There were so many things that Hino would’ve liked to know – too many – that she couldn’t pinpoint what they were.

“But I do have a favour to ask of you,” Granny Qiu continued. “After reminding you of the customs here, I am about to break these rules, for old times’ sake.”

“That sounds weirdly ominous, Chief.” Wenyu’s eyes flitted over to Hino, who had withdrawn her hand behind her almost in a defensive manner. “What is it?”

“I ask of you, Prince Wenyu –”

“I thought you said I wasn’t Prince Wenyu here,” he interrupted, his voice dry.

Granny Qiu gave him a hard look. “My apologies. But if I may – I ask of you, not as the leader of the Three Rivers Alliance, but as a childless widow and guardian to more orphans than I can afford to care for – to relieve a fraction of my burdens, I would be ever so grateful if you could please take this child to the Imperial Palace.”

“Uhh…sure?”

If Granny Qiu was surprised he’d agree so quickly, she gave no indication of it. But Hino was puzzled. She’d accepted many of the different and strange customs without question, but she’d have thought Granny Qiu would discuss something like this with her first. She really did think Granny Qiu was going to take her in herself, and hearing that she was to be sent away made her feel bitterly disappointed.

A burden. Was she a burden?

She knew nothing about the Imperial Palace aside from what Granny Qiu had told her. She knew nothing about the jianghu, either, but Granny Qiu seemed to understand her, accept her, and even appreciate her. But their time together had been brief. And after all, she was the one intruding on their lives first. She, Hino, was the one who knew nothing about anything at all. What right, really, did she have to want anything from them?

Even so, why?

“Why though?” Wenyu asked, his simple query echoing Hino’s tumultuous thoughts.

“Little Yu, I am growing old,” Granny Qiu said wearily. “I have nothing for her here. She is an amnesiac – a forgotten soul with no past and no present, so at the very least, I want to give her a future. But even that, I cannot provide solely with my own power.”

Hino’s throat tightened, as Wenyu eyed her again, skeptically.

“You know I won’t turn it down if it’s you asking,” he said finally. “But why are you so attached to this one, anyways?”

“You must have heard the rumours, child. What would you say to me, if they were true?”

A shadow crossed Wenyu’s face. The pain in his eyes was unmistakable, raw and fiery. It was a familiar expression, one that mirrored the moment when Hino first met him, just minutes before. Coupled with the blank, impassive mask Granny Qiu wore as she stared him down, it almost seemed as if…there was something they both knew about her that they were hiding.

At last, Wenyu spoke again. “You are fortunate, Chief. I am heading back to the palace shortly, so I can take her off your hands straight away.”

“Thank you,” Granny Qiu said stoutly. “Hino, I will prepare some food and items so that you are well-equipped for the journey.”

Wenyu nodded, glancing at Hino coolly. “I will be waiting at the front gate.”

He then turned on his heel and left the courtyard.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Granny Qiu crumpled.

“He intended to stay here for a few days,” she whispered mournfully, her voice laced with regret. “I have done…a terrible thing indeed.”

She straightened up. “Hino, child, I apologize for blindsiding you with this. I will try to make it up to Wenyu and you both, but I can understand if you remain angry with me. There truly is nothing here for you, except to accompany an old lady and her monotonous lifestyle until I inevitably crawl into my deathbed. Don’t look so horrified, child!”

Granny Qiu leaned forwards and pulled Hino into a hesitant embrace. “The palace and by association, the capital, is the lifeblood of the kingdom. If you were to find your memories in this world, there is nowhere better. And there is no one better to guide you there than the second prince himself. Except, perhaps the Crown Prince,” she added lightly. She pulled back, and patted Hino gently on the head. “Wenyu can be a grumpy child, and I have angered him. But he will grow to like you by the end of your journey, I am sure of it. And I hope along the way…you will be able to find a part of yourself again.”