Hong Fei didn’t go to bed until the oil in the salon’s lamps nearly ran out. He’d rewritten his report from the beginning and stayed at it until it was done to his satisfaction. When he did finally retire for the evening, he fell asleep immediately—falling into an all-encompassing oblivion that refused any dream, including his usual nightmares.

  The next morning saw him blurry-eyed and stumbling into the salon. The scent of rice porridge drew him to the table, and he sat in his favorite chair without thinking. Kang Lian moved around him to lay out bowls, spoons, and a pot of the porridge.

  A good whiff told him that stewed pork and fried garlic greens had been mixed in. He heard Ugly Dog’s voice coming from the courtyard: “Is it really all right?” she asked.

  Sun Han replied, “Yes, the courtyard eats together.”

  The two of them came into the salon together. Ugly Dog was wearing the same clothes as the previous night. The thought came to Hong Fei that they would need to move her things to her new quarters.

  It must’ve shone on his face, because Kang Lian said, “I’ll make the arrangements. Our house is being careful—no one goes out without armed escort, so errands to the city are arranged in large groups, with a set itinerary. I can add a stop at her residence to it.”

  Hong Fei, not quite awake, eventually nodded. “My gratitude,” he replied.

  “If you want to thank me, eat,” she said with a smile, putting a bowl of the porridge in front of him.

  A good soldier, Hong Fei followed his orders. Midway through the meal, Little Ruyun came into the salon to eat her own breakfast, and he saw that the deathly white number 1 that had followed the young girl was finally gone.

  Hong Fei hid his smile with the bowl of rice porridge. Somehow, the taste had become even more delicious.

  ###

  Kang Ruyun ran like the wind. Her feet pattered against the corridor’s wooden floor. She passed under bronze lamps, paintings of the forest surrounding the city, and jade vases on pedestals—all sorts of fine, expensive things that had survived the recent attack on the estate. In her hands were folded papers tied with a ribbon. They contained the report Hong Fei had written, which was to be delivered to Duchess Yu Ning.

  Ahead, the house’s resident carpenters were at work patching a section of wall with new wood. Kang Ruyun slowed so as to not surprise them. She wasn’t supposed to show anyone how fast she could move now. A thrill ran through her every time she remembered the tingling she’d felt in her bones.

  Sun Han had been tutoring her mother and her on how to draw it out. He’d called it essence. It was so very hard to contain her excitement, to hold back from running as fast as she could.

  Kang Ruyun wondered if Hong Fei and Auntie Ling might hunt another spirit beast for their courtyard to turn into soup. Then the essence would grow even stronger within her.

  The carpenters nodded to her in passing. “Mind the tools and bucket o’ nails,” one said.

  Kang Ruyun slowed further to step gingerly between the things on the floor. She saw furrows in the walls, with several areas showing daylight through them. The carpenters were shaping and filing pieces of wood to fit into the gaps and gouges.

  It was good, conscientious work. As the daughter of an artisan, Kang Ruyun recognized it was so.

  “If you pass the main storeroom, tell ’em we need more glue,” a carpenter called out.

  “I will,” she yelled to the people now behind her, her feet already itching to run again.

  The main storerooms weren’t far from the library, not really when someone was as quick as Kang Ruyun. She felt warm all over thinking about she’d never lose a race against those Rock Knife brats again. Just let them try to bully her; she’d stick them with her pin.

  But they wouldn’t be bothering her again, would they? Her mother had woken Kang Ruyun from her sleep the previous night to share the news: both Big Ox and Little Ox were dead.

  Kang Ruyun jumped in excitement, and it really did feel like flying. She darted around a corner to detour toward the main storerooms. In flash, she’d take care of the carpenters’ errand and then finish the task set to her by the courtyard’s master.

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  Alas, the paths in between were busy with others fulfilling their duties, so Kang Ruyun slowed once more, keeping to a quick-yet-ordinary pace. The soldiers were especially prevalent. All of them were working longer shifts since the attack.

  Kang Ruyun recognized the guards assigned to Mei Hua simply standing at the end of a narrow passage that led to small, out-of-the-way garden. Curiosity got the better of the young girl, and she slipped toward them to see what they were doing.

  They were on duty all right. Mei Hua stood past them at the passage’s exit. The fairy had her chin on her hand, lost in thought as she gazed into the garden.

  Kang Ruyun’s curiosity burned brighter. There was another passage at the end of the garden that could be justifiably used to reach the library. If she re-ordered her errands, then she might see what had captured the fairy’s attention.

  Excuse happily secured, Kang Ruyun made her way past the guards. She said, “Excuse me, my lady,” while passing Mei Hua, bowing as she did so. Then she saw Yu Yong alone in the garden.

  The young master stood in a fighting stance, holding a sword before him and gazing intensely at it. His shirt was off, which revealed the multitude of scars he’d earned while he had defended the estate against invaders.

  Kang Ruyun had witnessed that awful fight. She gulped at the memory. There’d been blood everywhere, and the fighters had moved so quickly, faster than she could run now.

  The young master’s scars weren’t ugly, she decided, and he’d earned them justly. Yes, others might call him reckless, but that could also be called passion. She wondered what he saw in that sword.

  Kang Ruyun realized she’d stopped walking. She blushed in embarrassment and started again when Mei Hua’s softly called out.

  “Hold a moment.”

  The young girl stopped and turned. “My lady?”

  Mei Hua gestured for her to come closer, likely so as not to disturb the young master’s meditation on the sword.

  Yet, when Kang Ruyun did as was asked, Mei Hua simply looked into her face, which was another kind of embarrassment. The fairy was known to be the most beautiful woman at the estate, probably in the whole of Ruby Swift City.

  She was, Kang Ruyun had to admit, even prettier than Kang Shao had been. The thought of her dead older sister made the young girl’s heart ache, but a truth was a truth whether one liked it or not.

  “Are you happy?” Mei Hua suddenly asked.

  The question confused Kang Ruyun. “My lady?”

  “I asked if you were happy.” The edges of the fairy’s lips turned down.

  The attack on the estate had affected everyone that way, easier to curve down into a frown rather than up into a smile.

  Kang Ruyun looked at her feet; her brow furrowed. Am I happy? she wondered. It was question she’d never considered before.

  “I don’t know, my lady,” she replied, honestly.

  “Surely, you must have some sense of desire for a higher position or fulfillment in your duties or…” Mei Hua gestured, her hand wavering in the air like a butterfly. “Something.”

  “Oh,” Kang Ruyun said, looking up. “I understand. Then, yes, I’m happy.”

  “Even after everything’s that happened?” Mei Hua asked, her frown deepening. “Aren’t you afraid?”

  “Yes, my lady, very much so,” Kang Ruyun answered. “But there’s always something to fear, isn’t there? If I let fear take me, then who will I be?” She looked aside, unsure if she should be talking this way to a noble lady. Her mother might disapprove, but Mei Hua had asked. “I’d rather be Kang Ruyun than Kang Ruyun’s fear,” she said.

  “That’s…” Mei Hua started to reply, then paused. Her head tilted. Confusion replaced the frown on her face. “That’s…” she began again, then stopped once more. She looked at Kang Ruyun as if seeing her anew.

  A moment later, the fairy’s delicate laughter sounded in the passage like a bell. She put her hand over her mouth, and yet the laughter continued. The guards came closer to investigate. Kang Ruyun heard Yu Yong’s approach, too.

  Eventually, Mei Hua’s laughter diminished, like the tide pulling away from the shore. It left behind a wry smile. “Apologies,” she said to Yu Yong. “I’ve disturbed your training.”

  The young man shook his head. “I was nearly finished, anyway. The strategy meeting is due to start soon.” He glanced between Mei Hua and Kang Ruyun and asked, “But tell me, what’s so funny?”

  “I don’t know,” Mei Hua replied. “I was just… struck, I suppose is the word.”

  “Struck?” Yu Yong asked.

  “Mmm,” the fairy replied, smiling mischievously now.

  Yu Yong had watched that smile spread. “You won’t tell me, will you?”

  In reply, Mei Hua winked at him and fled down the passage. Her guards hurried to catch up to her.

  Yu Yong turned to Kang Ruyun. “What did you say to her?”

  “Ah,” the young girl answered, finding herself at a loss. What exactly had she said? “You’re not wearing a shirt.”

  Kang Ruyun’s face turned bright red. The heat washed right through her and into her brain. She opened her mouth to explain, but didn’t know where the words had come from in the first place. The only option was to run away, except this was the young master, and she couldn’t leave without being dismissed. The blush traveled down her neck.

  Meanwhile, Yu Yong had glanced down at himself. “She laughed at my scars?” he asked.

  “No!” Kang Ruyun yelled. “Most definitely not! That!”

  Gods, if she ruined the romance between these two, not only would she never forgive herself, but the whole estate would string her up by her feet from the rafters and beat her with sticks.

  “Then what was it?” Yu Yong asked.

  “She wanted to know…” Kang Ruyun took a breath to steady herself. “That’s right, she wanted to know if I’m happy.”

  “I see,” Yu Yong said, looking over her shoulder at where Mei Hua had run off to. “And what did you tell her.”

  “I said yes, and that I’d rather be Kang Ruyun than Kang Ruyun’s fear.” The young girl breathed in relief that she’d gotten the right words out.

  Yu Yong’s head tilted in thought. His dark eyes narrowing as he considered Kang Ruyun’s reply. While he did so, a light rain began to fall.

  She was under the passageway’s roof but not the young master. He disregarded the rain, however, and let it fall onto him.

  “I have to go,” Kang Ruyun said.

  Yu Yong looked up from his thoughts and gestured a dismissal.

  Kang Ruyun turned to run. Running was good. Running was safe.

  Behind her, Yu Yong muttered to himself, but the words were too soft to hear.