"...Hik... hik..."
...Who's crying?
In the darkness, TanTan wandered aimlessly.
She knew this must be some kind of dream, but the sound of someone sobbing so miserably made her unable to ignore it. She followed the crying until she finally spotted a figure in the distance.
It was a beautiful woman.
TanTan immediately recognized her as LiShuiXian, HuaMuTan's mother.
The woman was sitting alone, crying sorrowfully.
TanTan didn't know how she should address her. Before she could think of anything, LiShuiXian noticed her presence and looked up.
Her eyes were filled with sadness.
Although her lips didn't seem to move, TanTan could clearly hear her voice.
"...My daughter... My poor daughter..."
Realizing that LiShuiXian had mistaken her for HuaMuTan, TanTan quickly tried to correct her.
"I... I'm sorry. I'm not your daughter. I'm LangTanTan... Although, it seems I'm currently living in your daughter's body."
TanTan struggled to explain her unusual situation.
LiShuiXian reminded her of her own mother. Perhaps that was why she couldn't bring herself to lie to this woman. Seeing her cry so miserably also made TanTan's heart ache.
But LiShuiXian remained silent.
TanTan couldn't tell whether the woman had understood her explanation or not. She simply felt strange meeting HuaMuTan's mother in a dream like this.
Then, LiShuiXian spoke again.
"...TanEr... please... help her..."
"How can I help her?"
Suddenly, another figure rushed past TanTan.
She was startled when the figure passed right through her body.
Only then did she realize something strange.
Wait... Am I like a ghost in this dream?
At that moment, TanTan understood that LiShuiXian hadn't been asking her for help. She had been speaking to the little figure who had just passed through her.
It was a young boy.
His clothes resembled those of a little prince, and his face looked strangely familiar to TanTan. However, she couldn't immediately figure out who he was.
The little boy approached LiShuiXian and gently patted her hands, trying to comfort her.
"Please don't cry, Auntie Li."
"Poor TanEr... She has no one besides herself. I can't stay with her to protect her..."
LiShuiXian began crying again.
Before TanTan could say anything, the little boy eagerly tried to cheer her up.
"Don't worry, Auntie! She still has me! I'll always protect her. I won't let her be alone. I promise I'll stay by her side, no matter what happens!"
Hearing his words, LiShuiXian finally managed a faint, sorrowful smile.
"...Thank you, little prince."
Then, this time, she turned her gaze directly toward TanTan.
Her expression was gentle, filled with love and sadness.
"...TanEr... My daughter... No matter what happens, or when... you'll always be my beloved daughter. I love you. Be strong."
A warm feeling of belonging suddenly filled TanTan's heart.
Tears welled up in her eyes and began rolling down her cheeks.
She couldn't hold back the word that escaped her lips.
"Mom..."
TanTan's eyes suddenly opened.
She had awakened from her dream.
Yet even though she was back in reality, that warm feeling of belonging remained in her heart.
The way LiShuiXian had said, "No matter what happens, or when..." made TanTan wonder whether the woman had somehow recognized her—not only as her daughter, HuaMuTan, but also as the real TanTan.
An unusual thought suddenly crossed her mind.
Could it be possible that she's also my mother? Across time... perhaps HuaMuTan and I are actually two reincarnations of the same soul?
"No way! That's impossible!"
TanTan blurted out her thoughts.
"What is impossible?!"
Only then did she realize that someone was sitting nearby, watching her.
She turned her head and was startled to see Prince Li sitting at the table in front of her.
"It's... nothing!"
TanTan tried to remain calm.
Now that she was fully awake, she finally realized she was back in her own room at Li Mansion. There was no one else inside except the two of them.
"Ehem... What time is it?"
The last thing she remembered was fainting on the shore.
"It's almost morning. You developed a fever last night, but fortunately, it wasn't too serious."
Prince Li answered in a cold tone.
From his explanation, TanTan concluded that he must have brought her back to Li Mansion.
Wait... Does that mean he stayed beside me all night?
Then she suddenly realized something else.
Now she understood why the little boy in her dream had looked so familiar.
He was Prince Li as a child!
What was that? Why did I see his younger self in my dream?
TanTan couldn't shake the feeling that the dream had been more than an ordinary dream. The emotions had felt too real.
Was it because Prince Li had been beside her all night?
Or had she somehow witnessed a fragment of a memory between young Prince Li and LiShuiXian?
Or was everything simply a product of her imagination?
After all, it had only been a dream!
"..."
Seeing TanTan suddenly fall silent, seemingly lost in her thoughts, Prince Li reached out and placed his hand on her forehead to check her temperature.
The unexpected touch brought her back to reality.
"Your fever seems to have gone down."
"I'm... fine."
TanTan suddenly felt shy. She hadn't expected such gentle treatment from Prince Li.
But Prince Li didn't seem particularly pleased.
"You seem to be doing quite well after meeting your long-lost brother, huh?!"
His voice was cold and sarcastic.
"Long-lost brother?"
For a moment, TanTan forgot that she had used that excuse aboard the ship when they were both disguised.
"Ah...!"
She remembered immediately.
Of course, Prince Li knew that excuse was ridiculous. He knew HuaMuTan's family background better than anyone. There was no mysterious lost brother in her family.
TanTan could tell that Prince Li was already angry.
And judging from his expression, his anger wasn't only because she had disobeyed his order and sneaked aboard the ship.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about..."
TanTan tried to avoid the question and began getting out of bed.
But her refusal to answer only made Prince Li angrier.
He approached her and blocked her way, preventing her from getting up.
"Stop pretending, HuaMuTan!"
His voice suddenly rose.
"How dare you disobey my order and sneak aboard that ship?! Aren't you aware of the danger?! Or were you so desperate to meet your masked boyfriend?! Who is he?! What are you planning with him?! Tell me!"
TanTan widened her eyes.
She had expected him to scold her for her reckless behavior aboard the ship, especially after he had mentioned her so-called lost brother.
But something about his reaction seemed strange.
He appeared much angrier about the masked man than about her sneaking out.
Wait... Is he jealous?
No way!
Still, TanTan had no idea how to explain the situation.
"I... I d-d-don't know him!"
Prince Li cut her off.
"Don't lie! He helped you in the woods before, and now he's helped you again! Is he one of your subordinates, helping you carry out some evil plan?!"
"Ouch! You're hurting my hand!"
TanTan winced.
Prince Li had grabbed her hand so tightly that she could feel the pain.
Only then did he realize what he was doing. He loosened his grip, but his expression remained cold.
He turned away from her, trying to regain control of his emotions.
TanTan, meanwhile, was becoming increasingly frustrated by his unfair accusations.
She tried to explain herself as calmly as possible.
"I'm telling the truth! I don't know who he is or why he has helped me twice. But one thing is certain: I don't have any evil plans! Didn't I help you aboard that ship too? I even helped save that poor girl from being sold into slavery!"
Previously, when Prince Li still believed that the woman before him might not be the original HuaMuTan, he had been more willing to accept her explanations.
But after seeing the birthmarks on her shoulder the previous night, he had been forced to accept that she really was HuaMuTan.
That discovery had left him feeling deceived all over again.
It was one of the reasons he had become so cold toward her.
Nevertheless, he couldn't completely dismiss her words.
She's right. She did help me. And if she were working with the Crown Prince, why would she deliberately interfere with his auction and help me expose him?
Prince Li sighed.
His voice lowered, although it remained stern.
"Then tell me why you went aboard that ship. What was your real purpose?"
TanTan felt somewhat relieved that he was finally asking instead of simply accusing her.
But she was still uncertain about how much she should reveal.
"I..."
Prince Li looked directly into her eyes, waiting for an explanation.
He wanted to hear the truth so he could decide what to do next.
When TanTan remained silent, his expression darkened.
"So you really can't tell me the truth? How else could you have known about the auction and the black market if you weren't connected to the Crown Prince?"
TanTan felt disgusted at the suggestion that she might have some connection with that perverted, brutal jerk.
"I don't!"
She finally decided to tell him the truth.
"QingQing helped me get the connection. Oh, well... why should I even hide it from you now? I was looking for clues about the people who tried to kill me!"
She paused before continuing.
"That Silver Mask we met... He knows something about them. That's why I was looking for him!"
Looking for the people who tried to kill her?
Prince Li tried to process her explanation.
He stared into TanTan's eyes and sighed inwardly.
This woman... Either she has another agenda, or she's simply too stubborn to give up.
He looked at her seriously.
"Why are you so determined to find them? What do you intend to do when you finally find them? Take revenge?"
TanTan fell silent.
She knew there was nothing unreasonable about his question. He wasn't necessarily mocking her. In fact, she could sense a hint of concern behind his words.
But she couldn't simply stop.
If she gave up searching, what would be the purpose of everything she was doing here?
Besides, ever since she was young, she had been accustomed to solving her own problems.
"Then what should I do? Just sit here and wait for them to come and kill me?"
She turned her face away, no longer wanting to meet his gaze.
"Don't worry. This is my problem. You don't need to concern yourself with it."
"HUA MU TAN!"
Prince Li suddenly shouted.
Before TanTan could react, he grabbed her wrist again.
"LISTEN TO ME! YOU ARE MY WIFE! SO YOUR PROBLEMS ARE ALSO MY PROBLEMS! I'LL FIND THOSE KILLERS, SO YOU'D BETTER STOP DOING ANYTHING FOOLISH AND STAY SAFELY IN YOUR ROOM!"
TanTan's eyes widened.
She hadn't expected such a response.
And judging from Prince Li's expression, he hadn't expected to say those words either.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
They simply stared into each other's eyes, both seemingly asking themselves the same questions.
What is he talking about?!
What am I talking about?!