It's too late.

This thought had been nagging Yaling since the morning and now the sun dipped below the horizon; the auspicious hour drew near. Each step she took toward the bridal chamber felt burdened with uncertainty and apprehension.

Pausing at the entrance, she discreetly scanned the area for the second prince. It was then that she realized there were only six guards. Had there always been so few? Six palace maids trailed behind her, and presumably, six eunuchs would accompany the crown prince. Yet, none had come to their aid the previous night. The only one who might have intervened was Yuze, and he was nowhere to be found.

As she moved to step over the ménkǎn (bottom door threshold), her foot caught, causing her to stumble. Without hesitation, a nearby guard swiftly reached out, catching her by the waist, steadying her, and offering his arm for support.

In any other circumstance, there would have been gasps, the sound of palace maids rushing to her aid, and admonishments on the breach of propriety. Strangely, all that could be heard were the gusts of wind. She regarded the guard's arm with suspicion, wondering if he could be her assassin.

After cautiously placing her hand on his arm, the guard lifted his head slightly.

It was Zhou Yuze!

Relieved, she proceeded into the chamber, awaiting the arrival of the crown prince.

"Crown Princess, there's no need to be formal. It's just us now."

The crown prince gently placed his hands under her elbows, lifting her effortlessly from her stiff curtsy. His voice carried a tender warmth that resonated deeply within her. It was only then that she realized his hands had not left her, but instead, they had slid down her arms to gently clasp her hands between his own.

The heat from his hands was akin to a drink of hot broth on a cold winter's day. She felt as though if he were to release her, her cause of death would be hypothermia. Had it been an eternity since she last found herself in his embrace? It couldn't have been more than two nights, even if she was the only one who seemed to remember.

His touch, from her temple to the outline of her ear, down to her cheek and chin, was a slow, tender caress that caused her heart to ache, momentarily distracting her from the fact that all of these were unusual behaviors.

There had been days when they had spent all their spare time together and developed such a fondness for each other that by the time they reunited in the bridal chamber, it took them a while to get to the wine. But today, hadn't she been too preoccupied to establish such a connection?

"Shall we toast?"

"Would it be alright if we talked first?"

"Don't you think the wine will help us talk more?"

As he lifted the wine cup to his lips, she was filled with a sudden sense of alarm. Reacting quickly, she grabbed the cup, causing the wine to spill onto her gown. Anticipating the poisonous liquid to burn through the fabric, she was relieved to find that it didn't. Looking up nervously at him, she forced out a small, awkward laugh.

"Forgive me, Your Highness. Actually, I am an open book even without wine. Please, ask me anything."

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"Then, why are you here?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"Why have you come to get married to me?"

And there it is. His challenging tone was a subtle reminder of her lack of effort to spend time with him. Today, she had only crossed paths with him once.

On their wedding day, he roamed the palace pretending to be a eunuch hours before their wedding rituals began. She discovered his hiding place as she wandered around once, trying to determine if she was in a dream, or if it was just a really bad case of deja vu. The goddess last night proved that it wasn't déjà vu. She still wasn't sure about the dream part. The number of times she fell in love with him in that secluded part of the courtyard sure made it seem like it was.

It was her favorite part of reliving the day. Even the part where he lamented for the crown prince as if all his accomplishments to better the people and country would be all for naught once he married.

"I don't understand, Your Hi—your crown princess is the wife of the crown prince. After all, wives follow their husbands. Wouldn't she be of assistance to the crown prince instead of a hindrance?"

He laughed. "You don't understand. The palace has many rules. Marriage is not child's play."

"Whether it's child's play or not, it doesn't really matter. When the wind changes direction, some people build walls while others build windmills. In your opinion, what kind of person is the crown prince?"

His smile then was what she held close to her heart like an amulet to help her keep going. That's probably why she didn't notice it before. How much the crown prince disliked the marriage.

"Even if someone else was selected, I would have supported Your Highness from afar. Since it was fate that I was chosen, I have come to be of assistance to you."

"Well said, Crown Princess. But tell me the truth. Is it your father, uncle, brother, or all of the above, who needs to curry favor with me in court?"

"I only have my godfather in court, Your Highness. Besides my godmother, everyone else passed away in whichever battle was their last. I'm sorry, I thought you knew. Since I lack connection, I don't understand why Royal Father and Royal Mother agreed to such a disadvantageous marriage for you."

"You're good. I almost want to believe you."

"I still don't quite understand."

"We met for the first time today and you pretended to be someone else. You're lucky I still married you instead of beheading you for deceiving me."

"Behead me? I hid my identity as you did yours."

"You made me tell you things."

"You shared your feelings willingly and I was happy to listen. After that, I thought that we shared a bond. An admiration for each other."

"Admiration? What makes you think I can admire someone I'm being forced to marry?"

"I see. I understand now. Then, I'm truly sorry, Your Highness. It's no trouble. In a few months, when I don't get pregnant, they'll surely arrange for you to have a concubine. When that time comes, I implore you to choose someone you like. If that's not enough, then please tell me what I could do to...oh. Oh. It makes sense now."

It was a fleeting thought from her earlier lives. Once or twice, she thought she saw the crown prince place his wine cup down without drinking just before she succumbed to the darkness. The one time her throat was sliced open with a dagger, her blood spurted out to his face and he didn't look as horrified as she imagined he would be. When she was stabbed just last night, it came from such a proximity and yet she didn't see anyone.

Is it at all possible that it was the crown prince all along?

She picked up the cup of poisoned wine and raised it to her lips. "Yaling understands now, Your Highness. Let me offer this toast to you as you wish. Please, live well, safe, and happily." Her eyes closed of their own accord, scared to look into his eyes with the knowledge that it would be their last moments together.

The crown prince's hand shot out with lightning speed, snatching the cup from her grasp even before she could react. At that moment, her eyes brimmed with tears, and the world around her turned hazy. Amidst the blur, she thought she glimpsed a flash of metal, a dagger slicing through the air between them.

As her tears cascaded down her cheeks, the scene came into focus. His head was turned to the side, his gaze fixed on something beyond her. Following his line of sight, she spotted a gleaming dagger lodged in the wall behind their bed. Puzzled, she tilted her head, only to find his face mere inches from hers.

Before she could comprehend the situation, he had thrown himself over her as the heavy wooden doors splintered inward. The room reverberated with the clash of metal, a cacophony of anger and violence.

"Don't be scared. Nothing is going to happen to you without my permission."

So it was him. He had been the one poisoning her all along. She has all the right to be angry. It's hard to come to terms with the fact that the person she loves could be capable of such a heinous act. Was this truly the same crown prince who she witnessed care for and play with impoverished children in the city market? Was he the same crown prince who assisted the elderly and inspired the crowd to call for and fight for justice?

The sense of betrayal was minute. What she had was an overwhelming sense of sympathy for him. How lonely he must be to resort to such actions. Perhaps it's because he felt that he had no one to confide in, no one to trust. Little did he know that she was there for him all along, willing to support and love him through anything. If only he had allowed her to do so before doing this.

Her gaze lingered on the wine, a bittersweet temptation. She knew all too well the swift-acting effect it has, offering a temporary escape from the overwhelming pain of heartbreak.

"It's mixed with sedative."

"Is that all?"

"Yes, of course. Otherwise?"

"Poison."

She met his gaze without hesitation, feeling no inclination to conceal or soften her words. Certainly, those involved in the sword fight couldn't have failed to observe their presence. She was acutely aware that she had only a fleeting amount of time before destiny would intercede, and frankly, she was eager for it.

"If you believe that there's poison, why would you drink it?"

"Perhaps because there is something I'm more afraid of than death. Someone I must put my life on the line to protect."

His deep brown eyes, which had been stern and commanding, softened for a moment before they hardened into a glare. She willed herself not to cry and locked eyes with him.

She'd never seen him, or felt him, this close before. His breath mingled with hers as both their lips parted open slightly as if to say something and nothing at the same time. At that moment, it felt as though the rest of the world had faded away, leaving only the two of them.

"Leave! Hurry!" The urgent command from the second prince shattered the charged atmosphere. She watched as he bravely confronted the assassin, while the crown prince swiftly guided her out of the bridal chamber, his protective instinct taking over.

When the metal sounds slowed down, she looked towards the chamber but didn't see the second prince. Instead, a masked assassin suddenly came into view and barreled towards them. Acting on pure instinct, she threw herself into harm's way to shield the crown prince.

The searing pain surpassed anything she had experienced. Outside of hoping for the crown prince's safety, she only longed for this to be the final time she would ever feel the bite of a blade.

"Yaling."

Oh, what a bittersweet symphony. She savored the sound of her name on his lips for the first time as he pressed on her wound with increasing force. Slowly, she welcomed the darkness, resigned to share the inevitable fate of the falling leaves around them. Just like the leaves persevering in spring only to descend in autumn, she too recognized her fate in these cycles.