Hua'er watched the solitary figure of Wei Mudan walk off into the distance, a bright flash of colour compared to the earthy colours of the walls.
She sighed deeply. There was a deep ache inside her heart.
A part of her felt like she had failed her mission. Her mission to protect the Third Princess at all costs. Physically, Wei Mudan was fine. She'd blossomed into a beautiful woman, and a deadly one too.
But only Hua'er knew the sacrifice Wei Mudan made to grow up this way.
After a quarter of an incense stick had melted, Hua'er finally left the Golden Palace. Keeping her head down, she tagged onto the end of a group of laundry maids, blending in seamlessly. Slipping her way through the various corridors, she was like a fleeting shadow - gone from one's mind in an instant.
Guards patrolled each of the doors. Occasionally, they would patrol through some of the corridors and hallways.
The corners of Hua'er's lips turned up as she left the group of maids, turning into a deserted corridor.
A few moments later, from the other end of the corridor came two guards. Hua'er kept her head down and walked quickly towards the guards.
Before they could react, she crashed into one of the guards, letting out a soft shriek.
The guard caught her with ease. "Are you okay?" he asked, concern laced through his voice.
Hua'er looked up from within the guard's embrace. Her cheeks were dusted with a peachy blush; every action of hers seemed frail, as if she were to break at a single touch. "I'm well. Thank you."
She moved the guard's hand away from her shoulder and ran off, seemingly like a young girl in love.
The other guard raised his eyebrows and smirked at his partner. "She's pretty, but the punishment for a guard and a maid is not worth the romance. At least marry her when you are released from the Palaces."
The guard who Hua'er fell on smiled. "Mhm. We should continue patrolling, otherwise we will be behind schedule once again."
When his partner turned away from him, the guard slipped a letter into the gap of his armour.
Hua'er made sure the coast was clear before going into a store room. She closed the door.
Rummaging through the supplies, she took out an errand boy's outfit and put it on. With makeup from her pocket, she hardened the lines of her face.
With her more dainty face, Hua'er could easily pass for a young boy. Using brown wrapping paper, she hid a cloak and wrote a pretend note on top. Nimble fingers tied the whole package together with rough string.
After that, it was just a matter of dashing through the corridors and through the servants exit. Hua'er had been in the business long enough to know that confidence went a long way - if she looked like she belonged, people would normally ignore her.
Pretending to be a frantic errand boy was an easy feat for someone of her skills.
Once away from the Palaces and into the main street, Hua'er turned into a dark alleyway.
Opening the package, she took out the cloak. She made sure the hood covered enough of her face to keep her identity anonymous.
It was never a bad thing to be careful.
She quickly passed on the commands to the steward, then went to the market.
The Palaces certainly didn't have street food. Her Princess had grumbled about it earlier in the morning.
Halfway through her shopping, Hua'er felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand.
She narrowed her eyes. As if nothing was wrong, she continued her way to a vendor selling small trinkets. The merchant smiled and introduced his ware.
"Here's the best quality necklaces you'll find around these parts…" he prattled on.
Hua'er smiled and immersed herself with the trinkets, picking a few up and holding them up to the light.
Pretending to admire herself in a mirror, she quickly scanned the crowd of people behind her. Her sharp eyes instantly found a man standing at a fruit stand.
Whilst his actions certainly didn't seem like he was watching her, Hua'er knew better. His eyes glanced straight at her mirror, but hurriedly moved away.
Hua'er chuckled. Thanking the merchant, she put back the mirror and continued to stroll down the main street and into a smaller, less populous street. More and more she walked, less and less people appearing.
Finally, she arrived at a dead end, with no people in sight. The walls here were tall and blank, no windows to be seen.
Despite it being a sunny day, the buildings easily covered the majority of the area in darkness.
Hua'er turned around. There again, was the same man she saw near the fruit stand.
He had his sword drawn, pacing towards her with an emotionless face.
"Is this how you greet a lady? How rude," Hua'er remarked.
The man did not reply. He charged towards her. Hua'er grimaced and dodged the incoming attack, making use of his momentum to circle around him whilst he kept going forward.
Hua'er took out a needle hidden in her sleeve and threw it.
The moment the man turned around, the needle had already reached his neck. His eyes widened and he took staggering steps towards Hua'er, who gazed upon him with cold eyes.
Before reaching anywhere close to her, the man collapsed. His body curled up in itself from the pain. Looking up with hateful eyes, he glared at Hua'er.
"They...will look...for me," he hissed between his teeth. His pupils dilated and his breathing increased.
"They will find you. More precisely, they will find your dead body," Hua'er said, watching the man slowly go into respiratory arrest.
The man's face scrunched up. "Do you...not want to know...who's behind this?"
"You will not tell."
Spurred on by her words, a faint glimpse of hope entered the man's dying mind. "Will tell! Just give... the antidote!"
Hua'er laughed mirthlessly. "A pawn like you does not know who its owner is."
Not to mention, Hua'er only carried enough antidote for one dose. That was for herself, in case she accidentally pricked her own skin. No way was she giving it out!
The man's face blanched as he cried out, pleading with Hua'er. He was not dead now, but he was guaranteed to die within the next five or so minutes.
Luckily for Hua'er, this man was the only one who was tailing her.
She narrowed her eyes. Someone was eyeing her Princess.
The pieces were falling into place. Whatever her Princess asked her to do, she will obey with undying loyalty.