Esmeria

“Just what is happening…” Peng Xian muttered to himself, unable to tear his gaze away from the extraordinary phenomenon unfolding before him.

Xiao Jie, overwhelmed by the sight, knelt down, genuflecting toward Wu Zhao.

Tears streamed down Wu Zhao’s face as she experienced Annie’s deep-seated hatred firsthand. She felt the sting of Annie’s resentment over the perceived unfairness of their fates, despite their striking physical resemblance.

Amidst this torrent of emotion, Wu Zhao also glimpsed how Gilles had cunningly manipulated Annie into harboring hatred toward the royal family.

What Annie had for her stepfather Gilles was a twisted form of adoration, she hated him for comparing her to Wu Zhao, yet adored him for getting her out of poverty, she had never truly loved anybody.

The rest of the soldiers finally arrived on the scene, their eyes widening in astonishment at the spectacle before them. Without a word, they followed Xiao Jie’s lead, dropping to their knees in reverence, genuflecting to Wu Zhao.

Through Annie’s memories, Wu Zhao discovered the truth: Gilles was the one responsible for poisoning her father, leading to his death. A wave of pity washed over her for Annie, who had been manipulated as a mere tool in his quest for power.

Once all the light particles were absorbed, Wu Zhao emerged from her trance, her voice clear and resolute. “Capture the traitor, Gilles,” she commanded.

“Yes, your highness!” the soldiers responded promptly, swiftly departing to apprehend Gilles.

“How are you feeling?” Peng Xian asked with concern.

“I feel refreshed, as though power is coursing through my body,” Wu Zhao replied. She then pointed her finger at an empty spot and chanted, “[Earth Spear].” An earth spike emerged from the ground.

“It seems I have fully absorbed all of her memories and power,” she added, her voice steady with newfound strength.

“Oh my, I have never witnessed such a phenomenon,” Peng Xian remarked, his tone filled with awe.

“Xiao Jie, are you alright?” Wu Zhao asked, her gaze shifting to her companion.

“Yes, princess, I am alright,” Xiao Jie replied, his voice strained.

“You should get the royal physicians to check on you immediately,” she insisted.

“What about you, princess?” he asked, concern evident in his eyes.

“I will be fine,” she assured him, turning to walk toward the ceremonial hall.

“I will follow after her, brother. Please rest,” Peng Xian said, trailing behind Wu Zhao.

“I’ll leave the princess in your care, then,” Xiao Jie responded as he headed off to seek medical attention.

As Wu Zhao approached the ceremonial hall, she saw Jian Yi’s lifeless body lying on the floor. Overcome with grief, she sat down and gently placed his body on her lap, hugging him tightly.

“First, mine father, and now you too…” Wu Zhao cried, her tears flowing freely.

Peng Xian watched the scene unfold, initially wanting to intervene, as such an act was considered improper between a man and a woman, especially for the princess. However, seeing the depth of her sorrow, he decided to let her mourn in her own way.

Memories of how they first met when she was around eight years old, and their daily lives together flooded her mind, causing her to cry even more.

“Princess, this boy is Jian Yi. He will be your personal guard from now on,” Xiao Jie said to the young Wu Zhao. The sun shone brightly in the courtyard, casting a warm glow over the small group.

“I-I-I am Jian Yi, pleased to meet you!” the boy stammered, his face flushed with a mix of nerves and excitement.

“You have to address her as ‘Your Highness,’ you idiot!” Xiao Jie said, giving Jian Yi’s head a light smack. His tone was firm, but there was a hint of a smile on his face.

Wu Zhao, her eyes sparkling with mischief, extended both her arms out, confusing Jian Yi. “Piggyback!” she demanded with a playful grin.

Jian Yi hesitated for a moment, looking to Xiao Jie for guidance. “Go on, it’s your job to take care of her now,” Xiao Jie encouraged.

Jian Yi bent down, allowing Wu Zhao to climb onto his back. As he stood up, he felt a newfound sense of purpose. Wu Zhao giggled with delight, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. It was the beginning of a bond that would last a lifetime, a bond that now made her loss even more unbearable.

As the days went by, Wu Zhao would often glance out of her study room window to see Jian Yi in the courtyard, diligently training his martial arts and swordsmanship. His dedication was unwavering, even when she was stuck inside, poring over books and scrolls. She admired his determination, and it became a comforting routine for her to watch his graceful movements.

“I’m booooored!” Wu Zhao complained to Jian Yi while he was in the middle of training.

“Your Highness, is there anything I can do for you?” Jian Yi replied, pausing mid-swing.

“I heard it’s fun outside the palace! Bring me out!” Wu Zhao requested, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Your Highness, I-I-I can’t!” Jian Yi stammered, his face turning a shade paler.

“I wanna go, I wanna go! It’s not like you’d lose a limb bringing me out!” Wu Zhao cried out, her voice playful but insistent.

“If I get found out, I might really lose a limb or two!” Jian Yi said, his voice laced with worry.

“Nobody will know if we keep quiet about it!” Wu Zhao said, her pleading look softening his resolve.

“Sigh…only for a while, okay? We must get back before the hour of the sheep; you still have a lesson with the Grand Court Wizard later,” Jian Yi reluctantly agreed, unable to resist her enthusiasm.

“Yay! Okay!” Wu Zhao gave him a wide grin, her excitement bubbling over as she clapped her hands in delight. This was their beginning of going incognito outside the palace.

Outside the palace, Wu Zhao had no idea about what trading was, she would just walk up to a stall and take the food she fancied, and walk away, leaving the merchants angry, Jian Yi would have to quickly calm the merchants down and paid them for the food.

“Y-your Highness, you can’t just take other people’s items!” Jian Yi said, looking concerned.

“Why?” Wu Zhao asked, puzzled.

“You have to pay them money,” Jian Yi explained.

“What is money?” she inquired.

“Uhm… it’s something you use to buy things. Like gold pieces, silver pieces, copper pieces, and banknotes,” Jian Yi said.

“I don’t have to do that in the palace,” Wu Zhao noted.

“Y-your Highness, we’re outside the palace right now. It’s different here!” Jian Yi emphasized.

“Then gimme money!” she demanded.

“Your Highness, I don’t have much money left on me right now,” he said, trying to reason with her.

“You are no fun!” she pouted.

“We have to return to the palace soon,” he added, trying to redirect her focus.

“I don’t want to,” she replied, still sulking.

“Y-your highness, you promised me!” he reminded her.

“Fine…” she conceded with a sigh.

At that moment, a group of thugs appeared in the alleyway, blocking Wu Zhao’s path with menacing glares.

“Oi, thieving brat! This time I finally caught you. I’m gonna break your leg and use you for relief,” the leader snarled.

Jian Yi quickly stepped between Wu Zhao and the thugs, his stance protective.

“Who is this unfortunate boy, your lover? Hahahahaha!” the leader’s gang mocked, laughing derisively.

“Sirs, please back off. We don’t want to create any trouble,” Jian Yi said, trying to defuse the situation.

“He called us ‘sirs,’ ahahaha!” The gang continued to jeer.

“Where did you steal those fancy clothes, brat?” they taunted.

“I’m gonna break your legs and arms and turn you into a beggar for daring to steal from us!” the leader roared.

Before Jian Yi could respond further, the thugs lunged at him, their intentions clear.

The alleyway was dimly lit, the flickering lanterns casting long shadows that danced across the walls. The leader and his gang of thugs closed in on Jian Yi and Wu Zhao, their faces twisted with malicious intent. Jian Yi’s grip tightened on his sword, not intending to kill but ready to defend.

“Stay back!” Jian Yi warned, positioning himself between the thugs and Wu Zhao.

The leader sneered, “You think you can protect her? We’ll see about that!”

With a guttural roar, the thugs charged at Jian Yi. He met their advance with swift, controlled movements, using the flat of his sword to knock them aside rather than inflict lethal harm. His training and discipline were evident in his precise strikes.

A burly thug swung a club at Jian Yi’s head. Jian Yi dodged with a nimble sidestep and countered with a powerful swing of his sword’s flat side, sending the thug sprawling against the wall. Another thug tried to tackle him from behind, but Jian Yi spun around, using the back of his sword to deflect the blow and sending the attacker crashing into a pile of crates.

The leader, seeing his men falter, roared in frustration and charged at Jian Yi with a knife. Jian Yi sidestepped, using the hilt of his sword to deflect the leader’s strike. The force of the block sent the leader stumbling forward, and Jian Yi took advantage, delivering a sharp, controlled blow to the leader’s midsection, causing him to double over but not incapacitating him.

The remaining thugs, seeing their leader struggling, tried to regroup. Jian Yi’s movements were a blur of practiced skill as he parried and deflected their attacks. He used the back of his sword to strike their weapons away and knock them to the ground. Despite their numbers, they were no match for his disciplined technique.

Jian Yi’s strikes were precise, aimed at disarming and incapacitating rather than causing permanent harm. One thug attempted to charge at him with a pipe, but Jian Yi deftly used the flat side of his sword to redirect the attack and send the thug crashing into another, creating a tangled heap of defeated bodies.

With each thug that fell, the leader grew more desperate. He lunged at Jian Yi again, but Jian Yi met him with a series of rapid, non-lethal strikes, using the back of his sword to deliver blows that left the leader dazed and unable to continue fighting. Jian Yi finally knocked the leader's knife from his hand and pushed him to the ground, pinning him with the flat of his blade.

Panting but resolute, Jian Yi surveyed the scene. The thugs lay scattered and incapacitated, groaning in pain but unable to continue their assault. He sheathed his sword and turned to Wu Zhao, who had watched the fight in anxious silence.

“Are you alright, Your Highness?” Jian Yi asked, his voice tense but relieved.

“That was amazing! I’m so impressed! As expected of mine guard!” Wu Zhao exclaimed, patting Jian Yi with enthusiasm. Her face showed no trace of fear; she was unfamiliar with the emotion.

“We should head back to the palace quickly,” Jian Yi said, his expression a blend of exhaustion and determination. “Before they regroup or more trouble shows up.”

Wu Zhao nodded in agreement. Together, they hurried away from the scene, leaving the defeated thugs behind.

Jian Yi couldn’t help but wonder if they had targeted the wrong person as the leader screamed, “Damn you, thieving brat! I’ll get you next time!”

“Phew, we made it back to your chamber undetected,” Jian Yi let out a sigh of relief.

“That was fun!” Wu Zhao’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “We’ll go out again next time!”

“Y-your Highness, please have some sympathy for me!” Jian Yi said, looking worn out.

“Ahahaha, don’t worry, don’t worry!” Wu Zhao said with a playful grin, patting his head. Despite his exhaustion, Jian Yi couldn’t help but smile at her infectious enthusiasm.

“Oh my, oh my, had some adventurous fun, I assume?” Peng Xian said with a knowing smile as he walked toward the two.

“Eek, g-good afternoon, Grand Court Wizard!” Jian Yi immediately stood at attention.

“Be at ease, boy. You can just call me Peng Xian,” he said with a gentle smile.

“Then you can just call me Wu Zhao!” she added cheerfully.

“I couldn’t possibly do this!”

“Your Highness, you can’t let others call you by name!”

Peng Xian and Jian Yi said simultaneously, a note of alarm in their voices.

“Ahahahaha, you two are funny!” Wu Zhao laughed, her mirth infectious. Her laughter soon had Peng Xian and Jian Yi joining in, the tension of the day momentarily lifting.

Wu Zhao snapped back to reality as a soldier reported that they had captured Gilles and confined him to jail.

“Did he resist arrest?” Wu Zhao asked the soldier.

“Your Royal Highness, he did not resist. He only mumbled ‘Luo Yang will fall’ repeatedly,” the soldier replied.

“Good work. You’re dismissed. Please attend to the wounded,” Wu Zhao instructed.

“Yes, Your Royal Highness!” The soldiers responded with a salute before hurrying off.

Wu Zhao carried Jian Yi’s lifeless body toward the ceremonial hall, where her father’s coffin lay. Peng Xian offered to help, but she declined his assistance. With a heavy heart, she gently laid Jian Yi beside the coffin and hugged his body tightly. Overcome by exhaustion and grief, she then fell asleep, her tears still wet on her cheeks.

Peng Xian stood vigil outside the entrance, closing the door gently to shield Wu Zhao from prying eyes. He remained close, guarding the space with quiet resolve. Although he could not offer much, he was determined to be there for the grieving princess in any way he could.