At sunrise, the palace bathed in gold — but the warmth never reached the man sitting in silence by the jade window.
Jin Xuan Yue held a scroll, eyes unmoving, though he hadn't read a single word.
Why… why does her voice sound like hers? Her presence, her scent... even the rhythm of her steps...
It haunted him.
He rose abruptly and left the room, his robe billowing behind him.
Down the corridor, Li Hua was tending to a potted blossom. She straightened at his approach.
"My Lord."
He studied her. Not a word. Just… looked.
And in that moment, he wasn't seeing her. He was chasing a memory — of laughter in moonlight, of whispered promises beneath cherry blossoms, of a pair of golden eyes that once made the stars look dim.
"Your name," he said, suddenly.
She blinked. "L-Li Hua, my lord."
"No," he said, taking a step closer. "Who are you, really?"
Her heart lurched. For a second — just a second — fear flickered in her eyes.
"I'm no one, truly."
He stared a moment longer. Then, cold again: "You may go."
She turned quickly, masking her trembling hands.
He's getting closer to the truth. I can't slip.
---
Far above, in a hidden shrine of moonlight and shadows, Zeița Lunii stood surrounded by ancient scrolls.
"The blood moon rises in nine nights," whispered the cloaked demon beside her. "The seal weakens."
"I've waited a thousand years for this," she said, eyes shining like glass. "The Demon Star will awaken, and with it… Jin Xuan Yue will fall. Just as he let me fall."
"You wish to destroy him?" the demon asked.
"No." Her smile curved, slow and cruel. "I want him to beg."
---
Elsewhere in the palace, Rui Shen had found himself trapped under a pile of ceremonial robes.
"JIN MEI! This is the third time this week!"
From the top of the pile, Jin Mei grinned, holding a dumpling. "Consider it punishment for calling me terrifying."
"I meant it as a compliment!"
She snorted. "You mean everything as a joke."
"And yet I'm still the one under a mountain of silk."
From a corner, an old maid muttered, "Heaven save us from young nobles with too much time…"
---
That night, Li Hua crept into the ancient hall of records. The doors creaked open like old bones.
She found the painting.
A grand portrait — the real her. Qing Yue.
Noble. Proud. Wild as moonlight. Nine tails spread like a fan behind her.
And beside her… him. Jin Xuan Yue. Before he turned cold. Before betrayal.
She stared at it for a long time.
Would you still love me… if you knew I came back to destroy you?
A tear slid down her cheek.