I blindly pressed on, finding myself now deep within the garden, having lost sight of even a court servant. Within moments, I realized my idiocy. This wasn't the suburbs but the palace, and I was lost with nothing to gain but a newfound foe.
If I just took a few more steps, I was sure to stumble into a maid. The palace was swarming with people, but somehow, it was always so silent. If my aunt were with me, her "aiya" would be sure to echo down every last corridor. Amidst the rustling leaves, a sudden pang of longing hit me, followed by terrible loneliness.
Snap out of it, I reminded myself. You're not even in the Sui palace but your own kingdom.
"Sister! Sister!" A breathless pant sounded from behind me. "Wait for me!"
I spun around to see a tiny figure fumbling through a field of blooming orchids. Seeing I turned, he made a sudden dash towards me, barely skidding into a stop before he would have crashed head-on into my waist.
To be exact, he almost tripped, and I grabbed him just in time. My two hands lightly gripped his shoulders, steadying him. However, the silky fabric immediately reminded me of my current position and the palace's prided formalities.
"Your Highness," I addressed him, letting my hands fall back against my sides.
"No," He doubled over as he tried to catch his breath. "Sister, don't call me that."
He looked up with round eyes. They were bright, not yet marked by the woes of reality nor tainted by the aloofness of the palace. With his flushed cheeks, he looked like a precious doll from a storybook.
"Sister, don't you ever forgot now. I'm A'Yu." He stressed each syllable, his eyebrows firmly knit together into a stern expression.
Weaseling my hand from my side, he placed it into his small palm. I initially retracted my hand, but when he tapped me, a newfound hint of warmth immediately seeped through, softening my fingers and also my heart. His chubby fingers were barely enough to grip my palm, but he held it firmly.
With his right index finger, stroke by stroke, he traced the character of his name onto my palm. "Ahhh—Yuuu," He repeated slowly and folded my fingers inward softly in a playful but steady manner. "Now, Sister can't ever forget!"
He flashed a toothy smile, showing both rows of pearly teeth. Well, a front tooth was gone. Admittedly, his smile was contagious, dispelling the gloomy clouds that loomed over me for days.
Yu—a white stone resembling jade but not being jade—clean and firm while not being caught up by materialistic pursuits. From just moments of interaction, I was inclined to think he lived by the meaning of his name.
I didn't want to believe that the child before me had any stray thoughts. More than anything, I tried to think that he was pure, the sole uncorrupted soul that was unfitting for this palace, much less for this turbulent time. After all, what point was there befriending an abandoned daughter?
I bent down, meeting him at eye level. "I'm Youshi. It's a pleasure to meet you, A'Yu."
Much to my surprise, he pouted his lips, an unmistakable look of guilt on his face. "I knew who you are," he glanced around, "I read Mother's letters before. Don't get me wrong. I never did it really without her knowing. Whenever Mother is upset, she reads the letters about you, and if I'm good, she sometimes let me see it too." His voice trailed off.
It was the closest I ever felt to being home since I stepped foot into this unfamiliar palace. Somehow, when he called me Sister, I did not doubt that he was my blood kin.
"How did you know I would be here?"
"Mother was up the entire night, so A'Yu knew you would be back today. When Princess Mingzhu took you away, A'Yu was scared that she would do something. A'Yu was going to go and tell her to leave you alone, but when I got there, I only saw you leaving." He paused, "A'Yu would never let anyone hurt you or Mother."
"She has more favors then you and thus more power and influence."
"But if she tries to hurt my sister, I'll never let her hear the end of it!" He thrust out his chest proudly. "Plus, by imperial rank, a future Princess Consort of Sui is much higher than a Liang Princess."
He was a stubborn one.
"A'Yu, don't be like me. I'll be gone in a few days, but you still have to live under the same roof as Princess Mingzhu. Don't offend her as I did."
Thinking of the maid dragged away before my eyes, I couldn't bear with the thought of this child going through the same misfortunes.
He looked at me defiantly, pouting, but ultimately conceded.
"Let's go back to Mother! She hasn't closed her eyes since yesterday when she heard you were to come back to court!"
We began walking, and the blinding glamor of the garden flowers dulled a bit to become almost similar to the herbs I was used to collecting.
"A'Yu, how are you and the Empress? And why exactly is Princess Mingzhu so favored?"
Suddenly, his face lit up again. "Look, there's a butterfly over there!" He pointed to one of the bushes.
If I wasn't mistaken, there was a pair of hidden eyes watching us.
The panic that initially took me gave way to a conjured pretense. If a young child could be so alert, what excuse did I have to be slacking?
"What fun is that? Tell me a bit more about how the pastries were!" I exclaimed loudly in a falsely cheerful voice.
From the corner of my eye, I could see the branches rustle as the person left. A'Yu kept this act up for a few more moments, glanced around, and motioned for me to come close.
"A'Yu will tell you everything once we're back in the palace."
He was a stubborn one, but he knew how to survive.
The walk continued in silence, but his presence was soothing.
An elegant but simple palace stood at the end of the path, but I had no time to examine its architecture. The entirety of me was focused on the woman who waited at its entrance.
"Mother!" A'Yu called out, waving excitedly.