They approached the gates slowly, the lady now leaning so heavily on i’s arm that the servant was practically carrying her. Each step was an act of pure will over flesh. The lady’s vision blurred at the edges, dark spots blooming like ink in water, but she pushed forward.
When they finally reached the gate, i pressed the call button with her free hand.
Within monts, two gate guards appeared, their expressions shifting from routine alertness to cautious scrutiny.
"Yes? How may we help you?" The taller guard’s eyes traveled from the won’s faces down to their unusual attire and back again. Despite the odd hour and their disheveled appearance, sothing in their bearing commanded respect. The way they carried themselves, the calm despite obvious distress, these were not ordinary visitors.
"We need to see the mistress of the house." The lady’s voice erged hoarse but clear, each word carefully enunciated despite her exhaustion. "Tell her it’s her mother seeking her."
The guards exchanged startled glances.
"I’m sorry, but that’s not possible, certainly not at this hour." The shorter guard frowned, confusion evident in his voice. "Besides, isn’t her mother... deceased?"
The lady’s face registered shock, then pain that had nothing to do with her physical condition. "Please," she said, her voice cracking. "Just call them. Tell them exactly what I said. She will know. She will know."
The guards looked at each other uncertainly. This wasn’t a normal situation, a woman showing up at this ungodly hour claiming to be their mistress’s dead mother, supported by a companion who looked equally out of place in her traditional robes.
"We should call the house," the taller guard said quietly to his partner, worry creasing his brow.
The shorter guard nodded and pulled out his phone, dialing the main mansion line.
Lu Yuze had just woken and was preparing to head down to his study to handle two early morning etings scheduled for five o’clock. When the house phone rang, he frowned at the intrusion, snatching it up with barely restrained irritation.
"This had better be urgent."
"Master, my apologies for the early call." The guard’s voice was uncertain. "There are two won at the gate. One is claiming to be the mistress’s mother. The other is supporting her, she appears quite ill."
"Mother?" Lu Yuze’s frown deepened. Everything he knew indicated that Shuyin’s biological mother was dead, and he was thoroughly familiar with her stepmother’s appearance. "Describe her."
"She’s wearing an elaborate red robe, Master. Her hair is arranged with unusual ornants, hair clasps adorned with luminous pearls and sapphires. The kind you don’t see in jewelry stores. They almost seem to... glow."
The description made sothing tighten in Lu Yuze’s chest, though he couldn’t say why.
Lin Shuyin had stirred when she felt Lu Yuze leave the bed. But the mont the guard’s words reached her ears through the phone’s speaker, she bolted upright, her entire body going rigid.
Just from those descriptions, she knew it was her celestial Mother. She was the one who loved red and sapphires.
She didn’t wait for confirmation. Didn’t pause for explanation.
She simply bolted.
Flying through corridors in her nightclothes, her bare feet barely touching the marble floors, Shuyin could feel it now, her mother’s aura, faint and flickering like a candle nearly drowned in wax, but unmistakably hers. The magical signature she’d know anywhere, even across lifetis.
The gates swung open at her approach, responding to her will before her hands could touch them.
There, face to face, they stood frozen.
The lady stared at her daughter in confusion, struggling to reconcile mory with reality. This grown woman before her, radiating such power, could this truly be her child? But the aura was undeniable, that familiar resonance singing between their souls. But why was her face different?
Before rational thought could intervene, Shuyin surged forward and pulled her mother into her arms, catching her before she could collapse.
"Mother..." The word broke on a sob.
"Honey... It’s really you..." The lady’s voice was barely a breath. She had finally t her daughter.
Then her eyes rolled back, and she went completely limp in her daughter’s arms.
Lin Shuyin caught her mother’s falling body with ease, cradling her as though she weighed nothing, and turned to sprint back toward the mansion. Lu Yuze had reached the sitting area and was hastily turning on the lights as she burst through with her precious burden. i trailed behind, her face drawn with exhaustion and worry.
Shuyin laid her mother carefully on the nearest sofa, arranging her with trembling hands. Then she whirled on i with such sudden violence that the air itself seed to crack.
"i!" Shuyin’s voice was a whip of fury as her hand shot out, grasping the servant’s throat and lifting her bodily off the ground. "Your only duty is to protect her! You know she’s ill and frail, and yet you dared bring her here? Across realms? In this condition?"
Even though i was ancient, having served the celestial court for centuries, she was nothing when it ca to the Princess’s raw power. Her feet kicked uselessly above the floor.
Lu Yuze imdiately recognized the situation spiraling out of control. He moved swiftly, grasping Shuyin’s shoulders with firm hands. "Honey, your mother is very sick. Shouldn’t we call a doctor? We need to help her first."
And he was worried that if she killed her, her mother would bla her.
The gentle logic in his voice cut through her rage. Shuyin’s fingers loosened, and i dropped to the floor, gasping and coughing violently.
"Yes... my mother..." Shuyin released i completely, her attention snapping back to the unconscious figure on the sofa.
"Princess..." i wheezed, one hand massaging her bruised throat. "You know how your mother is. I couldn’t stop her no matter what. She’s been desperate to see you... nothing I said would dissuade her."
Lu Yuze shot i a sharp look and made a subtle gesture: ’Stop talking. Now... Can’t you see the situation? No excuses would calm her anger!’
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