Tian Yu sat at the stream bank, letting the cool water lap against his feet. Beside him sat a young princess, her hand gently intertwined with his. They laughed softly, teasing each other the way only two children who trusted each other completely could.
The scene shifted.
Now he was running through the grass, and she was chasing after him, her laughter ringing behind him. She caught him at last, and they both tumbled to the ground, breathless and giggling.
"Carry me on your back, Tian Yu!" she demanded playfully as she jumped onto his back.
He didn't even think twice before lifting her up easily, carrying her while she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her cheek pressed gently against his hair. They kept playing until they found themselves in a different place.
This time, they lay together on soft white sand. The wind was warm. The sun felt gentle. She stroked his cheek gently.
"Tian Yu," she whispered, her voice soft and filled with affection, "promise you won't forget me."
He felt a warmth spread through his chest.
"I won't," he answered, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Never."
She smiled and whispered something else, something that made his heart beat faster:
"You're the only one I want beside me."
His breath caught. He leaned in. She met him halfway. Their lips touched, gently at first… then deeper, warmer, like the world was fading around them.
But suddenly, a violent pull dragged him backward.
The princess reached for him, her fingertips barely brushing his before she was ripped away. He tried to hold on, desperate, but the force tore them apart.
"Tian Yu!" she cried.
He gasped, and woke up.
He jerked back instinctively, his breath catching in his throat. He stared at her, stranging and for a moment he couldn't understand why the sight of her gentle smile made cold shivers crawl down his spine.
Her expression was soft, warm, almost soothing.
But something about her… something he could not grasp… felt wrong.
Familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
Like a shadow wearing a warm light.
"My love," she whispered, reaching out to touch his hand, "are you all right?" Am fine, he whispered.
Pulling his hand back slowly, not harshly, but with quiet caution, as if his body moved before his mind did.
Her smile faltered just a little.
His voice was low and uncertain as he asked,
"Are we… truly a couple?"
Her eyes froze for half a heartbeat.
Tian Yu swallowed hard and continued,
"And how long have we been married?"
She stared at him without saying anything. She only tapped his shoulder and said softly, "Let me get you some water." He raised his hand, as if to stopped her but she was already going.
His eyes could only followed her until she disappeared. He couldn't shake the uneasy feeling settling in his chest.
A few minutes passed before she returned with a cup of water. She handed it to him gently.
"Drink," she whispered, her voice sounding different and strangely unfamiliar.
His mind wanted to refuse, but his body moved on its own. He took the cup and drank.
"Thank you," he murmured.
"Don't worry," she replied. "Sleep… and forget everything."
He nodded almost childishly. She helped him lie down, and sleep pulled him under before he could question anything else.
After Tian Yu finally drifted into sleep, the woman slipped quietly into the kitchen.
She checked the doorway once, then reached behind a clay pot and pulled out a small mirror, its surface dark and cold like frozen water.
She muttered a quick spell.
The air tightened.
Symbols shimmered faintly across the mirror's glass.
With a soft hiss, Ji Woo's beautiful face appeared.
"Why are you disturbing me Xie yue?" Ji Woo asked sharply, not bothering with the greetings.
"My queen... she bowed her head immediately. "Tian Yu has been seeing flashes again. He dreamed about her. He's started asking questions. I… I fear he might slip out of my control."
Ji Woo's expression hardened. As she listened in tense silence.
When she finished speaking, Ji Woo's face darkened, cold, and dangerous. Like the sky before a storm.
"Have I not trained you enough?" Ji Woo thundered.
Xie Yue flinched so hard she nearly fell backward. Her breathing hitched, fear rising like ice in her chest.
"My queen....I'm sorry," she whispered, dropping instantly to her knees. Her hands shook against the floor.
Ji Woo draw closer in the mirror, her eyes burning with fury.
"I gave you a ring to tame him," she said slowly, every word dripping with cold anger. "A ring powerful enough to hold even a pure-blood prince. And you allowed him to remove it."
The air seemed to tighten.
"What were you thinking?" Ji Woo hissed. "Do you wish to ruin everything?"
Xie Yue's head touched the floor. "Forgive me, my queen… I...I failed to notice when he took it off. But I will fix it. I swear...."
"If you spoil my plan," Ji Woo cut in, her voice dropping to a chilling whisper, "I will have your head."
Xie Yue trembled violently.
Before she could respond, Ji Woo vanished, disappearing as suddenly as she had appeared.
The kitchen fell silent.
Xie Yue stayed frozen where she knelt, her entire body shaking from fear… and from the horrible knowledge that one mistake could cost her everything.
Tian Yu was still laying completely still, when she stepped into the room, breathing slowly, lost in the deep sleep the spell forced on him.
Xie Yue watched him for a long moment.
Her hands trembled slightly, not from guilt, but from fear of Ji Woo's anger.
"Don't ever wake up remembering anything," she whispered under her breath.
She reached into a small box beside the bed and pulled out the silver ring Ji Woo had given her, the ring that once kept Tian Yu obedient and quiet, the one he somehow removed last night.
She stepped closer and sat at the edge of the bed.
His face was calm, peaceful… too peaceful for her liking.
Slowly, she lifted his hand. And slid the ring onto his finger.
The air shifted immediately.
A faint, dull glow pulsed around the ring, sinking into his skin like smoke being absorbed.
Tian Yu's fingers twitched once, his breathing tightening for a moment before settling again.
Xie Yue let out a relieved breath.
"Good," she murmured.