A restless ache gnawed at Yi Cheng's chest as he pored over the endless reports from his guards. They were all useless. No clues, no leads, no suspects. Nothing but dead ends and false trails. Whoever had tried to kill his uncle and cousin had vanished like smoke in the wind.
Yi Cheng flung the reports aside with a sigh. He needed a break from this hopeless hunt. He needed some fresh air. He needed a friendly face. He needed A'Fen. He hoped she was still awake.
He rose from his desk and walked out the door. His guard followed him silently, keeping a respectful distance. They followed the lantern light that flickered along the cobblestone path. They headed to the guest quarters assigned to the noble young ladies.
As they approached A'Fen's room, Yi Cheng caught a glimpse of two pairs of eyes peeking out from behind a slightly open door — A'Fen and her maid Xiao Mei. A grin touched his lips when he saw them quickly shut the door. They had seen him coming.
He knocked softly and waited for an answer. The door opened a crack and Xiao Mei's face appeared. She bowed her head respectfully. "Greetings to Your Highness."
"Is A'Fen here?" Yi Cheng asked casually, pretending he had not seen her just now.
"Yes, Your Highness," Xiao Mei replied. She turned her head slightly and called out: "Miss, His Highness the Crown Prince is here."
"The Crown Prince?" A'Fen's voice echoed from inside. It was tinged with feigned surprise. He heard her footsteps approaching the door. She emerged wearing a simple white robe with blue embroidery, her long black hair tied in a loose bun. She looked radiant as ever, her fair skin glowing in the dim light.
A'Fen," Yi Cheng greeted her with a smile.
She bowed before him. "Liu Fen pays respect to Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Yi Cheng's heart tightened at her words, so formal compared to the warm and playful way she used to speak to him when they were children. He longed for the days she used to look at him as an equal; the days she used to call him A'Cheng.
But those days were gone now, thanks to his imperial mother. She had overheard A'Fen calling him A'Cheng once and had flown into a rage. "How dare you address the crown prince so casually?" she had hissed at A'Fen. "You should know your place and respect the etiquette."
Yi Cheng had tried to defend A'Fen then, saying that she was his friend and that there was no need for formality between them. He had told A'Fen to ignore his imperial mother's words and continue to call him A'Cheng. He had promised to protect her if his mother tried to scold her again.
But A'Fen had declined his offer with a sad shake of her head. "Your Highness," she had said. "I cannot risk creating a rift between you and your imperial mother. I am grateful for your kindness, but I must obey her orders."
And from that day on she called him 'Crown Prince' or 'Your Highness.' It made him feel so distant from her, as if there was an invisible wall between them.
"Your Highness," she called him now, snapping him out of his reverie. She looked at him with curiosity, probably wondering what he wanted from her at this late hour.
He smiled awkwardly. He wanted to be near her, to hear her voice, to see her smile. But he did not know how to tell her that without sounding brazen.
He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could form a word, he heard a commotion behind him. He turned to see his imperial mother emerge from his cousin's room, a few steps down the corridor. She walked towards them with a brisk pace, followed by her attendants and guards. Her face was hard and cold as marble.