Her breath caught.
That face—!
Her heart stilled for a beat before slamming wildly inside her chest.
Zhao Ling Xu.
She took a step back.
Her eyes widened in shock.
Zhao Ling Xu didn't flinch.
Instead, a flicker of pain passed through his eyes. So faint, but so very real.
"
And yet… here he was, staring at her with none of the madness of Pei Rong. None of the cruelty of the Empress. Just a strange calm. An eerie… sadness.
Before she could ask what twisted game this was, he took a step forward.
"I can help your maid," he said. "If you can find him."
Her brows furrowed.
"…Him?"
Zhao Ling Xu nodded.
"You know who I mean."
She blinked again, processing his words.
The prince.
Zhao Yan.
"They say he's dead," Ling Xu said. "But I don't believe it. You don't believe it either, do you?"
Hua Jing's lips parted slightly. The wind carried the strands of her hair across her face, but she didn't move. Her brain was too stunned to keep up.
Zhao Ling Xu wasn't done.
