Bai Long's POV
Night had settled quietly over the palace, but sleep was the farthest thing from my mind.
I stopped outside her room, eyes lingering on the wooden door that separated me from the one person who had unknowingly made my world unrecognizable.
> "Hey, my princess… have you already slept?"
My voice was softer than usual, laced with hesitation I didn't want to admit.
No answer.
I frowned.
The faint trail of incense smoke curled out from the doorframe. My fingers curled around the handle, and I pushed the door open.
The room was dim. A lantern flickered lazily near the window, throwing golden light across the floor. The bed was still warm, the sheets tousled.
But she was gone.
> "What...? Why is she not here?"
I murmured to myself, stepping further in.
The fragrance of her hanfu still lingered in the air. Her hairpin lay on the vanity, as if she'd meant to return in just a moment—but didn't.
I scanned the corners. No note. No guard. No maid.
> "She doesn't take midnight walks," I muttered. "Where did she go?"
The silence pressed in around me, sharp and unnatural.
> "Hello? Is anyone here?"
Still nothing.
"Damn it. Why is no one here tonight?"
My voice echoed back to me, hollow.
Then—footsteps.
I turned sharply at the sound of a voice behind me.
> "Hey! Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
A boy stood in the doorway, young but with the alert posture of someone raised inside palace walls. His tone was protective, suspicious.
> "Bai Long," I said calmly, squaring my shoulders. "Crown Prince of Longshan Kingdom. And you are?"
He blinked, then dipped into a formal bow.
> "Ah… Crown Prince. Forgive me. I'm Xiao Long, the young Prince of Tianxia Guo."
His hands clasped at his waist in the respectful gesture of their court.
So this was her brother—the one she had waited ten years to see.
> "You're the prince," I echoed, studying him. His face was youthful, but his gaze was steady. "Then why are you here?"
He straightened.
> "I came to see my sister. She was supposed to rest, but now she's vanished—and no one knows where she is. I'm worried."
My brows pulled together.
> "She's not with the maids. And no guards stationed nearby?"
I glanced toward the hallway. The empty silence was louder than it should have been.
Xiao Long's voice rose with alarm.
> "What? She just told me she was going to sleep—just a while ago!"
His eyes darted toward the bed.
"Then where the hell did she go? And why did you come to meet her at this hour?"
> "That's not what matters right now," I said sharply. "She's not here. You don't know where she went. I don't either. So instead of accusing me, we need to find her."
The boy's jaw tightened, then he nodded.
> "You're right. I'll summon the soldiers."
I gave one curt nod in return.
> "I'll search the garden and the eastern wing. Go west. Don't let the Emperor know—not yet."
> "Understood."
Without another word, we both turned and ran opposite directions—two princes, chasing the same shadow beneath the same roof.
And still… her scent lingered in the air.
And something deep in my chest whispered—this wasn't just a disappearance.
Something was wrong.