"I really don't know him," Liliana said. She didn't even understand why she was explaining herself, but she could sense that Prince Allennon wasn't in a good mood.
Rather than staying silent, it was better to be clear. That way, things wouldn't get complicated later.
Liliana followed Prince Allennon back to Chutai Hall.
"Lili, it's fine." He turned around and looked at her. He didn't have the right to be mad at her. Besides, if he did get angry, it would only make him look unreasonable and push her away even more.
The fact that Liliana was willing to explain things to him made him really happy.
Back in the corridor earlier, Liliana had reached out her hand, trying to test again whether she could touch Gabvriel.
But the moment she reached out, he grabbed her tightly. His grip was so strong that it left red marks on her wrist.
The way he acted reminded her of someone with a split personality. He didn't let go until Prince Allennon pulled him away. That was when Liliana finally had a chance to slip away.
Now, she felt overwhelmed. On one side was the cold and distant Cassian. On the other was the underage Prince Allennon. And then there was Gabvriel, who seemed promising at first but turned out to be mentally unstable.
Since she couldn't come up with any solutions, and thinking about it would only give her a headache, Liliana decided to stop caring so much. Whatever happens, happens.
Soon, the winter solstice arrived.
During those days, Liliana learned that the white-haired man's name was Gabvriel. He was a disciple of the State Preceptor from the Star-picking Hall. The Preceptor was the same old man who tried to catch him. So, if the disciple was connected to the Preceptor, that meant he was dangerous.
Because of that, she deliberately avoided him.
"Little Preceptor, if you have nothing else to do, please don't come to Chutai Hall anymore." Prince Allennon lowered his eyes and looked at the man in front of him. He did look clean and cold like someone untouched by the world, but still, he was just another person with improper thoughts about Liliana.
Gabvriel wasn't offended. "Tell her I have a way to help her appear physically."
Over the past few days, he had figured out that Liliana was deliberately avoiding him. It didn't matter. If the mountain doesn't come to him, he'll go to the mountain. Something must have gone wrong somewhere, or else she would have come to see him.
"What did you call her? You can't call her that." Prince Allennon had always felt confident. He believed he was Liliana's only one. He was the first to discover her, the first to be able to see her.
Even when he found out that his father, the emperor, had some kind of connection to her, it didn't bother him. After all, the emperor was already thirty years old, older than him, and had even told his own father that he would take care of him in the future. So he wouldn't fight with him over her.
But the man in front of him made him unsure. How could he call Liliana "sister"? She was his sister and no one else's.
And it seemed like this man had known Liliana long before he did.
That feeling of no longer being the only one made Prince Allennon nervous. Since he was little, he had been the crown prince. He never worried about rivals for the throne. He got whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it. But with Liliana, she was the one thing he couldn't be sure about.
Gabvriel looked at the proud young prince. In that moment, the confidence in the boy's eyes seemed to fade like stars being covered in dust. He was, after all, a child raised in luxury. He and Liliana were different. Gabvriel was willing to suffer with her. Even if she only had one last bowl of thin porridge, he would let her have it.
Liliana probably doesn't remember now and doesn't dare to recognize him. That's fine. He'll take it slowly. He mustn't scare her.
He didn't know what was going on with His Majesty. It looked like the wooden tag still hadn't been given to Liliana.
He turned and left the Chutai Hall. The moon-white silk of his robe swept out a light trail behind him.
"Your Highness isn't in the mood to study today." Arthur looked at the distracted young man in front of him and frowned slightly. He had been coming to the Chutai Hall as usual these days and noticed that the scent of pine inside the hall had disappeared. Also, Prince Allennon was often lost in thought. Today, he spaced out when Arthur asked him about the duties of a ruler.
"If Your Highness isn't focused on studying, then copy the Ten Questions on Governance ten times and bring it to me for the next lesson," Arthur said, setting down the scroll in his hands. A light scent of ink lingered on the paper. He looked like a book waiting to be read—deep and calm.
Without waiting for the prince's reaction, Arthur bowed and left the hall.
He really is that handsome boy she had a crush on. Liliana slipped through the courtyard wall of the Chutai Hall. These days, she had been avoiding Gabvriel and hadn't seen this boy she liked for a while.
He looked gentle and noble, with a refined and proper aura. A few days ago, she overheard some gossip from young eunuchs in the palace. Listening to their chatter was her only form of entertainment now.
They said that this handsome guy was named Arthur, a well-known scholar of the Da Zhou court. He was polite, gentle, and very good-looking.
Although women were rare in Da Zhou, there were still plenty of girls who wanted to marry Arthur. One time, a minor official's daughter even snuck into his house in the middle of the night wearing a wedding dress, crying and begging to marry him.
Arthur wasn't angry at all. Instead, he gently comforted her. Afterward, the girl gave up on the idea and never left her house again. She felt too ashamed to face such a kind and gentle man.
Liliana looked at Arthur's gentle back and thought, he really is worthy of being the Grand Tutor. If she had a mentor like him back then, maybe things wouldn't have turned out the way they did. But it's useless to think like that now. When someone is locked into a role you hate, even gold will turn to stone.
She shook her head, clearing the messy thoughts. Then she looked at the door to the Chutai Hall and suddenly felt a wave of frustration.
She had been in this strange world for a long time now. Only a few people could see her, and they were all strange in their own ways. She felt like a ghost trapped inside the palace. At first, everything felt fresh and interesting, but that feeling had faded. She suddenly understood the lonely, forgotten women in those old palace dramas, who died alone in some quiet courtyard.
She had to find a way out. Maybe she should go find that white-haired man again. Even though he acted weird, he was the third person who could touch her. Over the past few days, she had thought things through. It seemed like being touched by him didn't require her to feel anything herself.
But he did seem to have a lot of feelings. He even called her "sister." He was young and looked good, but unfortunately, his brain didn't work well. That was why she had been avoiding him all this time.
But now she had no other choice. That's why she finally decided to go through Gabvriel's route. After all, who wouldn't be afraid of someone who might be mentally unstable?
"Liliana… sister, you're back." Prince Allennon had been calling her sister a lot these days. Before, he'd only do it once or twice when she teased him. Now, it was like a switch had flipped in his brain.
"Sister, the Imperial Advisor said there's a way to make you appear in physical form," he said at last. Liliana had always wanted a solid body. He couldn't give her that, but maybe someone else could. After that, he could eliminate that person too.
"Really."