The heavy curtains swayed slightly after Talin disappeared, and Tai Lan's body was still on the ground, his hands pressing the wound, and his eyes lost in the ornate ceiling.
The blood began to form a pool that widened with every drop... as if time itself had slowed down.
Suddenly, the door burst open violently, and Ian, Tai Lan's servant, entered, panting, his voice preceding his steps as he searched with his eyes for Tai Lan:
"My lord! My lord, is everything alri—"
He froze in place.
Panic was reflected on his face, and his eyes immediately focused on Tai Lan's body lying on the ground, and the blood dripping from him.
"Oh my God...! Guards!! Get the doctor—!!!"
He screamed and rushed to him, knelt beside him, and tried to lift his head slightly, his voice trembling:
"Your Highness, you'll be fine... don't be afraid, please don't close your eyes!"
Tai Lan's eyes were still open, but he was calm, trying to gather what remained of his strength.
Footsteps approached outside the wing.
The chief of guards entered, along with two soldiers, and a maid screamed when she saw the prince.
They all froze in their places as if they had hit an invisible wall... No one had expected to see Tai Lan lying in a pool of blood.
The chief of guards approached and knelt before him and said in a shaken but composed voice:
– "Your Highness!! What happened? Who did this?!"
Ian answered, his voice trembling like his hands pressing the prince's wound:
"There's no time for that!!! Please, bring the doctor! Now!"
Tai Lan was still clinging to the remnants of his consciousness, his eyes half-open,
Following the heavy curtains still swaying after her escape... then he moved his lips and whispered barely audibly:
"Keep it... a secret."
And in the next moment, his grip relaxed, and his eyes faded into unconsciousness while the blood still colored the ground... in silence.
Finally, the royal doctor arrived carrying his bag.
He quickly knelt and began examining the wound, while the blood still seeped onto the floor.
The guard turned to the maid standing at the door and asked:
– "Did anyone enter or leave before us?!"
She hesitated, her lips trembling, and she whispered:
"My lady, Princess Talin... entered with him just minutes ago."
The guard: "And when did she leave?!"
The maid: "...She didn't. No one saw her leave."
The guard gave her a terrifying look, then shouted:
"Find the princess immediately! Either she is in danger... or—"
...and he whispered the last part like someone discovering an unforgivable betrayal:
"Or... maybe she is the danger."
Ian raised his head, shocked, his eyes full of questions.
But the commander continued in a sharper tone:
– "Close all the corridors! Surround the hall and the wing immediately! No one leaves the palace—not even the princess!!"
The soldiers rushed like ants through the wing and all over the palace, and orders spread from the guards' mouths to keep the prince's assassination a secret, away from the high court.
While Tai Lan remained unconscious for four continuous days.
> <><><><><><><><><><
The next morning after the escape (of the fake Princess Talin),
In the crowded alleys and ever-busy markets,
She slipped through, watching people with eyes full of anxiety.
Her steps were exhausted, heavy,
As if the earth itself resisted her passing,
And her body trembled from the cold, the dried blood on the edges of her dress still a witness to what she had done to Tai Lan.
She hadn't tasted rest nor closed her eyes for fear of being captured since leaving the palace walls,
But there was no chase, no guards. As if nothing had happened.
Even when she finally reached the outskirts of "He Shu" city,
One of the border towns of the Bloody Cloud Kingdom—Tai Lan's kingdom—
She found everything normal.
No guards filling the checkpoints as she expected after news of the prince's assassination,
She had prepared to be arrested the moment she stepped outside the room,
But here she was now…
Returning to her old homeland,
Leaving behind the golden palaces and blood without facing any trouble.
After the fire of revenge in her chest had died down,
She returned to the barren land that once was home to her tribe,
As one of them—not as a princess as she could've been in Tai Lan's kingdom.
Here... there is no palace, no golden mirrors, no silk robes.
Only ash, stale bread, and frightened looks from the children.
She sought to live in peace.
Some considered her a warrior and looked up to her,
Others saw her as a threat to the tribe and feared she might bring death upon them all.
...But she did not try to defend herself.
She only told them she would leave once she ensured everyone's safety.
She was trying to gather the broken remains of her tribe,
Hauling water from distant wells,
Cooking lentils over firewood,
Teaching the young how to plant onions in a land that refuses to sprout,
And instructing them in self-defense,
As if she were preparing them for a war she didn't know when it would come.
And so, things went on like that for an entire week, and no one found her.
●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○
Meanwhile, in Tai Lan's palace—
Silence loomed over the royal wing.
Only the creaking wind behind closed windows could be heard,
And the trembling breaths of a man whose body still fought a silent war with death.
Tai Lan, the prince who once terrified kingdoms,
Lay on his bed, pale-faced, weak-bodied, breath shallow...
As if life was holding onto him by a thread so thin it could barely be seen.
On the fourth day,
The only sound in the place was that of water flowing in the stone basin beside the prince's bed.
Behind him stood Ian, gently washing his hair with his fingers,
As if afraid to wake him from a peaceful dream.
"The black... it's increasing."
Ian looked at his hair, his eyes filled with worry, but he kept his tone steady.
"The guards will definitely notice."
He pulled Tai Lan's hair back and tied it tightly to hide the black strands.
"No one must know. They won't hesitate to report to the Emperor... and they might accuse you of possession or sorcery."
Then he went to fetch powder to cover the black in Tai Lan's hair, for everyone was used to seeing his hair white.
But at that moment, Tai Lan's hand moved slowly.
A light tremble followed in his chest and a faint twitch in his eyelid, then his eyes opened—without a sound.
He didn't call for anyone,
Just reached with his trembling hand toward the edge of the bed, trying to rise.
But the pain… howled inside him.
Burning in every nerve of his body, yet he did not scream.
He simply pressed his lips together and kept trying.
Before he could sit up, Ian noticed and rushed to him, kneeling beside him, trying to persuade him to stop before he hurt himself.
– "Your Highness... don't move! The wound hasn't healed yet... please!"
But Tai Lan didn't look at him,
His eyes, sharp as swords, scanned the room.
– "Where... is she?"
Ian fell silent.
Hesitant.
He knew the answer would not please him.
But Tai Lan didn't wait for a reply.
He threw the cover off his body and pressed his trembling hand to the wound,
As if pressing it would stop the pain from spreading throughout his body.
Then he tried again to rise,
But barely managed to get up before his knees betrayed him,
And half his body collapsed forward.
A muffled groan escaped from him due to the pain.
The guards heard the sound and rushed into the room,
Laying him back on the bed.
They all noticed the change in his hair color,
But no one dared speak or ask.
Tai Lan closed his eyes, trying to regain strength, then
Spoke in a weary voice, soaked in bitterness:
– "The princess returned to her kingdom... Go, bring her."
A moment of absolute silence filled the room...
Then the guard commander nodded without question,
And left in haste, as if fire chased him.
As for Tai Lan…
He remained lying there,
His breaths shallow,
But his soul... was fully awake.
Two days passed since Tai Lan awoke—
Now, he had returned to sit upon his throne.
His back straight, his gaze cold—
Even the air seemed afraid to pass in front of him.
The dim light from the high windows dared not touch his face.
At that moment, the guards entered,
With the princess between them.
She walked with light steps and wore an elegant gown,
But her face was pale—knowing her end might be minutes away.
Tai Lan ordered all guards to leave and left them alone.
She bowed her head, and in a trembling voice said:
"Your Highness... I'm... ready to marry you... You are not as they described.
They lied and said you were hideous, old, with white hair, at death's door... I was scared, I'm still young. Please forgive me."
Tai Lan laughed and left his chair, approaching her until he was just a breath away, and said:
– "But I'm already married."
She faltered, then fell to her knees. He continued:
– "Let's skip the excuses... just tell me:
Who is she?
Who helped her?
And where can I find her?"
His words were sharp as blades.
The princess spoke in a faint voice, as if the words were being pulled from her throat:
– "Lorian."
The air froze.
She bowed her head further, then continued, her voice trembling between fear and defeat:
"...from the Hang Sui tribe. She said her marriage to you was a deal to save me...
She didn't want anything in return.
And that she would end it without breaking the peace treaty—because no one would care... if you died."
He leaned in slightly and looked into her eyes, then said:
"And where is she now?"
The princess flinched for a moment, then said:
– "In Narik... a remote village on the edge of the Snow Kingdom.
Where the remnants of her tribe live...
I heard that from a messenger she used to send to check on her people."
She then whispered in a more submissive tone:
– "I didn't help her... I don't know who did... I swear... I just withdrew and..."
Tai Lan looked at her while she remained on the ground pleading for forgiveness,
He knelt beside her, and she thought his heart had softened.
He spoke in a soft voice... like poison:
– "You aided the one who tried to kill me...
So by what face do you ask for my mercy?"
Then said with eyes void of life:
– "Go wherever you wish... but never return.
You are no longer Princess Talin."
Then he signaled for the guards to enter and drag her out of the palace.
He slowly turned back to the throne and sat...
– "Prepare the horses. Tonight... I will lead the way."
The guards were confused and exchanged glances. The prince's wound was still fresh.
But Prince Tai Lan rose from his bed despite the doctor's pleading,
And now he wanted to leave.
The commander said in a hesitant tone:
– "But, Your Highness... your wound, it hasn't—"
Tai Lan cut him off with a sharp look...
One that left no room for argument.
The guard froze in place, not daring to object,
For he saw in his eyes a decision that could not be undone.
Then he nodded firmly and said:
– "Prepare... We move at nightfall."
Tai Lan would not risk sending soldiers alone
To bring her back.
He didn't trust that whoever found Lorian... would keep her alive.
For now, she was no longer just a girl who wanted revenge on her tribe's killer.
She became a living proof of a traitor moving within the palace walls.
He knew that Talin's small hand had not acted alone in stabbing his heart,
But someone had opened the doors for her,
And helped her reach her goal.
So...
He decided to go himself.
No announcement, no procession, no eyes following him.
Just him and... his most trusted soldiers, in absolute silence.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Poverty... was the enemy of Lorian's plan.
It crawled toward them every night,
Sat at the table uninvited,
And took everyone's share... of happiness.
At night,
She guarded the small tents from wolves and thieves.
And from another ghost she thought would never return after his death...
And that she would finally sleep peacefully, without nightmares.
But he... came.
Tai Lan was not as she had left him on the palace's marble floor—
But a tall shadow... his face drowned in darkness,
His eyes burning with rage,
Slipping from the folds of the dream,
Stepping over corpses in soundless steps,
And he reaches out his hand to her and whispers:
– "Your time has come, my lady."
She jolts awake, terrified,
But the cold... that Tai Lan left in her body, remained with her... all day.
Every morning, she woke before the sun rose,
Gathered scattered firewood among the snow,
Boiled water in pots to wash clothes,
And distributed what food she could to satisfy the children who couldn't endure hunger.
She lived in silence.
In the evening, she lit a small fire,
Then sat alone, watching the flames,
Her eyes following the shapes forming in the smoke...
And every time, she saw his eyes.
She would wake gasping...
"It seems there's no escape from death at his hands."