The moon hung low over Ocean City, casting its silver glow across the waves and elegant rooftops.
In the heart of the Royal Palace, deep behind guarded gates and blooming wisteria trees, the famed Lan Garden shimmered like a scene from a fairy tale.
Lan Yinyin stood in front of the garden entrance wearing a flowing sky-blue dress with silver embroidery shaped like waves.
Her long blue hair was braided with tiny pearls. A handmaid fanned her while another held a mirror.
"Alright... I look perfect. Elegant. Mysterious. Untouchable," she said, giving herself a final look.
"Now I just need to act normal. Like I'm not inviting a rogue bastard I hate-but-maybe-like to my private sacred space."
The fan-maid coughed. "Princess, that's not normal at all."
"Shut it."
Hei Long's Arrival
"Your Highness, the guest is here."
Lan Yinyin turned around, clearing her throat.
Hei Long strolled in like he owned the place—hands behind his head, not even dressed up. Just casually handsome.
He glanced around the garden with a raised brow. "Not bad. Very scenic. Romantic, even. You're not gonna confess to me, are you?"
Lan Yinyin's entire body stiffened. "W-WHAT?!"
Hei Long gave a sly grin.
"Kidding. Kidding."
"...You bastard."
She turned away, cheeks faintly pink. "I only invited you here to thank you for... returning the pill. Even if you did it in a very illegal way."
Hei Long took a flower off a nearby bush, sniffed it, then casually tucked it behind her ear. "You're welcome." w eb novel..com
Lan Yinyin's soul briefly left her body.
Step One – In Progress
Lan Yinyin led him along the moonlit paths of the garden. Flowers bloomed with spiritual qi. Little koi fish danced in a glowing pond.
"Many nobles have asked to walk here with me, you know," she said.
Hei Long stretched. "And I'm the only one who didn't ask."
"That's not the point!"
She spun around. "You—you're arrogant, shameless, a thief—"
"And yet," Hei Long said, stepping closer, "you still invited me."
Lan Yinyin backed into a tree. Her heart pounded in her chest like a war drum.
"Wh-Why aren't you afraid of me like everyone else?"
Hei Long leaned in slightly.
"Because you're not scary. You're just lonely."
Brain: ERROR
Lan Yinyin's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.
"Y-You think I'm lonely?!" we.bnv\el.cm
"Not that it's a bad thing," Hei Long said, stepping back with a wink. "Just means you haven't met someone who can handle your personality."
She blinked.
"...And you can?"
He turned around and walked a few paces. "You invited me to your sacred garden after I robbed you. You tell me."
Lan Yinyin stood in silence, arms folded, trying to control her heartbeat.
'This wasn't part of the plan... I was supposed to hurt him, not feel like I was being romanced!'
Mission Update:
Step One: Invite to garden – ✅Step Two: Be nice – ❌ (You yelled at him.)Step Three: Deny feelings – ❌ (You let him put a flower behind your ear.)Step Four: Scar emotionally – ❌ (He's actually flirting and winning.)
Lan Yinyin dropped her scroll into the koi pond.
As Hei Long was leaving
"Hey," Lan Yinyin said softly, brushing hair from her face.
He turned back.
"...You're not as awful as I thought."
Hei Long smiled. "Thanks. You're better than I thought too."
Lan Yinyin waved. "Get out of my garden before I change my mind."
He left.
She sat on a bench and buried her face in her hands.
"...I think I'm doomed."
Lan Yinyin was still sitting on the bench, trying to erase the phantom memory of Hei Long's smirk from her mind.
"You're just lonely."
'Tch! Who even says that and makes it sound romantic?!'
She was about to scream into her sleeve when—
"Yinyin."
She froze. That voice. That tone. That disapproving older brother tone.
She looked up.
Her brother, Lan Jinhai, the First Prince of Ocean City, stood at the entrance of the garden, arms crossed and brow furrowed.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, and every bit the ideal Ocean City warrior—complete with a sea-blue robe and a sword at his waist.
"...Brother," she said slowly, sitting up straighter.
He walked in, looking around the garden like he was inspecting a crime scene.
"Someone's been here," he muttered. "A man."
Lan Yinyin stiffened. "Wh-What are you talking about?"
Lan Jinhai crouched beside the pond and pulled out a half-burnt incense stick.
"This is from the lower district. Commoners use these. This scent is for cleansing impurities... or for covering up traces."
He stood and narrowed his eyes.
"Who was here, Yinyin?"
She turned her head. "No one."
"Yinyin."
"...He didn't do anything!"
Lan Jinhai's hands clenched into fists. "So someone was here."
Lan Yinyin stood up, fists at her sides. "He was just visiting. That's all."
Lan Jinhai's jaw locked.
"What sect is he from? What family? What rank? I'll have his head brought here on a silver plate by sunrise."
"NO!" Lan Yinyin shouted, her voice cracking.
Jinhai flinched.
"If you hurt him..." she whispered, her voice trembling, "...I'll never forgive you."
Silence.
Even the koi in the pond stopped swimming.
Lan Jinhai stared at her like she had stabbed him in the heart.
"You'd... choose some bastard you just met... over me?"
Lan Yinyin bit her lip.
"It's not about choosing. It's about you always trying to control me."
"You're my little sister," he said, his voice sharp. "You're supposed to marry royalty. Not some roaming rogue with no manners and—"
"I invited him," she interrupted. "I let him in. And he was the first person who treated me like a person, not a royal asset."
Lan Jinhai's fists slowly uncurled.
"...You're serious."
Lan Yinyin turned away, arms folded, cheeks pink.
"...He's interesting."
The First Prince stood there for a long time before turning on his heel.
"Tell him this, then," he said, his voice low. "If he breaks your heart—I'll drown this entire continent looking for him."
He was serious...
And with that, he vanished like mist into the moonlit path.