Rui watched from the rooftop as Rong Xi stood in the courtyard of the old woman's house.
But this time, the room was empty.
Dust coated the furniture. Cobwebs hung in the corners. The house looked abandoned—exactly as his reports had stated.
The old woman Rong Xi had spoken to shouldn't exist.
Yet seeing it with his own eyes unsettled him.
Only two days had passed, but the place looked untouched for decades.
Twenty-eight years, according to the records.
So who had she spoken to?
What kind of magic was this?
Rong Xi stepped outside, frowning.
Just then, a boy approached the house next door.
She blocked his path.
"Pardon—what became of the woman who lived here?"
The boy stared at her.
"What woman? No one lives there."
Her breath caught.
"But…"
The boy shrugged and disappeared inside, leaving her alone on the threshold.
She stood there for a long moment, staring at the empty spot where the old woman had once sat.
For the first time since Rui began watching her, he saw it.
Fear.
Real fear.
His pulse quickened.
But she blinked—and it vanished.
Resolve replaced it.
As if the mystery had not shaken her at all.
It had only hardened her determination.
Interesting.
Rui followed at a distance, slipping through the crowd as she moved down the street.
She stopped suddenly outside a small shop.
"Please, sir! I beg you—don't take me to the guards!"
A thin boy, no older than seven, clung to a man's sleeve, voice cracking with terror.
"I only stole because we're starving!"
The man shoved him aside.
"I don't care, you little rat!"
He grabbed the boy by the hair and dragged him toward the county office.
Rong Xi stepped forward.
She knocked the man's hand away.
"He's just a hungry child," she said. "Can you not show mercy?"
Her voice was steady.
But her eyes burned.
The man turned on her.
"And who are you to interfere?"
He raised his hand.
Rui had not intended to reveal himself.
Not yet.
But he would not stand idle.
He stepped forward, intercepting the blow with his fan.
"How much does he owe?"
His voice was quiet.
Sharp.
The man froze, eyes narrowing.
"One string."
Rong Xi reached for her purse.
Rong Xi turned.
Their eyes met.
Something inside Rui stilled.
For the briefest moment, it felt like remembering someone he had never met.
No beggar's robes.
No disguise.
Today he stood as himself.
Well dressed. Composed. Every inch the son of a great household.
A slow smile touched his lips.
This was not how he had planned for her to meet him.
But perhaps it was better this way.
Now he could approach her openly.
Surely she would recognize him.
Had she not once written that he was so handsome she would know him instantly—
even if they had never met?
###
Rong Xi's eyes widened.
Memories exploded through her mind.
Twenty-two lifetimes.
They came all at once.
An Englishman with bright green eyes—her beloved brother, who sold her for his gambling debts.
A business partner who stole everything.
A boyfriend who sacrificed her for fame.
A lover who traded her life for a sword.
A father who abandoned her… then betrayed her.
A twin sister who stole her husband and had her killed.
A best friend who fought beside her in World War II—only to murder her for the woman he wanted to marry.
A king who slaughtered her entire village just to possess her.
A monster who kidnapped her, raped her, and killed her family.
Faces.
So many faces.
Different lives.
Different genders.
Different races.
Different relationships.
Twenty-two lifetimes.
But the soul—
the soul was the same.
Her gaze locked onto the man standing before her.
This man.
The same soul.
The same betrayer.
Her chest tightened.
She couldn't breathe.
Her stomach twisted violently as nausea surged through her.
Her vision blurred.
His face shifted—
blending with the others.
Betrayers.
Liars.
Murderers.
Rapists.
Thieves.
Her mind spun as the memories crashed into her like a tidal wave.
Too much.
Too fast.
And suddenly she realized something.
This body—
Rong Xi's body—
wasn't built to hold emotions like this.
Her knees buckled.
The ground rushed toward her.
She was falling.
Strong arms caught her.
Him.
Rage exploded through her.
Disgust.
Panic.
Desperation.
She tried to shove him away.
Tried to scream.
Tried to move.
To escape.
But the darkness came faster.
And the last thing she felt—
was him holding her.
Rui frowned.
Why was she looking at him like she had seen a ghost?