In the 216th year of the Benchu Era, Monologue of Benchu Zui Ai
Today, on the way back to the palace with Ruo Pu, I encountered that child.
As usual, I went to the royal nursery to pick up Ruo Pu. Since the age of three, she has been receiving a general education there, and now it's been two years. Ruo Pu says she enjoys it there. As the youngest generation of the royal family, she has lived with me and my sister in the Water Moon Palace since childhood. Being able to study and play with other children her age should be a wonderful experience for Ruo Pu. I wonder what interesting knowledge she learned today?
After picking up Ruo Pu, she expressed a desire to go alone with me to admire the newly planted white roses in the palace. The distance between the Eternal Garden and the Water Moon Palace is only a few hundred meters, so I dismissed the handmaidens and went there with only the two of us. Although I have never seen the flowers outside the royal palace in the Holy City, the flowers in the Eternal Garden, cultivated by rare experts, absorb the essence infused by the flower masters and the aura of the palace's enchantment. They bloom beautifully and brightly.
When we returned to the palace after enjoying the flower scenery, it started to rain heavily. The climate inside the palace had already been notified of this arrangement, so we summoned a floating protective device. The protector projected a barrier from a few meters above, isolating us from the rain on the ground. Despite seeing the rain and hearing the thunder, it did not inconvenience our journey. Living in this peaceful and convenient world must be a great fortune for our generation.
But then, I saw that child.
How did she run out? The Fallen Sword Palace has a barrier from my sister and me, and without our permission, it is impossible for anyone else to come and go freely. My sister and I share a strong connection, and I could sense that she had not modified the barrier. The child was lying alone in the middle of the path, letting the rain pour down on her. What happened?
I couldn't help but stop in my tracks, unsure how to face this small child. Ruo Pu, curious, turned to me, calling me "mom" and seeming to want to know why we had stopped. Hearing voices of peers not far away, the child started to get up and looked in our direction.
She looked at me, and after a few seconds, extended her small hand and started running towards us. Only then did I see that she was holding a bunch of February orchids, seemingly fragile in the rain but still radiating the glow of life. She seemed unaware of the protective barrier, bumped into it, and was bounced back to the ground. However, she still held the bouquet high, murmuring something. What could it be?
"Mom."
I was greatly shocked. She should not have seen me before, nor heard of me. Why did she appear here today, calling me "mom"? In an instant, various events from the Mirage surged into my mind, making me feel dizzy.
"Mom, mom."
Shouts brought me back to reality because they came from Ruo Pu. I pulled my thoughts together, looked at Ruo Pu, gently stroked her head with my hand, signaling her not to worry. Then I had to figure out how to face this familiar yet unfamiliar child.
"Mom, flowers."
She spoke again, her eyes full of hopeful light and an innocent smile on her face. I couldn't bear to refuse her but also couldn't accept her. I didn't want Ruo Pu to have too much contact with her either, so I sighed inwardly and chose a cruel way.
I secretly cast a petrification spell, causing the child to be unable to move or make any sound. I took Ruo Pu away from her. I couldn't look back. Although Ruo Pu was puzzled by why I, who was usually affectionate to her and other children, ignored this unfortunate child, she still followed me, looking at me while moving away. Someday, I would let her know all the ins and outs, but not now.
As we moved tens of meters away, I lifted the spell. I couldn't look back, nor could I know the child's current state of mind. My handmaidens would take her back to the palace where she belonged, replacing the previous attendants, keeping watch over her from the shadows, restricting her from going out, just as before.
A few days later
My trusted personal handmaiden reported that she found a Counter-Spirit Stone among the child's clothes on that day. Counter-Spirit Stones are rare treasures from the Mirage. Before being activated, a Counter-Spirit Stone looks no different from an ordinary stone. Once activated, it emits a silver-white light and can block various spiritual forces until its life is exhausted. Therefore, the owner of the Counter-Spirit Stone can freely enter and exit barriers created by spiritual forces.
The handmaiden also found damage to the western wall of the Fallen Sword Palace. The damaged area allowed one person to pass through, and there were several activated Counter-Spirit Stones scattered around it. These Counter-Spirit Stones seemed to be originally stacked as bricks in the damaged area. Perhaps one day, the child discovered the damage, picked up a few strange stones, and that's how she managed to break through the barrier. According to the handmaiden's investigation, the damage seemed to have occurred in the last week or two. However, besides us, did anyone else see her? The palace's intelligent monitoring did not detect the child in major public areas. Fortunately, it did not cause too much impact.
Why did the wall of the Fallen Sword Palace suddenly break? After a thorough investigation, no clues were found. As for those Counter-Spirit Stones, after inspection by the Artifact Supervisor, they were found to be of excellent quality and had already been activated for more than ten years, gradually approaching the end of their lifespan. A few Counter-Spirit Stones were completely sealed in the wall, waiting to be activated. Ten years ago, the Fallen Sword Palace was used by that man. Perhaps it was at that time that those Counter-Spirit Stones were secretly placed in the palace.
I had the Artifact Supervisor carefully inspect every inch of land and buildings in the Fallen Sword Palace, collecting the discovered Counter-Spirit Stones. I informed my elder brother and other royal members. Since Counter-Spirit Stones are the nemesis of spiritual power, if used by someone with ill intentions, it could cause serious harm. After consultation among the royal family, we decided to throw the already activated Counter-Spirit Stones into the Flame Abyss, which only direct blood relatives of the royal family could activate, for destruction using its purest flames. As for the unactivated Counter-Spirit Stones, they were sealed in the Treasure Vault and classified as forbidden.
After dealing with the damage to the wall and Counter-Spirit Stones, the handmaidens continued to monitor the Fallen Sword Palace and the child. According to the reports, she often lies in the courtyard, looking up at the sky, seemingly lost in thought. Though I worried about her condition, I was powerless to do anything. Months passed, and she remained the same.
In the end, unable to bear the inner turmoil, I requested a decree from my elder brother to send the child away from the palace, to the distant western continent, the Kingdom of Purple.