The night deepened, and the academy’s moonlight spilled silently across the bluestone floors, a pool of silver.
I sat by the window, an unfinished letter still clutched in my hand. A missive for him—the Crown Prince.
He was the only one who knew my true identity.
The only man who, behind those towering palace gates, had ever allowed me to exist as… a woman.
Years ago, it was he who severed my betrothal with his own hands, who had my name entered into the eunuch registry. That day, his gaze had been tender, yet his voice was firm:
"You are a phoenix. You will soar in time—but if you do not hide your wings now, you will die in this cage."
"I do not want you to stand guard at my side. I want you—to truly live as yourself."
And so, I became "his most trusted eunuch"—and the loneliest woman in the world.
Even now, I still do not know how to answer a love… so vast it could drown me.
A soft knock came at the door.
"Still awake?"
I turned. Li Jun leaned against the doorframe, his robes loose, his hair damp from washing. His lazy grin was half-shadowed in the dim light.
"Sitting alone for so long… like a maiden nursing a broken heart."
My pulse jumped. I stiffened.
"What did you say?"
He scratched his head. "Just talking nonsense. But lately, you’ve been secretive. Avoiding baths. I’m starting to wonder—are you really not a man?"
His tone was teasing, but his eyes were sharp.
For a moment, I had no words.
Li Jun stepped inside and sat across from me, an odd light in his gaze. "Am I right?"
I steadied myself and laughed. "You’re overthinking."
"I’m no fool." He raised a brow, then suddenly tapped the table in front of my chest—lightly, playfully. "Or should I buy you wine? See what slips out when you’re drunk?"
I turned my face away, forcing calm, but my heart pounded like war drums.
He studied me a long moment… then sighed, smiling. "Never mind. I won’t push. If you are a woman—then I’ll thank heaven for letting a useless man like me stand beside you."
His voice was light, but beneath it lay something careful. Something warm.
I stared at him, dazed.
If the Crown Prince’s love was a cliffside—a depth I could never fathom—
Then Li Jun was the spring wind. A companionship that asked for nothing in return.
Moonlight pooled around us as he drifted asleep against the wall, his lashes like feathers, his profile softened in the silver glow.
I looked down at the unfinished letter, a pang in my chest.
[Your Highness, I am well.]185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrffoFL4mIL
[The shadows grow clearer. The game shifts.]185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcBZXuhzdkU
[When I return to the palace, it will not be as the eunuch at your side—]185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNd5xfIo4Z6
[But as a woman who can stand as your equal.]
and then Add to home screen.