It was foolish to think my happiness in that mansion could last forever.I knew it then. And I was right.
The coughs of Lady Lianyu were not from a simple cold.No, she had pneumonia.
Ariya, Yichen, and I had sensed something was wrong for weeks. The nobleman's wife grew thinner by the day, her once-bright eyes dimming until they looked like the sun sinking beyond the horizon.
She was in her forties, not old, but not young either. Illness at that age could be survived… yet seeing her suffer while I stood useless at her side still felt like a cruel punishment.
"I will pray for her," Ariya told Yichen when he broke into tears. His voice was steady, determined."Don't worry. Many people recover from this disease. We can't see her, but we can still ask the gods to help."
I wished I could believe him.In truth, many didn't survive. Especially women her age.
Night after night, the nobleman's wife lay in her bed, coughing until her voice cracked, while Ariya prayed without rest.Yichen worked more than ever, always out of sight.And me… I did nothing but eat, sleep, and drown in worry.
For two weeks I hadn't seen her face.Was she even alive?I didn't know.
Until one morning, the answer came.
She was alive. And better.
That was the good news.
The bad news, I had to leave.
Lady Lianyu was the only reason I'd been allowed to stay. She had fought for me, argued with her husband for me. But now, sick and fragile, she couldn't protect me anymore.The nobleman had never trusted me, never wanted me here. This was the perfect time to get rid of me.
When Ariya and Yichen heard the news, they were devastated.
"Surely he can't just send you away! The lady's getting better, she'll make him keep you!" Ariya argued.
"I don't want to cause her more trou—"
"IT IS NOT TROUBLE IF IT MEANS YOU'LL BE ALIVE AND SAFE!"
"I know, but she's sick—"
"Stop yelling. I have a plan."
Yichen's voice was sharper than I'd ever heard it."Ever since I learned Miss Lianyu was ill, I've been… stealing money."
Ariya and I froze.
"She told me you'd have to leave one day," Yichen went on, eyes unwavering. "She told me to take coins from the nobleman's wardrobe when he was in the study. I've been taking little by little, so he wouldn't notice. Now it's enough for you to go to the palace."
The palace.I remembered Lady Lianyu's words, if anything happened to her, I should seek work there. Maids and servants were always taken in.
But how had she known this would happen?Had her illness been with her longer than any of us guessed?
Ariya stared at Yichen as if he didn't recognize him.I must have looked the same.
"I know you don't like it," Yichen said, looking at him.
"No. I'm proud of you. Even if it was a crime, it was for the greater good. For Meilina."
A bittersweet ache filled my chest. These people… they cared for me enough to risk themselves. Even a monk would bless a crime if it meant my safety.
"I'm truly grateful, Yichen. I won't forget this. If there's anything—"
"Find my brother," he cut in, his eyes tired. "Even if he doesn't want to come back, I just… want to know he's alive."
His words hit me like a stone. It seemed cruel that I might meet Yichen's beloved brother while he never could.
"I'll find him. I'll tell him about you. I'll write, if I can."
The next morning, I packed.In the corner of my room lay the jade hairpin Lady Lianyu had given me years ago. I had thought it too precious to wear, but now I couldn't leave it behind.
Holding it in my hands, I remembered her quiet kindness, the way she spoke with glances instead of words, the warmth in her rare smiles.
I wanted to see the palace. To see China. To work and survive.But more than anything, I wanted to stay by her side. Even if it meant being caged like she was.
"Go," she told me the next day. Her voice trembled, yet her gaze was fierce. "Live your life. I don't want to see you live mine."
It had been almost three weeks since I'd last seen her. The nobleman allowed me into her chambers only because she begged to say goodbye.
Yichen cried silently. Ariya's head was bowed in prayer, perhaps even with tears.
The stolen money was pressed into my hand. I tucked it into my pouch, then lifted the small bag holding all the gifts Lady Lianyu had given me in three years.
Three years in this mansion.I didn't know if I'd ever walk its rose-filled gardens again.
I left with a heavy heart, my thoughts scattered like petals in the wind.
"Goodbye," I whispered, though I wasn't sure who I was saying it to.