The early autumn wind carried a trace of chill as it blew in through the window.
Feeling cold without realizing it, Xyliana shivered and stood up. She slowly walked to the window and looked out.
In the courtyard, the breeze blew gently, lifting a few fallen petals on the ground. Lately, her sleep had been restless.
Every night after falling asleep, a vague figure would appear in her dreams.
She tried hard to identify it but always failed.
A dull pain throbbed faintly on her forehead. Lately, her headaches had grown worse.
Those fragmented images always flashed by suddenly.
Mixed among them were figures that seemed both real and false, and scenes that were unfamiliar yet somehow familiar.
And also… something distant in her mind that she could never seem to reach.
A cool breeze brushed past, making her hair flutter. A trace of confusion appeared in her eyes.
A few days ago, the physician said her memory loss was completely healed.
But for some reason, deep down, she felt she had forgotten something.
Outside, the sun was shining brightly, with not a cloud in the sky. It was an ordinary, clear day.
She reached out to rub her temples, and the pain eased a little.
This persistent headache was truly bothersome.
"Miss Xyliana, have you finished getting ready? His Highness is waiting for you in the main hall to eat." Xamel's voice drifted in from outside the room.
She stopped rubbing her temples and suppressed her wandering thoughts. Then she slowly turned around.
Taking the veil from the clothing rack, Xyliana put it on and responded toward the door, "I'm ready. I'll be right there."
She pushed open the door. The breeze blew again, bringing with it a faint floral fragrance that was refreshing and soothing.
Fleeting life in this world, flowers in bloom, encountering you feels like a dream lost in regret.
The heart, as firm as glass, remains unbroken even in raging fire.
If everything was already set by fate, could she find the reason behind it this time and discover where she truly belongs?
If she had known this would be the future, would she still have stepped into this journey?
Moon City alley.
A young woman dressed in black with a cap pulled low was rushing through the alley with the dinner she had just bought.
As the sun began to set, the fiery clouds at the horizon cast their glow over her figure.
Beneath the brim of her hat, a pair of stunning eyes caught attention.
Just from her figure alone, it was clear she was a beauty.
She seemed to have a kind of charm. Everyone who passed by her couldn't help but look back.
But she moved too quickly and disappeared in a flash. The passersby had no choice but to suppress their strange feelings and move on.
Xyliana was repeating to herself in her mind:
"Faster, faster, once I'm home it'll be fine."
Her steps were hurried. She seemed long used to avoiding crowds and hiding from sight.
Her pace quickened, but she didn't expect…
Suddenly!
Her foot slipped. She must have stepped on a stone by accident. Without warning, Xyliana stumbled and fell.
She crashed straight onto a street vendor's mat on the side of the road.
Her vision blurred. In the next moment, pain shot up from her body, and her eyes filled with reflexive tears.
She took a moment to recover, then slowly struggled to get up. Her palms burned with pain.
Looking closely, she saw she had scraped several cuts into her skin.
Ignoring everything else, Xyliana quickly began inspecting the little stall she had messed up.
Looking at it...
It seemed to be an antique stall?
Though it was called that, it was really just a street stall run by some elderly men and women.
They loved waving their fans and telling passersby that their goods were old porcelain from past dynasties or so-called antique items.
Most people just found it amusing and bought something for a few dozen yuan.
"Sorry, sorry, granny, I didn't mean to.
I don't know how, but I suddenly lost my balance and fell. I'm really sorry."
It wasn't easy to stand up again. Looking at the messy stall she had caused, Xyliana lowered her head in anxiety and shame.
A beautiful voice slowly came through, clear and airy like a breeze in the mountains.
"It's alright, girl. It's already getting late, and I should be heading off anyway.
So please help this old lady tidy things up a bit, will you?"
Hearing that, Xyliana slowly looked up and saw the old woman's gentle smile.
She reacted quickly and said,
"Ah, y-yes, granny."
Then Xyliana started helping with the cleaning, looking a little flustered. She said softly,
"I'm really sorry. Please check if I broke anything, I'll pay for it."
The old woman was moving the ornaments and items from the stall into her cart. When she heard Xyliana's words, she smiled and replied,
"They're just a few worthless trinkets. No need to worry about it, girl."
Hearing this, Xyliana felt embarrassed and said no more. She then continued helping the old woman pack up her stall.
As the sky darkened, Xyliana finally persuaded the old woman to accept some money.
Xyliana picked up a takeout bag nearby, ready to go home. Suddenly, the old woman's voice came from behind.
"Child, take this necklace as a gift."
Xyliana turned around. The old woman stepped forward and put a necklace into her hand.
"This old lady's things are not worth much. You worked so hard helping me and even gave me money.
Please keep this necklace."
The necklace lay quietly in Xyliana's palm. It was the same one she had pressed down with her hand when she fell.
Xyliana looked closely. The pendant on the necklace was a green color.
A faint trace of red, like dried blood, seemed to tell of the painful fate it had once been part of.
She shivered, unable to stop herself. Her injured hand reminded her how she had pressed the necklace down.
"Alright then, thank you, grandma," Xyliana said with a smile after a brief hesitation.
She put away the necklace and was about to say goodbye when a cold wind blew through the air.
The old woman looked at Xyliana with deep eyes. Her face showed a strange, hard-to-understand expression.
With a mysterious smile, she spoke slowly:
"Fate is only what we meet; all is past ties..."
Her voice was soft and disappeared into the wind in an instant. Xyliana did not catch the words clearly.
"What did you say, grandma? What fate?" Xyliana asked, eyes wide in confusion.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and a white mist appeared before her eyes. She could barely open them.
After a moment, she slowly opened her eyes. The mist cleared, and the scene changed suddenly.
Xyliana looked carefully. There was no sign of the old woman. She was standing downstairs at her own home.
Only the necklace in her hand and the takeout bag reminded her that what happened just now was not a dream.
"Forget it, forget it. Time to go home." She rubbed her protesting stomach and walked slowly inside.
At home, she put down the takeout and took off her mask and cap. Her reflection appeared in the mirror.
Her face was clear and delicate, beyond ordinary beauty. Her brows were like distant mountains, eyes like stars.
What a face it was, like a goddess, pure and flawless. A look that could make people crazy with admiration.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Xyliana felt a bit sad.
"If not for this face, I wouldn't have to hide and avoid people all the time."
Xyliana had grown up in an orphanage. The director and teachers always cared for her closely. They never let her show her true face.
Because of this, the other children thought she was weak and sickly, which was why she often wore a mask.
The director told Xyliana that she should never show her face to others lightly.
Too bad the beauty on the bed was sound asleep and did not see this scene.
The jade ring's light grew stronger and stronger.
Soon, the dazzling light covered the whole room.
"Fate only meets what it is meant to, all are past connections."
A mysterious voice came from the distance in the dark night.