The night wind howled softly outside Xi Youran's chamber.Lanterns flickered and dimmed, casting long shadows that danced across her sleeping face.
And then—the dream began.
She was kneeling on the cold jade floor of the imperial palace.Her palms were bleeding from the impact.Her tears had already dried from crying too much.
"Why… why can't you just love me?" Xi Youran's voice broke as she clutched the emperor's robe.
The man looked down on her like she was filth—like she was something unworthy even of pity.
"Even in the next life," he said, his tone sharp as winter steel, "I will never love you."
Her vision blurred. The crimson of his imperial robes burned into her sight—his cold eyes, his disgust,the feeling of rejection so deep it left a scar on her very soul.
She screamed, but the sound came out voiceless—like a bird whose wings had been torn.
"...No…"
Xi Youran jolted awake, chest rising and falling.Sweat trickled down her neck. The beast beside her mewled softly, sensing her unease.
Her eyes were wide open, but the dream still clung to her like mist.
"Why… does it still hurt…" she whispered.
She stood up, brushed off her night robe, and silently walked out of the Jiang Mansion. The moonlight bathed her in silver, her eyes reflecting the same distant sadness as that long-dead empress from her dreams.
"Stop being a brat," came a dry, echoing voice as she reached the courtyard."Sooner or later, you'll have to make a choice anyway."
Her brows furrowed. "You again?"
From the mist, the old man materialized—his body floating lazily, like a spirit who had long forgotten the burden of gravity. His expression was amused, eyes glinting with mischief.
"Since when were you free?" Youran folded her arms, glaring slightly.
"I've always been free," the old man said, straightening his spectral back. "I just prefer that people don't notice me. Being a mysterious omniscient ghost has a certain aesthetic, you know."
Youran sighed. "Aesthetic my foot…"
The old man crossed his arms, chest puffed out. "Anyway! From now on—call me Master!"
He said it proudly, almost triumphantly, like a hero declaring his title.
"Master, huh?" Youran tilted her head, pretending to think. Then her lips curved into a teasing smile."If only you were a little bit handsome~ ♥♥"
The old man froze. "...What?"
Youran clasped her hands dreamily. "You know, tall, silver hair, strong jawline, maybe some abs—ooh, a nice chest too!"
"..."
The old man's ghostly face twitched. Then, with a burst of divine light, his form shimmered—his frail figure replaced by a tall man with long silver hair, sharp eyes, and a sculpted body that looked straight out of a forbidden novel.
"How about now?" he said smugly.
There was a long pause.
Then—
"MASTER, CAN I TOUCH THAT ABS?!"
Xi Youran's eyes were sparkling like a fangirl discovering her new obsession.
"Wait, wh— NO! I didn't mean for this to be— HEY! STOP CHASING ME, YOU PERVERTED DISCIPLE!"
Youran dashed after him gleefully as the old man sprinted away, his elegant ghostly composure completely shattered.
The once-solemn courtyard echoed with her laughter.For the first time in a long while, the heaviness in her heart felt a little lighter.
Somewhere deep in her heart, the voice of that cruel emperor still whispered.But for tonight, Xi Youran chose to laugh.
Because even a cursed empress deserved to breathe again.