The Exiled Princess

I ran toward my mother’s palace, dodging soldiers who killed without blinking an eye. The danger was unlike anything I’d ever faced; my heart pounded, my legs weakened, but I dared not stop. Fortunately, no one paid any attention to a young girl dressed as a palace maid; even if they saw me, they didn’t bother to chase.

At last, I reached the doors of my mother’s bedchamber—a place I had crossed countless times in my fifteen years. Now, it was about to be devoured by raging flames.

I rushed forward, kicking the barely ajar door open. Through the charred, toppled beams of the room, I glimpsed two familiar figures.

My father—the Emperor of Lingyun—lay motionless on the ground. Blood soaked his imperial robes, staining them crimson, and his face was frozen with blood.

My mother, resolute, raised her sword and drew it across her throat…

I was so anxious I could not speak, and without a thought for myself, I charged ahead. A burning beam fell before me; I had no time to dodge, and it struck me. Pain shot through my left arm, leaving it numb.

I could not collapse now; my father and mother were still ahead. Crawling forward, I managed to stand again, stumbling to my mother’s side, where she had fallen into my father’s arms.

“Mother… Father…” I sobbed, shaking their bodies. How desperately I wished they would wake, look at me, rather than leave my brother and me alone in this world.

Suddenly, my mother seized my hand, summoning her last breath to leave me with one sentence:

Escape. Do not seek revenge. Live well.

She could no longer make a sound; I understood her meaning only from the shape of her lips.

Watching them lie peacefully there, her final words echoed in my mind. I rose abruptly and ran out. I dared not look back; I knew only that I must survive.

Driven by the instinct to live, I hurried back to my own burning chamber. There was a secret passage there—my only way out. My sole remaining kin waited for me on the other end.

As my hand touched the mechanism, a cold sensation swept across my neck. I jolted awake.

“Who would have thought the maids of Lingyun would be so pretty?” A mocking voice sounded. A filthy hand brushed my face, and disgust churned within me.

From the corner of my eye, I saw not just one soldier. There would be no escape today. With determination, I reversed the mechanism; a thunderous noise erupted below.

A slap landed on my face, leaving five bright red marks. I curled into a corner.

“Wretched girl, what did you do?”

The soldiers ignored me, rifling through my chamber.

What had I done? I reversed the mechanism, destroying all the traps below in an instant. I would rather ruin my own escape route than put my brother in danger.

“Damn it, only a few jewels,” one soldier spat, then fixed his gaze on me as I crept toward the door.

The malicious smile frightened me, and I realized what was about to happen.

I struggled to run, but my ankle was seized, dragging me back. My limbs were pinned; I used all my strength but could not move. The sound of tearing fabric filled the air.

Despair engulfed me. The daughter of a fallen kingdom—what hope was left?

Clenching my teeth, I shut my eyes and bit down hard…

Then, shrieks and cries erupted. I opened my eyes. A white robe enveloped me, wrapping me up, lifting me in his arms and carrying me out of the chamber.

I cast a lingering glance at the palace, catching sight of a figure in dark robes, seemingly rushing anxiously toward my chamber…

Perhaps thinking I’d been frightened senseless, the man in white frowned, and as he whispered, “Don’t be afraid,” I could no longer hold on and fainted.

By a hair’s breadth, I brushed past that other person, setting the stage for a doomed entanglement…