Chapter 6

    Li Yue Haili was calm by nature. Even though she felt uncomfortable, she did not show it. She merely walked slightly ahead, glancing back periodically to ensure that the person following her didn’t get lost in the woods.

    She never revealed her emotions, so regardless of what she felt inside, a small, polite smile remained on her lips. However, beneath that gentle demeanor lay a cold distance. Along the way, she didn’t bother to strike up a conversation like she had done in previous lives. Her only thought was to find a way to avoid him from now on.

    It didn’t matter. Usually, a prince’s heir wouldn’t stay at the border for long. He was likely just visiting for a short time before returning to the capital.

    “Ying Ying.”

    Li Yue Haili froze at the sound of her name. She turned to look at the Second Prince’s heir with a distant gaze. "It is too great an honor for someone of my lowly status to be addressed so familiarly, Your Highness. I dare not accept it," she replied.

    "Since when have you been of low status?" the young prince responded, displeased. "You are the daughter of a great general, with a noble standing.” He was flattering her. “When I call you Ying Ying, you should call me Brother Yongyuan. For every time you call me that, I’ll catch a wild rabbit and roast it for you. How’s that?"

    “…” Li Yue Haili was stunned, and one of the shadow guards following them from the trees nearly lost his footing. Their prince—who was infamous for his moodiness, arrogance, and disdain toward women—had just offered to act like a loyal dog for this little girl? Wasn’t this the same prince known as the Feng family's ‘star of disaster’?

    "Your Highness is far too generous," the girl smiled but said nothing more and continued walking.

    "You can be generous with me, too."

    Li Yue Haili ignored him and glanced at the stream that appeared ahead of them. "If you want to fish, you can come here. The fish here are plentiful, and they’re much plumper and tastier than the ones in the capital," she said, acting as a good guide while looking around for her mother. This was her way—she wasn’t cold or standoffish but simply indifferent.

    "Good," Feng Yongyuan replied. "Next time, I’ll come fish here. I’ll trouble you to guide me again."

    “…” ‘Does your manor lack funds to hire a guide? Or are your guards directionally challenged? Why don’t you use them instead?’

    Li Yue Haili walked along the stream for a while, but no matter how much she searched, she couldn’t find her mother. “Perhaps Mother has returned already?”

    Feng Yongyuan moved to stand beside her. "Where does your mother usually like to sit when she fishes?" he asked.

    "Mother usually sits on the platform by the riverbank right here. Her fishing rod is still here," Li Yue Haili replied, feeling increasingly uneasy. "I’ll go look for her. Please wait here, Your Highness," she said, straining her eyes to search for her mother’s tracks.

    "The footprints don’t lead back to your cabin. They head deeper into the forest—and in a hurry," the young prince said as he grabbed her hand, crouching down to examine the soil. Because they were near the stream, the ground was soft. Even with some grass growing, the footprints were clear. "There are animal tracks as well. Judging by the size and shape, it’s likely a fully grown bear."

    "A bear!" Li Yue Haili exclaimed. Normally, bears lived deep in the forest, rarely seen except by expert hunters who specifically sought them out. They were dangerous creatures. "I must go help my mother. Please, Your Highness, hurry and inform my father," she said urgently, trying to pull her small arm free from his grasp.

    After all, she was more difficult to kill than most. Even as a child, her body was still made of flesh and blood—if she could get in the way, perhaps she could buy her mother some time.

    Feng Yongyuan refused to let go. "You’re just a little girl. What if you get lost, too? Your mother is the wife of a general; she would have the presence of mind to hide and find a way back. She probably went into the forest on purpose to prevent the bear from attacking you or the villagers foraging at the foot of the mountain. Rushing in recklessly might do more harm than good. Do you understand, Ying Ying?"

    Even though his words were spoken with calm reasoning, Feng Yongyuan knew the truth better than anyone else.

    In the previous life, Furen Li—Shen Xuefei—had been killed tragically by a wild animal, and the beast that took her life was a fully grown brown bear. General Li, devastated by the loss of his wife, blamed himself for being unable to protect her. He sent his son and daughter to the Li family in the capital for their safety, and from then on, he sank into alcoholism, abandoning everything until he died on the frontier.

    Shen Xuefei's death was the beginning of the upheaval for the Li siblings. Li Yue Haili and Li Zhengqing had grown up in a warm, simple family on the frontier, even though they had been born into nobility and had received the education and upbringing of children from a prestigious family. But how could they, accustomed to the simplicity of life on the border, cope with the complexities of life in the capital? Being sent to the city was like being thrown into a den of wolves. Without their parents to protect them, the siblings endured constant bullying and could only suffer in silence.

    But patience meant nothing to the people they encountered there.

    By the time Feng Yongyuan had met Li Yue Haili again, it was already too late to fix anything.

    In this life, he had come to meet her again. His Ying Ying had not yet lost her mother. He had rushed day and night to the border, arriving just in time to prevent Furen Li’s death.

    He carried the memories of his previous life, memories that Ying Ying could never know.

    "Don’t worry. Your mother will be safe."

    "How... how can you be so sure?"

    Because he had already sent his shadow guards ahead to scout the area.

    "Trust me."

    Trust you? Li Yue Haili’s eyes dimmed. I’ve trusted you so many times, only to die quietly each time, obediently following your lead.

    "What if... what if something happens to my mother?"

    "I swear to you, Ying Ying, that no matter what, whether it’s your father, your mother, your brother, or you—I will protect everything that belongs to you until the end."

    The young girl froze. She didn’t understand what was happening with Yongyuan. Had his soul been replaced? Why didn’t he despise her as he always had in the past? Why was he trying to be kind to her from the very first moment they met?

    Despite his kindness, fear gnawed at her. She feared this might be a cruel trick from the heavens, a new curse that would ultimately shatter her heart again.

    She didn’t believe this was normal. For eleven lifetimes, he had despised her. And now, in her twelfth life, when she had decided to let go, he suddenly showed kindness?

    If she were alone in this life, it wouldn’t matter. But she had a father, a mother, and a brother who loved her dearly. She could no longer allow herself to be thoughtless as she had in the past.

    The girl, whose soul had lived for hundreds of years, pondered for a moment before making her decision. She looked up at him, her lips curving slightly.

    "Yue Ying thanks you, Your Highness."

    She shouldn’t stubbornly refuse help, so she accepted it calmly. Whatever his plans were, or why he was being kind to her, her mother was the priority right now.

    Feng Yongyuan was pleased when she accepted, not noticing that the young girl’s eyes lacked any smile. He waved his hand and called out, "Wu Cheng, Da Cheng."

    Two shadow guards immediately appeared. "Master."

    "Lead the way."

    "Understood."

    Li Yue Haili glanced at the young prince holding her hand as they entered the forest. From their behavior, it seemed her mother truly was safe.

    But didn’t they already have guides from the start? So why did they ask her to lead the way?