It was her eighth birthday.

The bright morning sun was out yet the little girl felt very cold.

In only her sleeping gown, she had sneaked out of her room to play.

Coincidentally, she met a man while sneaking around by the garden. The man before her looked so great that she stood in admiration. He was very tall and handsome. His long white hair and eyelashes fluttered every time the wind passed by.

Complimented with his sunset-colored eyes and a black dragon robe stitched with golden threads, the man gave off a majestic feeling.

"Wah! Wah!"

The little girl stared at the man until a baby's cry snapped her back to reality.

Hidden in the man's arms was a baby.

The man hurriedly but gently patted the baby back to sleep. 

"This little one greets your highness, the emperor," she said after realizing the man's identity.

The dignified emperor 's lips curved up a little, "Ahem, so young but can recognize who I am already. May I know this young lady's name?"

The little girl smiled back and saluted, "My name is Lan Ling, the firstborn and only daughter of the Lan clan."

------

Looking up at the clear blue sky, it reminded her of a memory she had long ago. It had been 7 years since then.

She laid on the grass, counting the years that she had left and sighed. Two years had passed since she entered the palace but things were starting to get boring and tiring. Everything was too lavish and repetitive.

"Crown princess! The crown prince is here," a maid came announcing to Lan Ling. 

Lan Ling stood up and fixed her clothes. Then, patted the wrinkles away and checked if there was any dirt on her. Quickly, she left to meet the crown prince who was waiting in her room.

"Greetings, your highness, crown prince Wei."

She smiled brightly at the eight years old crown prince, Xiao Longwei, and passed over some snacks that the maid brought from the kitchen to him.

"Lady Ling, the emperor had conferred a royal decree that we are to wed when I turn ten."

Although she was his crown princess, he still called her "Lady Ling".

Lan Ling stopped pouring the honeydew tea and responded in the softest voice she had, "Ah, yes. The emperor did give a royal decree with something like that. Is there something wrong, your highness?"

Lan Ling gave the tea to the crown prince who had a dark look on his face. Of course, she knew something was wrong. His highness is being forced to marry a woman older than him and a woman who he does not love. But this was all for the sake of the plan.

There was a long silence in the room. She looked over at the crown prince and smiled.

For a child, he already had that look of displeasure. He picks up things very quickly just like his father, the current emperor.

"We still have two years to go. It's going to be a long time until the wedding."

Lan Ling poured herself some tea and took a sip.

After a moment of silence, the crown prince excused himself and left the room. Lan Ling finished eating the snacks before leaving her room to go outside again.

-------

In a blink of an eye, the day of the wedding came and went by as fast. It was already their 3rd month of marriage yet Lan Ling showed no signs of carrying a child. The empress called for her many times to do a health check-up every day since the night of the marriage.

Luckily, the Empress decided to wait longer before deciding if Lan Ling really couldn't have a child since the crown prince was only ten.

Somewhere in the palace, a woman quietly laid on the dark and light green grass looking at the clear blue sky. It was Lan Ling. She could finally relax again for the first time since their wedding but she knew it will be quick.

She closed her eyes and thought of the many things she would do. Afterward, she opened her eyes and saw a child looking down at her.

"Greetings, your highness," she said. 

"Mhmm" was the only reply the crown prince gave and then walked away to his studies.

Lan Ling sat up and looked at the little boy's disappearing back.

That little boy would someday be an emperor, she thought to herself. He will be a great emperor in the future but not with how he currently is.

She got up and smelled the air.

"Refreshing," she said to herself and opened her arms to feel the cool wind brush passing by her.

After a few minutes, she made way to her palace.

"Fire! The kitchen is on fire!"

The servants screamed and ran to get water from the well.

Lan Ling silently watched from afar. She combed through her hair with her hand, gently.

Then, she walked away and never looked back.

Note: I'll be revising this story.