(Note: This scene relates to the epilogue in the main story)

—

As a result of saving the Emperor during the revolt, Ling Yao was soon to be awarded with a hundred gold bars and a promotion in his rank – from Captain to Lieutenant Colonel. Apart from guarding the Crown Prince, he would be involved in assisting the Colonel to lead military operations from time to time. Turning him into one of the youngest warriors to wear this title.

Gazing at his perfectly sculpted face as the Emperor bestowed him his new title, the sight filled Li Xue with joy. At the same time, embarrassment heated her cheeks.

She couldn't forget the way he had held her that night. How his strong arms wrapped around her body and filled her with a strong sense of security. How his eyes shone like twinkling stars in the darkness.

Ever since then, whenever he stood in the same room as her, her self-awareness heightened and her face would turn as red as a cherry tomato.

How was it possible that she would blush at every mere sight of him after he saved her from her near-death experience? Was it because she had read too many romance stories that she couldn't discern her fantasies from reality? Or had she truly fallen hard for her brother's bodyguard?

She sounded like a pathetic fool, but she couldn't help it.

Fearing that her frail heart might be hurt once again, she decided that she wasn't going to come into any contact with him as much as possible. Deep down in her heart, she knew she would never live through the embarrassment if she was rejected for the second time. For a man as apathetic as he was, he probably viewed her as his friend's younger sister, a princess or simply an obnoxious girl who was born with a golden spoon in her mouth.

Hence, she decided she would bury her admiration for him.

For days and weeks later, she kept to her oath. Whenever she spotted him heading in her way, she would turn and scoot off in the opposite direction. If he gave her his greetings, she would return a silent nod and strode away quickly. Leaving him to stare after her with a perplexed expression.

As much as she tried to avoid encountering him, her luck soon ran out. The next time she was forced to face him, it was during her brother's wedding.

Two months of her effort had gone into planning the biggest wedding in the century. Red lanterns adorned the ceiling, with red-gold tassels hanging at every corner of the hall and flower-embroidered carpets covering every inch of the floor. Relatives, officials and guests from neighbouring states came to offer their blessings and gifts.

On the dais sat the Emperor, Empress and not forgetting, the newly-wedded royal couple. Li Xue watched as her brother whispered to Long'Er — no, Zhi Ruo — whose cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

Li Xue couldn't completely detest the girl. After all, she did have her fair share of fun moments when they were together. Such an opportunity was rare, especially when it was hard for her to make friends in the palace. After months of interactions, she had come to realise that Zhi Ruo was a caring, kind and strong person, one that she certainly looked up to. If her brother liked her, Li Xue would let bygones be bygones, give them her blessings and accept her as her sister-in-law.

Smiling, she turned away from them and took a sip of the delicious wine that her maid had poured for her. Somewhere behind her, she heard her cousin's voice — Zhang Wei — as he conversed with someone heartily and gave his word of gratitude.

"Thank you for clearing my name the last time, Ling Yao! You managed to track down the woman who framed me for impregnating her and forced her to speak the truth. Without your help, my wife would have divorced me and forbidden me to see my daughter. You're my life saviour! Here's a toast to you!"

Their cups clinked and Li Xue heard Ling Yao mumble a reply. "It's not a big deal. I was just doing what His Highness had ordered me to do."

"Well, it was a life-or-death matter for me," Zhang Wei answered, his voice gaining in excitement. "Tell me, what can I do for you in return? Money? A house? Or introduce you to a beautiful woman?!"

"I would very much rather you just stop talking."

Li Xue snorted in agreement and tossed a few grapes into her mouth. She heard her cousin protesting and teasing Ling Yao for not wooing any woman. He even suggested introducing his sister-in-law to him and the thought annoyed Li Xue so much that she accidentally slammed her chopsticks onto the table, earning a couple of frightened looks from around her.

Even her maid was taken aback. "P-princess?"

"What? Don't look at me like that. I'm fine, I'm fine..."

She threw her head back and downed a couple more cups of wine. From where she was sitting, her watchful eyes caught sight of a group of noblemen who were heading towards her way.

A wave of panic hit her, but she didn't have enough time to run.

Sure enough, she was surrounded, their towering frames swallowed her entirely. Offers of marriage were hurled at her and she was overwhelmed to the point she couldn't breathe. Regardless of how handsome or rich they were, none of them wore the same gallant demeanour as the one man she often thought about.

Oblivious to how irritated she was becoming, the noblemen studied each other with appraising eyes. They soon began bickering among themselves. Challenging among themselves to prove who was more worthy to be her future husband.

"My family owns over ten pieces of land."

"My ancestor was one of the Founding Ministers of this country!"

"My father is the current Minister of Taxation!"

As the debate grew heated, Li Xue's eyebrows twitched with annoyance and she leapt up angrily. "Stop!" she yelled, raising both her hands.

The voices around her ceased. Their eyes stared at her, wide-eyed.

Placing her hands on her hips, she proposed a suggestion. "Why don't all of you compete in arm wrestling to see who's the strongest?"

Immediately acting on her words, the noblemen settled onto the nearest table and began pulling up their sleeves for the arm wrestling competition. Little did they know that the moment they took their eyes off her, she made her escape and weaved her way through the mass of people.

Before she could step through the main door, she witnessed Ling Yao speaking to a young, beautiful girl — one who looked oddly familiar.

Wasn't it Zhi Ruo's friend? Her so-called sister whom she grew up with in the mountains?

Whoever she was, the sight of the pair together ignited a spark of jealousy in Li Xue. Her eyes narrowed in both hurt and anger, her fists clenched and she sped away before her unwanted emotions manifested into something stronger.

No one noticed her leaving, no one saw her emotional plight.

But honestly, what was wrong with her?

She hid herself away in the garden, standing beneath one of the biggest and oldest trees. The moonlight through the branches cast shadows over her small frame. Staying close to the thick trunk, she crouched low and picked up a small twig. For several minutes, her mind wandered aimlessly as she poked at the dead leaves and tiny pebbles that had collected at the base of the tree.

Until a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Troubles in the heart?"

Li Xue's head snapped up immediately, her eyes meeting a pair of familiar orbs. It was an older-looking girl dressed in an elegant, white dress embroidered with pink cherry blossoms. Something in her warm, friendly gaze made Li Xue nervous, but she couldn't pinpoint the reason behind it.

The longer she stared at her, the more familiar she looked. Just then, the cogs in her head shifted and she blinked several times in realisation.

This person! Wasn't she the same woman whom Ling Yao was talking to earlier?

With a small snort, Li Xue dropped her head and resumed poking at the dead leaves. She didn't even bother concealing her annoyance in her tone.

"What do you want, Older Sister?"

However, the girl didn't seem the slightest bit offended and began chuckling humorously.

"You don't have to address me like that if you don't want to."

Li Xue sucked in her cheeks and pouted. "Long'Er's is my sister-in-law now, which makes you my sister too. Besides, I don't even know your name."

The strange girl knelt next to her. "My name doesn't really matter. But if you wish, you may call me Yu Yan," she answered happily. "Putting that aside, what's more important is you. Here – you're in need of a drink right now, aren't you?"

Something cool was pressed against Li Xue's right cheek. A wine flask.

She grabbed the flask and gulped down its content, feeling the burn in her throat. She wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve and leaned her back against the tree, gazing at the moon reflected in the small pond sitting a few feet away from them.

In a matter of minutes, the alcohol was getting to her head and she started giggling for no apparent reasons.

"Older Sister, tell me. Who's the biggest fool you've ever met before?" And then she pointed at herself. "Me."

"Silly child." Yu Yan patted her head, her eyes showing a look of understanding. "You're not a fool for being in love. You're only a fool if you don't give your all to love but expect to be loved."

Li Xue was genuinely stunned. All animosity and doubt she held towards her vanished, and she couldn't help but reveal her problems to the girl whom she had just met a couple of minutes ago.

"But what if he doesn't like me back? I don't think I can take the hit again."

Yu Yan looked thoughtful for a second. "Many have asked me this question before," she admitted. "Most of the time, I would tell them that love can't be forced. If it is there, protect it. If it isn't, they'll have to learn to let go. Everything is a part and parcel of life. But what if this is your one and only chance in life? Do you really wish to walk away? Will you come to regret it one day when you see another woman bearing his child?"

Li Xue's fists tightened. Her hands were buried in the depths of her skirt.

"I...I can't imagine that happening."

"I know." Yu Yan patted her head again. "Whatever the ending is, don't you think you would feel better knowing that you've at least tried?" She smiled softly at Li Xue, her mellow voice was soothing to the ears. "But in your case, little one, you don't have to worry too much. Trust me."

As convincing as she sounded, Li Xue was clearly confused.

How can I trust you when you were the one who was speaking to my crush earlier?!

As if Yu Yan could read her thoughts, she started assuring her. "I'm not your competition, and never will be. The only thing that's standing in your way now is your lack of confidence," she grinned.

Her eyes settled on something behind Li Xue. "It's time for you to make a decision now," she said. "To face it, or run away."

Following Yu Yan's trail of sight, Li Xue's eyes widened in surprise and panic at the familiar figure in the distance. Her hands started shaking involuntarily and her breath quickened.

Oh no.

Ling Yao was making his way towards them.



A/N: Li Xue absolutely didn't know she was, in fact, speaking to a deity. Hehehe. 😂

Also, let me know if you're enjoying this short spin-off so far?