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As the late afternoon sun cast long shadows over the palace courtyard, Shèng Lín stepped forward, his voice low and composed, though his brow held the slightest crease.
"Your Highness," he said, addressing Princess Lù Zhāo, "do you truly wish to travel alone with the prince? It isn't safe. There are still factions that would rather see this alliance fail… especially if they see you both unguarded."
Lù Zhāo paused at the base of the stone steps, her expression still as ever, but her fingers clutched the edge of her sleeve. For a moment, silence hung between them like morning fog.
Then she turned, her tone cool but not unkind. "If that's the case… then I'll take five of our knights. They'll stay near but won't intrude."
Shèng Lín bowed slightly in acknowledgment, but the unease didn't leave his eyes.
Before she walked away, she paused again and looked back at him. "Also… I was thinking…" She hesitated, her words slower this time. "Would you… bring your sister along?"
He blinked. "My sister?"
"It might make things less… awkward," Lù Zhāo added, a rare trace of vulnerability peeking through her composed exterior. "Another woman might help balance things out. I don't want this to feel like a performance."
Shèng Lín studied her face for a second longer than necessary. Then he gave a curt nod. "Very well. I'll speak to her."
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By the next morning, the traveling party was assembled at the palace gates.
Ten knights—five from each kingdom—stood in formation, horses saddled and gear prepared. At the front were Prince Xìn Xuān and Princess Lù Zhāo, both dressed in practical travel robes that blended elegance with mobility. Standing quietly beside the princess was a new addition—a young woman with intelligent eyes, tied-back hair, and a sharp awareness in her every movement.
Shèng Méi—Shèng Lín's younger sister. Though less known to the court, she was no stranger to training. Like her brother, she bore the composed calm of someone who could kill if she had to, and leave no trace behind.
The prince glanced at the lineup with a small smile. "Thirteen of us. A lucky number?"
"Unlucky in some cultures," Shèng Lín muttered from behind, tightening the strap of his sword sheath.
They had chosen the mountain route—seven days across forested ridges, quiet valleys, and highland passes dusted with mist. It was meant to be scenic and peaceful. A perfect way to escape politics and spend time together.
But even as hooves echoed across the cobbled road and birdsong filled the air, a strange current tugged beneath the peace. Every glance between the prince and princess, every side-eye from Shèng Lín, every quiet word exchanged behind a tent veil—it all added to the slow unraveling of something much deeper.
As the mountains rose in the distance like sleeping beasts, none of them realized:
The road ahead would not only change their hearts.
It would rewrite their fates.
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