The Lin estate hadn't changed.
It still stood like a fortress disguised as a mansion—ivory walls, sculpted gardens, and a curved rooftop that echoed imperial architecture. Yet everything about it felt cold now, like the soul of the place had been hollowed out.
Aurora stepped through the gates like a ghost returning home.
No one stopped her. The staff at the door, though startled, bowed with mechanical precision. Whether they believed she had returned from the dead or not, no one dared question her. The weight of her presence was undeniable.
She walked through the front hall, where portraits of her late mother still hung—her beauty encased in lacquered frames and forgotten incense. The smell of osmanthus lingered in the air.
Eva's voice floated from upstairs, light and rehearsed.
"I just think the pain makes us stronger. Aurora was… troubled. But I loved her."
Aurora's lips curled into a smile. Hypocrite.
She turned toward the garden—the one place she'd always felt like herself. That was where she needed to go first.
It was a circular courtyard, framed by blooming wisteria, with a koi pond glistening in the center. White stone lanterns lined the path. She knelt by the water's edge and let her fingers trail along its surface.
The ring had been hidden here. Not by accident.
She remembered diving her hand into the pond only days before her death—drawn by instinct more than reason. The jade ring had been caught between two stones beneath the lily pads.
And now, it pulsed warm against her skin where it lay around her neck.
She pulled it out, staring into the smooth green surface. In the right light, golden threads shimmered within the stone.
Suddenly, the air shifted.
She blinked—and found herself no longer in the garden.
She stood once more in a royal courtyard. The koi pond was larger, framed by peonies and plum trees. A red-robed woman stood by the water, younger but regal. It was her—Lin Qingli—in her imperial youth.
A hand reached toward her shoulder. "Your Majesty, you dropped this."
It was him.
The past version of Sebastian—Xu Chenyang—kneeling, holding the jade ring.
She watched her past self smile softly. "It always finds its way back to me, doesn't it?"
Then, darkness again.
Aurora gasped as the vision faded. She was back in the Lin estate garden, soaked with sweat. The koi had scattered, the water rippling.
The ring glowed faintly in her hand.
She stood just as Eva appeared on the garden steps.
"Oh… You're here," Eva said coolly. Not surprised—just irritated. Dressed in one of Aurora's old qipaos, she looked almost convincing as the mourning sister. Almost.
"I heard a ghost wandered in," Eva added with a smirk.
Aurora met her gaze without blinking. "Then let me haunt you properly."
Eva stiffened, just slightly. "What do you want?"
"Just came to take back what's mine. Starting with the truth."
Eva's face cracked.
Aurora stepped closer, her tone velvet-smooth. "Let's not play. You poisoned me. You stole from me. And you celebrated when my car exploded."
Eva's mask finally fell. Her eyes narrowed.
But Aurora only smiled.
"And yet... here I am."