came from. Returning to bed, she carefully turned the envelope over in her hands. It was unlike anything she had seen in Ranhara - a shining lilac envelope made of a beautiful fabric and secured with golden thread. She was afraid of what was inside. She was afraid that she was in love with someone who was going to leave her without a homeland. She was afraid that the Ranharan people would refuse to go and end up losing their lives over a futile conflict. Going along with the Crown Prince''s offer was the wise thing to do. It wasn''t noble, and after so many centuries the Treaty of Oma seemed redundant, but they were following what was agreed upon. They had contacted other countries that had participated and they had confirmed it. How much of what she was taught about Ranhara was the truth? How much else had they tried to erase and why?

    They were the last to know, and it was too pitiful to even laugh at.

    Finding her courage, Ara slowly unwound the golden thread and pulled the delicate paper out, carefully unfolding it:

    <blockquote>

    My Dearest Ara,

    I don''t know what you are feeling right now, I will not pretend as though I do. It was an uncomfortable day for everyone, but once again your discomfort trumps that of everyone else. I wish that I could convince you that my feelings for you are real, though I admit I never intended to fall for you - here I am, hopelessly in love.

    I am sorry for lying about who I am and where I come from, though my name really is Jun. Actually, my name is Wang Jun and I am a member of the Revenet aristocracy. My cousin is Crown Prince Jing Han. I work as an advisor and handle home affairs in the Guorun Palace.

    You will be rightfully angry at me for everything that has transpired.

    You will have many questions that can be answered by me, but shouldn''t be. In time you will know what those questions are and who is answerable. When that time comes, I hope that our relationship will make more sense to you. All I will say is that I wanted to confirm something by making your acquaintance, and I was able to do so quickly, yet I kept coming back to meet you because I am so taken with you and I appreciate that you were able to be yourself around me - that you felt safe enough to be open about your feelings and I will never betray that trust you had in me. I had one reason in going to meet you, and once that reason was satisfied, everything else was exactly as real as it felt.

    I love you, Ara.

    And I won''t marry anyone else.

    But I know very well that, even though we are well suited, I am a Demon and my country is acting on a treaty that was signed seven hundred years ago to take back the land where you live. I knew about this for a few years and never cared about the consequences until I met you. I am doing my job and serving my own country by honouring the treaty, and you are doing the same for your country by trying to protect the land you have called home.

    I don''t know how our story will end, but I hope it won''t be like this.

    I will do everything to protect you during the takeover - no matter what happens. There may be things that will be brought to light at the end of all of this and I promise I will be by your side no matter what.

    Please remember that.

    If you are left with nothing else in this world, I will be there when you need me. You may fight and refuse me and push me away with everything you have, but I will always be there to shield you from the rain.

    Take care, my Ara.

    With all my love,

    Wang Jun.

    </blockquote>

 [Chapter 12] Here We Go Again

    Crown Prince Jing Han glanced at the map spread out over the table in front of him. His advisors stood with him until he motioned for them to sit down.

    "Where is Dana?" he asked, swiping back his blonde hair and allowing a nearby attendant to secure his hairpin once again.

    "She''s on her way, Your Highness."

    The Crown Prince did not respond as irritation spread through his veins. He grabbed his cup and drank the wine inside of it, the lazy flick of his wrist in the direction of his shoulders indicating to the attendant that he wanted a massage. He grunted as her small fingers dug into his muscles, well trained and methodical, he was very glad this was something they were all trained to do.

    His ears pricked up at the sound of bustling outside of the room and a simple wave of his hand sent the attendant back to her place.

    "Your Advisor kneels before you."

    The Prince''s lips curled into a smirk as her voice reached him and he told her to rise, which she did and promptly strode over to his side.

    "Your Highness, the reserve forces we''ve deployed have made great progress." Dana said, her eyes smiling. She slid back a sleeve and pointed to the map on the table, gaining Jing Han''s attention as he listened in carefully. "The reserves came in from the north, over Oma mountain and quickly quashed the borderland communities who weren''t informed by the Palace of their situation. The Palace was actually quite close to mountain, but in order to prevent any last minute conflict, I instructed them to take the west, east and southern parts of the country first, then the central land and finally the Palace. Currently they''re finishing up in the south and they plan to begin the takeover of the centre in a few days time."

    "You little fox, you!" Jing Han chuckled, tapping her nose. "Playing with your prey."

    The other men in the room pointedly ignored their exchange as the Prince shamelessly flirted with his advisor whom he was openly courting. He was under a lot of pressure from his parents to get married and show his strength as a future leader, which was why he was assigned the minor task of taking back Ranhara. Baby steps, his father had said while his mother repeatedly tried to get him to meet with her first choice for a wife which, after he finally caved, he found out was Lady Dana - the daughter of the powerful Lord Zhang in Reeth. She had studied hard to become an advisor but often was overlooked, being a woman, her views and ideas were not taken seriously. That was, until, the Crown Prince himself was beaten by her continuously in chess during their meetings and she had proven her strategies to be effective during other minor incidents.

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    He was smitten, to say the least.

    "By the end of the week Ranhara will be back where it belongs."

    "And the Witches?" another advisor chimed in, catching the Prince''s attention, who began to reply:

    "The Witches-"

    "Who cares?" Dana interjected, her sharp eyes passing over every face in the room as Jing Han was fixated on her in wonder.

    He had to marry her.

    "Is their King still alive?" the advisor huffed, folding his arms before quickly straightening himself up upon seeing the Crown Prince''s face.

    "As far as I''m aware, but there''s no use in worrying about him."

    "I''ll take care of that personally." Jing Han added.

    "Your Highness," Dana began, "Allow me."

    "No." Jing Han shook his head. "A Princess ought not to get blood on her hands."

    "A Pr- Your Highness." she blushed, bowing her head. "In any case, we expect to move on the Palace at the weekend, just in time for Foundation Day."

    Her reminder brightened the room considerably as the advisors began talking amongst themselves about how much better their national day would be with the reclamation of Ranhara. Their people had long felt that it was unfair that an entire province of people were forced out to accommodate displaced Witches, but they weren''t prepared to start any international incidents because of it - they stuck to the treaty exactly as it was agreed. They weren''t doing anything wrong.

    It wasn''t their fault that the Ranharan historians had failed to record the event.

    That they had failed to inform their people that they were living on borrowed time.

    Ignorance didn''t deserve compassion.

    King Zhan stared at the map on his table, Ara on his right, Min, General Lang and several other advisors gathering around. Large red splotches of ink indicated places where the Demons had already taken over. They weren''t even leaving room for escape - the bastards were surrounding them on all sides.

    "Ara..." Zhan began, exhaustion weighing him down. "What''s the situation at the temple like?"

    "We''re running at full capacity, but we don''t know yet how effective the barriers we''ve put up are. There''s so many sick and injured people who can''t leave, I just... I just want to get them out of here safely. Even next door to Kijj, I know they''re all werewolves but we have no other option at the moment - they''re too sick to make it to Western Pernesia. If there was just some way to disguise ourselves and get through the western counties and over the border, they have a hospital only a few miles away."

    Zhan nodded in understanding. "Well, I don''t know what we can do there, but I''ll leave that task to you."

    Ara frowned, about to retort until Min cut in with his own report and experience in the east, General Lang taking over from there and soon her predicament was forgotten about as the others discussed what was working and what wasn''t against their enemies and regardless of whether their attacks were physical or magical, the sheer number of Demon soldiers made it nigh on impossible to fight back. Even if every person in Ranhara had stayed, they would still be outnumbered five to one and the casualties would be immeasurable.

    Ara looked back at the men at the table as she excused herself to get back to the temple.

    She had doubted herself for a while, but...

    No.

    She slipped through the door and back into the stone corridor, making her way outside again.

    It was the right thing to do.

 [Chapter 13] Take My Hand

    Wang Jun had been watching from a distance.

    Ara was spending her days running in and out of the temple, carrying people on her back as she rushed to help them. They knew that the Demons were fast approaching the final battle, if it could even be described as such, but they weren''t exactly going to let anyone in their path live and so Jun took it upon himself to silently guard the area, sending back any Revenet reserves who got ahead of themselves.

    If only she knew... she wouldn''t be struggling like this, she wouldn''t need to, because she would know how to get around the problem.

    But it wasn''t her fault.

    And so Wang Jun made his way through the rainy plaza and into the temple, terrifying everyone who laid eyes on him. The temple smelled of dampness - the stench of blood and iodine hanging around in the air as the clergy ran around attending in turn to every sick patient who had been injured by the Demons or were too ill to leave. Jun knew they couldn''t leave the country to get help even if they wanted to.

    But he could.

    No one cared about the Witches and truthfully, except for Ara, he didn''t either. He would offer to do this only because he loved her and he could see that it was killing her not being able to handle it all. He stood silently at the entrance, his shadow being thrown across the stone floor of the temple.

    There she was, casting some kind of spell over a patient in the distance and helping them drink some kind of potion.

    Jun silently made his way around the edges of the temple, not wanting to disturb nor be spotted as he approached Ara just as she finished healing a patient. He grabbed her hand and pulled her aside into a private room, her protests useless against his strength. He shut the door of the small dusty office they''d entered and before he could get a word out, a sting suddenly erupted on his left cheek. What was that?

    Ara''s chest heaved as she breathed deeply in and out, absolutely irate at his arrogant entrance. Jun noticed her shaking her hand and realised that she had slapped him and so he acted accordingly, his own hand flying up to touch his cheek and grunting in pain. He was met with a roll of the eyes that fixed on the book cabinet in the corner of the room and Ara folded her arms as she refused to look at him, trying very hard but failing to control her emotions and so Jun stood dumbly in front of her as her nostrils flared, eyebrows furrowed and tears escaped from her eyes.

    "Miss Ara-"

    "Don''t." she interjected, now looking squarely at him.

    The nerve of him to show up! Had he come to make her leave, too? Hunter had already tried that and it wasn''t going to work. She was so snowed under in trying and failing to take care of everyone and there were too many people and every hospital had been absorbed already and why the fuck was he here?

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    "I''m here to help."

    "I don''t need your help."

    "I know. I''m not here to help you, but I do want to help because of you."

    Ara''s arms unfolded and she straightened up, her face softening somewhat.

    "This is important to you, and that makes it important to me."

    "Are you serious?"

    "I know I lied to you already," he began, "but I hope you understand why."

    "...I understood."

    "...Thank you." Jun said, desperately wanting to reach out and touch her, but refrained from doing so. "Where is the nearest hospital over the border?"

    "Only a few miles." she sniffed, ungraciously wiping her face. It was only then that Jun noticed how dirty her robes were and wondered if she''d even had time to wash in the past few days. "I... are you going to escort us?"

    "I will."

    "Once they''re safely in Kijj, I''m coming back, they need me here and don''t try to-"

    "I won''t. I wouldn''t dare stop you from doing something that you wanted to."

    Why did he have to be like that?

    Why did he have to be Wang Jun?

    Why did it have to be a Demon she fell in love with? A complete mixed bag of emotions had been raging inside of her since his admission and she was no clearer on her own feelings as she stood in front of him for the first time in too long. She had missed him, she knew that much, and if she was being very honest with herself she was secretly delighted that he had come to find her. But at the same time, she was still mad at him. She was mad that he lied to her for so long about who he was. She was mad that his country was doing this to hers, even though she knew about the treaty.

    Nothing that happened was really his doing.

    But she couldn''t very well run off with a Demon, never mind one who was directly involved in the ending of their home land - Zhan would have her head. Everyone would be out for her.

    Her eyes met his again.

    "Please don''t come back." she murmured.

    The corners of Jun''s mouth fell. "I said I would always protect you no matter what."

    "I know."

    "I can''t leave you like this."

    "You won''t." Ara shook her head with a small smile. "You''ll help us and then you''ll leave... or I guess I will leave after the takeover is finished."

    "Do you really hate me?" he asked softly, taking a step towards her.

    "It hurts too much." she smiled, a weak laugh leaving her. "Seeing you reminds me we can''t be together and that hurts so much because I love you."

    Jun sucked in a breath and pulled her towards himself, wrapping his arms around her.

    "I promised you I would marry you, didn''t I?"

    A muffled response came from his chest and he smiled a little as he felt her arms wrap around his waist.

    "Do you not believe me?"

    "I do."

    "You''ll say that to me again in future, wearing the most beautiful red and gold robes."

    He expected her to have a smart comeback, or some sort of feigned indignance at his quip, but instead she gave him only a half-hearted laugh and he felt her grip tightening on his robes. He let her pull away without protest and planted a chaste kiss on her cheek as she murmured that she had to go. Before she could open the door, however, Jun spoke again:

    "Miss Ara, do you happen to know what the patients are afflicted with? The ones who have been hurt by magic."

    Her hand dropped from the handle.

    "They say they feel like their insides are twisting around, but I''ve never heard of anything like that. I''m only clergy, I''m not a doctor, but the medical staff here are treating it like they would when one is afflicted with vines."

    "Vines?"

    "The botanists sometimes get attacked by their own plants - the vines can get inside the body and twist the insides around. It''s not usually fatal, but it''s pretty serious."

    "Are they all reporting this?"

    "A quarter of them, maybe. The rest have different needs."

    "It sounds like they used Gravity." he replied. "Their insides will move into a single space inside the chest within a week. It slowly crushes them to death from the inside."

    "How do we cure it?" Ara asked.

    "Buy yourself some time with a spell for slowing things down. I don''t know if Witches have that, but anything to give them more time. I will try to learn what I can about it, but maybe in Kijj they will be able to help."

    "And how will you help?"

    "I''m a Demon - ranking almost as high as the Crown Prince himself. I know a thing or two."

    "Fine." she nodded. "When will you come?"

    "Tonight at midnight."

 [Chapter 14] åˆ°äº†ç»ˆç‚¹

    Cold wind and rain whipped harshly against the outsides of the large carriage they had procured as they travelled at high speed over the uneven forest road leading away from Ranhara and towards Kijj.

    Wang Jun came as promised, hiding himself as Ara loaded the sick people in, telling the other clergy to go back. They wished her well, said they would pray for her - some begged her to stay where at least she would be safe - but she set off without looking back.

    They wouldn''t be there by the time she got back.

    If she could save this many people - at least save them from encountering the Demons a second time - then that would be something to tell at least. No one could say she hadn''t helped out, then. Even during such a horrible time, she was practically being torn apart by people needing her. She was exhausted, she had no time at all for visions and she was almost surprised when they played out exactly as she saw them. She never expected they would be so true to life - the streets running red with blood.

    As they approached each checkpoint and were cleared to leave without any fuss, she realised how lucky she was to have Wang Jun by her side. There''s no way they would have a chance without him. If she had never met him - if he had never come to find her... where on Earth would they be now?

    For that, she had to be grateful.

    They couldn''t tell how much time had passed when the carriage eventually ground to a halt.

    Had they arrived?

    Was it another checkpoint?

    "Stay here." Wang Jun instructed as he exited the vehicle, the driver having opened an umbrella for him.

    Ara peeked out through the crack in the small curtains draped over the window.

    Werewolves.

    They were even bigger than she had imagined and it was hard to tell if they were more human or more wolf at that moment, though it didn''t really matter. Perhaps that was how they always looked. Wang Jun was speaking to one man in yellow clothing - he was dressed like a guard but without any form of weaponry. Wasn''t that odd? But then again... Werewolves were practically invincible; old age was their biggest threat by far. Kijj being the closest nation wasn''t the only reason Ara has chosen there, it was that Werewolves could afford to not care about the politics of the outside world because absolutely no one would dare mess with them, and she believed they would extend a helping hand to them.

    So when she noticed the guard''s hairy hand turn into a very large paw with sharp claws, Ara found herself flying out of there faster than she could think.

    "Wait!" the guard turned his attention to her as she held her hand out and stood in front of Jun, her big eyes peering up at the truly massive man in front of her. "We don''t mean any harm. I am the Witch Ara." she added desperately, fishing around in her pouch and presenting an official document from the King.

    The werewolf snatched it from her and skimmed over it, tossing the paper on the muddy forest floor.

    She dared not pick it up.

    "You..." the man''s waist bent further and further until he was at eye level. His nose twitched as he sniffed, a low growl rumbling in the base of his throat, looking between the two and a shiver ran up Ara''s spine as his harsh, deep-set black eyes darted over to the cart of people. "look like a Witch."

    He stood up straight once more.

    Ara looked to Jun, whose expression was unreadable as he stared straight forward.

    The wind had stopped.

    Rain fell down in straight, heavy lines, splattering through the leaves on the trees.

    The guard''s gaze held them in place as he slowly approached the cart, sticking half of his body through the door.

    "Why did you come out?" Jun hissed. "You needed to stay inside."

    "Because it looked like he was going to kill you!"

    The guard muttered something on his radio and a few minutes passed before three more giant Werewolves came out of the wooden hut stationed by the border and began inspecting the cart.

    The first guard returned to them, noticing how anxious the woman was.

    "They may come in." he said finally, nodding to the other guards who quickly took command of the vehicle, sitting alongside the driver who helplessly looked to Ara as they began moving once more.

    "Wait! Wait!" Ara called, panic rushing through her as the cart set off. "I need to go with them! They need my magic."

    "We have our own ways doing things here - it might not be too late for them." the Werewolf said.

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    "They are Witches as well, I need to help them!"

    The Werewolf looked at the pair before him - the man unusually silent, the woman trying her best to convince him to let her go inside.

    Who was she trying to fool?

    "The Witches need our help. You two do not."

    "The driver isn''t sick and you let him in, please! He doesn''t know any magic!"

    "We will take care of him. You don''t need our help." the Werewolf said, his temper running short. "You two need to go back. We will take care of the Witches."

    "I am a Witch! I am the highest ranking Witch in this entire nation - I am the most powerful one! I don''t need asylum, I just want to help them!"

    The Werewolf looked between them once more. The man''s eyes were squarely fixed on the ground as the small woman didn''t let up.

    "No."

    "What is wrong with him? Why wouldn''t he let me in with them? He didn''t even know who I was!"

    Wang Jun kept his eyes on the ground as they made their way to the nearest village.

    "You still did a good thing." he said finally. "No one can say you didn''t help."

    Ara''s feet trailed to a stop as Wang Jun slowly walked ahead.

    This was probably going to be the last day of her life.

    "I''m going to go back to the Palace." she said finally, catching Jun''s attention. "If I''m going to die I may as well go down fighting. I don''t want to be hiding forever."

    "This is what you want?" he asked.

    "Yes."

    "I won''t let you die."

    "And how do you suppose you''ll justify yourself to your King?"

    "Don''t worry about that."

    "Take me back to the capital." she said firmly.

    "Have you ever even fought before? Your hands are so soft I get scared they might melt in my grasp, there''s no way you can win, even without magic!"

    The pair frowned at each other, Ara''s body heaving with frustration as she powered on ahead.

    "I never said anything about winning."

    "If you had''ve stayed in the cart, then-!" Jun began, "Then maybe they would''ve let you all through!"

    "He was going to kill you!"

    "I knew you cared."

    "Of course I care, I love you!" she yelled, her hands curling into fists and Jun found his frustration dissipating somewhat as her anger - valid and respected anger that she was so used to hiding no matter what - expressed itself through her childishly stamping a foot and marching forward.

    "I''m going to take care of everything." he called after her, smiling as she scowled in response.

    "Why are you so angry about not being able to go with them?" Jun asked as they ate together in the village they''d managed to find.

    It had been abandoned some weeks earlier, but they''d managed to find what they needed: a place to wash up, clean clothes for Ara in the tailor shop and she helped herself to what was left in the jewelry store while Jun prepared some dishes using whatever was still okay to eat in the restaurant.

    "Because it''s going to make me look bad."

    "Not at all!" Jun argued. "You''re a hero."

    "Well what about you, then? You think your prince is going to let it go that you actively helped save some of our people?"

    "His Highness Crown Prince Jing Han doesn''t care. It was only a handful of people." Jun said airily, turning the fish over as it boiled in the broth he managed to make. "I, too, only care about you. I only helped because it was you."

    Ara wasn''t sure how to respond.

    "You hate us?"

    "Of course not." he replied, looking over to her as she rested her head on her arms on the window of the restaurant where the moonlight shone through. "Do you hate us?"

    Ara blinked slowly, turning her head to look at him.

    "Does it matter?"

    Jun paused for a moment, licking his lips as he thought through everything.

    "It might. Shall I let you go back first?" Jun asked, flipping the fish again and lifting the boiling pot off the fire.

    "I''ll leave first in the morning." she said, scooting over to the fragrant fish and digging a spoon directly into the flesh where it was easily separated from the bone, not caring when the juices splashed onto the cheap flax material of her newly procured dress. "I spotted a few carts around here, I''ll take one to go back."

    "There aren''t any horses." Jun raised an eyebrow as he blew on the broth.

    "I don''t need horses."

    Right. She was a Witch.

    Jun smiled, glancing up at the beautiful, self-assured woman he fell for as she nibbled at the food he had cooked, spitting out the bones and sipping the broth.

    "You''re a good cook." she commented eventually.

    "I''ll cook for you every single day." he smiled, reaching over to wipe her chin with his handkerchief, and to his surprise she didn''t protest.

    "Maybe in our next lives." she yawned, avoiding his gaze as she got to her feet.

    She managed two steps past him before his strong arm snaked around her waist and pulled her back, planting her squarely onto his lap.

    Silence fell between them, the only disturbance being the cicadas outside in the muggy, humid summer night. Ara''s heart thumped harder as she remained still, allowing Jun to hold her tightly, and she wondered about the why of it all. What was the point of her existence? Surely she wasn''t born just to be a servant to the Royal Family? Was she? Was she never supposed to find her own happiness? Min was the first person she had ever fallen in love with, but that love was doomed to fail from the beginning. Then along came Wang Jun... and she couldn''t see how that was going to work out, either.

    If tomorrow would be her last day, what would she have to say for herself when she died? Who was she to answer to? More importantly, was she satisfied with the life that she had lived?

    Parts of it had been colourful.

    Parts of it had been boring.

    At least she could say she had lived through a war, if it could even be called that. A quashing, more like, she could at least say she made it to the end.

    Truthfully, she had no regrets. She didn''t regret not being more open and generous towards those who used and relied on her and she didn''t regret withholding information and making people do things for themselves even if it endangered the lives of average citizens. She didn''t regret meeting the Demon whose arms she was currently wrapped in, whose calm breath she could feel on her neck, who was the cousin of the Crown Prince that had flattened her country.

    There was no reason to feel bad for only caring about what she wanted.

    People needed her all day every day for something.

    She didn''t care if they thought badly of her for falling for a Demon but even she had to admit that, given the circumstances, it would be absolutely unforgivable in the eyes of her fellow Ranharans.

    Kijj wouldn''t have her.

    Would any other nation?

    Could she even make it to Western Pernesia?

    Did she even want to go?

    "What do you want to do?" Jun mumured against her neck, pressing a gentle kiss to her exposed skin.

    "I''m going back to the capital." she repeated.

    "And after that?"

    "There won''t be an after." she said, resting her head against his.

    "Please don''t say such words." he breathed.

    "I appreciate the love you have given me, Wang Jun." she replied, defeat overwhelming any other emotion she may have had. "I wish that everything was different."

    With a heavy sigh, she hesitantly pulled herself away from him, placing a kiss on the top of his head and made her way towards the empty inn for her last night of sleep.

 [Chapter 15] The Descendant of Lu

    Ara coughed ungracefully as she made her way up the steps of the Ranharan Court Room, the rain that soaked her the previous night having given her a cold when she woke up that morning.

    She couldn''t count how many bodies she had walked past from she set foot into the palace grounds.

    Her feet felt heavy, every step requiring effort to get her back to the place where it all started and a shiver ran down her spine the second her palm touched the smooth metal door.

    It was just a bit too quiet.

    Using her body weight, she pushed the door open and stepped over the threshold where she spotted a few people inside, instantly recognising Jing Han - his platinum blonde hair making him difficult to miss in any room. As she took steps forward she recognised more people: Yifa, Zhan, and some other Demons she hadn''t seen before.

    "Your Highness!" she called out, her voice managing to be loud enough to get Zhan and Jing Han''s attention.

    She looked from one to the other and immediately grabbed her necklace upon spotting Jing Han''s sword gripped firmly in his left hand.

    "Ara?"

    The telltale reflective spot that suddenly appeared on her face was all it took for Zhan to whip around. Her hand flew out in his direction as she yelled the Protect spell, her precision, enunciation, casting and speed were perfect - she moved so fluidly and so fast.

    But Jing Han was faster.

    The young King''s body jerked as the Demon''s sword pierced right through his armor, flesh and bones, falling unceremoniously to the ground with a thud as the blade was pulled out.

    Ara didn''t even realise she was running until she almost tripped over as she stopped in front of his body, but was shoved out of the way by his mother who bent over his writhing figure.

    "DO SOMETHING!" she screamed at Ara, her face red and puffy with panic and grief.

    Ara glanced at Jing Han, who simply smirked and gestured for her to try.

    He wasn''t going to kill her?

    Her breath hastened as she fell to her knees by his side and her hands shook with nerves as she felt around his rapidly cooling skin for any signs of life. Maybe, just maybe if there was a weak pulse, she could do something. His blood stains seeped onto her clothes as she mindlessly wiped her hands on the fabric, trying to tune out Yifa''s panicked screeches. She couldn''t think straight, and when she was able to focus for a few seconds, the words she needed to say became stuck in her throat. Yifa''s gaze followed Ara as she got to her feet and stumbled back, shaking her head.

    "Huh?"

    Ara''s ears pricked up at the sound of a new voice and a man in extremely elaborate green robes entered her field of vision. It was only then she noticed Min standing by the entrance. They acknowledged each other, but said nothing.

    "T-the King is dead." Ara stammered, her own heart racing as adrenaline coursed through her veins.

    The young man in green robes cocked his head and looked more closely at the dead guy on the floor.

    "He''s not the King."

    "What?" Jing Han frowned. "What do you mean he''s not the King?"

    "This is the King!" Yifa growled, cradling her son.

    The young man looked up and spotted... black wavy hair... wide eyes... strong bone structure...

    "He''s the King." the young man nodded. "Or... at least he was supposed to be."

    "He''s the one in your visions?" Jing Han asked.

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    "That''s him."

    "Ara what is he talking about?" Yifa demanded. She was so confused, but seeing The Witch in front of her having turned quiet and keeping her head down...

    No

    It couldn''t be...

    "What did you do?! Zhan is dead! It was never supposed to be him! It was supposed to be Min!"

    Min''s heart stopped at his mother''s words.

    Did Ara... did she really lie about her visions?

    Why would she do such a thing?

    "Answer me! Was Min supposed to be king or not?"

    "Yes!"

    Min''s face softened and he bit down hard on his cheeks as he felt a burning pain blossoming in his chest. It was his first time seeing Ara upset - nothing ever bothered her, she was unflappable. Her large eyes caught his and she didn''t seem apologetic at all. A subtle jerk of her head towards the door told him everything she wanted to say.

    Surely she wouldn''t lie about that just for...

    He took exactly one step forward.

    No.

    The sturdy heel of his boot twisted in the carpet as he turned away, the sound of his heavy steps lost in the thick tension in the atmosphere. He barely noticed the man he brushed against as he thundered out of the Court Room, away from the place he grew up in and mounted his horse.

    The sun shone against the scratches, dents, dirt and blood in his armor that had seen one too many fights.

    He had survived it all.

    He took one last look at the Court Room before kicking off, the bright sun and blue sky overhead illuminating every route away from the blasted place.

    Ara didn''t have to look to know that Wang Jun had arrived.

    "You get visions too?" Jing Han asked, his attention now on Ara.

    He smirked as she raised her chin at him.

    She wasn''t afraid.

    "I am The Witch Ara, the Descendant of Lu - I am the only person in this nation who receives visions."

    "I don''t have any descendants." the man in green frowned.

    "What?"

    "I am Lu." he explained, giving her an odd look.

    Jing Han''s feline lips turned into a smirk once more and Ara yelped as he reached out and tugged the necklace free from her neck.

    "Give that back!" she demanded, swiping at the pendant that hung from his grip.

    "I think..." he began, reaching under his robe and pulling something out. "you''re not the only one who has lied."

    An identical pendant sat on the Crown Prince''s robes.

    Lu produced his pendant and Wang Jun as well. No one in the room missed how the atmosphere shifted, an almost visible shift of the tension from the Witch to the King''s Mother.

    "Wang Jun, you were the one who found her, right?" Jing Han asked.

    "Yes, Your Highness."

    "If I could promote you, I would." he smirked. "The whole time she was right here, right under our noses."

    "What are you talking about?" Ara asked, her voice quiet and cold.

    "No, is she...?" Lu trailed, taking a few strides towards Ara, who backed away as he and the Crown Prince came closer.

    "I think she just might be." he grinned.

    "Your Highness, what are they talking about?" Ara shot the question at the Queen.

    Her chest rose and fell as she cradled her son, staring daggers at the Demon Prince. Of all days for this to come to light... it had to be today? As soon as her lips parted, Wang Jun spoke:

    "You see, Miss Ara, there was a famous case of a daughter of a noble family being abducted by strangers and for the last twenty-two years no one has been able to locate her. However, we got wind of how you use your necklace to perform magic and Crown Prince Jing Han had me come to confirm your identity."

    "Your Highness?"

    Ara turned to the King''s Mother, who simply scowled.

    "We needed a new one!" she spat. "The last one had no kids, what else were we supposed to do? How were we supposed to defend ourselves?"

    "Figure it out like every other fucking nation, you waste of space!" The Witch yelled, unmoved as Yifa gaped. "What? You think I enjoyed having all of you rely on me for every single decision? I lied about Zhan and I knew this invasion was coming and I said nothing!"

    "How could you!" Yifa shot to her feet.

    "What difference would it have made?" Ara countered.

    One could have heard a pin drop in the silence.

    "Did I not treat you like one of my own?" Yifa murmured.

    "Like one your own, but not." Ara let out a bitter laugh as approached the former queen. "You made it very clear what my position was in the palace. Did you always know what I was capable of? Of my strength? Are you aware that I can crush your neck with one hand if I so wish?"

    "Ara!" Yifa''s eyes watered. "What''s gotten into you? What are you saying?"

    Ara stood at her full height, no longer feeling like she had to make herself look smaller beside her.

    "How about this, Ara?" Jing Han''s voice interrupted. "Why don''t you come with us?"

    Ara turned slightly, all ears.

    "Come with you?"

    "Come back home." he finished, noting how her fingers had curled into the fabric of Yifa''s robe. "Don''t waste another second with these evil people, don''t give her any of your energy. She''s not worth it, not with what she''s done to you."

    Hesitating for a moment, Ara''s grip didn''t loosen one iota. When she had asked about her parents, the King and Queen told her they had already passed away, her father in battle before she was born, her mother stolen away by murderous thieves in the middle of the night, her body never to be found again. She''d never seen anything of them, no one had stories to tell, and you couldn''t miss someone you''d never met.

    Her grip tightened.

    Somewhere out there in Revenet, a family had been grieving the loss of a baby. What had they told themselves to cope through the years? How many people blamed them for not being careful enough? How would they feel knowing that one of their own was not only alive, but had been well taken care of for her entire life, albeit groomed to be their national soothsayer, nothing more than a tool?

    Just who, exactly, was she?

    With a forceful shove, Ara sent Yifa hurtling towards the cold stone floor once more.

    "Let''s go."

 [Chapter 16] Living is not the End

    Ara''s eyes darted around as she looked outside the window of the carriage that was taking her into Revenet. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her nails gripping the frame of the window as she wondered what on earth was going to happen to her. Would they be merciful?

    "Where are we going?" she asked softly, so softly that Wang Jun almost didn''t hear.

    "There''s a large town not far from here. We will rest there for the night and get you some clothes. In the morning we will go to greet the Royal Family and after that, your family."

    "My family?" she asked, giving him her full attention.

    "Yes. If you wish, that is, Miss Ara." he smiled. "Take your time to think about it."

    She nodded silently, her attention being caught by the scenery outside. For a while they had been going through nothing but plains. There were, some distance away, some ruins surrounded by butterflies.

    "What is that?" she asked.

    "The Temple of Gion." Wang Jun replied, admiring the pretty atmosphere around it. "This place we are in now is very special."

    "The energy is strange."

    "Indeed."

    "But not malicious."

    "Exactly."

    "The dead rest here."

    "Sharp as always, Miss Ara." he crossed his legs the otherway, his lower back having become uncomfortable during the journey. "Thousands of years ago people were not allowed to bring any kind of transportation through here, not horse nor carriage nor motorcar."

    "What''s a motorcar?"

    "A dirty machine made by humans and used by vampires. They had some popularity hundreds of years ago, back when New Revenet was first founded, along with electricity and internet, but they all failed. It was a warning from the universe, the great King Min had said - a huge storm became very deadly because of it and he scrapped all work that was being done to stop such a disaster ever happening again."

    Internet? ...She didn''t understand what he was talking about at all, but was too tired to ask any more questions.

    "Ah, if you look over there." he continued, pointing a bony finger out the window. "You can see something very interesting."

    Ara poked her head out slightly as they approached a very unique landmark.

    A single tree stood in the plains, almost split entirely in half, but remained strongly rooted at the bottom and was in full bloom.

    "This is the Reckoning Tree." he explained.

    "What happened to it?"

    "There was a great war many hundreds of years ago, a war that made Revenet as big as it is today. The Great Queen Zhi Xiu, a crown princess who was cast out by her terrible, tyrant of a father, led the war effort on foot by disabling the magic traps and shields the Revenet army had set up to allow for the vampire forces to take over. When she encountered a group in these ruins, she and her Royal Guard slaughtered them all together, and they hung up all the bodies from the branches as an example to others who might dare to betray her. There were so many people that the tree almost split entirely down the middle."

    "This Queen was killing her own people? Why?"

    "For casting her out. They sent her off to marry a foreign power for diplomacy''s sake, but in order to do so her bastard father had her hunted down and dragged back from the human realm on the pretense that she could be reunited and live with her lover so long as she went to the Northern Territory. She discovered that while she was away, the man had already married and was expecting a child, yet used her feelings to get into her father''s good books. The whole country held a funeral for her as she was leaving - a hugely disrespectful event for a disgraced princess. So she married the docile Vampire Prince Shuo, used her magic to make him lead a war on Revenet, all the while colluding with his advisor, a noble Demon whose family was exiled when he was a child, to take the throne together once the war was won."

    "So it was a personal grudge?"

    "Yes."

    "Wow."

    "Indeed."

    Ara wasn''t aware she fell asleep until she was being shaken awake. Night had fallen and Wang Jun greeted her with a warm smile, helping her out of the carriage. With her first step into Revenet, she was suddenly acutely aware of how much she stood out. People passing by were giving her strange looks and a brand new feeling of self-consciousness was creeping its way up her neck as some local officials approached them and gave a deep bow in greeting to Wang Jun.

    "We''ve been expecting you, Miss. Please come this way, we''ve prepared a room for you and some dinner. You must be absolutely famished."

    Jun noticed her hesitation, how she looked to him for confirmation that this was safe and for all the time he had known her she had never looked anything less than self-assured and confident, regardless of their situation. But things were different now, she was in a new territory where she knew nothing, knew no one but him. She had simply trusted his words and Crown Prince Jing Han had allowed her to come back without question because, quite frankly, discovering her to be the stolen child and taking her back to Revent along with Ranhara and doing it all on National Day could not have bolstered his image any further in his father''s eyes.

    Jing Han didn''t care what happened to her after they arrived in Revenet, Wang Jun was the one in love with her after all.

    "I will accompany Miss Ara." Jun said. "Please lead the way."

    Stolen novel; please report.

    The moon shone brightly in the night sky as they made their way over the town square and into a large hotel. They were brought to a private dining room with a table practically heaving under the weight of the dishes piled upon it, the vast majority of which Ara had never seen. The aromas were strong, new spices and combinations creating a heady mix in the air.

    "Please." Jun pulled out a heavy chair and gestured for her to take a seat, which she did.

    He set about making her a plate of mixed foods for her to try, setting it gently in front of her and handing her a cup of boiling hot tea to wash it all down with. He smiled to himself as she yawned and found himself suppressing one himself.

    Jun relaxed in his chair as he sat down, his hands flying around as he mixed condiments to his own liking to dip the cured meats and dumplings into and couldn''t help but feel Ara''s big eyes on him, silently studying what he was doing, wondering what the correct way to eat was.

    "Just try it as it is for now." he smiled. "Let me know which ones you like best."

    Ara lifted a piece of breaded meat drenched in a reddish brown sauce flecked with black specks, her eyebrows raising involuntarily as the flavours danced over her tongue. Sweet, smokey and salty - this dish was delicious. She tried some smashed cucumbers in garlic, and tea eggs - which they had in Ranhara - and it soon dawned on her that a lot of the names of the dishes Jun was telling her were ones that she knew, but how they were made in Ranhara was totally different.

    After their bellies were full and satisfied, Jun suggested they go for a walk around the town to help their meal go down and though she wanted nothing more than to collapse into a heap on the floor and sleep, Ara agreed.

    The night was warm, calm and quiet and she found the raging discomfort in her stomach had quelled somewhat. She had managed to relax enough to forget about everything that was worrying her and there was something oddly comforting about looking at Wang Jun''s back as he walked a few steps ahead of her.

    She looked around at the town, at how people were greeting each other, at the clothes they were wearing, the murals and banners celebrating the royalty, the country and its people. This was going to take some getting used to, but this was where she came from and tomorrow she would be able to meet her family.

    Ara came to a sudden stop.

    She''d never had a family before, not really.

    What was she supposed to do with these people?

    A gentle hand on her shoulders brought her out of her thoughts and she was greeted with Jun''s small smile that she loved so much. He had bent down slightly so his forehead was almost touching hers and she felt the warmth of his breath, his hands, his... mere presence, and it was surprising how much it made her feel calm.

    "I''m not going anywhere." he murmured.

    "I feel so foolish." she admitted and Jun frowned.

    "How so?"

    "My whole life was a lie. I was raised to be The Witch, the most powerful person in all of Ranhara, the direct descendant of Lu, of the founder of our nation, no one even came close to my skill level, my physical power but I was... I was only so much more skilled because I''m a Demon, and I have the magic of a child here ." her eyes grew wet with tears as she found the courage to look Jun in the eyes. "You must''ve had a good laugh at me when we first met-"

    "No." he said firmly, his thumb running over her soft cheek where a stray tear fell. "There is nothing to laugh at. How could you possibly know any better when you were consistently lied to your whole life? You only worked with what you had and you were exceptionally good at what you did - I was and still am so impressed by you in every single way. Yes, there is a lot you don''t know yet, but I promise you I will stay by your side no matter what, Ara."

    Ara?

    "Jun..." she cleared her throat, hesitating for a moment, her breath still shaking. "Is my name really Ara?"

    Jun licked his lips, biting the bottom one for a second before planting a gentle kiss on her forehead.

    "No."

    Jun swiftly dipped down to grab her and hold her close as all the strength left her knees at once, not caring in the slightest that she was soiling his expensive silk robes with her tears and snot.

    Right down to her fucking name, she was lied to.

    Was there anything that was real?

    "I was going to let your family tell you your real name, but if you prefer, I can."

    "I don''t want to hear it from strangers." she sniffed, the worst of her feelings having passed.

    He cradled her head and shoulders as she clung to his robes, waiting for her to collect herself. After another minute, he stepped back, making sure to look her in the eyes, making sure she was listening.

    "Your name is Wang Shiyao."

    "Wang Shiyao..." she repeated, her lips curving up at the sound of it. "Wang Shiyao."

    "Do you like it?"

    "I do." she smiled. "It suits me."

    "It certainly does." he agreed. "Would you like me to call you this from now on?"

    "Please."

    "Of course." he nodded, his expression calm and collected as always as he held his hand out for her to take. "Why don''t we head back and get some rest?"

    With the morning brought a slew of attention.

    Maids flooded the room bringing in soaps and makeup and hair tools, shoes, jewelry and a large trunk. Shiyao was taken into the baths and plopped into a hot, steamy tub of fragrant water - her hair and body getting the most thorough scrub down she''d had in weeks. The cloths the maids used to exfoliate her skin rubbed off every square inch of dry, dead skin she never knew she had.

    She wasn''t used to having so much attention.

    More heavily fragranced lotions were applied to her face and body, revealing a brightness and clarity she hadn''t seen in a long time because she was so damn busy taking care of everyone and everything. She didn''t protest as they made her up, lightly but very prettily. Half of her long, black hair was pulled back, tied and flipped and twisted into a pretty chignon, the rest of her hair hanging free.

    Bright gold pins and headdresses were adorned on top, the design similar to what she used to wear in Ranhara, but much more grand looking. Matching earrings dangled from her lobes in a similar shape and a thick gold necklace in a matching laurel leaf pattern was placed around her neck.

    Revenet robes were composed of three layers in spring, summer and autumn and five in winter. It was still autumn time, so the maids opted for three layers. The first was a silk tunic with sleeves that widened greatly at the elbows and hung almost to the ground, but were secured around the wrists. The second was the dress, a pale purple sturdy silk fabric with no sleeves and a square neck to fit around the first layer. It pinched in tight at the waist and flared out dramatically. The third layer was a translucent champagne gold shoulder cover with split sleeves, tied at the waist with an embroidered belt and covering only the outer arm to allow the sleeves to swing freely. Like her accessories, the cover had a leaf-like design, edged in gold, folding gracefully over her shoulders and overlapping until it reached the elbow.

    She had never felt so grand or so feminine before.

    The dress was heavy and she was worried about tripping, but apparently the maids were also there to escort her out of the room and down the stairs so she wouldn''t fall down them and die. Thank goodness for the young women by her side.

    As they took one step at a time down the solid wooden staircase, she could see Jun''s back coming more clearly into view. The men wore similar robes, but with tall collars that were open at the front of the neck, the silk below buttoned down the middle, the sleeves only half the length of the women''s, but longer than that of the service staff. He wore a cream silk tunic and a floor length dark gold sleeveless coat, the shoulders of which reached over his own.

    At the sound of careful footsteps, Jun turned around, freezing as he caught sight of Shiyao. He''d be lying if he said he hadn''t thought about her wearing their own clothes, but the image in his head wasn''t anywhere near as amazing as the real thing.

    She was positively shining.

    He swore his heart literally stopped beating for two whole seconds as she smiled at him, his face becoming hot as he smiled like an idiot right back.

    "Good morning." he grinned, stepping back to allow her room to step down.

    "Good morning." she breathed, hand on her chest in relief that she made it down in one piece.

    "Are you ready to go?"

    Shiyao took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly, a firm nod of her head giving him permission to lead the way.

    "Then shall we?"

 [Chapter 17] This Is What You Asked For

    "When we arrive, you must greet your parents in the proper manner."

    "What''s the proper manner?"

    "Bow, arms outstretched and head down"

    "Like this?"

    "Ahaha, not like that. Watch me."

    "...Okay."

    "That''s much better."

    "Is it okay?"

    "And then you have to say ''Your daughter bows before you.''"

    "I have to say what?"

    "Sorry darling, that''s how it goes here. You''ll get used to it when it''s our children greeting you."

    "Jun."

    "Was that too lewd?"

    "..."

    "Hmm?"

    "Your actions don''t match your words at all."

    "Well if you''re not opposed we could-"

    "Master Wang! We have arrived."

    Surprisingly, Shiyao didn''t feel too nervous. She didn''t feel scared or afraid or excited but rather...

    Well.

    That wasn''t good.

    Jun stepped out first, helping Shiyao come down from the carriage - the sunlight near blinding the both of them, though she didn''t let it affect her expression even though it clouded her vision for a moment. She walked behind Jun for guidance, bowing as he did.

    "Your nephew bows before you."

    Nephew?

    Shiyao kept her head down as Jun stepped aside, revealing her to her parents. Her linked fingers pressing hard together trying not to think about what the fuck Jun just said.

    ¡°Y-your daughter..." she began, the next words kicking and screaming against her tongue to not be said. She set her jaw, embarrassment flooding her system. She had never bowed to anyone in her life, not even the King and Queen and now look at her... bent over at near ninety degrees just to say hello to strangers she had never met. Her back swelled and deflated as she took a deep breath, steeling herself against the shame of the next words to leave her lips; "...bow-bows.... before you."

    "Yaoyao, stand up!" the woman''s voice was clear and calm, but slightly emotional.

    "Yaoyao!"

    Shiyao''s eyes snapped open, a flash of the vision she had months ago appearing in her mind once again.

    She stood up immediately, not realising that the woman''s open arms was an invitation for a hug. She looked to the teary-eyed middle aged man and respectfully averted her gaze, clearing her throat. Two adults stood by the door of the large manor, who they were she neither knew nor cared, but the ones in front of her must be the parents.

    "Let''s go inside." the woman offered, dropping one arm and gesturing to the house.

    Shiyao nodded stiffly, avoiding their eyes for too long and nodding politely to the two adults who greeted her as her little brother and sister.

    The interior of the manor was darker than she thought it would be. They walked into the foyer where staff were all lined up and waiting, greeting the family appropriately before rushing off to tend to their duties. It wasn''t a big house by any stretch, but she supposed the disappointment wasn''t fair since she grew up in a literal palace.

    The mother pointed out the dining room that was full of dark wood furniture and a thick, plush carpet. The room was quite big, but it would be impossible to tell due to the ugly furniture taking up more space than was necessary. They walked through to the reception room where the father pointed out family photographs on the wall and it only really hit Shiyao then and there, as she became transfixed for a moment on the younger version of the mother who looked exactly like her, that these people were her mother and father.

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    But they weren''t.

    They just created her.

    ¡°Would you like to see your bedroom?"

    "Yes."

    The mother led her upstairs, opening the door at the end of the hall on the right.

    Shiyao entered carefully, a crib and stuffed toys catching her attention. She walked slowly as she tried to ignore the sound of the mother''s sobs. The room was cleaned recently, it seemed, though there were thick layers of dust in places they hadn''t quite reached. Shiyao''s eyes fixed on a jewelry box and her steps quickened as she made her way towards it, opening it without hesitation.

    A jade pendant in the shape of a monkey lay inside.

    "A monkey?" she questioned, picking it up to examine it in the light.

    "That''s the year you were born."

    "Sure." she replied, not knowing what that meant.

    "It''s the monkey year again this year, you''ll be twenty-four."

    "I''m twenty-five."

    "No, you''re definitely twenty-four." the father chuckled, "We were there."

    His laugh died down quickly upon seeing his daughter''s fierce expression, not knowing it wasn''t directed towards him.

    Another lie? Or, more likely, the Witches just guessed how old she was when they stole her. Whatever. She took another look at the pendant and decided that she quite liked it, pocketing it and taking one final look at the room before decidedly walking out, stopping at the top of the staircase where the mother spoke out:

    "I don''t suppose you''ve given it any thought, but perhaps you would like to come and live with us? We have missed you so much, today really feels like a dream, I couldn''t ask for a better gift and we have another room you can take for yourself, we-"

    "No."

    Shiyao noted the surprised or... hurt expression the mother''s face.

    "Thank you. No, thank you."

    "We understand." the father nodded, patting his wife on the shoulder as tears dripped down her face.

    "Then we will take our leave." Jun politely commented, bowing once more to them and wincing slightly as Shiyao strolled straight down the stairs.

    "Shiyao! Before you go..." the woman sprang from her husband''s grip and ran after her daughter, leaving the two men on the landing.

    "You must be very tired from this all, Uncle." Jun said.

    "Well... it''s not unexpected. Yaoyao won''t remember anything of us, but we had a whole two years with her. I never imagined those Witches would be so bold as to use her as their own soothsayer."

    "Shiyao was a very accomplished civil servant, Uncle. She was the navigation for their royalty. Without her they weren''t capable of anything. She''s amazing."

    "Jun... do you perhaps have some intentions towards my daughter?"

    "Oh she took my heart and ran away with it the first day we met."

    "And does she feel the same way?"

    "I can only hope so, Uncle."

    Shiyao was very quiet on the journey to the capital. She spent the whole time with her knees up on the seat, her arms linked around them and her head resting against the carriage.

    Thank goodness they''d never slept together.

    "My darling, what''s bothering you?"

    Jun didn''t miss how Shiyao''s eyes squeezed tight as he used the pet name.

    "Don''t call me that."

    She ignored his sharp intake of breath and flinched away from his touch when he tried to take her hand.

    "Did I do something wrong?"

    "You made me fall for you."

    "Is that not something you''re happy about?"

    "WE''RE RELATED!" she yelled, taking the gentle man aback.

    "...Yes, we are. What''s wrong?"

    "We can''t be together, Jun. That''s messed up."

    "We''re second cousins... not first, not that that''s unusual either, but, it''s perfectly normal amongst nobility."

    "It''s disgusting! We''re still one family, this would never happen in Ranhara."

    "We''re not in Ranhara, Shiyao, and you''d do well to remember that things here are different!"

    Jun would never forget how she looked at him at that moment, a mixture of fear and surprise at his sharp tone. In fact, the more he looked at her the more he realised how scared she seemed. She was so small and drawn into herself. A lot had happened over the last two days and he supposed he was being too harsh. No, he knew he was being too harsh, but he had never expected her to be so... offended by the thought of their relationship now that she knew.

    It didn''t even occur to him that it was something worth mentioning.

    Shiyao shut her eyes as they carried on towards the where the Guorun Palace was located, some ten kilometres away from her parents home.

    A million thoughts ran through her mind as she kept her head down on her knees, hiding her face from view.

    Twisty ropes of unease and disgust wrangled around in her stomach as she suddenly regretted ever agreeing to go back. Sure, this was her home, but Ranhara was all she ever knew and at least there she knew who she was and what her role was and even though there was no way of stopping the takeover, she could''ve left with...

    Min.

    Though now she thought back on the Werewolves in Kijj who wouldn''t let her past, it suddenly occured to her that it was because they knew she wasn''t a Witch. Deliberately choosing Zhan over Min was because she knew that Zhan would at least try to get the citizens out before the Demons could do a lot of damage and Min definitely would''ve demanded that all citizens remain to fight - she knew it because she saw it as clear as day in her visions. It was the right thing to do in the end, Min was supposed to be the King and many more people were supposed to die but even after all the shit he pulled, the people he''d killed and regardless of how much of an arrogant asshole he could be, she did not want to see him die. She lied for him and for the country. The stupid soft spot that remained in her heart for him was what saved him in the end.

    Now look at her

    What the fuck was she supposed to do now?

    She didn''t know anyone here, she couldn''t do anything for herself, and after Jun dropped that bombshell, she just couldn''t accept it - it was like someone threw an icy bucket of water over her feelings for him. A lot of people wouldn''t care, she knew. Even in Ranhara, there might have been a chunk of people who, considering her circumstances, wouldn''t think of it as a big deal. They were virtual strangers, genetically distant enough, but it was hardly too much to ask to be with someone you didn''t share relatives with, regardless of how good looking they were. It might not have mattered to anyone else, but it mattered to her and what she thought mattered more than anything else.

    There was no going back to Ranhara, and no chance of her going to Western Pernesia.

    Min was long gone.

    She had no job, house or purpose in Revenet.

    How was she supposed to survive?

 [Chapter 18] é‡æ–°å¼€å§‹

    "Now presenting Wang Shiyao, the first daughter of the Duke and Duchess of South Lake, second cousin of His Highness Crown Prince Yun Jing Han!"

    Shiyao didn''t know why her heart was beating so fast as she walked up the length of the court room. She wasn''t nervous in crowds, or in front of people - she''d done it her whole life and moreover, she''d already met Jing Han twice. Still, she couldn''t quite raise her eyes as she walked, far too focused on her feet and not tripping over her heavy robe skirt that was starting to strain on her wrists the longer she held it up. Eventually she made it to where the Royal Guards were standing, taking it as her cue to go no further and suddenly she wasn''t sure where to look.

    The journey to the Guorun Palace had been taken in silence, Jun not having spoken to her since, not even as he walked behind her up the middle of the massive court room. Deadly silence descended upon the room as Jing Han, alongside King and Queen Yun, waited for her to greet them. The room full of representatives waited, all eyes on her as she did all that she knew to do and outstretched her arms in preparation to bow. She didn''t expect the sharp pain in the back of her left leg that sent her crumpling to the floor on her hands and knees, a collective gasp emanating from the room.

    Jing Han quirked an eyebrow at Jun, whom he had just witnessed kick his cousin in the back of the knees to make her bow in the proper manner. He looked to his mother and father, who looked equally as concerned, but if his father didn''t speak out, then there was nothing to be done. The representatives were beginning to murmur amongst themselves, bits and pieces of which floated over to Jing Han.

    ''Wasn''t she the stolen child?''

    ''Why would he do such a thing?''

    ''How could he be so brazen in front of the King and Queen?''

    ''Does she know nothing about her own culture?''

    ''How rude of her to not greet them properly.''

    It was unlike his cousin to behave in such a way.

    Had something happened?

    Jing Han caught the attention of his advisor, standing off to the side at Shiyao''s left, jutting his chin towards her and Zixuan nodded. He stepped over and crouched down to where she was still on her hands and knees, her cheeks burning red and eyes shining in embarrassment.

    "Hey." he whispered, a comforting hand on her shoulder. She was shaking like a leaf. "Listen carefully. You need to be on one knee, left knee up, right knee down, arms out, head down. Say ''Your Loyal Subject kneels before you'' and then wait for His Highness King Yun to respond. He will tell you to stand up. Do you understand?"

    Shiyao simply gave a small nod in reply, quickly correcting her position, clearing her throat and speaking loudly and clearly:

    "Your Loyal Subject Wang Shiyao kneels before you."

    The sudden eruption of applause and cheers startled her, moreso when they abruptly stopped after a few seconds and the voice of King Yun rang around the room:

    "On your feet, Shiyao."

    Carefully, she stood up, avoiding all the fabric near her feet.

    "Let me see you."

    Slowly, Shiyao raised her head, a polite smile on her face as she did so and for some reason she was surprised to see King Yun had such a kind looking face, Queen Yun''s features were more severe and she supposed that Jing Han took after his mother more in that way. Still, they both looked on at her with warm expressions.

    "My my, you grew up well." Queen Yun smiled. "So beautiful."

    "Welcome home, Shiyao."

    "Your servant kneels before you."

    Shiyao flew up from her seat as a woman, not much younger than herself, knelt by the door of the drawing room she was in.

    "Please stand up." she said and the woman did.

    "Please call me Ina."

    "Ina, nice to meet you."

    "Queen Yun sent me to be your lady in waiting. She would like to see you now."

    "Okay."

    Shiyao followed Ina down the winding hallways of the massive Guorun Palace. It was quite different from the one she grew up in. The walls were painted in a saffron yellow shade, the ceilings arched but not very high and the floors were shiny mahogany wood. The decorations were more subtle, with each hallway having its own fantastic mural on the ceiling, carved wooden coving and a heavily decorated, guarded door. Everyone whom they passed by bowed deeply at the waist to them, waiting until they passed before continuing. The walk to the Azul House, the Queen''s quarters of the palace, took longer than she imagined it should. Just how massive was the Guorun Palace?

    Azul House was on the west side of the Palace, protected by beefy Royal Guards on the outer gate and the inner gate where the actual building was. Azul House was like its own mini palace. It had a lush garden past the main gate with a pond a colourful flowers, carved marble furniture and gorgeous birds. Another lady in waiting escorted them from the main gate to the house, leaving them outside as the Royal Guard announced their arrival, allowing them to enter only after Queen Yun responded.

    Shiyao dropped to her knee in greeting with Ina, though the queen told both of them to get up the second they went down.

    "Please sit with me." Queen Yun gestured to the pretty marble table on a pergola outside and Shiyao followed her without question. "Ina, prepare us some black tea."

    "Yes, Your Highness."

    "Shiyao, let me have a look at you myself now we''re alone." she continued, placing an extension-clad nail under her chin and gently tilting her head left and right. "Uncanny."

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    "I''m sorry, Your Highness?"

    "When you have time, take yourself to the portrait gallery. You look so much like King Yun''s grandmother, your great-grandmother. She died long before you were born but I''d spent a lot of time with her after moving here to the palace and I''ve seen many a picture of her when she was young and the likeness is... unbelievable. I''ll be honest, I had my doubts that Jun was capable of much, but it seems he actually did something useful with himself this time around. I was so sure it wasn''t you, but the moment you raised your head in the Court Room, my goodness, I knew it was true."

    Shiyao had no idea how to respond, simply smiling and nodding.

    "Please don''t be afraid, don''t be too formal around me. I''ll take good care of you, like your great-grandmother took care of me. It''s nice to have some young noble women around."

    "Thank you for your care, Your Highness."

    Queen Yun studied the new girl for a moment, smirking slightly. She had no idea what to expect from her, a young woman from a different palace in a different country discovering her life wasn''t what she thought.

    "May I ask you something, Your Highness?"

    "Of course."

    "If Jing Han is my second cousin... does that mean I''m also..."

    "A princess?"

    "Y-yes, Your Highness."

    Shiyao didn''t expect the peal of laughter from the pretty woman in front of her, thinking perhaps she had asked a stupid question.

    "I''m sorry, Your Highness, I don''t know how this works."

    "You are, but in the same way that Jun is; he won''t ever be King, your family is not in the right line."

    "So... my... father is King Yun''s cousin?"

    "Correct."

    "My father is King Yun''s cousin, so my grandmother is his aunt...?"

    "Correct."

    "King Yun''s father is my great uncle? And my great-grandfather was the King?"

    "You got it." Queen Yun smiled. "Your great-grandfather had two children, Princess Ge and Crown Prince Yun. Princess Ge was the elder of the two but since women can''t become Queen in their own right, the crown was passed directly to King Yun. Princess Ge married Wang Shou, a very powerful merchant who owned a lot of land and was extremely influential. A fantastic choice I have to say. They had your father and his younger brother, and your mother, who is from the south of the country, is from a family of magistrates."

    "That''s a good combination to have on your side."

    "Indeed it is." she smiled. The girl caught on quick.

    "Then, Your Highness, Jun is... where does he come into our family?"

    "He''s your uncle''s son." she replied simply, pushing a pin back into her elaborately braided hair.

    "My f-first cousin?"

    "Indeed." Queen Yun noted how pale Shiyao had become, how her hand flew to her mouth and the corners of her mouth turned down in disgust. "Is something the matter."

    "H-he... lied to me."

    "How so?"

    "He said we were second cousins. I didn''t know who he was when we first met, I didn''t even know he was a Demon... and then when I did he was still pursuing me and telling me he would be by my side forever no matter who got in the way... and then he told me we were second cousins like it was no big deal."

    "Oh my." the Queen replied, sipping the tea that Ina had brought for them. "Well, it''s not a big deal for second cousins, especially in noble and royal families. It''s difficult to find people of sufficient rank, influence and power, Merchants and scholars are a good choice for this reason. First cousins, however... one would raise an eyebrow. It''s not unlike Jun to lie about such things. He''s a small fish with an inflated sense of self-importance. But he''s noble, so people around here tolerate him."

    "He... always seemed so good and pure and gentlemanly, Your Highness."

    "He''s a skilled actor." she agreed, noting how Shiyao''s gaze lowered. "Anyone who didn''t know him could easily be fooled by it. Please don''t feel bad."

    "He changed after I rejected him. I told him it was disgusting for us to be together if we were related and it wasn''t something that would ever happen in Ranhara and he just told me to get over i-"

    "Shiyao." she interrupted, getting the girl''s attention. "Don''t waste any more energy on him. I will assign a member of the Royal Guard to protect you."

    "There''s no need, Your-"

    "It''s basic protocol."

    "Thank you, Your Highness."

    "Now, because of your... unfortunate situation, we''ve organised a teacher and your own residence within the Guorun Palace. Ina will stay with you, Yixing will be your guard and Jae will be your assistant." she explained. "It''s the least we could do for you after everything that happened. But enough of this boring talk, I''d like to talk about something more interesting."

    "What''s that, Your Highness?"

    "You''re turning 24 this year, perfect age for marrying-"

    Oh god, not this again.

    "and I was wondering what type of man you like."

    Shiyao opened her mouth to reply, but stopped.

    What kind of man did she like?

    Someone like Min? Good in bed... probably evil?

    Or someone like General Lang? Fueled by testosterone but condescending, though... genuine, loved his country and would protect her no matter what?

    Or someone like Jun?

    A liar?

    No, not like him.

    "I''m not really sure, Your Highness."

    "Ah, inexperienced in love, I see."

    Shiyao''s burst of laughter startled the queen who almost spilled her tea.

    "Excuse me." she cleared her throat, her expression returning to its polite, professional one. "Not quite."

    "Bed mates are a different story." Queen Yun commented, suppressing a smile as Shiyao coughed into her tea, drops of the liquid landing on her face. "I''m talking about love."

    "I, um... I suppose I am, Your Highness."

    Shiyao didn''t miss how the queen''s face lit up as she sat back in her seat.

    "I will leave you be for today, I think I''ve scared you enough." she chuckled as she stood up, approving of how Shiyao knew to follow her actions. "Let me walk you outside."

    The two women walked side by side, pale lilac robes dragging behind champagne silk.

    "Shiyao, you have a lot to learn about life here. It''s not easy in the Guorun Palace even for those of us who spent most of our lives in it. People are vicious and greedy - don''t let anyone try to trample you just because you''re new."

    The sunlight shone through the window frames, dappling rays onto their fair faces as they made their way through the hallway.

    "I like you a lot already. Before I knew you were Wang Shiyao I had heard plenty about the Witch Ara in Ranhara. I like your spirit, and I like that you''re acting with propriety now you''re here with us. Make no mistake, this is where you belong."

    "Yes, Your Highness."

    "Don''t take my asking about marriage as an old auntie who is sticking her nose into other people''s business. In Revenet, it''s important who you marry. It''s important for your survival, for your prospects and for your quality of life. Especially as a princess with your familial ties to important land, resources and powerful clans, you need to choose very wisely who gets access to that through you."

    Oh.

    She''d never thought of it like that before.

    The women walked slowly through the garden towards the gate, where Queen Yun turned to her.

    "I think you''ll find you''ll have quite a handful of potential suitors coming to visit you soon. Jun''s father has been after what your family has had since he was young - don''t pay him or Jun any mind."

    "Yes, Your Highness."

    "Oh, and... don''t be surprised if Jing Han comes to visit. He''s been set up with a special advisor but now that you''re here..." she trailed, leaning in with a cheeky smile. "please humour me."

    Shiyao nodded with a bright smile.

    Great.

    Here it goes again...

 [Chapter 19] Falling Leaves

    A week had passed and so far there had been no sign of any suitors coming. That was a relief in and of itself.

    Shiyao had been given her own living quarters, not too far from where the queen lived. Kingfisher Residence was much bigger than what she was used to in Ranhara. She never really had her own staff before, people working solely for her and the irony wasn''t lost on her that she now had three people whose only jobs were to serve her when she had absolutely nothing going on.

    Ina arranged and delivered all of her meals and clothing, any cosmetic items she wanted, took care of her laundry and so on. Jae was the messenger between Kingfisher Residence and anyone that Shiyao wanted to interact with, he also acted as an advisor but she wasn''t in any position to need one. Still, he was helpful in explaining to her how things really worked around the Guorun Palace. Yixing, her personal guard, was the quiet type. Polite when spoken to and took his job extremely seriously. There was no joking around with him and though he would participate in conversation with Shiyao, eveyone else was iced out. He was a handsome and serious man and Shiyao was glad to have him on her side.

    "Your servant kneels before you, Your Highness! Lunch is served and Master Chen is here to see you. He wishes to have an audience with you."

    Shiyao blinked as Ina''s voice floated over from the other side.

    Lunch.

    She wasn''t hungry, but it was bad manners to turn guests away who hadn''t offended you, she had learned.

    She took in a deep breath, held it for ten seconds and slowly exhaled, pushing herself up off the large seat by the sliding French doors in her bedroom where she had been napping in the sun. She fixed the dress that Ina had helped her into, other servants in the residence helping her with her hair, styling it prettily and advising her to wear light pastel colours because that''s how a proper young woman ought to dress. She refused to let them touch her eye makeup.

    Without a word, she opened her bedroom door, startling Ina whom she motioned for to stand up.

    "Ina," she began, getting the attention of her bright eyed, chirpy attendant. "How long do I have to entertain this Master Chen for?"

    "Until he finishes tea after lunch."

    Great. Was she supposed to entertain all of her suitors to this extent?

    "I''d best go to greet him." she started, stopping abruptly and turning back to Ina. "How do I greet him?"

    "He will greet you." she smiled, "You outrank him."

    "Okay."

    Shiyao strode forward, holding her dress slightly in order to avoid tripping and as she appeared around the corner with the sunlight illuminating her from behind, Master Chen bowed deeply.

    "Your loyal servant bows before you."

    Servant?

    Shiyao looked to Ina, who shrugged.

    "Please, Master Chen," she said, unsure what to add so that he would stand normally and so the only thing she could think to say was. "be... upright."

    The man before her righted himself, his lower lip tucked under his upper one, nostrils flared and eyebrows pushed upwards as he clasped his hands in front of himself.

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    "Have I misspoken?" she asked, perhaps a little too directly, for the poor man replied very quickly:

    "Not at all, Your Highness!"

    "Please." she smiled slightly, stepping aside to allow the man to step through into the house.

    They took seats around the opulent square marble table in the reception room overlooking the garden, Shiyao calling for tea to be prepared as Master Chen seemed unable to settle completely.

    "Are you okay?" she asked, noticing how he was fidgeting with his robes.

    The men wore similarly long robes as the women, but the colours were much more subdued, the materials heavier and the sleeves shorter.

    "Indeed, I am." he assured her with a warm smile.

    This man couldn''t be more than thirty years old, she supposed. It was a little harder to tell when the men in Revenet all kept such long hair, even though it was tied up. Master Chen''s skin looked smooth and he had a decent bone structure with no outstanding features; overall a passable man.

    Too passable.

    "May I ask what business you have?" she continued, moving slightly as dishes were set down on the smooth white table.

    "Ah! I am the Minister for Magical Affairs in Revenet, Your Highness."

    A politician?

    Shiyao politely smiled at him, sipping on hot lemon water as he eyed the sweet smelling pork that had just arrived.

    "I have heard that your magical ability is rather lacking, and I was hoping to introduce you to a teacher who could guide you in your studies."

    Lacking?

    Sure, that was true by Revenet standards but who the hell was this guy to say it so bluntly?

    "Perhaps you need a teacher to help you guide you in your interpersonal skills, Minister Chen."

    "Oh my, have I offended you?" he replied with no hint of regret whatsoever. "I apologise."

    "You do? Then you may leave."

    Shiyao didn''t notice Ina behind Master Chen, frantically crossing her arms and silently willing her to stop lest she get them in trouble. She didn''t notice Jae''s equally shocked expression as he turned and scooted away for he feared he might die laughing if he stayed.

    "I beg your pardon?!" Master Chen spluttered. "Why, I''ve only just gotten here."

    "Yet you''ve said quite enough." she replied, standing up and politely gesturing towards the door.

    "How dare you not entertain me!" he huffed indignantly. "I knew you were ignorant but I didn''t know you had absolutely no sense whatsoever!"

    "Minister Chen, I will say it again one more time; you may leave."

    "You uncultured swine!" he roared, face now red with rage, ass still in the dining chair. "Why, I will tell the other Ministers about this."

    "This is how you talk to members of the Royal Family?" Shiyao asked, voice low and even but with a dark and threatening edge. "Wait until Queen Yun hears about how a mere civil servant came by unannounced to Stolen Princess Shiyao''s residence, imposed upon her, insulted her for not knowing the ins and outs of the Palace and Revenet culture even though she has only been aware of the truth for less than a week, threatened to spread malicious criticism about her and was too dense to know when to show deference, and let''s see how well that goes down."

    The man was speechless.

    He had not expected her to stand up for herself and it scared him a little when her dark expression suddenly changed into a sweet smile.

    "Get out."

    "You-"

    "Minister Chen." a deep voice floated into the room, the sound of heavy boots following. "Her Highness has spoken clearly. Allow me to see you out."

    "Are you for real? I-"

    A very strong hand gripping his upper arm was enough to make him still entirely. With what looked like no effort whatsoever, Yixing hoisted the Minister to his feet and swiftly threw him out of the house.

    Shiyao sighed quietly after the Minister was removed from view while Ina, Jae and Yixing returned to the open reception area. An awkward silence fell between the four, but it didn''t take long for Jae to cover his face with his sleeve, his shoulders moving uncontrollably up and down as he didn''t dare make a sound, laughter only leaving him as Ina swatted his arm, scowling as she turned to Shiyao.

    "Your Highness, you ought to apologise tomorrow. Minister Chen was only trying to be helpful."

    "In all seriousness," Jae began, "Your Highness, Ina is right. You ought to make amends with him before he turns sour for good."

    What were they so afraid of?

    "Why?" she asked bluntly. "What''s so special about him?"

    "His family is powerful, they have many ministers and representatives within the palace. All he has to do is say the word and people on his payroll here in the palace will make your life hellish."

    Shiyao thought it over. There was nothing in the Ranharan Palace that she couldn''t handle, it was her god damn fucking job to put civil servants in their place whenever they got out of line and she sure as hell - now she had an even higher position than before - was not going to be bothered by this.

    She had absolutely nothing to lose.

    "No, shan''t." she replied dryly, stalking back to the table as her servants sighed in exasperation.

 [Chapter 20] A Path Paved in Honey

    "What?!" Queen Yun blinked as she stared at her lady in waiting in shock.

    "Princess Shiyao threw Master Chen out of her residence. Apparently he insulted her magic ability and then became offended when she asked him to leave." Lady Tang explained. "He refused."

    "How did she get him out?" Jing Han asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity as he sat opposite his mother on the terrace.

    "She threatened that should he tell the other ministers about what happened, it would be taken as him spreading a malicious rumour in order to undermine and belittle the Royal Family and as an attack on the kindness of King and Queen Yun for taking in, and I quote, ''Stolen Princess Shiyao'', she threatened to personally inform Your Highness about the incident in order to have a more severe punishment exerted on him as she felt that he went a step too far in mocking her lack of magical ability and knowledge of Revenet. Yixing then physically removed him from Kingfisher Residence when he still refused to leave."

    Jing Han smirked into his teacup as his mother threw a small tantrum and demanded that Minister Chen be brought to her immediately, affirming that she would have been absolutely right to report such a rude encounter to her and that she would prohibit any more Ministers of the Crown from visiting her from then on. He licked his lower lip, running a hand through his icy blonde hair as he threw it over his shoulder and sat back in his chair, closing his wide eyes and allowing the afternoon sun to beat down on his skin.

    He hadn''t taken any interest in his Shiyao since she arrived - he didn''t know much about her except that she was a very influential person in Ranhara, more powerful than anyone else. He had expected her to be boring in that sense, proper and official and following everything by the book because he had no reason to believe that she would be anything otherwise. But hearing this? She clearly wasn''t gonna take any bullshit from anyone.

    "Jing Han, son!" his mother''s voice brought him out of his daydream. "There''s going to be a performance at the National Theatre tomorrow night, I want you take Shiyao out with you, goodness knows she needs a break - I can''t believe Minister Chen imposed upon her like this - what an embarrassment!"

    "It did occur to me too that the Chen clan was getting a bit too big for their boots." Jing Han agreed, scratching the side of his tall, straight nose.

    "Well it''s just good luck that Shiyao is no pushover. I''m glad that she didn''t hold herself back, that''ll teach any Ministers thinking they can walk all over her and take advantage of her being new here. We really do need to get her a teacher so she can navigate her way around these snakes."

    "I think she did a fine job this time."

    "Indeed she did, but I can''t deal with disrespectful Ministers every time."

    "Then it''s time for us to make an example out of the Minister for Magical Affairs." Jing Han smiled in that conniving way that made Lady Tang very nervous indeed. He looked like a tiger that was about to pounce, what with the way his sharp eyes shined and the corners of his mouth curved up.

    "Let me handle it this time." Queen Yun nodded, pressing her hand to her forehead as she sat back down again on the grand wooden chair.

    "Are you sure you don''t want me to oversee it?"

    "Such a small matter? It would be better coming from me. Your father won''t care either way but he won''t be happy to see the Chen clan acting up like this, so let''s put our foot down now before they think they can get away with disrespecting us like this."

    "I didn''t expect her to be like this." Jing Han admitted as he took aim with his bow, eyeing up the target some distance away. Zixuan was on standby with water and snacks, servants nearby in case he needed anything else.

    "She was quite formidable in Ranhara or so I''ve heard." he replied, slotting a handful of arrows into the Crown Prince''s quiver. "I certainly wouldn''t have wanted to mess with her."

    "Now that I think about it, when we took that little trip over to Ranhara to meet their King, he barely wanted to speak without her in his presence. It was like she was the one who knew everything."

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    "She was the one with the real power, it seemed."

    "Who wouldn''t take advantage of being in that kind of position?" Jing Han responded. "I have to admit, even I never expected that she would throw them all away after everything that happened."

    "She''s impressive. It must be hard for her to get used to no longer being in such a high position. I mean, she was untouchable. I daresay it''s in her nature to be so tenacious."

    "It would be good to have someone like that on my side." Jing Han admitted, hitting the target directly in the middle.

    Zixuan glanced over at the Crown Prince, wondering if his gaze was starting to wander away from Dana, whom he had seemed so fixated on. He hadn''t been spending as much time with her since he was busy with internal affairs and undertaking the tasks his father delegated to him.

    "Forgive me for saying so, but it seems like Princess Shiyao is someone who might stab you in the back at any moment if it means she can get her own way."

    Jing Han smirked as the bow string pressed tight against his cheek, his right eye closing as he aimed this time for the apple on top of the target.

    "Doesn''t that make her all the more interesting?" he replied, releasing the arrow and allowing the bow to spin around in his hand as the green fruit exploded in the distance.

    "If you say so, Your Highness." Zixuan nodded, taking the equipment from the Crown Prince as he finished up for the afternoon and handing it off to the eunuch who came running at the wave of his hand.

    "I ought to go and greet the Princess myself." he decided, stretching out his shoulders and neck as they left the archery range. "It would be rude if the first time we properly talk would be on an outing, don''t you think?"

    "Your Highness, you have an appointment with Special Advisor Dana in thirty minutes-"

    "Cancel it." he waved his hand dismissively. "I will go to her at night time instead."

    "I will send a messenger." Zixuan replied. "But don''t be surprised if she''s unhappy that you''re giving some other woman your time instead of her."

    "It''s not her place to misunderstand."

    "Well, be prepared anyway."

    "Your Highness! Your Highness! You must come out right now!"

    Ina burst through Shiyao''s door almost completely out of breath as the news was passed to her by one of Jing Han''s men.

    "What''s wrong?" Shiyao asked, examining herself in her mirror as she fussed with the light blue robes she had on that day. The silver head dress just didn''t quite suit her, it was too bright, too cold.

    "His Highness Crown Prince Jing Han is on his way, he''s coming to see you now!"

    "What are you so worked up for?" she frowned, turning around to properly look at her lady in waiting. "Ah, how am I supposed to greet him?"

    "You don''t have to kneel, just bow and call him ''Your Highness'' and welcome him to your home." she panted, her hand firmly slapped against the doorframe.

    "Your Highness!" Jae''s voice called through, clearly alarmed.

    Well, that was her cue.

    It wasn''t her first time meeting Jing Han, but the fact that everyone around her was nervous about it made her wonder if there was something worth worrying about. There hadn''t been any repercussions from the Minister Chen incident so far that she''d heard of, so what was the fuss about? Shiyao shook her head and quickly smoothed her robes down, zooming from the room to join Yixing, Jae and Ina at the entrance to the house.

    The sunlight seemed to bounce off the Crown Prince''s skin as he approached in his black and gold robes and Shiyao couldn''t take her eyes off him. His dark, wide eyes shined just as much as his bright gold accessories that were adorned on his ears, hair, wrists and fingers. His smile was like Jun''s, but his features much sharper. She was so busy taking him in that she just about remembered to bow as deeply as she could when his feet passed over the inner gate of the residence.

    "Wang Shiyao welcomes Crown Prince Jing Han to Kingfisher Residence."

    "Thank you."

    She didn''t remember Jing Han''s voice being that deep before and she tried not to look him right in the eyes as she rose up, but she couldn''t help herself.

    "Please." she smiled, a little too stiffly, Jing Han thought, as he nodded and stepped into her home, his guards taking post beside Yixing.

    "I heard you kicked out Minister Chen." he commented, hands clasped behind his back as he surveyed the old residence, knocking the walls and looking for anything that might need repaired.

    "He deserved it."

    "Indeed he did." Jing Han replied. "How are you finding it here?"

    "Revenet or Kingfisher Residence, Your Highness?"

    He smirked at her straightforwardness. "Both." he said, taking a seat on the fancy upholstered loveseat on the back terrace where Shiyao joined him. "Have a seat."

    She sat on the opposite loveseat as Ina brought them a tray of tea and poured them both cups.

    "Revenet clothing is very heavy." she commented. "And I''m not used to such... bright colours or such pretty hair styles, nor am I used to being bossed around by those two over there about what I can or can''t do or wear."

    "They dare to speak down to you?"

    "That''s not it!" Shiyao interjected. "They''re just trying to help keep me on the right path."

    Ina didn''t have to look up to feel Jing Han''s burning gaze on her, not daring to move in case he changed his mind about their nagging.

    "If you say so." he nodded, licking his lower lip and taking a sip from the teacup. "Have you eaten lunch?"

    "Not yet, Your Highness."

    "Then let''s go together." he stood up and she followed suit. "I haven''t eaten either, my stomach feels like it''s going to tear itself apart."

    A quick glance to Ina was met with a slight nod towards the Crown Prince and a determined expression indicated that she was to join him.

    "Come, let''s go."

    "Coming, Your Highness."

 [Chapter 21] Whats My Thing?

    Crown Prince Jing Han looked over to Shiyao when he heard her audibly gasp, her round eyes bugging out of her head. He smirked at how she covered her mouth:

    "No!" she exclaimed softly.

    Even he had to admit, the National Theatre Troupe did a good job covering up Queen Zhi Xiu''s involvement in the War of Revenet, so when King Shuo ascended the stairs to the court room and a spotlight above suddenly revealed her to not only be already on the throne, but to have his closest and most trusted advisor by her side, he could understand Shiyao''s genuine shock.

    It was cute.

    "Black Robe" was the most famous play in Revenet''s history - it was a retelling of the founding of the nation as it had existed for the last seven hundred years. It began with Queen Zhi Xiu (then Crown Princess) being chased down in the human realm, her return to Revenet, being married off to the vampire Prince Shuo of the Northern Territory, becoming Queen of that nation and how she successfully got revenge on the people who ousted her and took over Revenet in the process, but how she merged the two lands together and spread their culture.

    "She was so cool!" Shiyao gushed, linking arms with Ina as they left the Royal Box, the four of them (Zixuan had joined them as well) "Wasn''t she?"

    "Absolutely! That''s your ancestor, you know?" Ina smiled, happy that Shiyao was so excited about something.

    "I''m glad you enjoyed it." Jing Han commented, Zixuan offering her a polite smile as they trailed slightly behind and got into a carriage that departed for one of the more opulent restaurants that were expecting them.

    "But don''t you think," Jing Han began, shifting over to allow Zixuan room in the four seater carriage. "That she was a tyrant? A lot of scholars have said so."

    "Absolutely not! Who would dare speak out?"

    "Her own son did."

    "No way!"

    Ina and Zixuan suppressed their laughter, finding Shiyao''s enthusiasm for the subject rather endearing.

    "Her second son did, her firstborn Yunhao thought she was the greatest thing to grace this realm."

    "So did her husband." Shiyao added with a sigh. "Oh, I''m a bit jealous of their relationship, I''ve never dated anyone who could be my Yun, I''ve had nothing like that, except maybe-"

    Why did Prince Min keep popping into her mind these days?

    "Who?"

    Shiyao looked to Jing Han, whose gaze was rather... pointed.

    A sweet smile immediately graced her lips, an automatic reaction from a lifetime of dealing with buttering up highers ups who were upset.

    Was he unhappy?

    What would he have to be unhappy about?

    "No one of consequence." she assured him. "Is there anyone of consequence in your life, Your Highness?"

    Jing Han cracked a wry smile.

    Deflection at its finest.

    "Perhaps." he nodded his head and Shiyao didn''t miss how Zixuan raised an eyebrow at his comment. "But things have opened up a bit for me."

    "Have they?" she replied, her smile unchanging. "Do keep me updated, Your Highness, I love a good drama."

    Ina''s burst of laughter was enough to set Zixuan off giggling with her, the two royals wondering what was so funny but not caring enough to ask.

    "What was it you did in Ranhara anyway?" Jing Han continued. "Fortune telling?"

    "You-!"

    "You?!"

    "....Say that like you weren''t there, Your Highness."

    "I saw that your king wouldn''t do or say anything without your presence, is the removal of balls a requirement for ascending the throne in Ranhara or what?"

    Zixuan and Ina looked between the two, their hearts in their mouths as they noted Shiyao''s expression was unreadable. The energy in the carriage had drained away, pulling down the mood with it. Shiyao sat back comfortably in her seat, calm and cool, her gaze never breaking. Her tongue wetted her bottom lip and the corners tugged up ever so slightly, as though she was mocking him.

    "Something like that." she replied lightly, her tone a complete and confusing contrast to her body language and Jing Han didn''t know if he had offended her or if she was looking down on him or what the hell she was thinking.

    It was so... interesting and now Zixuan''s comment about her stabbing him in the back at any given moment made a bit more sense.

    "Princess Shiyao''s job was to handle domestic affairs, Your Highness, to provide reports of her visions of the future, she even picked the last king! She had to do a lot of diplomacy with members of other states and even arranged the evacuation of the Witches before King Zhan had ordered her to do so, she-"

    "That''s quite enough, Ina." Shiyao interjected, her palm raised slightly.

    "So what you''re saying is, the country would''ve fallen apart without her?" Jing Han asked Ina, who nodded enthusiastically in response. He turned back to Shiyao with a feline grin.

    "I was only supposed to be Her Holiness The Witch... Ara." she paused, surprised at how easily she''d almost forgotten her old name. "You know, doing funerals, sharing my holy visions to the royals to help them govern."

    "Oh, they really trusted you, huh?" Jing Han chuckled.

    "They did. They relied on me for everything in the end, and they deserved everything that happened to them." such icy cold words were spoken with such a tender expression was throwing him off a little, Jing Han had to admit.

    "Well I''ll propose a toast to that when we arrive."

    ¡°Shiyao, you can order for us." Jing Han suggested, taking a seat in the private room located on the second floor of the restaurant.

    "Okay." she shrugged, looking through the menu that the server handed to her. "Is anyone allergic to anything?"

    "I''m allergic to garlic." Jing Han said.

    "Good thing this is a Kandrakaran restaurant, then." she replied without missing a beat, her eyes never leaving the menu. "How many dishes would you recommend for four people?"

    "About 5?"

    "Then... one braised duck''s neck, one fire chicken, one Job''s Tears soup... fragrant tuna''s head, one crispy fried okra, a large bowl of rice and..." she scanned the drinks section and her eyes lit up when she spotted her favourite: "Crystal Wine - one bottle that''s been frozen and a flask of warm water."

    "Is that everything?"

    "Yep." she nodded, looking around the table and handing the menu back when no one protested.

    "Your Highness likes spicy food, it seems." Zixuan commented with a low chuckle and clearing his throat.

    "Oh I''m sorry, can you not eat spicy food?" she asked, accepting a cup of water that Ina poured for her.

    "I enjoy it very much, Your Highness."

    "Fantastic."

    Jing Han noticed how Ina leaned over to whisper something into Shiyao''s ear, wondering why she suddenly looked over to him with eyes full of mischief and very pointedly said nothing to him.

    "Your Highness, may I ask why you ordered the wine frozen?" Ina took the bottle that was sitting in a bucket of ice from the server and placed it on the edge of the round table.

    "The taste is much better."

    "That''s a very expensive bottle of wine." Jing Han noted. "You don''t want to mess around with the natural flavours."

    Stolen story; please report.

    "Have a little faith in me, Your Highness." Shiyao replied casually, standing up and crossing over to where Ina had placed the bottle. She picked it up to examine it and shook her head. It wasn''t nearly cold enough. With a quick mutter, the whole bottle instantly froze over. "Gosh, I said frozen, it wasn''t even fucking cold."

    She slowly reheated the top of the bottle so that she could actually open it and looked to Ina whom she expected to pour the drinks.

    "Oh! Let me-" Ina began, before Shiyao stopped her upon noticing she had plain short nails.

    "You''ll burn your hands." she muttered, expertly arranging the cups with speed and precision, not having to struggle at all as she simultaneously held her robe sleeve back with the hand that was also holding the bottom of the icy bottle, her nail extensions providing her fingers protection and making the pour look all the more graceful.

    She was used to this, Jing Han reasoned.

    Just what kind of Holy Witch was so accustomed to pouring alcohol for others?

    Surely their dumbass king wouldn''t have made her, someone of such high status, pour drinks for others?

    His incredulous sigh caught the attention of the other three.

    "What?" he asked, and the others shook their heads.

    Ina passed the cups out to everyone, her hands seizing up a little at how cold the ceramic had turned and they all stood up, clinking their cups together as Jing Han toasted Shiyao''s arrival and wishing her many fruitful days ahead. The three locals took long sips of the smooth, slightly fruity and very clean alcohol that slid down their throats and cooled their insides before it turned into an unexpected burn at the bottom that Ina couldn''t quite handle. They all looked to Shiyao, who held her cup high, releasing a satisfied hiss.

    "One more," she gestured to Ina to hand her the bottle and looked to them for refills, stopping only when she realised only her cup was empty, shrugging and refilling it anyway. "Okay, then. Cheers!"

    The others indulged her, managing to finish their cups this time as Shiyao once again downed hers in one shot, automatically refilling their cups but not toasting because none of them had eaten yet and she didn''t want them to end up absolutely steaming before they''d even eaten.

    "Oh, this is good!" Jing Han declared, taking more of the salty and deeply spicy fire chicken, the numbing pepper adding a layer of extra flavour that made his mouth water.

    "You''ve never had it before?"

    "The Guorun Palace serves only local food." Ina answered for her, her eyes closing and her fists shaking in delight at the wonderfully rich flavours. "Thank you for ordering this, Your Highness."

    Shiyao looked over to Zixuan who met her gaze. They exchanged an amused smile as they continued to eat, enjoying their companions overreactions. The fish surprised her the most, how they kept the skin crispy while the inside flesh was juicy, she didn''t know. Maybe they blasted it with fire after it was finished steaming, she had no idea, she didn''t care, it was too delicious.

    "You''re welcome." she replied, taking a mouthful of Job''s Tears soup, a sweet and goopy offset to the spicy dishes.

    As more and more food was had, the alcohol kept flowing and before they knew it, they had moved on to desserts - cheesecakes and fruit platters laid out across the table, their bellies quickly becoming full. The alcohol had loosened them up and Shiyao had entertained them with her mixing skills. Jing Han tried his hardest not to let it show how much he hated watching her smile so freely as she surprised them over and over with her concoctions. He did, however, quickly suggest that they move on to a game of cards and betting some coins for fun.

    Shiyao learned a lot about her companions that night: Ina was a sore loser and wasn''t too shy to whine about her bad luck, finding every excuse to justify her defeat. She was very cute once alcohol had gotten into her system. Jing Han reminded her of Hunter in some ways; he was almost as large as the General, but leaner, his arrogance bounced off the walls but she supposed that could be forgiven because he was literally the Crown Prince. He was smart, but not as much as Zixuan, whom she noticed held back during the card games to allow him to win, though that courtesy didn''t extend to the women. She smiled to herself. Jing Han seemed to really know Zixuan, he appeared to be more like a friend than an advisor and that was a good quality in and of itself. Jing Han seemed like he was very much... himself - at all times. There weren''t many people who were. She liked that a lot.

    His eyes were wide and sharp, the under area a little dark and puffy but that only made them seem larger. His chin was razor sharp - a feature she shared with him, but while her own nose was a gentle slope, his was quite large, taller than average but appropriately wide, with a bump on the bridge that was only visible when he was turned ninety degrees. Still, it didn''t overwhelm his face - it was a nice feature, even if it was large, and besides, everyone knew that if man''s nose was larger than average then whatever he had going on downstairs was bound to be big, t-

    "Am I that handsome?"

    Jing Han''s voice broke her out of her train of thought and she straightened up, not having realised that she was staring at him with her head in her hand.

    "I was miles away, Your Highness." she smiled. "I''m going to get some fresh air, I''m feeling a bit sleepy."

    "Perhaps we should head back instead, Your Highnesses?" Zixuan suggested, noting that Ina was barely able to stay awake.

    "Let''s." Jing Han agreed, stumbling a little as he rose up.

    Shiyao managed to rouse Ina enough to get her up and supported her as they made way back to the carriage where she pushed the younger girl in with some difficulty, hands planted firmly on her butt. Jing Han chuckled at the sight and burst into full laughter when Shiyao took one step up, slipped and fell on her knees back down on the ground, her cry of surprise enough to have Zixuan zooming over to her to help her back up.

    "Don'' you dare put your hands on my ass!" she warned, "I swear to god, Min."

    "I wouldn''t dream of it." he chuckled. "But I take full offence at your misremembering my name, Your Highness."

    "Huh?" Shiyao gently pushed Ina up so she could take a seat, pulling her robes in so the boys could get in.

    "I''m not whoever you just called me, Your Highness!" he clarified in faux offence.

    "Well I apologise! Master ZIXUAN!" she emphasized his name loudly. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY NAMES I HAVE TO REMEMBER?!"

    "I HAVE NO IDEA AT ALL IT MUST BE VERY HARD FOR YOU YOUR HIGHNESS!" he half-yelled back, matching her big hand gestures.

    "IT IS!"

    The two continued with the big hand gestures, too tired to keep yelling and not noticing how Jing Han pointedly ignored them until he made a point of clearing his throat as loudly as possible.

    Lady Dana had busied herself all night with reading up on reports and preparing for the big meeting the day after tomorrow where she would have to present a proposal for their next move to prove to King Yun that he was ready to take over the throne.

    It was a tradition in Revenet that the Crown Prince, rather than waiting to take over the throne when his father passed away, could instead propose a challenge for power once he felt like he was ready enough to becomg king himself. The reigning king had the right to reject the proposal so long as he was under the age of sixty-five. Over that age, the king would need support from the rest of the court ministers and representatives if he wanted to reject a challenge.

    A challenge had several requirements, but most importantly they had to be: Of benefit to the people of Revenet, Proof of his ability to govern and something that would have long lasting effects. If the proposal was submitted and the ministers on the Challenge Committee had approved it - then the Crown Prince would have six months to begin the challenge and would have to complete the challenge within eighteen months.

    If the challenge was successful, then the Crown Prince would be crowned after the Harvest festival, on the first full moon of the new year.

    Lady Dana wanted nothing more than to help the Crown Prince in every way possible, happy with the knowledge that one day she would be by his side as Queen. She swiped her cup of warm water and took a few gulps to try and wake herself more. It was almost three o''clock in the morning and Jing Han''s messenger still hadn''t arrived to escort her to him.

    But he would, he always showed up eventually.

    All she had to do was stay awake.

    She stretched her arms out and got up, opening her bedroom door and quietly stepping outside into the corridor of Peridot Hall, where all of the special advisors lived together in one compound and made her way outside, the cool air of the night keeping her awake. She followed the pathway to the entrance, hoping to catch sight of her lover should he be coming back late from a meeting, no doubt brainstorming himself about what he might possibly do to take over the throne.

    As she neared the areas where the royals themselves dwelled, her feet came to a gradual halt and her heart hammered in her chest as she watched Jing Han stagger across the courtyard with Zixuan by his side, the pair of them chatting happily and having fun with two women she''d never seen before. One of them was no more than a servant girl, but the other? With robes almost as grand as Jing Han''s, who the hell was she?

    Was this why he hadn''t come to see her?

    Because he was spending time with other...

    And she had spent countless hours doing research for him while he had just...

    How could he do this to her?

    Dana''s fingers curled into a fist and yet rather than call him out, she found herself hiding in the shadows and stewing in anger. Follow them or go home? Follow or go home? Follow or go home?

    Would she even be able to sleep if she went home?

    A sudden sharp prick to her right arm was enough to make her yelp, hissing as she pulled away from the tree she was standing by. She didn''t dare move as the four looked over in her direction and she hid herself further back, hoping she was too far away for them to see.

    "So when will you challenge your father?" Shiyao asked when it was just herself and Jing Han in Kingfisher Residence, Ina safely inside and Zixuan snoozing outside the gate. She crouched down by the pond that was illuminated by fireflies and admired the reflection of the night sky.

    Jing Han hummed as he thought it over, finding it hard not to focus on her beauty while she was distracted completely, attempting to pet the koi fish that sailed past under the surface.

    "Can I ask why you chose Zhan over Min to be king?" he asked suddenly, taken aback by how sweet she looked looking up at him like that with her big doe eyes.

    "Min would''ve conscripted everyone to fight for him. Zhan would''ve evacuated everyone possible. I knew this war was coming, I knew that we wouldn''t stand a chance." she replied. "The Universe told me that Min was supposed to be king and there would be endless bloodshed."

    "And you ignored the will of the Universe?"

    "The Universe was wrong, Your Highness."

    Shiyao stood up, never seeing how Jing Han''s eyes widened at her boldness. And people said that he was arrogant? His smile caught her off guard as she finally righted herself, brushing any leaves that had fallen down off her robes.

    "What if I asked you to report your visions to me when I''m king?" he asked, stepping to the stone in front of her, towering over the tiny Demon.

    "I would tell you that your brain is a far better tool, Your Highness."

    A rush of goosebumps erupted over her skin as his large hands landed on her shoulders, sliding to rest on her upper arms and she dared not move. She wasn''t stupid enough to piss off the Crown Prince and Queen Yun had asked to her humour her, so... she supposed she could bear with it once. Shiyao closed her eyes as she felt his face getting closer to hers and she braced herself, mentally preparing for something she couldn''t quite accept yet. Jing Han stilled for a moment as he felt Shiyao practically vibrate with tension. She still looked cute as she stood with her eyes closed like she wasn''t riddled with nerves.

    But she would let him.

    Well...

    Maybe next time.

    He leaned down and placed a lingering kiss on her forehead. His way of thanking her for the night. He hadn''t had such fun in a long time.

    Shiyao let out a breath as he pulled away, flinching as his index finger brushed the tip of her nose and he bid her a goodnight, watching her go inside her home and lock the door after herself, chuckling when the head servant in the house scolded her for coming in so late.

    Kingfisher Residence wasn''t so bad, it had a nice atmosphere. Calm and peaceful, he could definitely see himself dropping by more often to get away from the lively commotion of the main palace.

    Maybe he could ponder over his Challenge proposal here?

    He clasped his hands behind his back as he stepped out of the main gate that automatically locked itself, shoving Zixuan awake and no sooner did his sleepy friend spring to his feet did he stop:

    "Lady Dana?"

 [Chapter 22] Pierrot Must Smile

    "Are you mad at me?"

    "Of course not, Your Highness."

    Dana tried her best to smile at Crown Prince Jing Han as he sat at the head of the table and she was thankful for the other advisors arrival, who all knelt upon greeting the prince, allowing the awkward atmosphere to dissipate. She stood up to greet them as they piled through. The difficult part of a Challenge was not only the execution, but garnering support from the court for it.

    At that point in time, Jing Han''s own clan was split between himself and his father, but the Zhang clan that Dana belonged to - on the assumption that his rise to power would mean that she would secure a place beside him and they would, by extension, have access to the benefits - was very supportive indeed. The Zhang clan was powerful and influential in the region of Reeth - an area with large amounts of marsh. Lord Zhang, Dana''s father, was a landowner who grew and sold crops to the country, and being able to exclusively supply the Guorun Palace in order to gain influence within its walls was a top priority.

    Dana just wanted to be Queen, and she couldn''t do that while there was a threat in the way.

    But for her own sake, she had to pretend that nothing was wrong.

    Jing Han straightened up as the advisors brought out their research for him to review.

    "If I may begin, Your Highness." the eldest spoke up. "We have come up with several proposals."

    "Let me hear them."

    "Well, the first one is to plan an invasion."

    "We just did that." Jing Han countered. "Are you suggesting we invade a land we have no interest in?"

    "Um..." the advisor trailed, thinking better of trying to convince him of something he was decidedly against. "Then we thought about focusing on your charitable side."

    "I''ve never been charitable, no one would believe it."

    The advisors looked to Dana, who opened her own notes.

    "I was thinking that we could take a look at amnesty, showing how Your Highness is a caring and kind person, especially towards refugees and displaces people-"

    "No." he shook his head. "Since none of you bothered to come prepared today, I''m leaving first."

    With that, he pushed out of his chair, Zixuan following after him without a word.

    "Your Highness, wait!" Dana gave chase as she leapt out of her seat.

    Jing Han whirled around, startling the advisor into a stop

    "Please give us more time. We''ll think of something better."

    "It''s not time you need, it''s a brain."

    Dana''s eyebrows raised in shock, her hand flying to her chest at his sharp words.

    "Special Advisor Dana is your lover, Your Highness." Zixuan reminded him. "Be a bit kinder."

    "I-I didn''t sleep well last night, Your Highness." she explained, for it was the truth. "I''m not quite in my right mind today."

    "Yes, you were up at all hours, following us around when you should have been sleeping."

    "It wasn''t on purpose!" she cried. "I was on a walk and happened to see you."

    "I was with company. You know not to disturb me when I''m with others."

    "Your Highness." she said, perhaps a little too harshly for his brow furrowed.

    "I don''t know what''s with your attitude today. You said yourself that you''re not mad at me, so who am I to say otherwise?"

    "Am I not important to you, Your Highness?" Dana murmured, not understanding why he was purposely not reading between the lines.

    "Of course you are. But what''s more important is someone who is competent at their job. I don''t need to remind you that it''s in your best interest, more than anyone else, to put all your effort into this."

    Dana''s eyes lowered, a simple nod of her head indicating that she understood.

    "Try again tomorrow." he said, clearing his throat and turning on his heels, hands clasped behind his back as he set off with Zixuan in tow.

    "Ina." Shiyao began, nibbling on a rose flavoured tea cake and dropping it back on the plate, grimacing at the overpowering fragrance.

    "Yes, Your Highness?"

    "What do you think I should do?"

    "I''m sorry?"

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    "Like, as a goal."

    "Ah, you mean who do I think you should marry?"

    Shiyao paused, her brain taking some time to process what her lady in waiting said. She supposed marriage was a gateway to bigger things and a better life, not that her current life was in any way unsatisfactory save for the constant question of what the hell she was supposed to do.

    "Sure." she nodded, taking a mouthful of tea as Ina flew over to the table where she was and sat down opposite. "Tell me all about the best men in the Guorun Palace."

    "Well, there''s Han Xiyang, his clan is involved in trading and they have a lot of members of court, too."

    "So what''s so special about him?"

    "Well he''s the right age, not hideously unattractive."

    "No." Shiyao shook her head. "I can''t be doing with average looking men, it''s shallow but this is marriage, I need someone who''s as handsome as I am pretty."

    "Hmm, then... well, what do you find attractive?"

    "A nice smile." Shiyao raised a finger. "And... I suppose someone who has a solid build, too. Sharp eyes are sexier than round ones... hmm... good bone structure."

    "That... could be a lot of men, Your Highness."

    "Oh! I know, someone whose mouth kind of..." she poked her own lips at either side. "naturally goes up."

    Ina thought for a moment, the incredibly specific feature that Her Highness found attractive shouldn''t be that difficult to think of.

    "Well... the Crown Prince kind of sounds like what you''re describing."

    "No, Ina. I can''t."

    "Why not? He''s untied!"

    "He''s the Crown Prince! And we''re related."

    "Well yeah, how else is the royal family going to guarantee its future? All of the nobility are relatives to some degree and there''s no way he''s going to marry a commoner, what use would that be? You''re in a perfect position, Your Highness!"

    "Okay, I don''t wanna hear any more, Ina." Shiyao shook her head, unconsciously licking her lip at the fleeting fantasy that one day she could be queen. What a ridiculous dream.

    "It would be advantageous for the Crown Prince to be married to you, too, Your Highness!"

    "I said enough!"

    Jae looked over to where the two women sat, watching Ina gulp as Shiyao bristled. Ina wasn''t wrong, he knew that, but she made it sound so easy, like there weren''t a handful of families of varying influence that were trying to get their foot in the door. From what he had heard running around the palace every day was that while people were interested in the princess, they weren''t sure what to think of her.

    "Jae, I want to go for a walk. Please tell Yixing to prepare."

    "He''s ready already, Your Highness."

    "Good. Join me, Ina. This damn robe dress is sleeveless and it keeps slipping down on me today, it''s not proper for me to keep fixing it by myself."

    "Of course, Your Highness." Ina replied, thankful the topic changed.

    If there was one thing she had learned about Princess Shiyao, it was that she had a foul temper when she was told things she didn''t like to hear, but never in public, and somehow she always managed to find a way around whatever the issue was in order to get her own way. That would be a very useful skill to have in the palace, for it was no place for anyone soft of heart, at least for someone at the level of the princess. Ina could tell, however, that she was struggling with finding a purpose now that she was back where she belonged in Revenet, and she couldn''t begin to imagine how hurt she must have been by the lies when the truth came out.

    Her lessons were due to begin the following day, a suitable teacher had been found and had arrived in the palace the day before. She''d have daily instruction on history, literature and, of course, magic. Her treatment was exceedingly special and Ina was rather proud that the King and Queen were paying such close attention to her.

    "Your Highness." Yixing bowed deeply as she emerged from the house and she bid him good morning.

    "The sun is awfully bright today." she commented, holding her hand up to shield her eyes.

    "Allow me." he offered, opening a parasol and holding it over her head.

    "Thank you, Yixing." she smiled, stepping down into the garden, her guard following suit as she strolled down into the lower courtyard where the servants were busy running around preparing food for lunch, washing clothes, cleaning and tidying the rooms and living areas. "Let''s go outside and see what''s happening in the palace."

    The three of them set off towards the main gate, Shiyao steaming ahead while Yixing''s long legs worked extra hard to keep up with her without running.

    "Slow down, Your Highness! What are you in such a rush for?" Ina called out, already out of breath as she held her dress up and jogged behind.

    "I don''t know, it just feels like a good day today!" Shiyao hopped over a small stone, the circular main gate already open. "Something good will happen. I can feel it."

    Shiyao pulled her own dress up as she broke into a jog and Yixing had no choice but to pick up the pace while balancing the parasol, not used to ladies literally running around the palace grounds.

    "Almost there!" she cheered, speeding up as she reached the main gate.

    "His Highness, Crown Pri-"

    "Agh!"

    "Ei!"

    "Your Highness!" Yixing gasped, tossing the parasol and zooming towards the Princess and Crown Prince who were sprawled on the ground.

    "I got it." Jing Han barked, righting himself quickly and grabbing Shiyao by the wrist to help her up.

    "Oh, Your Highness, look at your robes! They''re all dirty!" Ina scolded, pushing past Yixing and grabbing the hand that Jing Han hadn''t, quickly greeting the young man. "Your loyal servant kneels before you."

    "I haven''t announced His Highness yet!" the eunuch outside interjected. "His Highness, Crown-"

    "Look at your robes, mine too!" Jing Han frowned. "Where were you in such a rush to go that you came crashing into me like that?"

    "Nowhere, the weather was so nice that it made me feel like something good was coming to me today, Your Highness." Shiyao replied, looking between the two hands that gripped hers.

    "His High-"

    "Is that so?" he smirked. "Guess you were right, it came right to you."

    The eunuch rolled his eyes and slipped away.

    "I''m sorry?"

    "I''m spending the day here. It''s quiet and peaceful and I need to do some work."

    "Ah... okay." she nodded, supposing she could spend another day at home - her stomach hadn''t quite settled yet from the night before anyway. "Welcome!"

    "Your Highness, if I may take Princess Shiyao to change." Ina added.

    "Of course, of course." he nodded, quickly releasing his grip on her wrist and gesturing for them to go.

    "Make yourself at home, Your Highness!" Shiyao called back as Ina pulled her with surprising strength back towards the main house.

    Yixing stood aside to allow Jing Han and Zixuan, who had just arrived, into the residence. He couldn''t help but smile at the pair of them.

    "The Princess is right." Jing Han stretched his arms up and out as he sauntered through, the staff members dropping to the ground in greeting as they noticed his presence. "It is a gorgeous day."

    "You were very keen to come here today." Zixuan said, looking around the residence he hadn''t been in before. They''d done a great job with the landscaping, the flowers were in perfect condition. "Lu told me that he offered his visions to you, Your Highness."

    "I refused." Jing Han shook his head and stepped up into the study room where the windows and doors were wide open, allowing for a comfortable breeze, adequate light and shelter from the sun all in one. "I need to do this without that help."

    "Then would you accept it if it came from Princess Shiyao?"

    "I don''t think she would tell me even if I asked." he replied, sighing as he sat down and took in the bright, tranquil, quiet view.

    Yeah, this would do.

 [Chapter 23] å¤§æƒŠå°æ€ª

    Tang Zixuan didn''t have many responsibilities besides keeping his best friend in check and assisting him as and when he needed. The Crown Prince was quick to anger and while he wasn''t exactly sensitive to the words of other people, when his cold dead heart did manage to feel something, he felt it deeply. So as he watched the Crown Prince toying with Princess Shiyao, he was beginning to wonder if Lady Dana had meant anything to him at all. Was she just another plaything? Well, that was hardly out of character, he supposed.

    Noon was fast approaching and Ina had informed him that he would be eating with Jae and herself that day while the two royals dined together. Yixing would remain outside to ensure no one disturbed them, and it was at that point his mind began racing with the possibilities of what that was supposed to mean - Jing Han was hardly a man who took ''no'' for an answer. But he supposed that Shiyao was able to handle herself just fine.

    "Master Zixuan!" Ina called, waving over to him from the main dining area. "Let''s eat." He waved in reply, heading over to the main building and nodding towards the two royals in the study as he passed by.

    For most of the morning, Jing Han had been studying newspapers from the last half year in order to get a feel for what issues the people were having that he could attempt to fix, but it was frustrating to find that most of the papers were filled with feel-good trash to take up space.

    Of course the press couldn''t criticise the government.

    He glanced over at where Shiyao was, curled up in a ball in the rounded rattan chair, head jerking up every few moments as sleep tried its hardest to come and get her. Even in such a state, she still looked pretty. The book she was reading, a History of Revenet, was no doubt the culprit. It teetered dangerously in her hand and only as it slid out of her weak grasp and fell on the floor with a loud thud did she waken up properly.

    "Your Highnesses, it''s time for lunch." the head of staff, an unmarried forty year old called Ms. Fang announced, a team of servants behind her armed with various dishes.

    "Where are the black and white mungbean cakes?" Shiyao asked, her gaze pointed at Ms. Fang.

    "Your Highness, I have prepared some hallabong that was freshly picked this morning from the orchard. It will satisfy your sweet tooth."

    "I didn''t ask for hallabong." she replied. "And why are all of these dishes so plain?"

    "His Highness prefers plain foods."

    "His Highness is not the only one dining here today."

    "Your Highness-"

    "I suggest the kitchen make something I find palatable, otherwise I shall be forced to leave the table and find lunch elsewhere while His Highness remains alone to eat."

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    Ms. Fang looked from the irate Princess to the Crown Prince beside her, who was looking amused. He wasn''t going to speak out about this?

    "Very well." the head of staff nodded and backed away from the table, only turning around after she passed the threshold of the private tea room.

    Jing Han bit his lower lip for a split second, grinning as he began digging into the dishes provided for him. No one else would ever have the balls to complain that only he, the Crown Prince, was being catered to. They all deferred and defaulted to whatever it was that he wanted to do, what he wanted to eat, what he wanted to see or where he wanted to go - even Zixuan never dared to complain.

    "How is your research going, Your Highness?" Shiyao asked, deciding she ought to fill the time in while she waited.

    "Let''s not talk about that while we''re eating." he picked up a bland looking crystal skin dumpling and ate it as it was. "Mmm! Not bad. What were you reading about?"

    "The founding of the nation." she grabbed her cup and drank from it.

    "For fun?"

    "Well, it''s important to know how it happened." she shrugged. "The sun got the better of me, Your Highness."

    "Did you know you snore?"

    "I do not!" she shrieked, practically bristling in her seat and scowling as Jing Han fell about laughing.

    "How do you know? You don''t hear yourself sleep."

    "No one else ever complained about it."

    "I wasn''t complaining, it''s cute." he explained, cackling as she smacked his arm.

    This was fun, he had to admit - it was so easy to wind her up.

    "And who''s ''no one else''?"

    "None of Your Highness'' business."

    "I get it, I like to sleep around, too." he nodded.

    "Well, in some cases there wasn''t a whole lot of choice." she admitted without a thought and so she didn''t see how he froze for a moment for she was distracted by Ms. Fang finally delivering the well seasoned, rich foods she preferred.

    Jing Han waited for them to leave before he spoke again:

    "Are you saying that they forced you into it?"

    "Hmm? Oh, no, they didn''t." she replied, attention now on loading her plate with the sweet braised pork and pumpkin pancakes. "I mean, if I really didn''t want to then I wouldn''t, but sometimes it was just easier to let them than risk having a bitchy court member take his anger out when there was a vote."

    "The King sent you to sway the representatives?" Jing Han clarified, his hand sliding over his mouth. "Is it any wonder you''re so adept at pouring alcohol? How could he-!"

    The sudden bang on the wooden table made all the plates jump, startling Shiyao in the process.

    "Your Highness?"

    "How dare they treat you like that! Was there nothing they didn''t take? They wanted your mind and your body and your powers all for themselves. Fucking Ranharan scumbags, I should have made that asshole suffer more before I killed him."

    "Who? Oh, Zhan."

    His shoulders rose up and down with his breathing, anger taking over his heart as he discovered that he could, actually, hate that little nation even more than before. They deserved what they got when it was crushed.

    "Your Highness, it didn''t happen that often." she assured him.

    She placed her small hand over his large one, the coolness of her skin and the sweetness of her smile enough to calm him down.

    Sure, what was the use of getting upset over these things that had already happened? Everyone who ever did such a thing was probably dead or displaced, there wasn''t anywhere to direct his anger to, but the thought of a member of the Revenet Royal Family being used as a pawn like that made his blood boil.

    His thumb stroked along her four fingers that were curled gently around his hand and she didn''t like the little chills such a careful touch gave her.

    "I don''t care how many men you slept with so long as you did it of your own volition." he shook his head.

    "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I''m all right." she smiled.

    "Well okay, then. Let''s eat."

 [Chapter 24] "Do You Want Pink Candy?"

    "Are you excited, Your Highness? You''re finally starting classes today!" Ina cheered as she followed behind Shiyao, a large parasol over her head to shield the morning sun.

    "I haven''t studied in years." she replied, "I''m a bit nervous, I was never a good student."

    "You''ll pick it up fast, Your Highness. Ranharan culture wasn''t that far removed from ours."

    "It''s the magic I''m worried about." she admitted, gathering her robes up as they came to some steps leading to a short bridge. Ina had tried to talk her into the pink one but the colour was too strong for her taste, so she opted for a champagne coloured leine with gold embroidery down the swinging sleeves, and a dress that was a powder blue hue with matching gold embroidery. She had forgone the seaicead, the short split sleeve jacket, for the weather was getting too hot for it.

    "I heard that your teacher is from the university." she continued. "He''s a well respected leader, the Queen chose him herself."

    "What''s his name?"

    "Yu Liang." she whispered, head darting left and right to check that no one had overheard her. "He writes novels, too, Your Highness, beautiful love stories that would make any girl''s heart skip."

    "Novels, huh?"

    When was the last time she read something for fun? Everything was for work or for research, between that and meetings she had never thought to read for pleasure.

    "Can you find his works for me? I might be able to understand him better."

    "I have them all!" she stressed, hopping down the last two steps on the other side of the bridge and stumbling slightly.

    "Watch yourself."

    "This way, Your Highness."

    "Why is this so far?" Shiyao complained, fishing a fan out from her pouch. "Why can''t he come to see me?"

    "He insisted upon the classroom."

    "There''s a classroom?"

    "The Palace is its own world, Your Highness. The children of nobles are educated here, but don''t worry. You''ll be in a private room."

    "Well that''s a relief." she sighed, fanning and walking at the same time towards the green, blue and red stone building with "Laoji Academy" inscribed along the top of the main gate.

    "We''ll be inside at the back, Your Highness."

    "What if he thinks I''m an idiot?" Shiyao wondered, following Ina through the gate and into the main courtyard where some students were gathered around on shaded platforms, looking over books together and not noticing her entrance.

    "You chose a nice outfit today, Your Highness. You even have the crane headpiece on, he''ll love that!"

    "Why?" Shiyao whirled around, startling the younger woman.

    "Well, it''s from the legend, the Children of Rin." she commented. "You don''t know the legend?"

    "No I don''t know!" she hissed, the pins in her pretty braided half up-do shaking slightly.

    "Maybe he won''t mention it?" Ina smiled weakly, glancing at the clock on the stone archway. "We have to get going, Your Highness!"

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    "Okay, right." she shook her head, joining Ina as they picked up the pace and rushed through the inner courtyard of the school that was lined with what looked like classrooms full of young children.

    As they reached the main building, the age of the students seemed to increase, teenagers occupied one classroom and another one was full of young adults, it seemed. Towards the back there was a study hall, library, teacher''s study and a large open door leading to the outside garden.

    "It''s out the back, Your Highness." Ina pointed to the open door.

    The women emerged outside once again, the private garden quite tranquil and as they turned right there was, indeed, a room with ''Private Member''s Room'' written across the top. It was raised up, just like the rooms in Kingfisher Residence, and she could see the shadow of a figure sitting by a table through the paper screen doors. She wondered why they were closed on such a hot day.

    "Let''s go inside, Your Highness." Ina nodded, looking more nervous than she''d ever been before.

    In a show of solidarity, Shiyao linked her arm through Ina''s, the pair of them climbing up the short staircase. Shiyao knocked first, and a clear voice replied that she could enter. Ina stepped forward and slid the door open.

    "Presenting Her Highness, Princess Shiyao!"

    The princess gathered her robes once more, looking down as the door opened and she carefully crossed the threshold.

    "Your loyal subject kneels before you."

    Shiyao smiled at his greeting. His voice was very pleasant, she imagined it wouldn''t be difficult to learn from him and as she glanced at his bowed head, she noticed that his hair was wavy and cut short, a style she had yet to see in her short time in Revenet.

    "Please rise, teacher." she said warmly, looking to Ina as she hopped over the threshold, keen to take a glance at the famous author. "You have hair in your eyes..."

    She was distracted for a moment as she helped her lady in waiting pull a few strands of hair from her eyelashes, smiling as she got them all free and Ina could see clearly again.

    "Shall we get started, Your Highness?" Yu Liang asked and Shiyao turned back to face him, her face falling as she took him in.

    The short, dark wavy hair.

    Wide, sharp eyes.

    Strong eyebrows and an even stronger bone structure...

    As she took in his features, her heart felt like it stopped beating in her chest and her right hand grabbed Ina''s forearm. Why was there a lump rising in her throat? And why was her vision getting blurry? She couldn''t see how concerned Yu Liang was with her odd reaction, even Ina, who was a huge fan of his, wasn''t feeling this overwhelmed.

    "Your Highness?" Ina asked, her head dipping to try and get a better look, though the princess turned away to look elsewhere, willing the moisture to dry up, a hand on the base of her neck trying to calm herself down.

    Yu Liang was the spitting image of Prince Min.

    It was true that he had been in her thoughts more and more as the days passed. She often wondered about how he was doing and where he might be. The further she found herself from her old life, the more she needed the good memories to keep her going in her new life. Sometimes she dreamed about the moment in the Court Room, when Min found out that she had lied to save his life and the lives of their people.

    Sometimes she went to him.

    Sometimes the others killed him.

    And sometimes, his voice desperately called out for her.

    Min was a shameless flirt, he was proud and boisterous and didn''t listen to her when she told him to stop pursuing her. He was the first person she trusted enough to give everything of herself to, which turned out to be one of the best decisions she had made. But he couldn''t ever be hers, not in the way they would have liked. He was a Prince and she was apolitical by default and that was unethical and not allowed.

    He was her first love that couldn''t be a first love.

    She had never given him much thought while in Ranhara, not really. He still managed to find a way into bed with her when he was visiting his parents in the Palace, but aside from that, he wasn''t someone who had occupied a big part of Ara''s heart.

    But Shiyao thought about him a lot.

    She often thought about the last time she ever saw him in his blood stained clothes, how he turned his back on all of them and not knowing what he did next sometimes kept her up at night. Leaving like that was admirable, she thought. It wouldn''t be easy for him, no matter what he decided to do after.

    By comparison, she felt like a coward.

    She took the easy way out, using the excuse of anger and lies to run away from making her own path. This was where she came from, but she often doubted if this was where she belonged. The image of Prince Min''s back served to remind her that she had other options and no one ever forced her to go to Revenet.

    At the very least, right now, she had to survive the present.

    The Princess let out a long, quiet breath, sniffing briefly and blinking the tears back, her shoulders dropping in relief as the moment passed her by. She managed a bright smile, finding the courage to look at Min once more.

    No, he wasn''t Min.

    Yu Liang...

    Yu Liang.

    He wasn''t Min.

    "Let''s get started, teacher." she nodded, waving Ina off and greeting Yixing as he arrived to guard the doors.

 [Chapter 25] Love Drunk

    A drop of ink splashed onto the paper below.

    A pen rolled between two fingers.

    Shiyao stared down at the words she had mindlessly scrawled in her messy hand.

    ...ness

    ...Highness?...

    Was this the kind of thing her teacher was looking for when he had asked her to write creative non-fiction?

    Sleeplessness had plagued her for days since Master Yu Liang had arrived. When it was time to eat, she had no appetite. When it was time to rest, her mind wouldn''t stop racing. The wetness that kept pooling in her eyes every so often was unwelcome, but necessary. Writing this letter hadn''t made her feel better at all, if anything, it was making it worse.

    Who the hell was Prince Min to occupy her mind like this?

    Why was she even thinking about him so much?

    It didn''t make any sense and she didn''t like it.

    "Your Highness!" Ina''s cry startled her and she turned in her seat to see her by the door to her room looking almost as tired as she. "Your Highness, please! You can''t keep going on like this! What if you get sick?!"

    "I''m fine, Ina." she smiled wearily, only making the lady-in-waiting whine even more.

    "No, that''s it." she huffed, marching over to the princess and forcibly hoisting her up. "We need to go and walk outside, you''ve been here all week! Master Yu Liang has had to come all the way here just to teach you!"

    "Okay." Shiyao nodded, not protesting as the younger woman gripped her arm.

    "You can''t even fight me on this?!" Ina wailed, stepping away from her to take a closer look. "Your Highness!"

    "Sorry." she smiled weakly, appreciating Ina''s genuine concern.

    "What is this about?" she asked, looping her arm through the elder woman''s and tugging her along to walk with her outside.

    She couldn''t tell her.

    The idea of becoming Queen one day was really rather appealing and she didn''t want Jing Han to know anything about her sudden love sickness over Min. She couldn''t even be sure if it was Min that she missed, or if he was merely a representation of something more than that, but if there was something she was sure of, more than anything else, it was that telling others your deepest fears and feelings was a fool''s game. You never know when they might decide to use it against you, or if they would happen to let it slip to someone else who would.

    "Just missing Ranhara a little bit." she confessed, which wasn''t untrue.

    "Oh, Your Highness! It hasn''t been that long, and Ranhara was always ours anyway - you can go back any time!"

    Shiyao actually laughed at her words, though she was sure Ina wasn''t trying to be funny.

    "It''s more the people." she clarified, blinking in the mid-morning sun as they stepped outside into the courtyard, Yixing bowing as they passed by and following after them dutifully. "Well... a few of the people, certainly not all of them."

    "Don''t you feel at ease with us yet, Your Highness? Oh, I''m sorry!"

    "I do!" Shiyao assured her with a smile. "Please don''t worry."

    "Well, it''s your day off from study today. What would you like to do?"

    Shiyao had to admit, having a daily routine really did help. It stopped her from wasting away her days doing nothing and made her appreciate her free time much more.

    "Your Highness..." Ina''s voice dropped to a whisper as she leaned in closer. "There''s going to be a party tonight in Master Luo''s residence. All the advisors are going to be there."

    "And?"

    "And... well it''s only for the young advisors." she explained. "And friends of, but... Master Zixuan is going to be there."

    "Aha." well, that made a lot of sense.

    "I''m afraid you''re not invited, Your Highness, it''s for non-royals only."

    "Naturally."

    "Will you leave the key for me under the paving stone?"

    "Of course."

    "I''ll try to be back early. Thank you, Your Highness."

    "So, you and Zixuan?"

    "Ah! No, no..." she raised her hands in protest. "Of course not."

    "But you like him?"

    "W-well, that''s not why I''m going."

    "Then why are you going?"

    "Just... because I want to, Your Highness."

    "And will there be other women at this party?"

    "Lady Dana will be there with Lady Wen."

    "Who invited you, then? You''re not an advisor."

    "Master Luo invited me." she clarified. "He knows so many people, he just spreads the word and we go."

    "Fine." Shiyao nodded.

    As night fell, Shiyao helped Ina get ready for the party, insisting that she do her makeup and she had to be thankful towards the younger woman for truly distracting her from her blue mood. The rest of the residence had already retired, leaving only themselves and Yixing awake.

    "I''ll walk you over." the princess offered.

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    "No need, Your Highness! It''s a secret party."

    "Then I''ll walk you half way."

    "Okay, then."

    "Take a look."

    Ina glanced into the mirror, gasping at her own reflection. She looked so... grown up? Mature? maybe even... sexy? Seductive? Oh, there was no way Zixuan wasn''t going to notice her that night.

    "I look so different." she murmured.

    "Do you like it?"

    "Oh yes!" she grinned. "I feel like a real grown up."

    "You are!" Shiyao giggled, smacking her lightly on the arm. "How about your hair? Do you want to borrow my pins and accessories?"

    "...I can''t, Your Highness, it''s not appropriate." she shook her head.

    "I have some from when I was still The Witch Ara. How about those?"

    "If Your Highness insists."

    "Yes!"

    Ina smiled as Shiyao jumped up and zoomed over to the chest of drawers in the small closet room attached to her bedroom, pulling open the top drawer and retrieving a wooden box.

    "Here." she began, setting the box on the vanity and opening it for her.

    "Oh my God!" Ina gasped. "These are... these are even more fancy than what you wear now, Your Highness."

    "What can I say? I''m like a magpie." she shrugged. "I think this one would be nice with your robes since you''re wearing deep blue."

    "I was just looking at that one, but... how do you wear it, exactly?"

    "I need to change your hair." she said, getting to work once Ina gave her permission. It didn''t take long, pulling out the braids and loops she had going on and she was surprised at how long her hair was once it was all free. She took her finest brush and swept her hair up into a high ponytail, securing it in place with a large band, pulling and tweaking until it was in the perfect position.

    The head piece was, like all of the head pieces she used to wear, one large loop where her ponytail went through and another element. In this case, very large sapphire and crystal gems wrapped around the ponytail in a flower-like fashion and cascaded down to form a straight, wide strip down the center, falling just below the hairline in the middle of her forehead. She pinned the under parts in place and used the tail end of a comb to pull some hairs free to frame her face.

    To finish the hair, Shiyao grabbed some fragrant oil and rubbed it between her palms before fingering it through Ina''s hair and giving one more comb. The final touch was the pair of matching earrings, the sapphire and crystal gems fashioned into a lotus-like flower shape that sat delicately along the ear lobes.

    "All done." she smiled, standing back to let Ina take herself in.

    "Now I feel too fancy." she admitted, her eyes lowering as she wasn''t used to seeing herself look so elegant.

    "It is a party, isn''t it?"

    "Yes."

    "And Zixuan is going to be there, right?"

    "Yes."

    "So this is one way to get his attention - you look stunning."

    "Thank you, Your Highness."

    "Let''s go!"

    Ina had insisted on Shiyao only escorting her halfway as the location of a secret party must be kept secret and she almost envied her lady-in-waiting as she watched her walk off, ponytail swishing and hair pieces glittering in the moonlight. She looked more confident than ever. Seeing Ina having such fun dressing up had cheered her up enough to want to dress up with her and so she was standing in the middle of the Central Square of the Guorun Palace in a muted laurel green leine with sleeves so long they almost brushed the floor. The overlaying sleeveless dress was the same colour as the leine at the shoulders, but faded down to a rich black silk, the edges of the dress having been shaped and embroidered to mimic bird feathers.

    The most outstanding feature of the set was the neckline that was cut wide to expose the decolletage, dipping down below the shoulder blades at the back. A number of matching jade accessories hung along the belt, a fine pair of stone earrings dangling from her ears that drew attention to her neck and delicate shoulders. Her hair was tied back into a low-do, two long golden pieces sitting along either side of her head like a laurel wreath.

    It was a shame she was so dressed up and had nowhere to go.

    "Yixing, if you wouldn''t mind," she began, turning to her quiet and conscientious guard, "Would you please go to the party and keep watch on Ina?"

    "My only duty is to guard Your Highness." he replied with a formal bow of apology. "I will not leave your side."

    "I see." she nodded, glancing back in the direction Ina had disappeared.

    Zixuan would be there, she reminded herself. She didn''t have to worry.

    A few other people who had slipped through the central square caught sight of her and scurried off, no doubt also attending the party. What a waste of a good outfit. Min would''ve-

    No.

    "Yixing, what do you suggest I do now?" she asked, looking over at her handsome guard, whose immaculate brows furrowed slightly.

    "I suggest Your Highness return home and take rest."

    "What if I want to go drinking?"

    "If that is what Your Highness wishes, I will accompany you."

    What a reliable person.

    Without a word, Shiyao chose a direction that seemed to lead to the part of the Guorun Palace where there was life - lights and noise somewhere in the distance.

    The Guorun Palace was truly massive. The Court Room, King and Queen''s Quarters, the armory, The Royal Guard, Laoji Academy, the palace doctor, the kitchen that exclusively served the royal family, food stores and the residences of all member of the Revenet Royal Family were located in the inner Palace.

    The outer palace was where the advisors like Zixuan and Lady Dana resided, farms where crops and animals were maintained and where the tradesmen who directly supplied the Palace worked and lived. It was policed by the Royal Guard, ensuring the commoners who lived there weren''t selling their wares to outsiders. Restaurants, shops, bars and the famous courtesans resided in the outer palace, not far from the private royal hot-spring.

    The two worlds were separated by a wall and a single gate entrance guarded by beefy men.

    The closer the hustle and bustle of the outer palace drew, the more reluctant Shiyao felt about walking past the huge gate and so she stood before the exit, the bright lights illuminating her pretty face while she watched the world move. If she were queen one day, she wouldn''t have to worry about where she could or couldn''t go. She wouldn''t need permission from anyone to do anything, right? There were protocols, of course, but no one had more authority than the king and queen.

    High pitched laughter caught her attention and she watched two young women around her age, maybe younger, dressed in very flashy, expensive looking robes that sat around their shoulders stop by the gate entrance. The fabric had many colours and their shoes were exquisite. Their hair was styled in a way she hadn''t seen before, braided heavily around one side of the head, the other side being scraped back tight against the scalp. How much of that was real?

    She had resented the responsibility that was forced upon her in Ranhara, but now that there was literally nothing of any significance for her to do, becoming queen would be her ticket to freedom. King and Queen Yun wouldn''t let her leave, she knew that much. Leaving the palace permanently was much harder than it seemed, because everyone within it had their role and responsibility towards the royal family and if you turned your back on them, they would do the same to you.

    "Yixing?" she called, spinning on her heel and stopping dead as Wang Jun stood a few paces in front of her looking... dark.

    A cold sweat broke out over her skin as she stepped back when Jun stepped forward. Why wasn''t he saying anything? Why did he look so intimidating? Her fingers curled as sharp tingles danced through her palms and her breath caught in her throat.

    "Master Jun."

    The swish of Yixing''s cloak blocked her view of her cousin, whom she hadn''t seen or thought about since that day in the Court Room. Was he angry at her? Did he want to hurt her? What the hell was he doing stalking around at night like that?

    "I was just on my way to see Shiyao." he said coldly. "What a coincidence."

    "The Queen has already ordered that you do not cross into the inner palace, nor are you to have any contact with Her Highness. You know this well."

    "How heartbreaking." he commented, a crooked smile on his lips. "Being treated like an outsider while my cousin gets all the benefits of inner palace life."

    "Leave now, Master Jun, and save some face."

    "He''s right!" a peal of laughter rang through the air as a heavy hand slapped down on Shiyao''s shoulder and she didn''t have to look up to know that it was Jing Han.

    A tipsy Jing Han.

    "Why the sour face, dickhead?" the Crown Prince laughed. "Who the fuck even let you in here?"

    "No one opposed my entrance."

    "Yeah?"

    Before Jing Han could say another word, Yixing had drawn his sword, holding it inches from Jun''s neck.

    "You are not to be around Her Highness." he repeated.

    "H-hey, it''s not that serious, alright?"

    "The orders of Queen Yun are to be respected." Yixing continued, keeping Shiyao behind his back as the tip of his sword drew closer to her cousin''s cheek, slapping the skin as it made contact, and he slowly pushed him around until he was facing the gate. Shiyao couldn''t see how pale he had become, she could only hear the tremors in his voice as he protested against how he was being treated.

    "Get the fuck out." Jing Han spat, and the moment Yixing lowered his blade, Jun made a swift move towards the exit.

 [Chapter 26] The Wildest Dream

    "Any progress on your challenge idea, Your Highness?" Shiyao asked as the Crown Prince mulled over papers and slapped a hand over his tired eyes. He had invited her to his study after running into her outside where Yixing had scared Jun away, and he was more than impressed with the guard''s loyalty.

    "Nothing." he groaned, his body becoming limp in the chair, head rolling to the side to regard her. "I''m never gonna be king before I''m fifty... what''s so funny?"

    "Nothing, Your Highness." she smiled. "Tell me more about the rules."

    "Well, there''s a good few." he began, sitting up properly. "It has to be of benefit to the people, proof that I can govern and have long lasting effects."

    "Oh, okay." she nodded, reaching over to take a mint candy from the pretty white dish in the middle of the table and popping it in her mouth. "So you''re going to tackle part of the economy, Your Highness."

    The economy?

    Jing Han blinked, clearing his throat.

    "Are you saying that our economy is not good?"

    "It is good." she agreed. "But economies serve the interest of the elite."

    "You-!" he started, finger in the air as he pointed it right at her. "Our economy serves everyone."

    "Is that what they told you, Your Highness?" she smiled. "Well, then. It must be true."

    "How would you know about any of this?"

    "Because I spent my entire adulthood working in diplomacy, I know very well how it serves the elite and how we always manipulate it in our favour." she continued, picking up a mandarin orange and focusing her attention on rolling it against the dark wood. "Those at the bottom can never be too comfortable - they make up the majority of the workforce. They need to be pushed harder to produce more and generate more money, which creates more jobs, which means more people buy more things and there''s more money to go around. People are greedy, Your Highness. That''s something us and the poor have in common. We always want more, but the difference is that throwing them a bone costs us almost nothing, but it greatly improves their impressions of and attitude towards the state."

    Jing Han tried to ignore how much louder his heart was beating in his chest.

    Fuck, fuck, fuck, how could not have thought of something so obvious?

    "I mean, unless you''re not allowed to do that kind of challenge, Your Highness. What did King Yun do?"

    "He didn''t challenge for the throne, my grandfather died quite young."

    "How about your grandfather, then?"

    "Our great-grandfather also died pretty young."

    Shiyao raised an eyebrow.

    "Sounds fishy." she commented and Jing Han cackled.

    "I didn''t want to look at the records, I wanted to think of something by myself."

    "Well, that''s just my idea. I wouldn''t know how to go about executing it." she shrugged and he smirked at her outright lie. "What does Your Highness think?"

    Huh.

    Jing Han laughed to spite himself - she was treating him like a peasant and throwing him a bone, and if he was being totally honest with himself he couldn''t find her any more attractive at that moment. Her nonchalance, the sheer confidence with which she spoke of these things ought to have put him to shame.

    Truthfully, he hadn''t even thought that big - going as far as introducing a law - he didn''t think it would be in the realm of possibility so he hadn''t even considered it and yet, there she was, tossing it out there like it was no big deal while she casually rolled the damn orange under her fingers.

    "Well, I''d have to send some trusted people out to go and live among the people in the poorest regions, have them report back for... a few months, half a year, maybe? Then using that data I could come up with proposals and draft legislation to help alleviate the worst of it."

    "You need to-" she began, stopping herself. "That sounds like a great plan!"

    "Speak."

    "May I?"

    "Yaoyao... you''re the only person who''s been of any help so far, and I know you''re on my side, right?"

    "Of course, Your Highness." she replied, ignoring the flutter in her stomach at the pet name. That was new.

    "So be honest with me, what am I missing?"

    "Well, you won''t know until you begin." she finally dug her nails into the orange skin and began peeling it back. "I just wanted to say, don''t give them more than scraps. Enough to make their lives a bit easier so that they''re grateful, but not enough to make them complacent or else it''ll only brew more discontent."

    "And?"

    "And... the officials who are in charge of carrying out the policy can''t profit from it in any way. You''ll have to keep it working as it should, at least until you''re crowned."

    "So I''d need more informants to dish up the dirt."

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    "Not necessarily, Your Highness. You could pick someone with less influence, plant evidence, charge them and make an example out of them."

    That was the hottest damn thing he''d heard in a long time.

    How bold.

    How brazen.

    To so openly discuss deterring corruption by being corrupt - she was so ballsy and that was exactly what he needed. Maybe she would prove to be a better choice than Dana after all? He had kept Shiyao in mind anyway because of her family, but for some reason it never entered his head that she, herself, would actually be a useful person to him. It made total sense, she was basically running the show back in Ranhara.

    How had he missed this?

    "Which one is my star?"

    Shiyao looked over to Jing Han as they stood outside near the lake on the pagoda overlooking the water.

    "When is your birthday?"

    "The thirteenth day of the third month."

    "And the year?"

    "Nine hundred and nineteen."

    "May I have your hand?"

    Jing Han held out his left palm, watching with curiosity as she inspected and traced the lines over his skin, nodding in understanding. He followed her from the pagoda as she scurried outside, her head tilting back as she almost looked vertically up. He wondered what her smile could mean. She grasped the stone on her necklace in her hand, wrapping three fingers around it, her index finger resting on the tip of her nose, her thumb resting under her chin. She closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating before muttering: "Show me."

    Her hand suddenly flew upwards in the direction of the star, palm outstretched, the stone suspended in mid-air. Jing Han quietly gasped as multiple circular glyphs appeared, each one zooming closer and closer until a star that was lightyears away appeared before them in perfect clarity through the window of the final glyph.

    "There it is." she whispered, admiration clear in her expression. "It''s beautiful, Your Highness."

    Jing Han craned his neck, pinching the back of it when the muscle cramped.

    "This won''t do." he muttered, shrugging his floor length seaicead off and laying it out on the grass below, gripping her wrist. "Join me."

    She no longer shook with nerves when he touched her, indeed, she didn''t seem uncomfortable any longer.

    "Your seaicead will get dirty on the grass, Your Highness." she pointed out.

    "it''s just an outside coat, it''s supposed to get dirty." he replied, sitting down and laying back, his palm outstretched towards her. "Join me."

    Shiyao said nothing, but took his hand and carefully sat down on the expensive robe.

    "Please." he added, frowning and clearing his throat as his tone came out softer and more plea-like than he had intended.

    Shiyao bit down her bottom lip for a moment, heart racing as she lay back, expecting to hit fabric but hit an arm instead.

    "Your Highness." she began, moving to shift away, but the mere touch of his fingers on her half-covered shoulder was enough to stop her.

    "It''s fine." he assured her. "The ground is too hard."

    "It''s not appropriate." she murmured, though gingerly laid back down as he wanted.

    "Says who?"

    "I don''t... I don''t know."

    "Are you not attracted to me?"

    "Sorry?" she spluttered, her cheeks heating up as he laughed. "I-I- Your Highness! I thought you wanted to look at your star?"

    "Then tell me about it."

    "It''s beautiful." she commented, raising her finger. "The colour is like that of a pearl, it''s bright and shiny but not blinding and its rotation is quite slow. That''s a sign of longevity - you''ll live a long and healthy life, Your Highness."

    "Is that so?"

    "The lines on your left palm match the lines on the surface, the crevices. That''s how I know it''s yours." she reached over his body and took his hand, holding it up so he could compare. Huh. It really did match. "Your birthday narrows down which part of the sky to look at, and royals usually have brighter stars."

    "Does everyone have a star?" he asked.

    "Yes."

    "And you can find them all?"

    "Some are harder than others, but eventually, yes."

    "Show me yours."

    She smiled that smile again, her pendant floating up without a word and her hand moved very slightly to the right, the star next to his now becoming the focus.

    "This is mine." she said.

    "It''s right next to mine?" he questioned, "Alright, gimmie your hand, missy."

    Shiyao giggled in surprise as he grabbed her left wrist, holding it up and comparing the details on her palm, studying it closely against the giant star swirling in the middle of the glyph. Why did he look so handsome when he was concentrating? His resting face was already so serious, conniving, even, but it suited him down to the ground.

    "What does that mean?" he asked after a minute, not letting her palm go. "Your star is right beside mine."

    "Your star has always been beside mine." she replied. "Probably because everything was leading up to me arriving here, and you''ll be the next king. The position can change after major events."

    "Your star is brighter than mine." he noted. "What does that mean?"

    "It''s a sign of potential." she lied. "I''ll do great things."

    "The colour is different, too." he said. "It''s got a reddish tinge. What does that mean?"

    "It can mean different things depending on the person." she replied. "Red can mean passion, love, new beginnings or bloodshed and vengeance."

    "What does it mean for you?" he asked, turning to look at her.

    "I don''t know." she sighed, and it was the truth. "I''ve never been any good at interpreting my own star, so I usually don''t bother."

    "Thank you for showing me." he said lowly.

    It must have been after midnight when the Crown Prince offered to send her home and as she was feeling sleepy she accepted without protest.

    "Here, you can put your arm in mine." he murmured, and so she slipped her hand through the gap, her hand lightly resting on his forearm. "I enjoyed the time we spent together this evening."

    "Me, too, Your Highness." she replied genuinely.

    The pair enjoyed the sounds of night time as they approached the area where he had run into her, Yixing and Enda, Jing Han''s guard, dutifully following behind. The moon shone high over the Guorun Palace, bathing the grounds in light as they passed through. The Crown Prince smiled as Shiyao let out a long yawn.

    "Rest your head." he urged her and for once she didn''t hesitate, her head leaning comfortably against his shoulder where it barely brushed the top.

    It really did make her feel more relaxed, and if she wasn''t still moving she might well have fallen asleep standing up.

    "Your loyal advisor kneels before you."

    Jing Han looked ahead, spotting Lady Dana some meters away, flanked by another woman. Shiyao, thankfully, hadn''t bothered to open her eyes.

    "Dana." he nodded, noticing her shiny eyes and red cheeks. Was she drunk?

    "Your Highness." she began, getting to her feet somewhat shakily. "Your Highness, who-"

    "I thought I told you not to disturb me when I''m with company." he interjected. "Although since you''re so interested, we had a very... productive evening. Did you enjoy Master Luo''s secret party?"

    Dana couldn''t tear her gaze from the woman on his arm who was wearing such low cut robes. She was the same one as last time, her clothes were much too grand for her to not be of nobility.

    "Yes." she replied somewhat defiantly. "I did, very much so."

    "Good." he smiled. "Then, we will be off first. Get back safely."

    With that, it was all Dana could do to watch the pair walk past. It wasn''t her place to say anything, but fuck did it hurt watching him be so close to someone else. Even if they weren''t official, everyone knew that they had something going on. This was embarrassing, to say the least. Could he not have a shred of decency and at least keep it private? He had spent time getting to know her well, enough to really make her feel special and loved and with her family''s position and their relationship''s progression, she was certain that she would be queen one day, no questions asked.

    Maybe it was wrong of her to assume anything before he had made an official engagement announcement.

    But she couldn''t lose him without a fight.

    She wouldn''t.

 [Chapter 27] Maybe If The Night Werent So Blue

    Yu Liang had never been more proud of himself than he was when he saw Princess Shiyao demonstrate her newly acquired magic skills with precision and confidence. The foundation was already there, he supposed, but by and large his work was done on that front. All of the magic he could legally teach her had been taught and truthfully, he didn''t know much more himself.

    The history and culture lessons would have to continue, though he could tell that the more parallels she drew between Ranhara and Revenet, the faster she understood why things were the way they were. She understood that she would never be queen unless she married the man who would take the throne - Revenet did not allow a female heir to reign. The king must be of direct lineage to previous kings, thus a selection of concubines was necessary in the event that the queen did not or could not birth a son.

    He hadn''t missed how Shiyao had muttered under her breath about what the point of having a direct male line was if half of the kings were useless without their wives and the advisors around them. Spoiled, spineless brats, she had called them, who hadn''t bothered learning how to govern well because they''d be king no matter what. It was a very difficult argument to counter, that much he acknowledged.

    "And besides," she added, "King Min Yun wasn''t of direct lineage, Queen Zhi Xiu was, though. So how come after they founded the nation, the tradition remained, even though they hadn''t stuck to it?"

    "Well, their son who took the throne, Yun Hao, he wasn''t as loyal to his wife as King Yun was to Queen Zhi Xiu, and she to him. By all accounts, those two were very much in love with each other, but also held each other in high regard with mutual respect and trust. The fact that Queen Zhi Xiu fought so hard and sacrificed so much to take over Old Revenet only to essentially hand the fruits of all her efforts to her husband was proof of that. I suppose Yun Hao never found anyone he loved that much, he was far too fond of his freedom and decided to bring the tradition back under his reign."

    "Ah, well that''s a shame." she sighed. "I wish I could have my own King Yun one day."

    Yu Liang smiled to himself as he sat behind the table at the head of the room, sipping his tea.

    "I''m sure you''ll find that person." he nodded.

    "I don''t think that I''m someone who should be adored." she replied, not seeing how her teacher frowned in concern.

    "I won''t hear any self-deprecation in this classroom." he scolded her, his tone harsh enough to make her flinch in surprise.

    "Sorry, teacher."

    The weather was cooling down as Shiyao exited Laoji Academy and Yixing had dutifully prepared her seaicead, her jacket, that he helped her put on to combat the cold. She had chosen a pink, purple, blue and white set of robes that day - the soft blending of the four tones across the dress had reminded her of clouds at dusk. The leine underneath was a soft periwinkle, not standing out against the rest of the colours and the seaicead matched.

    That day, rather than go back to Kingfisher Residence, Shiyao decided upon the library. She wanted to read more about Queen Zhi Xiu''s life and see if there was anything she could learn from her. The grand old building was a stone''s throw away from the school, so it was surprising to find it devoid of life once they stepped inside.

    "Yixing, where is everyone?" she whispered to her guard who had kindly leaned down to hear her.

    "No one really comes here much, the students prefer to study in the library within the academy since it''s closer to the teachers."

    "What a waste."

    With that, Yixing took up post at the entrance to allow the princess to browse freely.

    The library was musty and desperately needed a clean, Shiyao mused as she carefully peered at each section, wondering where she might find a biography. The library opened up into a rounded area where there were a few tables and tall windows that ran from floor to ceiling with pretty decorations, and the rest of the sections were on the other side. A staircase to the left wound up to a balcony area that was blocked by heavy red velvet curtains, giving no clues whatsoever as to what lay beyond.

    Despite the streams of light illuminating the dust floating through the air, Shiyao powered ahead into the back shelves. Some books were locked up in a glass case - perhaps they were old or contained dangerous secrets - whatever they were, they were definitely worth looking into. Her eyes trailed down the rows of books in the ''famous figures'' section, scanning over every spine and finally spotting the collection with Queen Zhi Xiu''s name on it. It was only after pulling out a few dusty books did something else catch her eye:

    ''Yves, The Summoner.''

    A summoner?

    What was that?

    Shiyao pulled the book out, dropping it on top of the others with a low thud before turning to go back to the central area but a young man, who had appeared without a sound, was in her path. Something was telling her that she had seen those very elaborate green robes before, that head of wavy ash blonde hair and ocean blue eyes that stood out against his tanned skin. She had certainly seen this ridiculously handsome man before.

    But where?

    "Well, if it isn''t my descendant." the man''s voice was deep and very easy to listen to.

    "Ah." her shoulders sank with realisation. "You''re Lu."

    "Indeed."

    "Aren''t you going to greet me properly?" she replied suddenly, her boldness surprising even herself.

    "Hmmm... No, I don''t think I will." he grinned and Shiyao couldn''t tell whether he was mocking her or not. "If anything, you should be greeting me."

    "I don''t even know who you are."

    "Fair enough." he shrugged, pushing off from the bookshelf he was leaning against. "I''m not unlike you, Shiyao."

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Shiyao?

    He was calling her by her first name?

    "Who are you to call my name so casually?" she demanded, heat rising in her cheeks as her anger grew.

    "You''re definitely a royal, don''t let anyone tell you otherwise." he chuckled.

    "Listen here-"

    "No, shan''t." he interjected. "Didn''t they teach you any manners? My, my... What I was getting to was, you have visions, and that''s something we have in common."

    "Is that so?" she jerked her head to get some stray hairs out of her eyes. "What a coincidence. Please move aside so I can go and read."

    "You''re interested in summoning, it seems." he nodded towards the books.

    "I don''t even know what it is yet, because you won''t step aside."

    "Miss Shiyao has quite the temper, where was that when you were in Ranhara?"

    "I don''t-" she began, his words sinking in before she could finish. "How would you know?"

    "Oh, I know a thing or two what goes on elsewhere." he smiled. "This place is quite suitable for receiving visions, if you ever feel like it."

    "I''ve no use for them any longer."

    "Well, something tells me after you dive into that book you''ll be coming here more often."

    "And why is that?"

    Shiyao took a few unsteady steps back as Lu sauntered closer. He wasn''t as tall as Jing Han or Yixing, but he was definitely well built, and while the princess was becoming well known for her beauty, his was ethereal, so much so it was making it difficult for her to look at him directly.

    "Do you want me to show you what a summoner does?" he murmured, his face a mere couple of inches away from her own.

    Even with her racing heart, her curiosity was much stronger than her shyness and so she found the courage to look up: "Yes."

    "Very well."

    She only felt his gentle hands on her face and his soft lips on hers for a second before everything went dark and, as with her own visions, blobs of light gradually made their way in to form imagery.

    A young woman in a white dress with long flowing hair sat cross-legged in a tranquil looking hall, her necklace floating before her.

    ''I devote myself fully to you, please return my loyalty with your own and defend this place.''

    It wasn''t clear to whom the lady was speaking, but after a moment, a huge glyph appeared directly overhead, as high up as the ceiling was. Streaks of light burst from the glyph, creating a pretty pattern along the ground that gradually widened and before long, a strong wind picked up out of nowhere, sending papers flying everywhere, so much so that it was becoming hard to see. It wasn''t unlike when she conducted the funeral service for the late king, but instead of the light going up, it was coming down.

    Shiyao looked up once more, gasping as a large horn emerged through the glyph, the owner of which, an unbelievably huge horse-like creature, soon followed. The wings on its back allowed it to hurtle towards the ground at incredible speed, swooping to land and coming to a standstill in front of the woman, who slowly rose up and approached the animal, but kept herself small.

    ''The Witches are trying to overtake this land. Please protect us, please help us defend ourselves. We can''t do it without your help.''

    The creature couldn''t speak, but it seemed like it understood, for the next time Shiyao blinked, a raging battlefield appeared before her eyes. The Reckoning Tree stood strong in the background and she ducked as the beast flew overhead, disturbing everything around with the turbulence it caused.

    The Witches, despite their lesser magic ability, seemed to overwhelm the field - they commanded thousands of archer-less arrows and spears through the air, but weren''t as accurate as the Demons who didn''t need physical weapons to manipulate. Rather, it was their ability to defend that was giving time for some unusual looking soldiers towards the back to perform some strange incantation with their heads lolling back and arms raised in the air that, once they slammed their palms into the ground, resulted in the very earth shaking as dozens of bodies, both on and under the ground, rose up to fight on their behalf.

    A skull-piercing screech resonated through the air and Shiyao forced herself to watch as thousands of beams of light or some kind of force of energy rained down upon the Witches, destabilizing and blinding them, causing their weapons to drop to the ground.

    "NOW!" a female voice bellowed and Shiyao whipped round.

    A young woman in crimson robes with countless layers, her hair and hands covered in gold, bravely stood atop a hill with her arm outstretched. She and a hundred other soldiers worked together reciting a short incantation before directing their palms towards the ground and slowly upwards. The Witches, on the other side, half of whom had collected themselves enough to get to their feet didn''t realise what the Demons had done until they resumed commanding their arrows, only to find themselves being shot instead.

    Shiyao''s mind raced as those on the Witches side who hadn''t yet been struck by their own weapons sounded the alarm, screaming that the Demons were using some kind of mirroring magic and to hold fire.

    The huge horse circled above as the Witches stilled, looking around with their eyes wide and their bodies braced.

    "Amazing, isn''t it?" Lu''s voice nearly made her jump out of her skin. "It''s okay, they can''t see or hear us. That being is called Sinai, a Celestial Guardian."

    "I thought they were just myths!"

    At that moment, screams and cries erupted from the field as thousands of beams of light cascaded down upon them.

    "They''re the ones who show us the visions we have." he explained. "They don''t just come out of thin air."

    "How did that woman-"

    "Yves."

    "How did Yves summon a Celestial Guardian to fight for them?"

    The pair ducked down behind a large rock as Sinai zoomed past once more, their hair flying around in the strong wind it created.

    "I''ll leave you on a cliffhanger." he smirked. "You can read the book to find that out."

    With that, darkness encroached on every corner of Shiyao''s vision until it went dark completely. She couldn''t hear the screams of soldiers any longer, nor could she feel the wind on her skin, only the slow thuds of her beating heart and the heady sensation of a pair of soft lips moving against hers. A gentle scratch of fingernails against her scalp sent a tingle all through her body and a small whine caught in her throat, her lips parting just enough to allow him in.

    The thud of three books cascading to the floor didn''t register with either of them, for every touch, every slide of the tongue against the other held them captive in their own little world.

    It was so lovely.

    "His Highness, Crown Prince Jing Han has arrived!"

    Shiyao let out a low gasp as Lu pulled away, right hand still lingering on her cheek where he gently brushed her shiny lips with his thumb, leaning down to steal one more kiss before stepping back completely, giving her a warm smile that she was too dazed to return.

    "Yaoyao! You''re here." Jing Han called, telling her to right herself when she bowed in greeting. "Lu, long time no see!"

    "You, too."

    Shiyao dropped down to collect the books she realised were no longer in her hands, taking her time to stack them neatly while she tried to process what just happened. Lu had just kissed her out of nowhere... was it just to show her a vision? How did he even do that? How was it possible to share something like that? It was almost like they were in a dream.

    Her eyes landed on the book about Yves.

    "Yaoyao, you okay?" Jing Han''s voice traveled through the shelves and upon looking up she realised Lu had already disappeared.

    "I''m fine, Your Highness!" she called back.

    For some reason, she didn''t want Jing Han to know that she was reading about summoning. It felt so... private. Deciding to leave it for later, she quietly set the book on the filthy bottom shelf where she was crouched, grabbed the other two and stood up.

    "It''s time for dinner, I was just on my way to eat when I saw your guard outside."

    "Is that so?" she replied, finally emerging from the dusty shelves into somewhat cleaner air where Jing Han leaned against a table waiting for her.

    "Here, let me." he smiled, the corners of his mouth pulling up into that feline grin that she loved as he took the books from her, holding them in one large hand without any trouble, the other extended towards her. "Let''s go."

    Jing Han didn''t miss how she glanced out the window, how her fingers curled into her palm. It was still light outside. The thought that perhaps she wasn''t ready yet flew through his mind, but just as he turned his palm to usher her out instead, she grabbed it.

    "Let''s go."

 [Chapter 28] Pluto Still Orbits the Sun

    Tang Zixuan watched as Lady Dana studied alone within the civil servants quarters.

    Rain was falling quietly, but steadily, from white clouds covering the sky as he stood in the courtyard with an umbrella and a box of sweets.

    He hadn''t heard Crown Prince Jing Han mention her name at all lately, save for when he instructed him to deliver the sweets. Princess Shiyao was certainly becoming a favourite topic of his to discuss. It wasn''t his place to share his opinions with Jing Han, so he refrained from mentioning how much of a bad taste it left in his mouth to watch him, in the end, treat Lady Dana as nothing more than a tool. He had been crazy over her for so long, and yet just like that she had all but ceased to be of any interest to him.

    Was it just the right of a Crown Prince to treat people as nothing but resources?

    "Lady Dana?"

    Dana looked up from her books, frowning slightly as Zixuan stood by the entrance, but invited him inside nonetheless.

    "What brings you here?"

    "His Highness sent me."

    "He did?" her eyebrows raised in surprise.

    "He asked me to deliver these sweets to you." he explained, gently setting the box wrapped in pink silk that was embroidered with blue hydrangeas on her table. A moment passed while Dana stared at the silk and rather than excuse himself, Zixuan spoke again: "May I sit?"

    "Please." she nodded, pulling the sweets towards herself to examine the silk further. "Did he say anything?"

    "He just told me to deliver these to you."

    "Did he choose this silk?"

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    "I believe so." Zixuan lowered his eyes.

    Dana sighed and glared over at all the books laid out on her table. Why was Jing Han being like this? He had admired her so much, doted on her and always sought her out for night time strolls and they''d talk until the sun was due to rise. He''d flirted with her so much, for so many months they''d been getting closer and everyone was talking about what a good match they were and how they should hurry up and get married.

    She hadn''t heard from him in weeks, and when she did run into him he was so dismissive towards her, and for what reason? What reason did he have to suddenly change?

    Wait.

    "Zixuan," she began, getting his attention and moving back slightly as tea was brought to them. "Who is that woman who''s always hanging around His Highness?"

    Zixuan took a mouthful of tea before answering: "Wang Shiyao."

    "Her clothes are so elegant, is she a noble? Surely she''s not from that Wang family?"

    "I''m afraid so." he replied, taking another sip of the black tea. "And her family is very powerful."

    "She''s already royal..." Dana sank back in her chair. "So, she''s some distant relative of his? Are they dating?"

    "I''m not sure if they''re dating, but he is spending a lot of time with her."

    "Why? Isn''t he focusing on his Challenge proposal?"

    "He is." he nodded. "But you needn''t feel threatened. Shiyao grew up in Ranhara, she knows nothing about how things work here or who''s who."

    "She''s not that... Witch is she? The one who get visions like Lu?"

    "She is, but as I say, she still doesn''t know anything about Revenet. Jing Han is merely taking an interest in her like one would a new toy - so don''t feel uncomfortable, he''ll come back to you after time."

    Dana gave him a look, but he didn''t falter. It might be true, after all - who was he to say that Shiyao could keep his interest?

    Some time after, as Zixuan excused himself, Dana sat in the quiet of the study room, unable to concentrate on the research she was doing for the Crown Prince because her attention was taken entirely by the blue hydrangeas on the silk cloth that wrapped the sweets. She turned it slowly in her hands, round and round as she tried to convince herself that Zixuan was right.

    He wouldn''t just leave her like that.

    His attention was taken by the pretty new toy, but he would come back eventually.

    Wang Shiyao was no use to him - no amount of study would make up for a lack of cultural exposure, after all.

    It was decided then, there was no need to feel threatened by her. Even if the Crown Prince himself was blinded for a moment, the princess didn''t have a single merit that she couldn''t match, and even if she did have better family connections, she wouldn''t be any use as Queen. If there was one thing she knew Jing Han hated, it was incompetence and there was nothing she was more sure of than that.

 [Chapter 29] Burn the Witch

    "Did you see the bulletins posted around Orchid Town?"

    "Aye, can''t believe it myself - how can the King and Queen keep someone like that in the Palace, even if she''s family?"

    "Sleeping around with all the diplomats just to get them to sign trade deals and treaties - it''s an absolute disgrace!"

    "And themuns are the ones who preach to us all the time about morality - one rule for them and another for us, huh? Who cares if she was born here, she was raised by those Witches, how could they just bring her over like that?"

    "I don''t trust her all the same, how are we to know she won''t betray us in a war? Or influence the royal family with her wiles? I''ve heard there''s even word going around that the Crown Prince wants to take her as a wife-"

    "As Queen?!"

    "I know - she''s a nasty piece of work, I don''t support her at all, a Queen can''t have such a vile reputation."

    "I thought the Crown Prince was running around with one of the special advisor - forgot her name, though, what was it..."

    "Lady Anna!"

    "Yeah, Lady Anna! She might not be a royal but she''s a much better choice, don''t you think?"

    "I wouldn''t know anything about all that - no one really knows what goes into deciding things like that. Sure remember when Queen Yun was crowned, everyone thought the queen would be his cousin, Princess Jing?¡±

    "That''s true, aye."

    Lady Dana couldn''t help but listen in on the conversation between the two vendors as she ate through a bowl of dumpling soup. The Outer Palace was the best place to hear all the latest gossip - a surprising amount of which seemed to not only be true, but to have spread before any official news came out of the Inner Palace that confirmed it. But where had this rumour come from? Ranhara was such a small country that most citizens of Revenet were never aware of its existence until they took it back.

    She knew she shouldn''t indulge in rumours, but Princess Shiyao''s past wasn''t something she knew much about aside from most of the decision making responsibility having fallen to her while she was their head Witch or whatever. She hadn''t heard anything else about her, but now she was curious.

    If it were true, did His Highness know?

    If she made him aware of it, would he come back to her instead?

    There was no harm in checking it out, right?

    Dana pulled her cloak hood up over her neat hair and collected her things, heading out of the shop and down to the main gates.

    Orchid Town wasn''t a far walk from the Outer Palace, twenty minutes by foot, and she could always take a carriage on her way back - no one outside knew who she was, not everyone inside the Palace knew who she was either, but it was still too risky to have anyone know where she was headed, just in case.

    The evening began to creep up as she finally set foot in the busy town, and she didn''t have to look too far before spotting a bulletin. Small groups of people were crowded around here and there, all of them whispering amongst themselves while they pointed towards the red letters on the large hanging pieces of scroll. As she passed by, some it was clear that quite a handful of them weren''t completely sure about what, exactly, was written and Lady Dana snorted at the last Kingdom Report that boasted literacy figures of almost one-hundred percent.

    She rounded a corner, past a butcher and a cobbler, where the street was much quieter and finally came across a bulletin that no one was looking at - though no one had bothered to remove, either. Her eyes widened as she scanned down the document, the accusations rather damning:

    "Princess Wang Shiyao, eldest daughter of Wang Merchants and Trading and the powerful Magistrates of this country, was formerly known as The Witch Ara of Ranhara. During her time in Ranhara where she served the royal family, Wang Shiyao engaged in prostitution among the rich and wealthy, diplomats and politicians in order to seduce them into doing her bidding. These are not baseless accusations, but accounts told by many a nobleman of good moral character and standing.

    While our Crown Prince has finally come of age to Challenge His Highness King Yun for the throne, how can we accept that this woman is around the most dignified and powerful people in our nation? How can we allow her to be around the Crown Prince and the Royal Family? How can we know for sure - while she is in the Guorun Palace - that she will not manipulate the Royal Family into doing her bidding, too?

    While Wang Shiyao is in the Palace, how can we rest well at night not knowing whether anything the Royal Family do from now on is or isn''t an evil trick from this Witch, in an effort to bring down our great nation? How can we know that she isn''t here to get revenge for the fall of Ranhara?

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    People of Revenet!

    Protest the Princess!

    For our King and for our country!

    Let''s protect ourselves from evil!"

    Well.

    That was quite a statement.

    Lady Dana looked around, making sure there were no eyes on her as she carefully removed the poster, folding it several times and hiding it within a book in her satchel.

    "You lost, miss?"

    Lady Dana froze as a gruff voice came from somewhere behind her, and she turned on her heel to find a man with a greying and untidy beard had appeared in the doorway to a warehouse a few steps away. He held what looked like an entire skinned sheep in one hand and a huge meat cleaver in the other, his rubber apron covered in blood splatter and black marks.

    "Not at all." she smiled politely. "I was just passing through."

    "You interested in those signs?"

    "They certainly made some bold claims, anyone would be interested to read them." she replied gingerly. "I don''t suppose you know who posted them?"

    "A group of young lads."

    "Local boys?"

    "Aye."

    "Oh." she nodded, every fibre of her being screaming at her to get away from this man before she gave herself away. "Okay. Well, have a good day."

    "Uh huh." he grunted, his beady eyes stuck on her as she briskly made her way past and disappeared around the corner from where she came.

    Dana didn''t dare take a carriage back to the Palace. She couldn''t quite gauge if that man was hostile towards her because he could tell that she was from the Palace, or because she asked a question, whatever it was, she was wondering if the people really were angry at the Palace for allowing Princess Shiyao in.

    There was certainly a lot of work that needed done on the infrastructure of Orchid Town, the roads were uneven, unfinished and full of pot holes and the smell from the drains alone was enough to raise a dead man. All the while the Palace had celebrated and welcomed Wang Shiyao back with such fanfare, such pomp and ceremony.

    The more loyal of citizens would argue that it was the right thing to do, because the royal family were chosen by the universe and everyone had their place in society, and it wasn''t proper for such dignified people to not hold such a ceremony to welcome back one of their own. Others would feel more bitter about the no-expense spared approach while they couldn''t so much as have one road that was smooth to travel on. Dana wasn''t sure who she agreed with more.

    *     *     *

    "I WANT TO KNOW WHERE THESE RUMOURS ARE COMING FROM! PRINCESS SHIYAO IS BEING TARGETED BY WHO ONLY KNOWS, TRYING TO DEFAME HER AND TARNISH HER REPUTATION AND I WON''T STAND FOR IT!"

    The room of special advisors and civil servants kept their heads down as Crown Prince Jing Han ranted, his black robes still flowing gracefully as he became more animated. Zixuan stood by the side of the table, head and eyes forward as he was instructed to look for anyone suspicious.

    Jing Han''s shoulders rose and fell, fists curled against the dark wood of the head table of the hall they occupied.

    "I will be setting up an investigation into this - if any of you are found to be part of it I''ll have your tongues and your hands." he threatened, straightening up at last. "Princess Shiyao has just as much right to be here as anyone else in this family, an attack on her is spitting in all of our faces."

    The bulletins had made their way into the Outer Palace, and it didn''t take long before everyone in the Inner Palace, from servant staff to the ministers, was talking about it. Shiyao knew fine well she wasn''t popular with everyone even in Ranhara, though given her position, was spared from most of whatever animosity there was towards her.

    She''d never experienced this before, though.

    When she stepped outside on a pleasant but chilly Wednesday morning, she couldn''t help but notice how all eyes turned towards her, how they narrowed in suspicion and how everyone lowered their voices to whisper things to each other that she couldn''t hear. If it were just one or two people, perhaps she wouldn''t have given it much thought, but to have it happen every time she passed another person, every time she rounded a corner and to have the people she usually interacted with - the teachers at the academy - suddenly be so very cold towards her - made her feel more like an alien than ever before.

    Just when she was really beginning to feel at home.

    She had asked Ina, but Ina claimed she didn''t know. Jae practically bolted the second he saw her return to Kingfisher Residence. The servant staff in her home only told her to ignore it before they carried on with their work. Ina wasn''t helping by being extra-cheerful because it only confused her more. Just what was everyone talking about and why was everyone around her trying to keep her occupied with food, books and painting?

    Shiyao had always believed that she never gave a damn about what others thought of her, but upon reflection, she realised she must.

    As night fell and the house went to sleep, Shiyao slipped out of bed, throwing on a thick long coat to step outside where Yixing was standing guard, faithfully as always.

    "Your Highness." he greeted her.

    "Yixing." she began, her head tilting up so she could look at him properly. "What on earth is going on?"

    "We were instructed not to tell you, Your Highness." he replied.

    "By who?"

    "His Highness Crown Prince Jing Han."

    "Is it very bad?" she asked. "What they''re saying about me?"

    "I think that anyone who believes such rumours, anyone who would think less of you, Your Highness, for it, does not deserve to serve the Royal Family."

    "I see." Shiyao managed a half-smile. "They think that I''m some scarlet woman."

    "Your Highness is not to be blamed." Yixing replied.

    "And yet it matters to everyone, it seems." she pulled the coat tighter around herself.

    "Crown Prince Jing Han has already declared an investigation to find out who the culprit is. Please be assured, Your Highness, you are still the apple of his eye."

    "That''s very kind of you, Yixing." she said softly, placing her hand on his arm momentarily. "Thank you."

    With that, Shiyao slipped back inside and back into her plush bed, pulling the covers up high around her ears and curling up tight.

 [Chapter 30] Rats Race

    It snowed in Revenet, in the Guorun Palace, anyway. Shiyao smiled as she stood out on the back terrace of Kingfisher Residence, never having experienced real snowfall before. Ranhara, while it got cold in winter time, never really got cold enough for proper snow.

    Ina had insisted that she begin wearing the fur lined jackets, and to her surprise they actually did a good job of keeping her toasty warm - it was her feet that were problem. She no longer wore boots like she did in Ranhara and she noticed that her toes got very cold indeed while outside which meant casting spells on herself to keep warm.

    "Your Highness!" Yixing''s voice, uncharacteristically alarmed, made her spin on her heels immediately.

    Her bodyguard planted one hand on the marble table as he bent over, completely out of breath and barely clasping his hands together in greeting.

    "What''s wrong?" she asked, "Ina, fetch him some water!"

    She motioned for him to sit down at the table, which he did with some hesitation and scolding from Shiyao. The princess frowned as she watched him, hands planted firmly on his knees, his eyes focused downwards instead of on her, chest still heaving from the speed at which he had to escape the situation he had found himself in not twenty minutes prior. Ina brought black tea with milk and sugar bowls so they could refresh themselves.

    "The person who spread the rumours, Your Highness, I found them as per your request." he admitted and Shiyao dropped her teaspoon in surprise.

    "You did?"

    "Yes." he nodded, shoulders still rising and falling as he drank some tea to try and calm himself. "As you requested, I went to some nearby towns, disguised myself as a commoner and began grumbling about you, forgive me Your Highness-"

    "No need. You did what you had to do." she assured him. "What happened then?"

    "Well, eventually some young men in a bar approached me, we talked for a while about the Royal family - the things I said! I''d be hanged for treason, Your Highness!" he shook his head, his breath finally coming back to him. "But, they eventually let me in on a job they were doing for a man who was paying them a handsome sum each. They warned it was risky but that it paid off if you didn''t get caught."

    "Hanging the posters?"

    "Yes, and spreading the gossip around. They told me where to go and when. When I turned up, there was a man dressed in common garb like me, but the way he spoke made it clear that he was from the Palace. His ring gave it away."

    "His ring?"

    "Male stewards are made to wear them. He has a lowly position, it definitely wasn''t his own idea - he''d be sentenced to death for it! Moreover, he didn''t recognise me and it didn''t make any sense that a steward would have the first clue about you or your history, Your Highness, nor care. I knew he was being paid off by someone higher up to carry it out. I found out where he was staying and knocked him out, then went through his things. That''s where I found the correspondence."

    "Did you bring it back?"

    "I did, Your Highness." he nodded, placing a notebook on the table and sliding it over to her. "I thought it best I come to you first."

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    "You were right to do so." she replied, flipping the notebook open and scanning over the letters that were received.

    The person giving instructions, they were absolutely adamant that the Crown Prince not find out about any of it. In later letters, the desperation was tangible, noting that the Crown Prince had launched an investigation and to begin immediately misdirecting the entire operation so that none of them would get caught. The promise of double the pay meant it couldn''t be a Civil Servant, and given how much this person seemed to care about the Crown Prince, it didn''t take much to put two and two together.

    Yixing''s heart sank as he watched Princess Shiyao''s expression fall with the realisation of who the mastermind behind the entire smear campaign against her was.

    "May I inquire as to the reason why Her Highness has paid a visit to me today?"

    "I think you know why." Shiyao said, rudely taking the top spot at the table and forcing the master of the house to sit in a lower position.

    The cautious way in which he moved around her, the way that he couldn''t look at her properly, how hesitant he was to speak... it all gave him away. The look of horror on his face when she slapped down the letters only confirmed it.

    "Now now!" she snatched the papers away the second his hand reached out for them, handing them to Yixing. "Sit up straight and let''s have a chat about this, why don''t we?"

    "Y-Your Highness, I-"

    "You what? Can explain? You think I want to hear whatever bullshit excuse you have to justify trying to drive me out of the Palace?" she snapped, startling him. "I don''t know what on earth I''ve done to offend you so damn badly, Tang Zixuan, but as the Crown Prince''s closest friend and advisor, I didn''t think you''d honestly be stupid enough to come up with this flimsy plan that led directly back to you. I had no idea you felt this way about me, but I guess I better watch my back more closely now that I know you''re after me."

    "I''m not- Your Highness, please-"

    "You can dislike me, I don''t care." she said, leaning forward, her voice lowering, "But I am very much favoured by the Crown Prince. You know he was personally offended by this attack against me and by how my life has already become a living hell in this place - I can''t go anywhere without people talking about me even though they''ve all stopped talking to me, my servants are being refused service when they go to collect household supplies, they''re getting into altercations with others who now think they''re shameful for being part of my residence - this isn''t just about me, do you understand what a nightmare you''ve created for everyone around me?"

    Zixuan kept his eyes lowered, his fingers scrunching into the fabric of his robes as he supposed it didn''t actually cross his mind that innocent people would get dragged into it. His mouth had dried up, though, and he couldn''t get any words out at all.

    "Did you think for a second that such vile gossip would only go as far as me?" she laughed. "I might be from Ranhara, but even I''m not that fucking naive. That steward you set up to carry this out might face the death penalty for what he did - but if he squeals and names you, what then?"

    Shiyao leaned back in her seat as Zixuan suddenly met her gaze.

    "What exactly do you think the Crown Prince will do to you for ostracising me, attacking my character and questioning his judgement in who he would like to have by his side? This is an attack on him, too, you understand? So, for spreading rumours and writing up those orders and the script for the bulletins... What is the punishment for that for someone of Tang Zixuan''s position, Yixing?"

    "Removal of the tongue and hands, Your Highness."

    "Oh, that''s quite nasty." she grimaced.

    ¡°What more do you have to say?¡± Zixuan sighed in defeat. "Do you want me to beg on my knees?"

    "What''s the point if you don''t mean it?" she replied. "No. I''m going to give you a chance, because I know that you care deeply about the Crown Prince, as do I, and as much as I want justice brought to you for what you did, I don''t want the Crown Prince to know that it was his best friend who betrayed him."

    "T-thank you, Your Highness. I won''t forget your generosity."

    "In exchange," she continued, ignoring his thanks, "I''m going to need a name."

    "A name?"

    "The name of the culprit." she smiled, a slight rush of satisfaction running through her as she watched him falter. "If it''s not you, then it must be someone else. So tell me, who was it?¡±

    "Your Highness, I-I-I can''t name anyone."

    "Oh, now the righteousness comes out?" her lip curled as she leaned on her hand, watching him intensely as though trying to make him melt under her gaze. "How disappointing. In that case, I''ll pick someone for you."

 [Chapter 31] Hush

    The Internal Affairs Court met on a sunny afternoon a few days later. The Crown Prince sat at the head table, Tang Zixuan to his left and Princess Shiyao to his right, who was nursing a steaming cup of tea. The Civil Servants appointed to investigate the matter sat along two tables adjacent, each team side representing one team who had the results of their investigation ready to present.

    Jing Han didn''t notice the careful looks and slight nods exchanged between the civil servants and Shiyao, nor did he notice how pale Zixuan had become. Dutifully, Yixing sat at the end of the table beside Shiyao, ready to move at a moment''s notice. He didn''t know any details about what had transpired since his discovery, it wasn''t his place to question it and quite frankly, he wasn''t interested so long as it meant that the princess was unharmed. He had worked on making himself look more imposing in hopes that it would make the palace workers quieten down when they arrived, so that Princess Shiyao need not endure more rudeness than she already had, and as far as he could tell it was working, if her comments were anything to go by.

    "Your reports." Jing Han called, waving a hand to beckon the servants over.

    "Your Highness," they began, bowing low as they held out the small stacks of paper in their outstretched hands. "Please review the results of our investigation."

    Before Zixuan could move, Jing Han had personally snatched the reports from them and laid them side by side. Everyone waited with bated breath as he looked through, scanning over every page before his eyes finally landed on the culprit:

    ''...it is with full confidence that we have traced the source of the slander against Princess Shiyao as having originated from Special Advisor Lady Dana.''

    Jing Han slumped back in his seat with a sigh.

    It made sense, after all. He had been neglecting her, he hadn''t been interested in her since Shiyao showed up - that much he was ready to admit - and while he was the Crown Prince and he expected devotion from all of his staff, Lady Dana''s case was different. She wasn''t just anyone, and he hadn''t thought that pushing her aside in favour of Shiyao would result in her acting out like this.

    He was disappointed, but not exactly surprised by the result.

    While Lady Dana was the only one responsible for her actions, ultimately he was the root cause of it. He wondered what his parents would think? They were furious about the treatment the staff at Kingfisher Residence had endured, and even though they knew full well about Shiyao''s past, they were livid that anyone in their own circles in the Inner Palace would dare to try and make her - and by extension, them - look unwise and immoral. Jing Han wasn''t good at predicting his own parents moves, a lifetime of only caring about himself had resulted in a fairly distant-yet-respectful relationship with them, but he knew that since he was partly to blame for all this, he might as well try to appeal to them to get Lady Dana''s sentence lowered.

    "May I ask who it is, Your Highness?" Shiyao''s fingers rested on the rim of her cup. "You don''t seem very shocked."

    "No one of consequence." he assured her, reading over the report once more. "Special Advisor Lady Dana."

    "Lady Dana?" she repeated, wondering how it was possible for Zixuan to get even paler. There was something satisfying about watching him try to contain his anger. "That name doesn''t ring a bell. Why she would do such a thing?"

    "I have an idea." he nodded, flipping the report closed and turning to her. "In any case, you didn''t do anything wrong, so please don''t worry."

    "Thank you for getting to the bottom of this, Your Highness." Shiyao smiled, hand on her heart. "I''ll be able to rest easier now."

    Tang Zixuan bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself saying something he shouldn''t. Wang Shiyao was a real piece of work, he never expected that she could be so cold and calculating. He wasn''t sure how she even knew of Dana''s existence, but he hadn''t banked on her being able to influence the outcome in such a way. His fingers curled against his palm, digging his nails into his skin to distract himself. She clearly was aware of far more than he, and even the Crown Prince, realised. Jing Han had feelings for her, that much anyone could see, and if Zixuan didn''t know that Shiyao already figured out that he was behind it all, then he would have assumed she was just as helpless as she let on.

    And now Dana was going to get dragged into this mess.

    His fingers curled into the fabric of his robe.

    He should come clean in private, it wasn''t right that Dana should take the blame for something she didn''t do.

    But on the other hand...

    The consequences for him would be much more severe than for Lady Dana.

    The fabric scrunched tight in his hand.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    Did Wang Shiyao really care about the Crown Prince that much? He didn''t want him to find out - he didn''t want to be the bad guy in his eyes. It was just that everything was so much better before she arrived - she had completely distracted the Crown Prince, she''d ruined the relationship he had with Dana and given everything he knew about her past, he didn''t want that kind of person around the Crown Prince or his family.

    As his best friend, he wasn''t wrong to have his best interests in mind.

    He hated that Lady Dana was being forgotten about and cast aside when she was so capable in her position and loved the Crown Prince. He had admired her from afar himself, though he dared not say anything - he barely dared to think it - but he couldn''t deny that his feelings for her had grown uncontrollably.

    Maybe this sabotage of Wang Shiyao was pure revenge for how her arrival had affected Lady Dana.

    More than anything, he wanted Dana to be happy - even if being with her was never going to be possible in that lifetime.

    ''So you''ll let her take the fall for what you did?''

    "Your Highness! The head of the Royal Guard has arrived!" a steward''s voice rang loud and clear from the other side of the door.

    "Enter!"

    The doors swung open, revealing a man in his early forties with a short, neat beard and clad in formal police wear - a navy blue ensemble with a grey cloak over his right shoulder. He kneeled to greet the Crown Prince and listened carefully to what he was saying.

    "May I ask, Your Highness, where we are to bring Lady Dana? Will she stand trial?" his voice was calm, his expression genial and his posture upright yet relaxed.

    "No." Jing Han shook his head. "Send her to me, I''ll deal with her directly."

    "Very well." he nodded. "Keep in mind, Your Highness, that should your father find out and order a different punishment, there is nothing I can do but obey."

    "I understand. You don''t need to worry about that." he nodded. "Go now, please."

    "As Your Highness wishes." he bowed before backing out of the room and barking for two guards to follow him.

    *     *     *

    "Lady Dana?!" Queen Yun froze, teacup in hand as her son and Princess Shiyao stood before her. "My goodness."

    "Father," Jing Han began, his eyes downcast as he dropped to his knees. "Please allow Lady Dana to receive a punishment that I set for her."

    "And what would that be?"

    "Have her arrested and sentenced to two months in prison, then demote her status to that of a servant and cut off her family business from the Palace. I think that''s enough."

    King Yun was silent for several moments, running a hand over his bearded chin.

    "What say you, Shiyao?" he asked. "Do you think the punishment is appropriate?"

    "Jealousy can do strange things to people, Your Highness." she replied. "I trust that the Crown Prince will do as he thinks is appropriate."

    "Would you agree, then, with my judgement that Lady Dana and her family ought to be exiled?"

    "If Your Highness believes that it is appropriate-"

    "You''re not in Ranhara anymore." King Yun interjected. "Tell me what you think."

    Shiyao wrung her hands together as she stood before them.

    "I don''t think that''s necessary. She was acting out of jealousy, it''s understandable."

    "So you think that it is acceptable to slander the royal family just because one has feelings?"

    "Of course not, Your Highness."

    "Father-"

    "Quiet!"

    "Your Highness," Shiyao dropped to her knees. "Lady Dana is someone who is important to the Crown Prince. I know you are a benevolent and merciful ruler, and Jing Han shares your compassion. I do not think that Lady Dana receiving a different punishment is a sign of weakness. Their relationship was well known around the Guorun Palace, and I believe people will be understanding. If Lady Dana and her family are exiled, that gives them the freedom and anonymity to start over and live however they want, but if they are forced to remain in the country then they will have to live with the shame of their household''s actions so long as they live."

    Queen Yun glanced over at her husband, who remained silent, though was clearly thinking through what Shiyao had just said. She finished the last of the tea in her cup and set it down on the small ornate tray on the table beside her.

    "Father?" Jing Han chanced a glance up, but his gaze quickly fell back to the floor.

    "You''d do well to take Shiyao as your wife." the elder man scoffed, slapping his hands on the arms of the chair as he got up and strolled away without another word, a clatter of servants following quickly after him.

    "What does that mean, Your Highness?" Shiyao asked, shuffling quickly behind Jing Han as they left the King''s Quarters, entering into a garden that was hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the courtyard adjacent.

    "It means-" Jing Han stopped abruptly, stumbling slightly as Shiyao crashed into his back. He smiled to himself as he turned around. "It means that she''s not going to be exiled. Your argument convinced my father."

    "Oh, that''s good news!" she smiled, not batting an eye as his large hands came to rest on her shoulders.

    "But my father is right."

    "Right about what?"

    "I couldn''t win the argument by myself, just like I couldn''t come up with a Challenge strategy by myself. I had to rely on you."

    Shiyao''s smile faded as his expression turned into something she''d never seen before. He could barely look at her. Was he upset?

    "Well, that''s something I''m happy to do-"

    "No."

    "No what?" Shiyao could feel her face heating up as her heart thumped in her chest.

    "That''s not how it should be. I''m going to be King one day, I have to be able to do this on my own."

    "Your Highness..." her delicate hands landed on his elbows as he held her. "Are you saying that... you don''t want me by your side?"

    "I''m grateful for all that you''ve done for me, Yaoyao." he whispered. "I''m sorry I couldn''t even stop such horrible gossip from spreading."

    "Oh..." she gulped, the sting of rejection manifesting itself as tears in her round eyes. "Your Highness-"

    "I''m sorry, Shiyao." his hands fell from her shoulders, and there was nothing she could do but watch as he turned and walked away, leaving her alone in the garden.

 [Chapter 32] Heart Friend

    "I''m innocent! I didn''t do anything!"

    Dana''s voice rang out in the cold prison cell, a large room full of dark corners somewhere under the Palace near the stables.

    No magic could penetrate the cell, nor could it be performed within the confines of the prison. It was a strange, oppressive feeling, Shiyao noticed, the further she walked down the dingy corridor towards the cells the worse it became. She could practically feel her magic leaving her body and it made much more sense why the guards stationed outside every door were very large and muscular. Yixing followed behind the princess as she made her way further in, finally arriving at the last cell at the end of the block.

    "You''re awfully loud." she muttered, a streak of moonlight falling over her face as she approached the cell.

    "You!" Dana hissed, charging towards the impossibly thick bars separating her and her freedom. "It wasn''t me! I didn''t spread that gossip!"

    "The evidence was irrefutable, they said." Shiyao shrugged. "Luckily for you, His Highness still has feelings for you. You know very well what the punishment should be for such a crime."

    "I don''t care what the evidence said - It. Wasn''t. Me!" she repeated. "What, did you find out about me and decide to get rid of me? You know His Highness loved me?"

    Shiyao looked around, slightly bemused. "Get rid of you? You''re still here, aren''t you?"

    Dana''s fingers wrapped around the bars, her shoulders rising and falling. This bitch was pissing her off.

    "It''s because His Highness loved you that you''re here behind bars." she shrugged. "This way, everyone gets to keep their tongue."

    Dana frowned at her remark.

    What the hell was that supposed to mean?

    "What are you imply-"

    "Nothing." Shiyao sighed, folding her arms and looking the maid right in the eyes. "Sure is interesting, though. I''m not sure I could ever treat someone I loved the way you were treated."

    "Would you just spit out whatever it is you''re dancing around?"

    "Is that any way to talk to a Princess?" Shiyao shot back.

    "Oh, screw off!" Dana yelled, "Throwing your weight around as though you think you''re somebody. Nobody in this palace respects you - all you have is a title!"

    "Oh my." Shiyao deadpanned, hand on her chest. "Was I wrong to convince King Yun that you and your family should be spared?"

    "What?"

    "Make no mistake, the only reason you and your entire family haven''t been exiled is because I convinced His Highness that doing so would be a terrible misstep. The Crown Prince managed to change your punishment, but I was the one who made sure it didn''t go any further. I care about him, too, very much so, so don''t think for one second that I did this for you."

    "Yeah, right."

    "In any case, the Crown Prince won''t lose face by fooling around with a palace maid. It''s better to give up the idea entirely."

    "Look, Shiyao, I don''t know what I''ve done to offend you, but everything was going just fine before you showed-"

    "Before I showed up and ruined everything, yeah, you''re not the only one who thinks so." she interjected. "But since you''re on the same page as that guy, maybe you should take a look in his direction instead of pining after what can''t be."

    "What are you saying now?"

    "You didn''t know? You have a secret admirer." she smirked. "He''ll come to pay you a visit. From all accounts I''ve heard he''s a pretty decent guy, full of integrity."

    "Why did you even come here?" Dana spat. "You know it wasn''t me, you''re obviously not that stupid if you were able to convince King Yun - did you just come to taunt me or what?"

    "I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay."

    "Fuck off."

    Shiyao raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more and turned to leave. Indeed, why had she even bothered? It wasn''t as though she was going to out Zixuan to her. Maybe it was just to jab at her, to cover the embarrassment she felt from being rejected by Jing Han. The title of Queen that she had so boldly assumed to be hers already seemed like a distant dream. She wasn''t any different from Dana in that sense, but at least she wasn''t the one behind bars.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    She wouldn''t be Queen because she was the more capable one?

    What a load of bullshit.

    As they emerged from the underground, Yixing and Shiyao felt their veins being energized once more, and as they passed through the main square of the Inner Palace, Shiyao spotted the library in the distance. That guy, Lu, didn''t he say that it was a good place to receive visions? The time was just about right, too. It didn''t take long for the pair to arrive at the stone staircase leading up to the ancient building and Yixing wordlessly took up post outside while the princess ran inside.

    The huge circular window on the roof of the building, she realised, was in the perfect position. It allowed full moonlight to shine directly in, though it was fading with every minute. Shiyao zoomed over to the centre of the library, plopping herself down in the centre of the circular tiles and settling. She tried her best to calm herself down, closing her eyes and grasping her necklace, waiting for twilight to approach.

    She wasn''t sure why she was surprised when her vision darkened even further and splodges of colour began appearing, swirling and morphing and changing until they made solid shapes.

    Shiyao looked around as she found herself sitting on a long white marble bench. It was an observatory, she realised, as she spotted the stain glass window at the back of the building. Instead of constellations on the glass, it was a horseshoe covered in purple jewels. A blinding flash of light changed the scene again and this time it was a mountain summit where the torrential downpour was flowing back up to the sky. Another flash showed her a somewhat familiar scene - tall grassy plains with a tree split almost entirely down the middle, though it was still standing. Hadn''t she seen that somewhere before?

    Long ago when she was in Ranhara?

    "Congratulations!"

    Shiyao flinched at the sudden voice, the images in her consciousness wavering, blurring and eventually melting away. Opening her eyes, she blinked a few times as sunlight came streaming through the window, really showing off the dust in the air. She sat for a moment in her peach and cream robes, the fur collar of her jacket keeping her neck warm in the chilly morning air.

    "Don''t like what you see?"

    Lu.

    His skin seemed to glow in the morning light, tanned, healthy and radiant. He grinned as he descended the stairs in a very elaborate navy robe. She did wonder how he even went about putting on such a garment, she could barely tell what all the elements were.

    "That''s a shame."

    "Did you have the same vision?" she asked, standing up as he reached the final step.

    "How would I know what vision you had?"

    The jacket of his ensemble trailed over the floor behind him as he sauntered towards her, the rich gold embroidery around the edge depicted suns and moons while the sleeves and back showed all the constellations in a gorgeous cascading flow.

    "Don''t get any ideas about my robes, now, I can see you admiring them."

    "Where do you even get robes like these? I haven''t seen anything like them in real life before." she asked. "I thought mine were grand, but these are really something."

    "Thank you." he smiled. "They were gifted to me."

    "And the king and queen don''t mind?"

    "They don''t have the right to mind." he replied, chuckling at her gasp.

    "I don''t mean to be rude-"

    "Please, be rude."

    He smiled as she laughed, glad that she had lightened up somewhat. Still, it was clear as day that she wasn''t sure if she should ask what she wanted to ask.

    "You want to know more about me." he said and after a pause, she nodded. "Hmmm, what would you like to know?"

    "How are you able to speak so casually to members of the royal family? Why don''t they take offence?"

    "Ah, well... to put it simply, I''m not like everyone else."

    "You''re not a Demon?"

    "I am, but the circumstances surrounding my birth put me in a higher position than anyone else."

    Well that was helpful.

    Shiyao fidgeted with her nails, briefly catching sight of his fancy leather boots that were also embroidered in gold.

    "I''m sorry about what happened, with Zixuan and with Jing Han. After everything you''ve been through, you didn''t deserve that." he said lowly.

    "How did you know about-"

    "I know."

    Shiyao regarded him for a moment, wondering just how much he knew about everything. What kind of person existed outside of the jurisdiction of the royal family? Even when she was The Witch, she was still a subject of the Ranharan royal family and had to address and defer to them as everyone else did.

    Lu, on the other hand, seemed like he lived in an entirely different world where the rules didn''t apply to him, as though he were a mere spectator of the human existence. How could anyone circumvent the rules like that? Just what, exactly, was he? Was she the only one who didn''t know? The Crown Prince never blinked when Lu called him his name to his face, a bold move that would''ve gotten anyone else a severe sentencing.

    Still, it seemed rude to dig in deeper with more questions when it was clear that he was being purposefully vague.

    "Did you always know I wasn''t going to be queen?" she asked.

    Lu folded his arms as he leaned back against a table with a smile. "Well, if Jing Han wanted to take you as his wife, would you have accepted it?"

    That was a good question. She had been coming to terms with the normality of distant cousins marrying, and she was rather convinced that she could bring herself to do it when the time came. On the other hand, the thought of having children with Jing Han - something she knew she would have to do if they were to marry - was what made her feel sick to her stomach and reconsider the entire thing.

    She supposed it was rather arrogant of her to assume that it would be a dilemma she would have to face.

    "I don''t know." she replied truthfully. "...Do you?"

    "I do."

    Shiyao smiled slightly as the early morning sunlight cast a soft glow over her delicate face, though Lu could feel the sadness imbued in it and it almost broke his heart. She managed to meet his eyes once more as she spoke again:

    "Well that makes one of us, at least."

 [Chapter 33] Loneliness Goes Down Sweet Tonight

    "But... what would I even say to him? Like... hey... I''ll just be by your side and you can take credit for all my ideas or... like it''s not my fault that he feels that way, y''know?"

    Yixing sat opposite Princess Shiyao as she finished another yellow coloured cocktail of alcohol and juices.

    "Hey!" she barked, startling the bartender in the small, private bar Yixing had accompanied her to that Jae had informed her existed and Ina confirmed that was where the royals went to blow off steam. She held the cup out. "This... is still sweet."

    "Oh my! Your Highness, I put the juice of five lemons into it."

    "I said I wanted it sour!" she cried, and for a moment the bartender was afraid she really might burst into tears, "Why is it so fucking hard to have one thing go right?!"

    "Let me, Your Highness! I''ll make another one."

    "Make it sour!" she slammed her hand down on the solid wood bar. "Ow... Anyway... but I have like, self-respect, y''know? I don''t think it''s worth being with any man if he''ll take credit for my ideas..."

    "You''re absolutely right, Your Highness."

    "But then... I don''t think he''d even want to, he has self-respect, too." she sighed, head hanging down, hands planted firmly on her thighs. Her hair cloaked her face, hanging freely from the confines of any ties, pins or clips. "It''s a him problem, there''s nothing I can do if he doesn''t want to keep seeing me... I really didn''t think he''d stop coming, but... it''s been a week."

    "It has." Yixing nodded, accepting the new cup of alcohol for her, dutifully testing it before setting it down for her.

    "Did he just want a dumb bitch by his side the whole time? He just wanted to use me for my brain? Why does his inability mean I suffer for it? How the hell am I supposed to be quee..." she trailed, exasperating herself with her own rant and swiping the cup, taking a swig. Yixing was fast enough to grab it before she fired it across the room in frustration. "You drink it, then! Tell me it''s not sweet!"

    Yixing respectfully turned his head and took a mouthful, regretfully making eye-contact with the bartender as the acidity burned his throat and settled in his cheeks. He tried his hardest to stop his face from scrunching up and he simply nodded as the bartender mouthed an apology. Once he composed himself, he set the mostly-full cup back down.

    "Indeed it is, Your Highness."

    "Drink the rest!" she urged him. "Don''t waste it."

    "Your Highness, I am on duty. It would be irresponsible of me to take more than a mouthful if I am to protect you properly."

    Shiyao, with her fingers in her hair as she ran her hand through it, grinned.

    "I wish you had a way to protect me from this." she said, her voice hoarse from the inordinate amount of lemon juice she had consumed. "Let''s go home."

    Yixing stayed two paces behind the princess, his hands flying out every now and then when it looked like she was about to stumble over her own feet. Shiyao could barely walk straight, her light, fur-lined periwinkle robes swaying with her as she made her way through the palace.

    "Your Highness, Kingfisher Residence is that way-"

    "We''re going to the King''s Quarters." she said, stopping suddenly, her hands dropping down as she let go of the skirt of her robes. Her shoulders heaved as she took a deep breath of bitterly cold air and reached into the sleeve of her leine, fishing out some things that Yixing couldn''t make out. Her hands moved deftly even in her drunken state, and without understanding what he just witnessed, her hair was fixed up into a respectable do with simple ornaments.

    "Yixing," she began, the lights in Swallowtail Residence catching her eyes as they zoomed past. "Who is staying in the guest residence?"

    "Ah, Your Highness, that is..." he wasn''t sure how best to frame it.

    "Please spit it out, Yixing." she called back, stepping over the threshold into the courtyard of the King''s Quarters where she knew the Crown Prince would be that evening to officially begin his Challenge.

    She would wait for him while he was inside and confess once he stepped out.

    "Princess Kala of Lassan."

    Shiyao''s white leather boots scraped against the ground as her feet suddenly felt heavy, heavy enough to stop her in her tracks as she arrived outside of the main building. She didn''t even notice Zixuan as he jumped up to greet her, for all she could focus on were the four shadows being cast on the screen doors before her.

    Four...

    "Princess Kala came of age this year." she said simply, her fingers shaking, twisting into her silk robes as she found that she could no longer move.

    And Kala was invited to have dinner with King and Queen Yun.

    Shiyao had never been invited.

    Was it any wonder Jing Han hadn''t been to see her?

    Shiyao could offer him her priceless experience in diplomacy and governance, links to the magistrates and merchants through her family...

    but she couldn''t offer him guaranteed allegiance with another nation.

    She had, in the end, appeared in his life a bit too late.

    Shiyao bit down hard on the insides of her cheeks as tears welled up in her eyes, overwhelmed by the devastating realisation that there was absolutely nothing she could do. No amount of confession or love or promises could trump an entire country. Jing Han wasn''t stupid, and if she were presented with the same options, she would definitely choose the one that would grant her more power.

    Lassan was a nation by the Lazulite Sea populated by Demons, just like them. Unlike them, they had access not only to international ports and water, but valuable and essential natural resources that they exported to other nations: Demon, Vampire, Werewolf and Witch alike. How much a nation paid depended on how good their relationship was, and a marriage between two royals would practically guarantee free access for life.

    Would a confession even make a difference at this point?

    She hadn''t quite realised how much she liked him until that very moment when her heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vice, nausea swirling in her stomach and the tears she had barely held back finally breaking through and streaming down her cheeks. It was all she could do to keep her head bowed, biting down on her bottom lip as she tried her hardest to refrain from audibly sobbing.

    It was all Zixuan could do to watch her cry alone. Guilt seeped through his bones as he thought back on everything that had happened to her over the last month. He hadn''t had the guts to own up to what he did, he didn''t love Dana more than he valued his friendship with the Crown Prince and the privileged status that afforded him. Indeed, he was a coward, that much he realised about himself. Everything that he had done to Shiyao in Dana''s name, and everything she had endured because of it, in the end, was all for nothing. Once he had cooled down and had time to reflect, he realised that Shiyao was only acting out of love for the Crown Prince.

    Upon discovering that he was the culprit, she had done everything with what power she had to change the result of the investigation. Even though she was hurting, and her people had been through a hard time too, the only person she worried about was Jing Han. She did everything she could to stop him from getting hurt, too.

    What a fool.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    He didn''t think it was possible for him to lose even more respect for Jing Han after how he treated Dana, but once the word from Lassan had come through and his parents had summoned him to talk it over, he absolutely did. It was almost psychopathic, how fast he had dismissed his entire relationship with Shiyao in favour of the young Princess Kala. When Zixuan had pointed out that she was merely eighteen and basically still a kid with no knowledge or experience of the real world, Jing Han had perked up considerably.

    That was perfect.

    That was the point.

    To have a queen by his side who would not overshadow him, who would not make him feel useless or small and who he would be able to teach and guide himself.

    Who the civil servants would not respect in any capacity.

    There was no better person than Kala for the role, and Shiyao was out of the running.

    "Our Shiyao is out for an evening stroll, I..."

    Lu stopped in his tracks as her bodyguard with the big sword held his arm out.

    "The Princess is not to be disturbed." he said plainly.

    "I have some business with Shiyao, it''s rather urgent."

    "Her Highness is not to be disturbed."

    "I understand, but it''s of vital importance." he insisted, frowning as he could see the shadows on the other side of the screen doors moving. They were standing up, shit, he really didn''t have time. "I''ll grant you any wish if you just let me-"

    "Absolutely not."

    "Oh, let him through so he''ll shut up!" Shiyao yelled and not five seconds later, just as the doors were beginning to open, her body was spun around and a familiar pair of soft lips crashed against hers.

    Her hands were squashed against her chest as she was pressed up against Lu, unable to break free from his iron hold. A shiver rippled through her as he ran a hand up her neck and into her hair-do, and she blushed at the sound that simple action brought out from her, doubly so when she felt him smile against her lips. Just like before, she found herself slowly melting into the kiss, she could feel herself relaxing, and for a moment, she could barely remember what she was so upset about.

    Wait

    What the hell was she doing?

    The moment she wriggled in his arms, he stepped away, though his arms remained on her shoulders and-

    "Lu?"

    "Your Highnesses, long time no see." his deep, husky voice floated over the quiet night, and he nodded to the young princess standing between Jing Han and King and Queen Yun. "Hello, Princess Kala. My goodness, the last time I saw you you were only small. How do you do?"

    The young princess bounced on her toes and smiled, replying in her sweet voice that she was well.

    "Shiyao..." Jing Han looked between her and Lu. Surely... surely not? "What''re you doing here?"

    Lu immediately pulled her closer to himself and Shiyao could barely process what was going on, or understand why Lu had kissed her or where the hell he was going with this.

    "We were just on an evening stroll and, uh, got a bit carried away." he grinned, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Please excuse us."

    "Oh, there''s no need to apologise." King Yun said, though his tone was tight and his face said otherwise.

    Shiyao looked to Jing Han, whose gaze was fixed on her.

    He was disappointed.

    She had seen him angry and indignant and his temper was no joke. She''d seen him soft and sweet, suave while flirting with her and she knew how much of a spoiled brat and a harsh leader he could be and how he only really cared about getting what he wanted. She thought she''d seen every side of him.

    Maybe not.

    Or maybe she wasn''t what he ever wanted.

    Still, she couldn''t deny that there was something comforting about having Lu by her side at that moment. If the four of them had emerged to find her crying alone in the courtyard, that would have been more embarrassing than anything else, holy hell, what was she thinking? Especially when there was no guarantee that Jing Han would even pay her any mind, or if he did have something to say, there was no chance he''d do it in front of his parents. She should have just turned back the moment she saw four shadows.

    She had more pride than that, or, at least she thought she had.

    Alcohol wasn''t helping to clarify her thoughts or uncomplicate her feelings.

    A wave of gratitude suddenly washed over her for Lu''s interruption and she let her head fall against his shoulder in relief.

    The following morning brought with it freezing cold air, warm sunshine and an unexpected visitor.

    "Your Highness!" Ina called as she came running into the bedroom where the princess was getting dressed. "The Crown Prince has come to see you!"

    "What? Why?!"

    "He didn''t say. I''m sorry, Your Highness, he knows you''re here. I couldn''t send him away."

    Shiyao''s fingers wrapped around the corner of her dressing table where she was sat fixing up the accessories in her hair, her stomach twisting as her heart dropped. What on earth did he want?

    "That''s okay, Ina." she assured her, standing up slowly in her pale blue robes. She shrugged on a fur-lined vest and gingerly made her way out.

    "Good morning.¡± Jing Han greeted her from where he sat on the sofa of the reception room as soon as she appeared into view.

    "Good morning, Your Highness." she replied, greeting him properly, as formally as she should have been doing all along.

    "There''s no need for that." he laughed. "Come and join me."

    Shiyao simply nodded and took a seat opposite, thanking Ina for the tea and morning cakes.

    "I suppose Lu told you about Princess Kala."

    "He didn''t have to, Your Highness. As soon as I found out who was staying in the guest residence, I knew."

    "What did you know?"

    "That you would be marrying her."

    "Aren''t you fast." he chuckled, leaning back in the sofa looking as comfortable as could be.

    "Congratulations."

    "Thank you." he smiled, looking right at Shiyao, who kept her eyes focused on her teacup. "So I came here today because I wanted to ask you as well."

    "I''m sorry?"

    "To be my wife." he said. "Well, Consort."

    Her fingers wrapped around the teacup so tightly that Ina was concerned she might very well break it. An uncharacteristic darkness fell over her as she finally raised her head, an impossibly cold expression on her face that, even though it wasn''t directed at her, made Ina want to run fast and far.

    "Look, I don''t know what Lu has been-"

    "Is this because he kissed me," she interjected. "Your Highness?"

    Jing Han''s jaw tightened, finger tapping against the wooden table.

    He couldn''t quite believe what he saw the previous night, and it made him realise that while he couldn''t accept Shiyao as Queen Consort, he despised the thought of her being with anyone else, and given how upset she had been when he broke things off with her, he was certain she would accept what was offered to her.

    "No." he lied. "I want you by my side. It''s as simple as that."

    "But not as Queen Consort?"

    "You know that''s not possible."

    "Why not?¡±

    "You know why. I can''t have a Queen who civil servants will respect more than me."

    "What frightening honesty." she replied, drinking from her cup.

    "You should be honoured to accept-"

    "No."

    "What?"

    "I said ''No.'' Your Highness." Shiyao said, not a hint of doubt in her voice, and Ina had to cover her mouth to silence her gasp.

    "Are you seriously rejecting me?"

    "I believe you''re the one who didn''t want me first, Your Highness."

    ¡°You''ll never get a better offer than this.¡±

    "Probably not." she agreed, mirroring Jing Han and sitting back. "But I have pride, too. You drew the line at not wanting to rely on me to get things done. I was even willing to let you have credit for whatever I might have come up with as Queen. But I draw the line at being pushed aside in favour of someone else."

    "Is that so?¡± Jing Han''s mouth twitched into a slight smirk.

    Well damn. Maybe he''d misjudged her after all.

    "Consort is still a powerful position."

    "No."

    Jing Han sat up straighter.

    "But you''ll be willing to marry someone in a lower position? You can''t get more powerful than Consort."

    "I''m willing to marry someone who wants me and only me." she replied.

    "My feelings for you are still real!"

    "Then make me Queen Consort."

    "I can''t! It''s not part of the deal."

    "Then don''t take the deal."

    "I-" Jing Han started, "This deal isn''t just about me. You know that."

    "Then it''s unfortunate for both of us." she smiled slightly, playing with the ring on her index finger.

    "So I''m... I''m just supposed to have that kid by my side?"

    "Isn''t it what you wanted?" she asked. "Someone by your side who makes you look good? Kala is already pretty. I''m sure she''ll get even prettier as she gets older. Your kids will be cute."

    "Kids?! With her- She''s still a kid herself!"

    "Your Highness, were you so sure that I''d accept the position as Consort thinking that you wouldn''t have to touch Princess Kala and it would be our children who would have the first rights to the throne?"

    That''s exactly what he had convinced himself of.

    "Don''t you have feelings for me?" he asked finally. "Even if you can''t be Queen Consort, wouldn''t you be happy with your own child taking the throne one day?"

    "No." she shook her head, the smile on her face growing wider. "I wouldn''t."

    Morning light shone gently over the two as they sat together in the living room, Jing Han struggling to form his own thoughts and Shiyao being resolute in hers.

    Ina glanced over to Jae, who simply shrugged.

    Another minute of silence passed before the Crown Prince spoke again:

    "What''s your plan now, then?"

    "I have something in mind."

    "Don''t tell me it involves Lu."

    "And what if it does?"

    "You can''t... not him."

    "What''s wrong with him?"

    "He''s not even of our world!" Jing Han yelled.

    That got her attention.

    "What''s that supposed to mean?"

    "He''s an immortal, Shiyao. He''s not one of us." he said, sitting forward in his seat. "He''s from the immortal realm - you can''t even go there."

    "An immortal?" she repeated in disbelief. "Is that why he doesn''t have to defer to anyone?"

    "Exactly. He just likes playing around in our realm. So don''t get involved with him, promise me you won''t!"

    "Your Highness,"

    "What?"

    "I''m rather tired." Shiyao said.

    "You just got up."

    "Of this." she clarified. "Thank you for the offer, but I''m not willing to be your Consort. I think Dana might be open to the idea, though."

    "Dana? After all she did to you? How could I possibly take her as Consort?"

    Jing Han frowned at her smile, hating how it made him feel like she knew something he didn''t, like he knew he would feel every day if he took her as Queen Consort. He frowned as Yixing moved closer to Shiyao when she stood up.

    "She''s someone you loved, isn''t she?" she continued, allowing Jing Han to follow her as she prepared to leave the residence, putting her shoes on and taking a parasol to protect her from the falling snow outside. It was quiet for a few moments while they walked through the courtyard and out to the front gate. "So you should ask her. I think she''ll be happy."

    "Where is all this coming from?" he demanded, forcing her around to look at him as they stepped outside, not noticing the attention they were drawing to themselves. ¡°How could you suggest her? After all that?"

    "Dana didn''t do it, Your Highness." she smiled, stepping away as Yixing joined her.

    The Princess, once again, gave the proper greeting to the Crown Prince before excusing herself politely and leaving him in the cold.

 [Chapter 34] The Life You Left Behind

    It was a chilly breeze in the middle of the night that first woke Wang Shiyao.

    An unusual feeling in the pit of her stomach that made her wake immediately and jump from her bed, and no sooner had she done so was there a scream from the living area, a crash of a vase and the loud bang of her bedroom door bursting open and hitting the wall. Ina came running in, grabbing Shiyao''s arm and the princess stood in front of her as two people in black clothes came careening through the window.

    She grabbed her necklace, the pendant slipping from her grasp several times before she was able to cast the Slow spell over the intruders, both of whom had already drawn their swords as they leaped, now in slow motion, towards the two ladies. Shiyao pulled Ina out into the living area where they skidded, almost falling as they scrambled to turn the corner upon more intruders appearing. The front entrance seemed safe, and so the pair ran outside and directly into Yixing.

    "Your Highness, you must go!" he ordered, his sword clashing fiercely with the intruders'', and a few quick moves on his part had them all slain in the blink of an eye.

    He dragged Shiyao and Ina out through the courtyard, the three almost making it to the gate, but not before the black shadows of more intruders gave chase, and in an uncharacteristic show of aggression, Yixing pushed the girls out of the gate.

    "Run!"

    "Yixing-!"

    "Your Highness, let''s go, we can''t stay here!"

    "But Yixing!"

    "He''ll be okay!" Ina yelled, grabbing her wrist and pulling her away from the gate, a sudden whoosh and flourish of purple light and Yixing''s jeers assuring them somewhat that he wouldn''t go down easily.

    Shiyao soon picked up the pace, running alongside Ina as they made their way through the shadows towards the main courtyard.

    "Where are we going?" Ina panted, her head turning back to check behind them, Shiyao doing the same to their right and left.

    "Library." she replied. "They won''t touch Lu, I know that much."

    "Good idea!"

    They sped up, dresses clutched in their hands as they broke into a sprint once the courtyard came into view. The freezing winter air didn''t bother them in the slightest, adrenaline running too high through their veins for them to notice anything about their environment. It was, perhaps, why they didn''t notice the shadows on the rooftops, the shadows in the shadows who waited for them to reach the centre of the courtyard before revealing themselves, startling the girls so much they almost fell to the ground.

    The pair stood back-to-back, turning as they quickly realised that they were surrounded.

    The head guard, whose coat bore a red embroidered flower across the chest, dropped to one knee and the rest of the men followed suit. He kept his head down as he finally spoke:

    "Her Highness Princess Wang Shiyao is summoned by His Highness Crown Prince Yun Jing Han. He requests your peaceful co-operation in relocating to Raven Residence in preparation for marriage."

    "Your Highness, we request your full co-operation!" the guards, arranged in circles around them, were firm in their supposed request.

    "I won''t go!" Shiyao yelled, her eyes darting around to try and think up any escape route.

    "Please reconsider, Your Highness!" they chorused once more and Shiyao wondered if she could run over their backs and out past the guest parlour, but she suspected that while their heads were bowed their eyes were probably trained on them.

    "I apologise for whatever His Highness has threatened you all with should you fail to bring me back, for I have no doubt that he will follow through. Please understand that I cannot go." she called out.

    "Please reconsider, Your Highness!" the head guard said once more, standing to his feet.

    "No."

    That single word was all it took for every guard to follow suit, pulling their swords out as they did so, every blade tip aimed in their direction.

    "Oh, Mammy!" Ina whimpered, her grip tightening on Shiyao''s arms

    "Don''t worry." she placed a hand over her lady-in-waiting''s. "We''re not dying today."

    In a flash, Shiyao''s hand flew upwards, a huge glyph appearing over where they stood and sending the soldiers into slow motion as they approached. She grabbed Ina''s hand and pulled her to start running, but in the time it took them to turn around another glyph appeared overhead, the head guard having countered with the Haste spell.

    The head guard watched intently as Shiyao waved her hands around, seemingly disappearing from sight while the number of soldiers multiplied - everywhere one looked was nothing but soldiers and buildings. The guard laughed out loud at how cute the princess was, before uttering a few words and with the snap of his fingers, the Mirror spell was shattered by Break, revealing the girls just as they were about to try to run through the circle.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Your Highness, I advise you to give up before we are given no choice but to bring harm to you and your friend."

    What bullshit, Shiyao smirked at the mere thought. No King would accept a consort who was scarred or maimed in any way. Although... there were spells for healing over such things. Would he really have the balls to harm her?

    She and Ina backed up, the younger girl hiding behind her princess as they found themselves surrounded once more.

    They were too on edge to notice anything awry, to hear the footsteps of one lone soldier slowly approaching from behind.

    They didn''t see it,

    But all it took was a single hand landing on Ina''s shoulder to make her shriek and send the soldiers into a frenzy as even louder screams rose from the back of the circle. Bodies began dropping like flies and it took Shiyao a good moment to realise the single soldier slaughtering his comrades was none other than Tang Zixuan.

    "Let''s go!" he barked, taking the chance to sprint away and grabbing the girls as he did so, the remaining soldiers giving chase as they disappeared into the night.

    All three were running on pure adrenaline as they somehow managed to outrun the soldiers, hopping up the steps of the library and through the huge, solid doors, managing to slam them shut and lock them just as the soldiers reached the bottom step.

    Aside from some initial banging and shaking, the soldiers'' attempt to break in was soon stopped by the order of the head guard, who barked it loud enough for those inside to hear. Shiyao ran into the main building, locking on to Lu as he stood in the centre of the room with his arms opened, automatically wrapping them around her as she came crashing into his chest.

    After they were settled, Lu fed them a delicious meal, noting how Ina and Zixuan wolfed everything down while Shiyao pushed food around her plate. It didn''t take long for the pair to collapse into a deep slumber after finishing, Ina sprawled out like a starfish while Zixuan slept beside her with one strong arm draped over her body. Shiyao smiled at the sight, knowing Ina would practically vibrate with elation if she were to know her crush was being so protective of her.

    "Well I''m glad something made you smile." Lu said, sitting down beside her on the sofa in the adjacent living area.

    "They''re cute." she commented.

    "As are you." he replied, grinning as she let out a sigh and covered her face with her hands, giggling through her exasperation and exhaustion.

    Still, she didn''t protest as he slung one arm around her, not understanding why holding Jing Han''s hand was enough to make her nervous, but she never gave a second thought to the kisses she''d shared with Lu. Was it because of some magic he had? Because of his being an immortal, as Jing Han had told her? The more she thought about it the more curious she became:

    "Are you really an immortal?" she asked quietly.

    "Yes."

    "Did you found Ranhara?"

    "I did." he nodded.

    "Then, are the ruins at the top of Mount Oma really your home?"

    "They were, a long time ago."

    He watched her with a slight smile as she thought about her next question:

    "Am I your descendant?"

    "No." he shook his head. "But you''re someone I''ve been waiting for for a very long time."

    Shiyao shifted slightly to regard him more closely.

    "Why?"

    It was the first time Shiyao had ever seen Lu look even remotely nervous, waiting patiently for him as he shifted and gathered his thoughts. His fingers drummed gently against her shoulder before falling from it and returning to his own lap where he began fidgeting with his nails.

    "Because I love you." he replied quietly.

    "You barely know me!" Shiyao''s laugh died as soon as she met his eyes; soft and sad. "Right?"

    "I know you better than I know myself." he continued. "In another lifetime, we were lovers."

    "What other lifetime?" she frowned.

    "In the Immortal Realm." he explained, "We were in love, but couldn''t be together. You were betrothed to another man, but on the morning of your wedding you ran away to Purifying Lake where you dove in... Entering the water will wipe all your memories and send you this realm, you see."

    "But my whole life I''ve been here." she shook her head, "That doesn''t make any sense."

    "It makes sense. You were reborn, you were reborn because you begged for death."

    "So if I were to die here-"

    "You would wake up back in the Immortal Realm."

    "...I must''ve really hated that guy." she mused. "Did he follow me, too?"

    Lu nodded.

    "Is it the Crown Prince?"

    "No."

    "Is it Wang Jun?"

    "Not him, either."

    "Then who?" she asked, burning with curiosity.

    "Your teacher, Yu Liang." he replied, finding his heart thumping in anxiety as he tried to gauge her reaction.

    "Oh? He doesn''t seem so bad." she frowned. "I wonder why I hated him so in the Immortal Realm? More than that, though, why couldn''t we be together if we were in love?"

    "Because we''re from clans that are diametrically opposed." he began, tentatively putting a hand over hers and feeling relieved when she didn''t protest. "I''m from the Heavenly Mountain Clan and you, the Moon River Clan. My clan rules the heavens, as the name suggests, and everything falls under our jurisdiction with the support of the other clans. Your clan, however, wants the responsibilities of governance split between every faction regardless of size or location."

    "That makes sense." she nodded. "Why should one clan hold all the power?"

    "I couldn''t care less about these things, but it has villainised the Moon River Clan, the only allies your people have are the Glacial Sea Clan, that''s the clan Yu Liang belongs to. The union between the two of you would solidify your commitments to the cause."

    "So why did I run? Was he awful to me?"

    "Truthfully? No." Lu shook his head. "But marrying him meant losing me, so you ran."

    "How come you remember all this?"

    "Because I didn''t go through Purifying River. I''m able to come and go as I please between realms."

    "How come? Why weren''t you reborn when me and my teacher were?"

    "Because I was a sacrifice to the universe." his eyes lowered, fixing on how he held her hand. "But the universe took mercy on me, being just a baby, and granted me immortality. I didn''t need to cultivate anything, everything was handed to me because the person who birthed me thought they would get extraordinary powers if they gave up their first born. The universe sees all - the gods and the celestial beasts - only they have the right to give and take away."

    "My goodness... just how old are you?"

    Lu''s mouth opened and shut as he sighed in exasperation, though he couldn''t help smiling all the same. He ought to have known this question was coming.

    "Actually-" she began before he could formulate a response, "It doesn''t matter. Were you ever going to pursue me in this lifetime, then? What were you waiting for?"

    "Well, I didn''t know who you''d grow up to be, I certainly never expected you to be part of the royal family, but I think I was pretty forward with my intentions."

    "Were you?"

    "Do you really think I had to kiss you to show you visions of the past?" he smirked, leaning closer to her, "Or to come up with a plausible excuse for your appearance in the King''s Quarters?"

    "Well, I didn''t think too much about it." she shrugged. "I''ve kissed a lot of men for many reasons."

    "So how do I compare?"

    "I''ll have to check again." Shiyao sang, slinging her arms around his neck and pulling herself onto his lap, trying to suppress her smile as he froze in shock, his hands tentatively coming to rest on her waist before he was pushed back when her lips crashed down on his.

 [FINAL] Happin?ss

    Wang Shiyao woke with a start, sitting up with a gasp while her fist grabbed on tightly to the sheets she was wrapped in, her heart going a thousand miles an hour.

    "What''s wrong?" Lu''s groggy voice floated from behind her as she scrambled to dress herself, not bothering at all with her hair that had been let down from its previous fashion and was flowing freely down to the small of her back.

    "Ina." she said, finally decent enough to scramble from the far side of the upper floor of the library where Lu had carried her to the previous night.

    "What?"

    The hollows of Shiyao''s bare feet echoed thunderously off the solid wood floors as she ran across the balcony, throwing the curtain back to the small rest area where the pair had fallen asleep the previous night and sure enough, just as her gut had told her, they were gone.

    Her hands flew to her head as she felt a lump rise in her throat, her anger manifesting in the destruction of a few nearby objects. Were they taken? Did those soldiers really dare to enter the place where Lu resided? How on earth had they managed such a feat without waking anyone? Without causing a single sound? Without Lu himself being aware?

    Unless...

    Unless they hadn''t.

    Shiyao''s hands fell from her head, catching onto the edge of the table she stumbled back into as the realisation of what happened hit her; That asshole, Tang Zixuan... wasn''t it a bit too convenient that he stepped in at the last minute? Wasn''t it a bit too strange that he was somehow able to take on numerous soldiers single-handedly?

    "Ah..." Lu trailed upon arriving in the guest area and finding it empty. He stepped back as Shiyao, his darling love, glared daggers at him. "So he-"

    "So he what?!" she demanded, her finger flying out to point at him as she accused the panic-stricken immortal. "You knew about this!"

    "I-I didn''t know." he held his hands up, though kept his gaze down.

    "And now you''re lying to me, too?" she let out a laugh at the absolute shitshow her life was becoming. Was there not a single honest man out there? "Save your fucking ''we were lovers in another lifetime'' bullshit for someone else-"

    "But it''s true!" Lu interjected desperately, his head flying up. "Everything I told you is the truth!"

    "Did you or did you not have a vision about this?!"

    "I did," he admitted, retreating behind the table as Shiyao picked up a cast-iron ornament from the bookshelf. "But all I knew was that there would be a betrayal, I didn''t know who it was or how it was done."

    "And this wasn''t worth mentioning after we fucking ran in here? Ina is gone! That poor girl hasn''t done a thing to anyone, she hasn''t done anything except be a good friend to me, and you didn''t consider for one second that they wouldn''t touch me because I was by your side? Was it really that difficult to deduce, given the fortress this library is, that the only way a betrayal could happen was from the inside out?!"

    "I was only concerned for your safety!" he shot back, "I only care about you!"

    "Me, me, me, me!" Shiyao yelled, her voice raising with each repetition of the word. "You don''t care about Ina, but I do! Are you that devoid of genuine connection that I''m the person who means the most to you? Someone you barely know? Are you really the person I was willing to die for? How pathetic!"

    Shiyao''s raised arm fell with Lu''s expression that suddenly became sombre.

    She placed the ornament on the table in front, lowering her gaze as she stepped back.

    "I need to find her." she muttered, rushing from the room and leaving Lu to process her words.

    She didn''t know what she was saying.

    This wasn''t her...though Yu Liang seemed to be the same as he was in the immortal realm.

    What had happened to his love?

    Why was she so abrasive?

    Strangely, for the first time, she really seemed like a member of the Moon River Clan.

    ''She was upset, she didn''t really mean what she said.''

    He hoped.

    With nothing but a heating spell to keep her feet from freezing over, Shiyao ran as fast as she could through the frosty grounds, the deep navy blue of Lu''s outer jacket that she''d taken from his bedroom contrasting starkly against the pristine white snow. Pale jade decorations hung from the lapels, accented with wide, thin and sharp curving pieces of brilliant silver metal. The main square would likely be where they would expect her to go and likely be where she would be confronted.

    It was fine.

    The Crown Prince could win this time.

    The morning was still young and the palace was eerily quiet, save for the sound of crunching snow under her feet. Her throat burned in the frigid air as her breathing got heavier, though in her desperation she didn''t care. She had no idea what kind of situation she''d end up in, but she wasn''t focused on that - it wasn''t more important than making sure Ina was safe.

    As the main courtyard approached, she went even faster until she landed square in the middle, her shoulders heaving as she looked all around, but couldn''t spot a single soul. A tickle rose in her throat as she caught her breath, leaning over slightly and trying to breathe through her nose to stop the fiery burn.

    "They sent me to get you."

    Shiyao spun on her heel, blinking as she tried to make out who the figure was standing outside the study hall, just under the terrace roof. She moved closer, frowning as the man was wringing his hands together, glancing around as though he was waiting for the worst. Lu''s coat trailed over the snow behind her, the sleeves and body far too big, drowning her under the expensive fabric as she slowly walked closer, unaware of who the man was, of the archers stationed on the rooves above, of their arrows trained on both of them.

    But as she got closer, there were certain features she began to recognise.

    Short, black wavy hair,

    Wide, sharp eyes...

    Strong brows and cheekbones that could cut glass...

    It was her teacher, Yu Liang, and-

    Wait

    Yu Liang''s voice was honeyed and melodic

    but this was not that voice.

    Shiyao''s very breath caught in her throat as the crushing realisation of who stood before her stopped her in her tracks, her hand flying to her throat as she was so shocked that she could barely breathe. Tears formed in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks as she fell to her knees, beginning to doubt her own reality because she didn''t want to believe it. She didn''t want to believe her sight, she didn''t want to believe that there was nothing that the Crown Prince wasn''t willing to do to get his own way.

    "You need to get up." he continued, voice wavering slightly as he watched her break down. "Do you hear me, Ara?"

    He wasn''t allowed to help, no matter how much he wanted to. No matter how anguished she looked hearing her name spoken again for the first time in forever.

    "Your Highness! How...?" she cried, her voice weak in disbelief. "How are you even here? I thought you''d escaped with the others?"

    Prince Min managed a tight smile as he shook his head, his fingers curling into fists as he was powerless to do anything. As he had been powerless to resist going to Ara''s wedding to the Crown Prince - not when the Demons who slaughtered the security outside and inside his gated home in Western Pernesia shoved an official invitation in front of his face, swords to his neck asking him if he would like to RSVP.

    He wasn''t sure why Ara''s marriage was of any concern to him, nor why they were so insistent on his presence. He wouldn''t otherwise have gone, not after she chose to go with the very people who murdered his brother and decimated their entire country.

    So what if she was actually a Demon?

    Was that lie big enough to destroy any and all loyalty she had? If not to the Royal family, then at the very least to the Ranharan people?

    And yet

    He couldn''t deny that he wanted to see her again, that he was curious about how it came to be that she was marrying that psychopathic piece of shit, and so he didn''t resist the messenger.

    It wasn''t until he arrived in Revenet the night before when he tried to make small talk with the staff and none of them were aware of the Crown Prince having a wedding any time soon, though they were certain that Princess Kala of Lassan would be the one marrying him if he was.

    The slaughter of his security personnel would have been enough to tell him that something was off, but for the wedding itself to not exist, well that was more of a mystery. At least, it had been until that blonde haired bastard summoned him and explained, he felt, in not enough detail that he needed him for a favour.

    Ara, or Shiyao as he had called her, loved him and wanted to be his wife and while he couldn''t make her Queen Consort, she could still be Consort, but that wasn''t good enough and she threw a fit and made ridiculous demands, but deep down he knew she still wanted whatever power she could get and he thought that he''d better find a few good friends of hers to help him convince her that marrying him was the right choice.

    He was brought to be a hostage.

    And she understood that the moment she realised who he was.

    That cat-faced fucker was really going to some extreme lengths to get what he wanted.

    "Get up, Ara." he repeated. "Do you hear me? You need to get up."

    He watched as the hand that was twisted tightly into the fabric of her robes pulled down violently, breath finally leaving her as she seemed to come to her senses. Slowly, she got to her feet, running a hand through her long hair and sighing, her face dry but somewhat puffy. For a short moment it looked like she was rolling something around in her hand, but she pocketed whatever it was and took a deep breath, starting forwards towards the prince, the arrows trained on them lowering as she went with him.

    * * *

    Attendants were stationed along the way, no doubt ordered to report if any funny business went on between the courtyard and wherever it was they were supposed to go. It was only as Ara looked down at her feet did she come to a halt.

    No, this wouldn''t do.

    Shiyao turned right instead of left, a clatter of attendants running after her as she turned towards her own residence and she explained that the future king deserved more respect than bare feet, loose hair and shabbily worn robes. It was an excuse that was met with keen understanding and rather than try to stop her, they started falling over themselves to be of help.

    Once inside her old bedroom, Prince Min kept outside with the servants for safekeeping, Ara sifted through her trunk of old clothes from Ranhara. They were the one thing she wanted to take with her from her previous life, she wasn''t quite sure why she felt such attachment to them, but perhaps on a subconscious level she was keeping them just in case the occasion arose.

    Her hand landed on a familiar leather texture that immediately brought a smile to her. She pulled it out, holding it up to admire the black robe that buttoned at the back, hidden away by a cape that attached over the shoulders. The shape wasn''t grand or flowy but it commanded attention all the same. If she was going to confront the Crown Prince she needed to feel powerful, even if she didn''t feel it.

    And so she stepped into the black robe, managing to button it up herself. The sleeves hugged her skin, the forearms lined with the scales of an Arapaima that gracefully graduated into black leather from the elbow up. The shoulders were stiffened and squared, the leather fabric swooped up into a high standing collar. The neckline was a simple V, showing a small amount of skin on her upper chest. The matching cape was close by and was easy to attach, the two silver clips slotting into small loops on either side of the collar and fastening securely.

    It was heavier than she remembered.

    Shiyao sat down at her dresser, taking her time doing her makeup in the heavier style she had so loved before, accentuating her eyes as much as possible and finishing it all off with a bold, full red lip. She tied her hair into her classic ponytail, returning to her closet to fish out the matching hair piece: a brilliant silver and diamond piece forming small feathers that traveled from the centre part of the hair, curving around the right side of her head and up, wrapping around the base of her ponytail.

    Wait

    Feathers

    Ara rushed back into the closet, pulling down a large pink storage box, ripping the lid off and pulling her black feather shawl out, slipping it on and checking herself in the mirror. There were far fewer elements to a Ranharan outfit. It might not have been as pretty as a set of Revenet robes, but it made her feel ten times more powerful than any fancy silk ensemble she''d been gifted.

    Min jumped to his feet as Shiyao finally emerged, smiling as she appeared exactly as she''d always been in his memory. She meant business, and seeing the stark change in her - from tearful and hopeless to nearly busting down doors in her leather boots - he felt somewhat at ease for the first time since his arrival.

    Because Ara always knew exactly what to do, one look at her as she powered towards the Court Room would let anyone know that she was not someone to be trifled with. Min followed behind her with the attendants in tow, almost having to jog to keep up with her as they passed through the gate and made their way up the long and intimidating path to the Court Room where a man in green robes stood outside waiting for them.

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    "Shiyao, I''m sorry for-"

    "Don''t." she held up a hand. "I''m sorry, too. I shouldn''t have said those things."

    "I promise I didn''t know about him." Lu nodded to Min and was taken aback by her laughter, though it died quickly.

    "I suppose I shouldn''t make him wait any longer."

    "I suppose."

    "You can''t intervene, do you understand?"

    "I understand."

    "Go back to the library." she suggested, placing her hands on the large doors of the Court Room.

    "Do you trust me?" Lu asked suddenly. "About everything I told you... do you trust me?"

    "Yes." she replied with a curt nod. "So please go."

    Her hands remained on the doors while he left, closing her eyes.

    It''ll be okay

    It''ll be okay

    It''ll be okay

    It''ll be okay

    It''ll be okay

    It''ll be okay

    It''ll be okay

    It''ll be okay

    With a confident burst of energy she pushed the doors open, her head held high as she approached the Crown Prince who was pacing around on the upper platform, stopping in his tracks as Shiyao finally appeared before him. A wicked smirk appeared on his lips, his eyes shining in glee as he sauntered towards her while she knelt down, not seeing how Min was snatched away and thrown with Ina and Yixing.

    "Your loyal subject kneels before you."

    "Good girl," he chuckled, "I knew you''d come. Especially once I found that guy over there. So, it goes like this; You''ll agree to my terms and in exchange your bestie, your guard and your old flame won''t come to any harm."

    "Let''s hear it then, Your Highness."

    "As per my previous offer, you''re going to be Consort, you''ll also advise me on all major policy decisions and will not be afforded any credit. You''ll be the first to give me a son and you''ll wait on me personally."

    "Fine." she replied.

    The Crown Prince frowned at her immediate compliance.

    "You''ll also be restricted to only your residence and no visitors are allowed."

    "Of course."

    "Are you just going to agree to everything?" he yelled suddenly.

    "I am, Your Highness." she replied. "What Your Highness wants, Your Highness gets, and who am I to refuse?"

    "You had no trouble refusing me two days ago!"

    "Two days ago you were not holding my people hostage to force my hand into doing your bidding, Your Highness." she explained, tone as polite and proper as ever.

    "THIS ISN''T YOU!" he bellowed, trashing a table of nearby objects, scrambling to grab a broken piece of ceramic before rushing towards her with it, his fury only building even more as she didn''t so much as flinch when he pressed it against her skin. "You - My Shiyao isn''t this pathetically compliant!"

    The three hostages watched nervously from where they were held, surrounded by heavily armed guards and wondering if the man had truly gone insane.

    "I will give what you desire, Your Highness. Forgive me for not living up to your expectations. I''ll do better next time."

    "NO!" he snapped, stepping away, her calm demeanour giving him that unease, that feeling he hated more than anything; The feeling that she knew far more than she was telling him, that there was something happening behind the scenes that he didn''t know about, that she was the one who was actually in control.

    "I will be sure to fulfil whatever conditions Your Highness decides upon."

    Jing Han grabbed her wrist, dragging her towards the front of the room to a table full of papers, using so much force she almost fell when he let go of her and Yixing had to stop himself from trying something stupid.

    "Your Highness!"

    "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Jing Han yelled in Ina''s direction and he grabbed a fountain pen, scribbling down all the conditions he just mentioned, adding one more: "Yun Jing Han is permitted to do whatever he wants to Wang Shiyao whenever he wants."

    With an agitated scrawl, he signed the document, grabbing the ink and sticking his thumb into it, pressing down on the paper and not caring that it smeared while he shoved it over in Ara''s direction.

    "Your Highness is a compassionate and benevolent man." Shiyao began, "Surely it would not be too much to add in the immediate release of my people and a guarantee that they won''t be touched upon signing this document?"

    "Very well." he muttered, adding the final condition and tossing the pen her way.

    He watched for any signs of distress as she signed her life away, neatly and calmly adding her thumb print to the document that he promptly snatched out of her hands.

    "Release them." he said casually, reading down the contract and the guards stepped away.

    Yixing and Ina rushed towards Ara, checking her over and making sure she was okay.

    "It appears," Jing Han began, handing the document over to his advisor, "That I have been rude to our esteemed guest."

    "That''s quite all righ-"

    "No, no - this must be the first time a Witch has ever been to Revenet." Jing Han continued, his entire demeanour changed completely, putting everyone on edge except Shiyao, who he pulled close to himself. "We''ll have a feast tonight to celebrate our marriage!"

    * * *

    Fireworks lit up the sky as the Palace dance troupe performed in the courtyard, a grand table at the head of the square seating Ara, Ina, Jing Han and Zixuan.

    "Don''t look at him." Ara muttered lowly to Ina, who was shaking like a leaf beside her. She silently poured alcohol into a fresh cup and refilled her own, leaning over to Jing Han with a smile: "Your Highness, let''s drink to our health!"

    Her smile that seemed so pure and genuine did nothing to shake that deep uneasiness inside his heart.

    "To our health!" he repeated, returning a smile as they clinked their cups together.

    Min, who sat at the table perpendicular to theirs, was offered a full view of the exchange. He sipped on his own water from a hip flask he''d had on his person when he was taken, noting that the guy opposite him - who he felt like he''d seen before somewhere - was gripping his cup so hard his knuckles were turning white, though his expression remained genial.

    The courtesan beside Min, who was clearly attempting to get him drunk and not succeeding, was trying her best to make small talk with him, seeming embarrassed every time he shook off her hand. Min wasn''t exactly husband of the year, not with the rate at which he went through women other than his wife, but one look at her and he knew she was still a teenager.

    "You can retire." he told her, pushing away the cup she had poured for him.

    "I-I can''t." she admitted.

    "Why not?"

    "It would cause His Highness to lose face."

    "Then just eat until you''re full, but stop touching me." he said curtly.

    "I''m sorry! Did I do something wrong? God, I can''t do anything right." she hit her fist against her head in frustration before taking a drink.

    "No, you didn''t." Min said after a moment of watching the kid berate and blame herself, no doubt having been conditioned to do so. It was so easy to control someone who had no self esteem, after all. "It''s everyone else who is wrong."

    He looked back to the top table where Ara was gushing about the food and placed a marinated crab onto Jing Han''s rice bowl. Of the people at that table, she was the only who was so jovial. The girl beside her seemed like she wanted to run at any given moment and the guy on the opposite side had barely looked up from his place setting that had remained undisturbed the entire night. The royal shit stain himself looked incredibly stiff, leaning away from Ara when she tried to wipe a stain on his chin and almost jumping out of his skin when she got too close.

    Min smiled to himself as he watched her.

    That blonde bastard was bent out of shape about her rejecting his proposal, it seemed, and his revenge was to force her hand.

    But you couldn''t force the hand of someone who was willing to comply, and it looked like it was either driving him mad or scaring the shit out of him. Maybe both.

    She''d given him exactly what he wanted, but not how he wanted it. He wanted to assert his dominance and power, and she had taken it away just like that.

    * * *

    Perhaps she had bitten off more than she could chew.

    Ara held a small glass bottle in her hand, rolling it around in her palm as she stared at the specimen in front of her, bound tightly in ropes, gagged and completely unconscious in the snowy courtyard of Kingfisher Residence.

    "Y-Your Highness." Jae began, never having seen her like this before, idly running a hand through her ponytail as she sat in her old robes looking more regal than ever: "Should I get Ina?"

    "Did she tell you what he did to her?"

    "No, she didn''t."

    "It''s not my place to tell." she got up and folded her arms, walking in a slow circle around his body, the staff of the house standing by in terrified silence. "But it is my place to protect my people... and myself."

    Demons may have had the upper hand when it came to casting spells, but the one thing the Witches had that they didn''t were potions.

    Powerful potions at that.

    Ara had never needed them before, she''d all but forgotten about them because they were so rare in Ranhara. Western Pernesia was a different story, however, where they were in widespread use and common amongst the general population. The only thing that Min had been able to do for her before he left was slip her the recipes of some potions he had come across in his time there that he thought might be useful.

    And he thought right.

    Demon magic could manipulate the environment and enter the deepest cervices of the mind, but it didn''t have any biological effect on the body in the way that potions did.

    She was impressed that it had worked at all, almost too well - for she was getting impatient.

    Perhaps she had plied him with too much at once, she had no idea how strong the dosage of Atropa she had concocted was - all she knew was that it would knock him out. Well... Ara stopped in her tracks.

    "Yixing, His Highness wants to have dinner with me tonight." she began. "I''d like to present him with something special."

    "I understand, Your Highness." her guard gave a slight bow in acknowledgment.

    "You''re all dismissed." she barked, a simple wave of her hand enough in and of itself to send them all back to their duties, waiting until every last one was gone. "I was thinking of a nice gift I can hand over to His Highness."

    "Anything can be arranged." he assured her. "Perhaps it would help to think about what you want to express towards the Crown Prince, Your Highness."

    "That is a good question." she nodded, taking a seat again as she began to genuinely ponder the answer. "Honestly, what would I do without you?"

    * * *

    Yun Jing Han''s foot tapped incessantly against the floor as he waited for his wife to arrive. She was late for the fifth time that week. On the first day it was because she needed to re-do her hair. On the second it was because she got distracted by the blooming flowers. On the third it was because she had purchased new shoes. On the fourth it was because Queen Yun had been having tea with her. He didn''t really care what her excuse was this time.

    But he was beginning to regret agreeing to let her people go upon her signing of the contract.

    Her guard had been disarmed upon his release, given that she was effectively living under house arrest there was no need for him to have any deadly weapons on him, nor for him to escort her anywhere - not when she wasn''t permitted outside of set locations he ordered her to appear at.

    "Your loving wife bows before you!"

    Jing Han''s eyes snapped up, and while his foot may have calmed down, his temper was on the rise.

    He had invited tables of nobles to dine with them that night, it was important in order to try and solidify their loyalty towards him and to try and seek out anyone who might be a potential threat to his taking the throne. His challenge, as detailed by his wife, had gone perfectly.

    Forcing her to marry him was probably the best political move he could have made thus far, and it wasn''t as though he didn''t have any feelings for her - he absolutely did - it was just that usefulness trumped everything and Princess Kala was never going to be knocked off the top spot for that.

    "My deepest apologies for being late, everyone." she added, righting herself as Jing Han called for her to join him. "I was busy preparing a gift for His Highness and got a bit carried away!"

    The nobles nodded in understanding, some more understanding than others, some listening more closely than others.

    "Your Highness!" she smiled, practically bursting with sunshine as she took her position beside him, automatically reaching for the teapot to pour him a cup.

    "What..." he began, the question he wanted to ask vanishing from his mind as he noticed the bright red spots on her light lavender robes, realising that they were present on her hands and... face.

    "Go on, Your Highness." she encouraged him, noting how his hand stiffened considerably as she picked up her own cup to toast.

    She blinked so innocently as she waited for him to speak, to the point where it looked like she didn''t even know that she had blood splatter over her cheeks and eyes.

    "You-You have... something on your face." he muttered lowly.

    "Ah! I was busy earlier and I didn''t have time to wash up properly. I hope you can forgive me."

    He felt like he was sitting on a knife edge.

    Nothing about this was normal, but she was so nonchalant and he didn''t want to make a scene.

    "Try to be presentable next time." he managed to say, averting his gaze and drinking with her.

    "I''ll present my gift to you after we finish dinner. I wouldn''t want to embarrass you in front of the nobles when you''re the only one I prepared for, Your Highness."

    "No, that''s all right." he said. "You already told them why you were late, so I''m sure they''re curious about what took so long."

    "Oh, Your Highness!" she giggled, leaning her head against his upper arm for a second, noting how rigid he went. "Don''t be so stiff."

    "Don''t be so inappropriate. These stuffed shirts are people whose opinions matter."

    "When did Your Highness get so dry?" she pouted and sighed in protest, smiling as it prompted Jing Han to place more meat on her rice bowl, adding another piece after he ignored her leaning in to try and kiss his cheek.

    "Give me the gift. I want it now." he muttered, no longer making eye contact, but watching her as she huffed and got up, heading back down the length of the dining room.

    "Your Highness," Minister Kang, head of the Trade Department and someone he wanted to be sure was on his side, began, "Is everything all right?"

    "Absolutely." he nodded, quirking an eyebrow as his wife came back down with a large lacquer box in her hands. "I''m sure you''re all curious about what kept my dear wife this evening, as am I."

    "Let''s not worry too much about what occupies the women folk." Lord Yi, a nobleman who owned vast amounts of land outside of the palace added.

    "Your Highness!" she smiled so brightly she put the sun itself to shame. "Please."

    Jing Han slid the box over towards himself and his wife stepped back and watched patiently - his guests curiously - as he took the lid off the large lunch box and leapt backwards with a shriek, alarming the nobles who shot up out of their seats. The table he was dining at almost tipped over completely, plates, cups and bowls flying off as he scrambled to push it away and in the process the box was thrown off and Tang Zixuan''s head rolled onto the marble floor, bouncing against Ara''s foot as she stood in the centre of the hall.

    Ara simply blinked as all hell broke loose around her - the nobles shouting for help, the palace courtesans screaming, guards running in and helping Jing Han to his feet while a few more surrounded her.

    "YOU''RE CRAZY! YOU''RE FUCKING INSANE!" Jing Han screamed, red in the face as the guards steadied him.

    She supposed, in the end, all she wanted to tell the Crown Prince that his best friend was a shitty person.

    "Aren''t you happy, Your Highness?" she asked, hand on her heart and kept talking, mostly to herself in the chaos: "I thought you would be happy to have the head of the person who went behind your back to defame your wife and criticize the Royal Family. He let Lady Dana take the fall for his own actions and out of his guilt he became a full fledged lapdog. And then, well, I can''t say for sure who, but someone sent him to rescue myself and my best friend and then had him betray her. Except he didn''t just betray her and take her hostage, no, he had to have his way with her first. I suppose, what I was trying to express through my gift to Your Highness was that, as your wife, I didn''t much like him, so I dealt with him as such. I wanted to prove to you that I''m someone who will always be on your side, Your Highness."

    Ara ignored the swords that were dangerously close to her throat.

    Ina was long gone, Min had smuggled her out after disguising her using a potion that changed her temporarily into someone else completely.

    Yixing, too, should have escaped after she left for dinner - she had ordered him to do so - though whether or not he went through with it was another story. Her small smile remained as she watched all the colour drain out of the Crown Prince''s face. Was it fear? Anger? Both? Maybe it was something else entirely.

    "TAKE HER TO JAIL!" Jing Han bellowed, squeezing his eyes shut while wails escaped him as the image of his best friend''s severed head was burned into his memory.

    The chaos in the dining hall was so rampant that no one actually paid attention to Ara.

    No one noted the small stream of blood on the floor beside her.

    Or the patch of red that slowly soaked through her robes.

    It wasn''t until she was being led out of the dining hall that she began to sway.

    Left and right, right and left, her head becoming light and dizzy, only then did Jing Han realise something was wrong:

    "WAIT!" Jing Han''s voice rang clearly through the hall as he rushed forward, though Ara never stopped walking.

    There were no weapons inside Kingfisher residence, but there were useful tools.

    Lu''s jade pendant that she ripped from his robe almost a week ago, for example, worked just as well as anything else.

    She wasn''t a doctor, but she knew enough.

    Enough to make sure that the Crown Prince was left with nothing.

    "SHIYAO!" he bellowed, sprinting towards her and tripping over his own feet in his haste to get to his wife who crumpled into a pile on the ground outside, swords still pointed at her neck, "GET THOSE AWAY FROM HER!"

    "Your Highness!" the head of the Royal Guard called out as he and his men ran across the courtyard towards him. "They''re gone - both of them! We found empty potion bottles."

    "I don''t care about them!" he spat, stumbling back and pointing down at Ara, "Keep her alive!"

    He couldn''t lose her.

    If he were to be King he needed her more than anyone else.

    Panic surged through his system, his heartbeat going out of control as he found it harder to breathe all of a sudden, leaning on the guards who rushed to his aid. He didn''t notice Lu''s arrival, how silently he appeared beside the chaos, watching Ara intently as she lay on the ground. She had just enough energy to make him out, her vision was becoming as blurry as her head, her weak smile enough to bring tears to his eyes.

    He couldn''t tear his gaze away, it was morbidly enchanting, watching the life steadily drain out of her.

    The jade pendant remained in his palm, her blood still staining his hands.

    It wouldn''t work if she did it herself.

    And he knew that.

    He knew she would wake up very soon back in the immortal realm.

    And he should go.

    But there was something so haunting about listening to the Crown Prince, his confusion and anger and grief and urgency all rolled into those horrible, soul piercing cries. Lu knew it wasn''t real, but it was for the Crown Prince, and despite the selfishness that fuelled every decision he had made, despite the ridiculous demands he had made of her, even the immortal knew that he did hold her dearly in his heart.

    It was very real for Jing Han.

    She was gone forever.

    Lu took one last look at the scene before him: Jing Han screaming at everyone around him while being held up by his guards, the palace doctor finally showing up but being unable to help, the nobles shouting about the ruckus and wondering what was going on, the soldiers finally retreating with their captain.

    What a way to go.

    As quietly as he''d arrived, Lu retreated back, taking one last look at his love - her hand outstretched, her eyes barely closed, the crimson red of her lipstick and the blood that finally stopped flowing from the sliced artery in her thigh soaking through the snow around her.

    He watched until a white silk sheet was pulled up over her lifeless body, doing his best to ignore the Crown Prince''s distress and finally turned away, his boots quietly crunching through the undisturbed snow.