That morning, the sky was overcast, as if it sensed the bitterness about to unfold at Aveline’s family estate. The atmosphere was far from usual servants looked uneasy, and hushed whispers echoed through the pavilion corridors.
Aveline sat in the back garden beneath a blooming sakura tree, sipping jasmine tea while reading poetry. Her peaceful moment was soon interrupted when her personal maid, Meiyun, came rushing toward her.
“Miss Aveline, I’m sorry… The Governor requests your presence in the main hall immediately.”
Aveline set her teacup down. “Is something urgent happening this early?”
Meiyun hesitated, “I’m not sure, but… the mood seems tense.”
……
In the main hall, Aveline was stunned to see many officials present. At the center stood Young Governor Li Feng the man she had quietly admired with a stern expression. Beside him stood Serena, the friend she had always considered a sister.
“Aveline of the Bai merchant family,” the Governor began in a heavy voice, “your family is accused of smuggling goods through the western port without royal authorization.”
The room fell silent. Aveline looked at Serena, who only lowered her gaze. In her father’s hand was a scroll of supposed evidence.
“This isn’t true…” Aveline kept her voice steady. “My family has always upheld the kingdom’s laws. These accusations are baseless.”
But the Governor refused to listen. “In the name of provincial security, from this day forward, your noble status is revoked. Your family is banished from this city.”
No defense. No investigation. It all happened so quickly.
What hurt more than the decision… was Serena’s silence no protest, no support from someone she had once shared a room, dreams, and secrets with.
That night, Aveline stood at the city gates as light rain began to fall. She carried few belongings, and only Meiyun remained by her side. She looked back at the city her home, her memories, her stolen future.
“I won’t forget this…” she whispered.
A tear slipped down her cheek not from weakness, but as a vow to herself. She would return, not as a noble’s daughter… but as a woman who would take control of her own destiny.
And on the lonely road she walked that night, fate had already prepared a meeting with someone far from ordinary.
Someone who would change her life forever.