Yue had just woken up from her sleep. When the girl sat facing the door, she was surprised to see Xingchen enter. Yue was silent as she was astonished at Xingchen's expression.
There was silence between them against the sound of the wind coming in through the window. At the sound of the third gust of wind, Xingchen asked, "Who are you?" With a trembling voice, he tried to appear confident.
"I?" Yue pointed at herself. "I'm Yue."
Xingchen's heart pounded violently after hearing the girl's reply. What kind of ghost is this? he thought. "You, get out of here immediately," he ordered.
Yue lowered her head to look at her feet. Then, she lifted her legs. "Like this?"
Xingchen got goosebumps from talking to a ghost. He was also furious because the ghost answered casually. Another strange thing, she was wearing a red wedding hanfu. It looked as if her purpose here was to get married.
"Get out of here immediately," Xingchen said again.
Yue's face lifted, then lowered. "I can't go," she whispered.
"Why?"
"The Northern Kingdom is too far away."
Xingchen snorted. His right hand waved. "That's not my problem. Get out of my way right away!" he said and pointed at the door.
Yue's finger scratched the back of her hand. She couldn't go because the Northern Kingdom would not accept her. If she stayed here, she didn't know what could happen. Even so, in this unfamiliar place, there was one person who wasn't afraid when he saw her. Yue thought this moment could be used to ask.
"What is marriage?"
"What?"
"What is marriage?" Yue asked, "all the way people talk about it."
"What do you mean you came here without knowing what you were doing?"
Yue was a little clueless, but her head nodded.
Xingchen gave a small smile. "Marriage is a promise to live together for couples who love each other. In our case, we don't know each other. So hurry back to your country," he explained.
Suddenly, a loud noise came from Yue's stomach. Yue held her stomach. Meanwhile, Xingchen sighed.
⭑⭑⭑
The maid bowed after placing a plate of meat buns on the table. Yue's attention couldn't escape the three still steaming loaves of bread.
"Is this for me?" Yue asked as she looked at Xingchen who was sitting by the window.
Xingchen's eyes narrowed at being unfamiliar with Yue's question. The food was placed in front of her, but Yue still asked. She was like a puppy waiting for permission to eat.
"Everything is yours," Xingchen replied.
A smile spread across Yue's face. Her hand grabbed a piece of meat bun, then bit it slowly. The warm taste of bread dough mixed with mashed meat pampered Yue's tongue. The girl sat curled up, laughing softly.
"I don't know if ghosts need to eat," Xingchen chimed in.
Yue turned her head. Her cheeks bulged with bread, while her lips were smudged with crumbs of meat. After swallowing her food, she replied, "Ghost? I'm not a ghost."
Xingchen asked again, "Then what if not a ghost?"
Yue lowered her head. "I don't know."
Xingchen's body leaned against the wall while his hand supported his chin. The girl's appearance was not like ordinary people's. She had white hair, eyes as red as ripe apples, and very fair skin. Anyone who saw her would think she was a ghost.
"You're a ghost," Xingchen said.
Yue looked at Xingchen. She shook her head. "Ghosts are invisible," she argued.
"So what are you?" Xingchen asked.
"They were scared when they saw me. They called me Monstrous White and said I was like a living corpse."
"Cowards. You're like a white rabbit, but they call you that."
Xingchen looked up at the night sky. The stars were covered in clouds. Xingchen didn't know that Yue was watching him. In Yue's life, this was the first time anyone had compared her to a white rabbit. The white rabbit is a beautiful animal. That meant Xingchen called her beautiful.
Yue smiled. Her hand took the bread again and ate it with pleasure.
"Oh, I almost forgot. What happened when Eunuch Feng went to look for a healer?"
Yue stopped chewing. Her face was frozen like a lake in winter. She couldn't say what she did when Xingchen fainted. Her eyes moved restlessly. "I... I came closer to see you, then suddenly everything went dark," she said.
"Your voice has changed. You're not telling the truth," Xingchen accused. He sat up straight and watched Yue.
Xingchen stepped over to Yue who was sitting on the floor. The man bowed beside Yue. "Tell the truth or I'll throw the bread away," he threatened.