Night Stroll in the Garden

The books were nothing too amusing, a bookcase composed mostly of classics, poetry, with a small number of books on different subjects.

I grabbed a book from the shelf. The books were quite new, with the spine that had not yet been creased. I opened the book and read thoroughly.

So it turns out that this world was no longer the one I had left. I stared blankly down at the contrasting black words on the white paper and let out a hearty laugh at the irony it was. That I was no longer in the world that attempted to hunt me down.

What this entailed I had no idea, but I felt a sense of happiness. It would be quite exciting to remain here for some time.

When night came, I secretly snuck out to the gardens to take a stroll. It wasn't really that far away from my chambers.

The gardens were quiet with red lanterns lining the path in the night. Each giving off a light of its own, paving the path for the person who would walk the path soon. I looked as the lanterns swayed in the autumn wind until one fell down helplessly catching fire and burning into ash. The other lanterns were safe, with some even giving off a brighter light from the wind that had blown by.

The remnants of the lantern laid on the pathway, making the lighting asymmetrical. I shook my head and turned to cut across the garden, walking into the darkness of the night, and trampling upon flowers and grasses that were growing without a care.

This stroll was dark in the moonless sky. I stared at the moon that was supposed to be there and felt a sense of loss overcoming me. I suddenly had a feeling of wanting to stare at the moon, to feel its gentle rays smile upon me.

Far away, I heard a sound of restless struggling. Out of curiosity, I walked closer, drawn in by the sounds that broke through the peace and calmness of the palace. As I came closer, the sound became louder. Yet still, I was unable to hear what they were talking about. The quiet night was accompanied by a young woman's pitiful screams as her head was pushed down into the lake waters.

Her body was held down by two eunuchs and her thrashings grew weaker by the second, it wasn't long before her body was lifelessly floating in the water. After their work was done, the eunuchs hid the corpse under the bridge pathway before going off with his partner.

I stayed in the shadows for some time. After making sure that there was no one in the vicinity, I crept up to the fake mountains and pulled on the young woman's clothes. With some difficulty, I managed to flip her over thanks to the fact that rigor mortis had not yet set in.

Without any light, it was difficult to make out her face. But I was certain that I had never seen this palace lady before. Since she had just died, there was nothing repugnant about her face, aside from it being wet from when she had been drowned.

She was dressed in the clothing that the palace ladies wore. She did not have a white sash tied around her waist, which further confirmed that she was most definitely not a maid from my brother's or my palace. Her clothes were disorganized and fully saturated in water.

There was nothing that could tell me of her identity. Perhaps by the time, she would be found, she would simply be another nameless palace lady who died within the walls of the most mysterious place, with her corpse hastily buried within an unmarked burial mound outside of the capital.

Hidden within her sleeve, there was a silk handkerchief embroidered with a lotus flower. This most likely did not belong to her, as the palace lady's clothing was uniform, added to the fact that the quality was top grade and a meer palace lady would not have the status to have such a thing, the silk handkerchief's owner was most certainly a concubine within the palace.

Though the silk handkerchief already drenched in water, I pulled it from the sleeve to take a closer look at it. There was a poem embroidered onto it, but I could not make out the words without any light. I could feel the embroidery of the lotus under my fingers, but that was all that I could feel.

After not getting much information, I stuffed it back in her sleeve, and returned her body to its previous position, erasing all evidence of anyone having been there.

Along my way back, I could feel a strange residue on my fingers. I rubbed my fingers some more, before bringing it up to my nose. With a whiff, I could smell the sweet scent of floral overpowering my senses. This scent was truly too concentrated for my taste, yet lurking beneath this strong scent there was something hiding within. 

I brought my fingers away from my nose, though this scent was not yet enough to bring upon my death, prolonged exposure would weaken the body, making it so that a common cold would be enough to bring death.

Though I had not the slightest clue why this palace lady had been put to death secretly. It could only be presumed that she had stumbled upon some hidden conspiracy that she shouldn't have. Otherwise, she would not be so crudely hidden under a bridge without breath or beating heart.

I returned to my chambers, to find it as empty as before. I silently crept up into bed and allowed the time to trickle by.

I spent the night pondering the future life that would be possibly be lived, if I were to choose to stay or if I were to dismiss everything and leave.

The state of this world was said to be prosperous, but how much of those words could be trusted. The relationship between ruler, government, and the common people was not one of trust. Rather, each dependent upon the other for their survival. Each needing the other in order to elevate their own status.

Courtiers would sometimes lie to their rulers about the state of the country, making this disconnect between the ruling class and their people.

It was not guaranteed that I would remain safe if I were to venture out on my own.

Even if I were to leave, there was nowhere to go. Comparing that to the fate I would have if I were to remain in the palace, which would be a lifetime of scheming and suspicion, even against my own blood. 

This hostile environment of daggers hidden behind false smiles. I do not mind it. On the contrary, I find it to be quite an exciting future for myself. To be able to plan ahead and pave a path that is drenched in blood and littered with bodies of those who had failed to stay alive.

The warm blood coursed through my veins, flushing my cheeks. Indeed, what a time it would be to start life anew.