The streets of the capital of Zhou were relatively safe with guards patrolling and arresting the few people who dared to cause trouble. It didn't mean murder never occurred, because it did, but rarely in public.
Because of this, the owner of the shop worked alone and never felt the need to hire other people. Hence why Bai Yue was alone in the shop with a dead body. Now, it wasn't the first time she saw a dead body. Ten years in the imperial palace destroyed every bit of innocence she once had. In that bloody cage, it was the only way to survive.
Nevertheless, it was the first time she ended someone's life with her own hands. The hairpin was still poking out of the man's throat and she reached out for it with trembling hands.
Then, she placed her hand under his nose even though she already knew he was dead - no one could survive such a big blood loss -, only to quickly retrieve it, pressing her shaking limbs against her chest.
Dead.
Fear gripped her heart tightly and she stood up, shoving the jewelry box on the counter back into her bag. Her eyes darted around the place, strangely looking like a rabbit in front of a hungry fox.
She couldn't leave the place dressed like that. Not only was her veil useless now, but everyone seeing her would know what she did.
The sunlight lit up the room through the paper windows and the half-open door. If she listened carefully, Bai Yue could hear the sounds coming from the street. Gulping down, she quickly made her way to the door and closed it. Then spotting three trunks against a wall, she proceeded to push them all the way to the door in order to block it.
However, they were heavy, filled with miscellaneous objects, and beads of sweat were already starting to roll down her forehead by the time she managed to place the first one against the door. Her arms ached but she didn't dare to stop.
"Just one more," she whispered and licked her dried lips when she grabbed the handle of the last trunk. At first, she wanted to lift it over the other trunks but didn't take a long time to dismiss the idea. It was simply too heavy for her.
She breathed heavily and wiped off her sweat with her sleeves.
"It's all that damn prince's fault!" she cursed. "Who told him I needed some compensation for the 'scare'? He ignored his own son for years but can't bear to do the same for a poor stranger?!"
The people from the imperial family always liked to think of themselves as some sort of gods in human form, standing lofty above the poor, ignorant, and barbaric people. Always thinking they knew better than anyone else.
Those damn people and she seemed to truly be fated enemies!
Bai Yue went back to the counter, doing her best to ignore the man lying dead. The stench of blood was spreading fast through the room, causing her stomach to heave. Steeling her nerves, she started rummaging through the drawers. There wasn't much in them though. The owner was probably keeping his money and precious items in the backroom.
Grabbing the account book, she opened it and scanned the writing. It was tidy and easy to read. There was not even a single blotch of ink on the paper. Next to the book was a plate with liquid ink and a still wet piece of paper. Before the Crown Prince came, the owner had been writing.
Bai Yue peered at the words and chewed on her bottom lip. There was nothing important on it. No hidden deal. No scheme. Nothing. Just a letter to his old mother. Reading this did nothing to alleviate her guilt.
Nevertheless, she had to survive.
Ripping the letter into pieces, she placed it into her bag and took another sheet of paper and a brush. Since all this mess happened because of the Crown Prince, it was best to let those morons from the imperial family deal with it. The Empress couldn't be touched since the haughty woman was stuck in the palace but the princes certainly could.
Imitating the owner's writing wasn't difficult. The brush ran across the paper and a strange feeling of calmness fell upon Bai Yue, her shoulders relaxing. In the letter, she made it seem as if the owner was begging the sixth prince Ji Mo Zhen for mercy. The poor owner was exhausted and had initially wanted to go back to the countryside to help his old mother who broke her legs one month ago. Yet the prince kept refusing his plea, seeing no need to set the owner free and treating him as some lowly slave. Using him to fund his shady deals and to get information from the customers of his shop. The Emperor was old and would die soon enough. With the prince's abilities and the Empress' backing, the owner truly believed it would be easy for the prince to seize the throne. However, the owner wouldn't be there to see it because he couldn't bear to continue like this. He let down his mother and all his family. Hopefully, his death would appease his disappointed ancestors and allowed his family to live in peace without the burden of having someone like him as a relative. His only wish was for the prince to not touch his family in exchange for his death.
Bai Yue left the letter in the open, on the counter. Anyone with a brain could easily guess it was a plot against the sixth prince. It was full of nonsense and the plot hole was big enough to fill a sea. However, it was still impossible not to investigate Ji Mo Zhen. And in the meantime, the clue about the real culprit would disappear. Also, Ji Mo Zhen wouldn't be able to touch the owner's family or it would prove his guilt.
The letter was done. Now, all she had to do was to create the perfect scene. A grimace spread across her face and she stuck the tip of the brush in the hole in the man's throat. Then, she positioned his arm and hand in a way that made people believe he killed himself.
Looking around, she realized there weren't enough splashes of blood, most of it having landed on her.
Alright. To survive, one had to make some sacrifices. She gritted her teeth and took out a hairpin. Her eyes closed on their own and she stabbed her hand. A small cry of pain escaped her and her eyes welled up. It hurt so much! Why was she so unlucky today?
Not as unlucky as the owner though.
She splattered the floor with her blood. No matter how rich or poor someone was, the color of blood never changed.
...
Three knocks on the front door of the shop caused Bai Yue to freeze and stop breathing, her face locked on the wood panel.
"Hello? Sir? Are you here?"
She hastily wrapped what was left of her veil around her wound and retreated to the gap in the wall leading to what she guessed was the backroom. Neither too small nor too big, it was filled with shelves on which lay countless objects. Some were dusty and seemed worthless. Others appeared to be worth quite a lot of money. The room was dark though and she didn't have the time to admire all the treasures around her.
As expected, there was a door. Just like the front door, she blocked it so that no one would enter while she was here and started filling her bag with all the money she could find. She would send it to the man's mother in the future. Right now though, she needed to make it seem like the owner was broke.
Afterward, she grabbed a long cloak and a black scarf and used them to cover her clothes and face. Only when none of the blood on her could be seen did she go to clear the door and open it, a grimace twisting her face when it creaked.
Behind the door was a back alley. Fortunately, it was empty at this hour of the day. Carefully closing the door, Bai Yue walked away as discreetly as someone dressed in a black cloak with their face hidden could. Her hands were sweaty because of her nervousness and her heart was beating fast.
What was she supposed to do now? It was impossible to go back to the manor looking like that.
Apart from the main streets, the capital consisted of narrow alleys that together formed a grid pattern. Places to hide in a straight alley were hard to find and Bai Yue didn't hesitate to turn at the first intersection.
Her steps quickened.
She was running blind, the scarf covering her face and eyes every now and then, blood coloring her cheeks bright red, and her ragged breath echoing in her ear.
"D-Dead! Someone's dead!" someone shouted and it was as if the cry reverberated throughout the whole capital.
Bai Yue took another turn and crashed into a hard chest, hands immediately grabbing her shoulders and keeping her from falling.
"Are you alright?" A soft - too soft - voice asked and it almost sounded as though the person speaking was worried.
She froze and stupidly lifted her head to meet a pair of beautiful dark eyes. The light in them was unfathomable - and she refused to believe even for one second that the man was concerned about her.
She swallowed her saliva.
Why was it him?