Then the memories rushed through her mind, they were not hers.
A girl in white robes standing in a hall filled with shouting voices. A man and a woman were also crying. The pain in her chest and the world were fading to black.
Yueyao gasped softly, clutching the sheets tightly with her fingers. Her heart wildly raced, Whose life was that?
Yueyao gasped softly, clutching the sheets tightly with her fingers. Her heart wildly raced, Whose life was that?
Her eyes immediately darted around the room and then she saw a mirror across from the bed and froze.
The reflection staring back wasn't her.
The face was delicate, pale, framed by long silver hair. Her lips were soft, her skin too smooth, her eyes, silver, not the deep brown she remembered.
"No…" she whispered. Her voice sounded strange, lighter, almost fragile. "What is this…?"
"What happened?"
The door slid open suddenly and a maid rushed in, her eyes wide in shock... "Princess! You're awake!"
Yueyao stared at her, confused. " Princess?"
The maid dropped to her knees, tears spilling down her cheeks. "You've been unconscious for five days! The Duke and Madam have been praying for your recovery. Please don't move. I'll call them right away!"
Yueyao opened her mouth to speak up, but no words came through. The maid ran out before she could stop her.
She pressed her trembling hands to her face, feeling the warmth of a body that wasn't hers. Her heart pounded wildly with the possibilities....
This wasn't a dream.
The body was real. The voice was real. The heartbeat beneath her palms was real. Everything felt so real... She pinched her arm and could feel the pain, the pain was so real...
Outside, the crimson moon hung above the window once again, casting its red light across her pale skin.
Yueyao looked toward it, her new eyes reflecting that same blood-red glow.
"…I died," she whispered softly to the night. " And now… I'm someone else. Maybe this was the only option..."
The candle flickered once, then went out, leaving the room in silence.
The silence stretched long after the candle died.
Yueyao sat there, breathing in the faint scent of smoke and medicine. Her fingers trembled against the sheets. The air felt too heavy, the room too quiet.
She could still feel it, the faint echo of the girl's last emotions. There was fear, defiance, and love that was twisted with pride. A heart that had stopped beating under too much pain.
And now… Yueyao was here.
The door suddenly creaked open again. Footsteps hurried in, lighter ones, then heavier ones that stopped near her bed.
"Shuang'er!" Madam Yuwen's voice broke, full of disbelief and relief. "You're awake, thank the heavens…"
Yueyao looked up. The woman who rushed to her side had tear-streaked cheeks, her hair slightly disheveled as if she hadn't slept in days. The Duke followed behind, his face pale, his eyes red-rimmed.
Madam Yuwen took her hand gently, pressing it to her cheek, "You frightened us so much. You've been unconscious since that night. We thought...." Her voice choked, "We thought we'd lost you."
Yueyao's lips parted slightly; the warmth of the woman's touch felt strange yet comforting and yet unfamiliar.
She wanted to say something, but her throat ached and felt so dry. Her voice came out rough and soft, "I… I'm fine."
Duke Yuwen let out a shaky breath and placed a hand on her shoulder, "You are not fine, my child," he said, "You collapsed because your heart was strained beyond its limit. The physician said you must not be angered or pushed again."
His eyes softened, but his tone remained heavy, "There will be no more talk of marriage with the Crimson Howl clan. You will rest, and that is final."
Marriage.
The word sent a ripple through Yueyao's mind. Memories flashed again, a name whispered with longing. Huo Tingxuan.
The Alpha of the Crimson Howl clan..
Her heart tightened painfully, and she had to bite her lip to stop the sudden rush of emotion that didn't belong to her.
Madam Yuwen mistook her silence for weakness and quickly adjusted the blanket around her. "Don't think of anything now, Shuang'er. You're safe here. You'll recover, and then… We'll talk."
Yueyao lowered her gaze, hiding the storm in her eyes. She wasn't the daughter they thought she was. The real Yueshuang, their princess, was already gone.
She had died under this same crimson moon.
Now, Yueyao wore her skin, carried her name, and bore her fate.
As her parents left to summon the physician, Yueyao turned her head toward the window. Outside, the moon's red glow bathed the garden in a strange light.
Somewhere far away, she felt it, a faint pull, sharp and cold, like a thread tugging at her soul.