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Yizhuo could have been the brightest star in the sky.
When the blanket was swept over the world, enveloping it in a vast shadow, she continued to radiate endlessly. Guiding the townsfolk through their mutually shared recession and harsh, unwavering winters with her everlasting shimmer.
Yizhuo could have been the brightest star, but she was lonely.
Like Sirius, the ever so flickering star in the celestial sphere, she might have joined in a multitude of constellations. The Winter Triangle could easily represent her family, with the remaining points being the people she swore that she held dear in the castle.
Although, she would always shine the brightest.
Radiating brighter than anything and anyone in existence.
A ray of light so powerful, it turned her into an unreachable and dominating vessel. No one ever dared to speak to the flawless and luminous princess.
Just like a lonesome star in the sky, she was far attached from the real world. During some sleepless nights, she would wonder if she was an alien from outer space.
Worshipped like an exotic and untouchable goddess, it was poisoning her interior. A cavity that could not be seen without the aid of an expert dentist, it was slowly rotting away at her core. With a gentle smile and wave to the townsfolk cheering for her name below a balcony, she hoped her teeth would not blacken.
The princess was rarely freed from the castle. It would only occur during specific occasions, that of important celebrations relating to the royal family. She would long for the fresh air entering her dry nostrils, the gentle breeze brushing against her pale skin and carrying her silk black hair in the air.
But moments like these would be crushed by the suffocation of her knights. The screams of the villagers; adoring children and their pleading parents. Ones that would never ever taste the wealth and privilege she held, except for this very moment. Yizhuo only found calm during still, cold nights. On her balcony, her eyes would travel as the lights in the houses that lined the streets would darken, one by one. Until the whole empire slept, maybe the entire world. Except for her.
It was on nights like these she found solace in her loneliness. She might have been the star in the sky, but she was no longer perceived. Yizhuo could allow her mind to wander.
She came to think of a star that stood close to her own personification in the night roof. It was Orion, a mortal hunter that had Sirius as his ever-faithful dog companion. While variations of his tale that could be found in her personal library were not so honourable, it reminded her that children’s fairytale stories. A regular human that rescued the trapped princess from her isolation. Shooting down the kingdoms’ defences with a bow, to then lead the princess to her own paradise.
Although, her life was not a fairytale and never would be. Even as a princess, no hunter would take her hand and lead her away to a place more beautiful.
A person that did not fear her unswerving shine did not exist. Never would exist.
It was bustling inside the castle. Cheerful chatter, the clinking of glass, hurried steps across the maze of hallways and the sizzling fire from the kitchen. One of the biggest celebrations of the century — it was the king’s 60th birthday, or Yizhuo's father. Though, they barely spoke. Bound by blood, their relationship felt more professional than emotional. Yet, as the beloved princess, she had an obligation to attend.
With any excuse she found, she would try to escape from the crowd.
Fortunately, the rest of her family supported the blossoming image of her as an altruistic young woman. An image of a princess, that despite her status, had the decency to help those in need. Even if they were well below her. The people that her father could not even fathom viewing as human.
Oh, how so gracious of her! Showing mercy to her subordinates, how so rare!
It aggravated her. In her mind, that ‘scum of life’ that her family spoke of behind closed doors, before shouting their counterfeit love to, was much more human than they could ever be.
They were merely figures of hope. Though, more so, an illusion of light and guidance. A reminder of what they could have been or a misleading idea of what they could become, if they just worked hard enough. That would never happen — this life was something that one was born into. Yizhuo hated it.
She would easily trade it away any day, even if it meant relentless hardships. It would mean she could experience actual emotions and feelings. Be something other than a non-feeling, non-breathing and non-living object of desire.
Yizhuo simply wanted to breathe.
In an attempt of temporary liberation, she had offered to carry in the champagne and wine to the rose garden behind the castle. At this hour, it was rather quiet. Indulging in the peace, before it would eventually be smothered by the late-night drinking of the guests that had not yet passed out.
Guards equipped with armour stood straight by the entrance, welcoming Yizhuo with an unanimous bow. Except for them, the garden lay unoccupied except for that of what she thought was a duke— maybe an earl, alongside one of the royal secretaries. She had been unsure and did not care enough to find out.
Yizhuo ignored their gentle wave, yet so rushed, ushering her to come over like she was obliged to. She ignored the advances and travelled faintly to a much more interesting figure that had caught her eye.
A girl that she had presumed to be a gardener, based on her clothing. She had long, pink and ruffled hair. Nothing too unusual, but uncommon enough that Yizhuo would have remembered her if they had met before. Since she wore denim jeans, she estimated that the girl had been a newly appointed servant of the family. A newer piece of garment designed for workers but had not yet found huge stock in the village. It was mostly imported solely to the castle, with other workers’ having to rely on trade from the outside.
Her footsteps had been so quiet on the soft grass that it did not alert the girl or even send a single twitch through her body. She was fully engrossed in her work. It had been rare for Yizhuo’s presence to be entirely ignored, as she shone so powerfully to others. For Yizhuo, it had been amusing and made her feel an unfamiliar warmth draping her like a dress.
“Ah, excuse me.” Yizhuo spoke with a firm yet soft voice, one soaked with honey.
As the girl turned her head to meet the inquiry, she had swiftly stiffened upon the sight of the princess. Her face had immediately reddened, like a dynamite about to explode. The expression accompanying it was one that Yizhuo had never seen before.
She had no time to identify it either, as the girl clumsily stood up without regard to the tool she held in her hand slipping out, leaving a stroke of blood. Biting her lip in pain, she proceeded to bow shakily.
“...Uh, your highness, Princess Ning…! Umm— apologies for the commotion, how can I be of help?”
Yizhuo had been spellbound by the girl, she was undeniably beautiful. The kind of woman she had only imagined existing in the books she read, one so out of this world yet so bound to the earthly wonders. A mellow type of face, with vast eyes that could reflect the entire cosmos.
The sudden disruption had spoiled her bangs, which stuck to her forehead’s sweat unevenly. Even the princess could recognize the humiliation the girl must have experienced, with her biting down further onto her plump lips. Before she would risk yet another injury, Yizhuo had slowly grabbed the girl’s scarred hand.
It was considerably warm and soiled from a supposed long day of work in the garden. Faded-out scars, uneven coloration and filthed nails would offend the usual royalty, but it only captivated the young woman even more. Despite the imperfections, the girl’s hands had been as soft as ever. Yizhuo had to be perfect in front of the public eye. Mudded hands would be met with complaints, with no point in rebelling. No one praised her the days where her hands would feel especially smooth — it was always expected of her.
The girl before her was everything that she had yearned for, everything she had yearned to be.
One that could be imperfect, endure embarassment and stammer adorably in her sentences. Yet still be so beautiful and endearing. A person that no one expected to be perfect, one that could still be loved for her blemishes.
Yizhuo gently rolled her thumb by the mark that bled on the hand of the girl. It filled her with shameless envy. She longed to bleed. She longed to feel blood rushing in her veins before it slowly poured out onto her pale skin. To feel that metallic taste in her mouth.
Even if it would be painful, it would prove that she was human. One that had the biological components of a living organism, not a stuffed-up doll of cotton. She would allow her head to thrust with the most unimaginable pain ever, to have her limbs torn off and be abandoned by those she held the dearest just to feel something.
The suffering would mean that she had something to grieve for. The loss of something that she held dear to her real, beating heart and loved.
She had hungered for that enigmatic feeling of love and lust. How her heart would throb upon being kissed by a person that occupied the entirety of her brain. Every single blood vessel screaming that person’s name in rhythm with each beat. Not to be married away to a faraway prince for tradition and status, but someone she treasured. One she feared to lose.
Against her better judgement and perhaps lack of socialization, she had lowered her head to close into the girl’s hand. A reenactment of how on certain moonlit nights in her room, she would hit her head till she felt something. Then cleaned it with her own saliva before one of the servants could ever worry. She delicately licked the wound in a slow circle motion. Ending it off with a brief, tender suck to clean the excess blood.
She acted as if she had done absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. Leaving the mysterious girl completely stoned, as if she had met the fate of staring into the eyes of Medusa, behind for a slight moment. One that felt like nothing for Yizhuo, but an eternity for the stranger.
When the princess returned, she held some plants that she had picked out of the garden and handed them over to the girl.
She smiled. “Ah, I thought that I ought to see if anyone needed assistance before the banquet. This ginseng will relieve the pain and aid the healing.”
The endless reading she used to appease her boredom had finally come to fruition. In a moment like this, she felt like that of a knight tending to a hurt princess. A dumb fantasy of roles reversed, but one that brought her a sense of flagrant excitement.
“Uh–um, um— thank you so much, your majesty! I am eternally grateful…! Thank you—!” The pink-haired girl spoke with definite meekness. She struggled to grant Yizhuo that socially required bow, resembling a wine bottle that was about to burst.
Briefly, Yizhuo had been given the false impression that the girl might have been different from the others, just a little. She did not know why she presumed this, perhaps she had been desperate for a change. It still left her disappointed. She could not hold any interaction without being reminded that everyone is considered a subordinate beside her. They’d never be equal and never see her as she wanted to be perceived—
Human.
There was still a small spark, a hint of glimmer that there could be a new sun on the horizon. One where she could trailblaze to another morning, one beyond the vast ocean by the coast.
Yizhuo only ever conversed with the people of the castle, which usually only occurred bi-weekly. The majority of her understanding of language, slang and culture came from the dusty books in her library. If she was lucky, the occasional newspaper she stole from a servant that forgot it after their coffee break.
She loved to learn what regular townsfolk did and said, always pining for the moment her excellent reading comprehension would come to use in real life. An opportunity to showcase that the princess found interest in regular matters, by shoving in a slang word she had memorized.
“You do not need to be such a cheek-ache with me. I carry no judgement, you can see me as a friend of yours. What is your name?” Yizhuo grinned, with a hint of cheekiness. She was hoping to impress the stranger. Did she know how to properly use the slang? Absolutely not, but the fact that she knew that it existed was enough to fill her with pride.
The word signalled a person who had been visibly flustered, this the stranger had been well acquainted with. To be met with a flirtatious remark from the unobtainable princess made her entire face swell up. That was until she froze up again, as she had realized something.
Her brow furrowed in confusion. Yizhuo might have failed with her impression.
Aeri could not question her either, especially not with members of the royal family being nearby and glancing at the pair with concern. The awkwardness had to be brushed off to ignore the daunting query that came after.
“Ah, uh— um, I am… Aeri Uchinaga. I, uh— work here in the garden… for your family.”
While still dripping with concerning shyness and fear in front of a beautiful royal family member, Yizhuo had observed a slight loss in her formality. No unnecessary bow, ‘thank you’s or title mentions. The switch up had made Yizhuo satisfied enough to end the interaction and return to her duties. For now, at least.
“It is a pleasure to meet you Aeri. You are very beautiful. I am taking my farewell now, but I hope to see you again.”
As Yizhuo turned to head into the castle walls, she swore that she could hear something — or rather, someone fall onto the grass behind her.
The feast had been a catastrophe. Loud arguing, drunkards’ putrid laughter and the queen’s disdained glares collaborated to physically assault her. The lights could have blinded her; it felt as if the disgusting sensory elements were ready to kill her in any second.
Yizhuo made up a sorrowful excuse to leave the long table, one that surely will be met with punishment for disappointing the guests and disobeying the natural order of a royal member. Though, such discipline had no effect on her. At this point in her life, there was just a mild disturbance in her bleak routine. She did not feel any pain anymore.
Yizhuo took a familiar path, one that she had already taken that day. It was out to the rose garden, now that it would be completely empty. A chance for solitude in the darkness. Perhaps, a better view of the illuminated sky than what she had grown accustomed to on her balcony.
Though, in the depth of her heart, a bizarre desire began to form. A wish that the garden was not as empty as she suspected. Perhaps, one where a girl with hair just as beautiful as the roses occupied the space.
For once, a needless wish of hers had been fulfilled.
Aeri was still in the garden, working painstakingly long hours into the night. She was yet again transfixed in her work, not noticing Yizhuo’s arrival. Like a cat creeping up on its prey, she had the brilliant idea to play a prank on the girl.
Working slowly with her feet, being careful to not let a single sound break the silent ambience of night. She slinked over just to be close enough in proximity of Aeri to be noticed, but not without an alert.
That alert was Yizhuo latching onto Aeri’s shoulders to shake them, letting out a high-pitched shriek to accompany the attack.
What followed was an even louder screech of terror, one where even the forming of teardrops in Aeri’s eyes could have been heard. Her entire body had tensed up upon realizing it had been Yizhuo, now rolling on the grass in laughter.
Yizhuo could barely contain herself. “Mm— s-sorry, hahaha… sorry, sorry! I could not help it, hahahah!”
Aeri did not know how to answer, and she did not have to. Yizhuo had already grabbed her hand again, this time with a firm grip to pick her up from the grass with her. In the blink of an eye, the princess had begun dragging her to a part of the garden that had been undiscovered to Aeri. A private area, only for the royal members, now left unguarded.
It was a stone path that led out to a small, restricted area with only a swinging bench that overlooked the ocean from the cliff it lingered over. Boundless waves that reflected the shining dots on the celestial roof. A place that Yizhuo was rarely permitted to visit, but one that brought her tranquility and a chance to daydream. To find a purpose, a reason to keep on going with her isolation. Though, this time she was alone with someone else.
Alone in a garden where no one would care to find them, nor any eyes stalking their movements. It was just the heavenly stars that overlooked them, exempt from judgement. Forever eternal, until all light in the universe would dim. Their unorthodox twinkles spoke a secret language to Yizhuo, one that only she understood. She wanted to tell Aeri the dreams, memories and jokes they had collected throughout history.
She did not understand why she felt this way, they had only just met. They were barely friends and seemingly miles apart with their contrasting lives, but Yizhuo found a curious comfort in Aeri. Despite their differences, it felt like the girl would understand Yizhuo’s loneliness. It could be the shimmer she saw in Aeri’s eyes — maybe she had fallen from the heavens after having danced with the supernova. A beautiful explosion, the brightest in the entire universe.
Much brighter than Yizhuo ever would.
She sat Aeri down with her on the swinging bench. This time she would use all her mental strength to help the girl loosen up.
“Heh, Aeri… we are the same age, are we not? We could be friends. My very first friend!” Yizhuo hummed softly, still holding onto Aeri’s hand. Though her grasp had softened, Aeri did not let go.
“Mmm… uh, I am 20.” Aeri nervously declared, though her lips had been curled to a soothing smile.
“Well! I am 18, so I was in fact correct. That means we would make perfect friends!” Yizhuo beamed with pride.
The older girl timidly nodded her head, exchanging brief glances with her thawed hand, that had once been freezing in the late-summer night. It could melt into the embrace of Yizhuo’s.
Yizhuo purred. “Mmh, I really did not want to see the stars all alone. Aeri, do you like to stargaze too?”
Her eyes lit up to the question, apparently Yizhuo’s guts had been right. Perhaps her heart had been beating with truth all this time.
“Hmm, I do. Wherever I have been working, it has always been late into the night. The stars… make me feel a little less lonely…” Aeri trailed off, her tension had significantly decreased.
“They have never looked more beautiful than they do here. The ocean is like an exact copy of the sky, I wonder what it would be like to … swim in it?” She continued with a glimpse of melancholy.
Yizhuo, due to being a recluse, had a certain youthful charm to her personality. One that she did not show to anyone, not necessarily due to not wanting to, but that there was no one she could show it to. The closest she ever got was fake tea parties she had with her dolls, but she would slowly grow out of that. It felt too grim, never close enough to the real thing. It would be impossible to pretend it ever was.
That did not omit the depth and wisdom to her character. She thought a lot of the time, pondering about the philosophies of life, the world and different theories. Incredibly smart, but this was something that she would never be able to show the world either. Who would listen to what the privileged princess had to say?
“Hah, I know. I only have the chance to view them from the balcony in my room. I like to stay up the entire night… watching everyone, wondering how my life would be if I was…” Yizhuo sighed. Her sentence had met an abrupt ending, but from a sad glance that Aeri exchanged, she knew that her words had come through just right.
The pair shared a brief back-and-forth of astrology they had read about. Mythologies tied with each star and constellation, the different variations of the Sirius star she held dear. Sprinkled in with admiration for the hunter, or at least a hint of what he could represent. A simple wish of being saved, falling in love and experiencing hardships. Their conversation had with time gone quieter, the sensitivity weighing down on the atmosphere. Then the peace had been abruptly broken, with an agonizing inquiry.
“You are lonely, aren’t you?” Aeri asked, a quiver emerging afterwards. A regret, but one that she could not take back. The bold question had been let out.
“Mmh. I am. You are the first and only person I have spoken to like this.” Yizhuo sorrowfully hummed. She felt a light squeeze on her occupied hand after the words had been uttered.
“I feel lonely too. I had a lack of friends growing up and … uh, I am not particularly close with my family anymore. When I have enough money… I want to travel somewhere else. Find a place where I belong, but right now I must live through this.” Aeri revealed, her eyes once again shimmering with life. There was hope in them. It could have made Yizhuo cry right there, something she never did.
“That is… very beautiful Aeri. I wish that I could be like you. Alive, with a purpose... Truth be told, I would do anything to experience something else. Though, I am bound here. I am nothing more but an empty vessel for the village below me, to carry their desires. There is no room for my own.” Yizhuo’s words were delicate, yet so very haunting. It was evident much of her time was spent reading poetry. Which had seemingly resonated with her, which could only mean a single thing—
That she was alive.
Poetry is for evoking feelings, using language to formulate the human desires one carries. It was the opposite of being empty. Aeri caught onto this.
The grip that they shared tightened, yet still tender. The blood that pumped through the pair’s fingertips had interlocked, as if it now travelled between them. Their feelings were shared to the very core of the essence and their biological interior. Undeniable to any scientific or spiritual believer. The bloodstream that connected them transcended any of that in this very moment.
Aeri’s vacant hand quickly travelled to graciously press against the part of Yizhuo’s chest where her heart was buried.
“That is not true, not at all. I can feel your heart beating.” Aeri declared, her gaze locked onto Yizhuo’s. As if the only sight that the younger could see, she was completely entranced.
“The words you spoke… they are so profound — intense even. It feels like you are burning with concepts, dreams and passion. Like a star set ablaze. All of it. If anything… you are breathing more than any of us. The fact that you fear not being alive, just means that you are.”
For the first time, Yizhuo could feel how her face blossomed. How each individual muscle tensed and retracted and how her eyes swelled up to welcome a flood of tears. The heart beating in her chest felt like it was ready to burst at any moment, so loud that it masked her thoughts.
She could not hear her inner voice. Therefore, whatever action she took next was going to be out of her control. It would come purely from her guts, what her body craved. It remembered the countless romance novels and poetry she had indulged in, instinctively linking it with the situation at hand.
The only appropriate initiative here would be to pull in Aeri for a kiss. Which is what Yizhuo did, much impatiently.
It was messy, but delicate. She had never even spoken to a girl outside of her family before nor ever witnessed a kiss in real life. However, it felt so normal with Aeri. Like it had been in her nature to kiss her, just like this. A pair of hands interlocked and the alone hand of the older pulling her closer into a warm embrace.
Her own lips felt so frail and sensitive against Aeri’s. They were tender and tasted sweeter than any dessert she had eaten. It was addictive. Her heart was beating so fast that her body could have mistaken the flavour for actual food, delivering Yizhuo a sensation of a sugar rush.
That sentiment made her appetite even larger, resulting in their kiss evolving into something much sloppier. Yizhuo’s own hand wandered to the older’s cheek, as if it was a plea for her to not let go. She could have stayed like this forever, until all the air that had been kept inside of her ran out. Though, in a life of recluse and repression, there still was a lot to spare.
What felt like an eternity found its eventual ending, just like everything in this world is. All is destined to one day end in a supernova. Though, here, Yizhuo felt like it could be possible for the emotions she felt to last forever.
After they had pulled apart, it was time to bid their farewells. The banquet was about to roam to the garden, where their secret moments would be threatened. Though, by the exit of the private section of the garden, Yizhuo broke.
“I do not want you to leave. I do not want to be alone again.” She cried out weakly.
“I am not going to leave you, Yizhuo. We can meet again.” Her first name filled her with warmth in the miserable state she was in. She felt like a real human being now.
“I do not want to be here, Aeri. Take me away from here, far away, to the stars even— anywhere but here!” Yizhuo sobbed, releasing a demand that no one could object to.
“I will take you anywhere. I promise you that.” Aeri softly voiced, a strong look in her eyes as a vow. Before leaving for the night, she planted a kiss on Yizhuo’s forehead.
It was excruciating to be separated, with their escape not being guaranteed under the guise of the kingdom’s brutal rule over her. But, God, she had never felt more alive and hopeful. Stupid even, but overflowing with life.
Yizhuo had never been happier than crying to herself. All alone.
Over the long, late summer month, the couple had met in secret a multitude of times. Yizhuo had convinced her family to be allowed in the rose garden more often. How she read so much better in the natural environment — and of course, how her safety would not be put at risk. She would tell them it had been fine; there were guards by the garden. If anything happened, her screams would even be heard more clearly than inside the isolation of the castle walls.
She promised them that her unusual visits would not lead to a danger where she would be taken away. That had been a lie.
When it quieted down enough that even the birds had stopped singing, the point of the evening where their melodies would be replaced by the chirping of crickets, Yizhuo would steal a moment with Aeri. They were long enough to keep her satisfied for the moment but short enough to despair for more.
Yizhuo might have come to the realization that she had been breathing her entire life, but after meeting Aeri it felt like she had been born anew. As a phoenix, risen from the ashes. This time, to her most beautiful form.
The nights spent in her lovers’ embrace, while sharing tender kisses and a hint of cautious touch. Aeri would gingerly stroke her fingers across the soft of the younger girl, then deliberately allow them to traverse down. From her neck, her waist to a light squeeze on her thighs. It had been conservative, fearing they could be discovered.
Aeri was diligent and loving in her gestures. It felt as if she was holding herself back to protect the younger woman. It made Yizhuo yearn for even more. If it already felt so heavenly to be touched this carefully, could she transcend to the sky if they found a place of their own? One where they could bathe in their mutually shared solitude and be free of the judgemental eyes of society.
Yizhuo often found herself pondering over how their naked bodies would feel like against each other. A single brush of a finger would fill her entirety of a lustful heat. Her sensitive skin yearned to be fully melted, liquified to merge with her lovers. She wanted to let all of her be bare under Aeri. The woman she wished to also see completely exposed — to be able to see everything that she is. In that way, she could worship all of her.
Every night they had parted from their secret meetings, Aeri had given Yizhuo a rose from the garden. It had not only been a kind-hearted gift of love, but a continuation of their promise of liberation.
“Bring the roses to your room. Bring them together in the of the large, empty vases. Once it is full enough, make a bouquet. That is when we can leave, I promise.”
It was a declaration of love that Aeri had made to Yizhuo. It had no basis in science nor could ever possibly guarantee that it would be true. Still, it had been a pledge. One that Yizhuo truly believed in.
Her vase had started being fully packed, yet there still had been a piece missing. The night of freedom was closing in on Yizhuo, it lingered in the air. It was all that she could smell. It was carried in the wind that she breathed in.
It was definitely coming.
When Yizhuo gazed out of her balcony longingly, her gut feeling had swiftly been confirmed. While her room had a full view of the village in front of her, it had planted to the side. In the darkness, it would cast a shadow over her. Allowing herself to be left unseen.
They did not see Yizhuo watching as intruders threatened the gates of the main centre. The guards had formed a line outside the entrance, leaving the sides that lacked an entry point unarmed. The critical points where no opposing army could storm in, but one could sneak out.
As the fighting neared its climax, the couple could set the plan in motion. Yizhuo could not get out of the balcony by her own ability, but Aeri held the strength of both being able to climb up and down with the soon to be ex-princess.
Yizhuo threw out a thick rope that she had hidden in her bed’s chest, allowing the older woman to quietly climb up without notice. In the darkness, no one cared to look for her.
The sight of Aeri as emerged from below the balcony had been the most gorgeous she had ever been. Her expression, brimmed with might. She looked luminous in the blue moonlight, indicating the passage of a month since their first meeting. Even with just a pair of jeans, it looked more princely than any fancy, silken suit pants ever would.
It felt like it had been straight out of a romantic and epic fairytale she read in passing. A handsome knight coming to rescue her, carrying the very last rose of their promise. It had not been an ending though, just a beginning of a new story to be told.
"Are you ready to leave?" Aeri asked.
Her face lit up in a great smile, taking Aeri’s hand. Before they descended to start their new lives, the older woman plucked the rose and inserted it in Yizhuo’s hair. A souvenir and a promise that their love would last forevermore.
"Of course." Yizhuo replied. She had been ready all of her life.
Down by the trees of a nearby forest stood a dark grey horse. One that was hidden in the darkness, further favouring their safe escape. Yizhuo was delicately carried up to the back of the horse, right behind Aeri whom she immediately had clung to.
When they began riding out to a secret village exit, one far away from the ongoing conflict, the only thing that Yizhuo could focus on was Aeri’s focused breathing. Her head was pressed against the back of the older woman, slightly pushed up to the shoulder bone. It brought her sudden drowsiness due to how pleasant her breathing, perfectly timed with her heartbeats felt against Yizhuo. It had been like a lullaby, bringing her to a deep and pleasant slumber.
Before she had drifted off, she could hear her own heart begin racing. Pumping with such warmth that she could feel each individual limb of hers heaten intensely. Synchronized with her lovers', whose heart she had found abandoned in the rose garden behind the castle a month prior. Aeri had subsequently found hers, yet animated. Two lost and lonely souls brought together.
When sunrise came, her — or rather, their, new life would begin.