Embers of Jade: A Soul Rewritten

A week passed in silence and spectacle.

The world buzzed with the news of their engagement—two elites tied by elegance and tragedy, reborn as a power couple. But behind the media glare, Sebastian and Aurora played their parts with calculated grace.

Tonight, however, the facade would shift.

The Xu estate's east wing was reserved for rare instruments—Sebastian's private collection. Rows of ancient zithers, flutes, and stringed relics sat under glass like museum artifacts.

Aurora stepped into the room, drawn by a soft sound—an echo from another life.

She followed it to a guzheng resting on a lacquered stand.

As her fingers brushed its strings, a melody poured out—not practiced, but remembered. A sorrowful tune filled with yearning and grace. A tune only an empress would have played in her chambers, waiting for a war to end.

From the doorway, Sebastian stood frozen.

"I've heard that song before," he said.

"In your dreams?" she asked.

He nodded.

Aurora's fingers stilled. "I don't know how I know it. But when I play… I remember feeling powerful. And alone."

Sebastian entered slowly. "That melody… it played the night you were crowned. You wore red. Your eyes didn't cry, but your heart was bleeding."

She looked up. "You remember it too?"

"I never forgot," he whispered.

Their hands met on the strings—two souls tangled in fate's rhythm.

The zither sang again, its voice bridging centuries.