Shen Yu said as he looked into the bright of hers, "One night, they threw their name-plaques into the river and became 'Nameless.' They weren't a Lady or a Scholar; they were just two lovers."
"And what happened to them?" Yilan asked softly.
"The legends vary," he said, a small, enigmatic smile playing on his lips as he watched a stray blossom land on her shoulder. "The monks say they ascended to the heavens together, leaving only blossoms where they stood. The cynics say they were caught."
"But the people of this city believe they escaped to a hidden realm where titles don't exist, where their spirits return every year to bless those brave enough to love across the boundaries of propriety."
He reached out, his fingers brushing a fallen petal from Yilan's shoulder with a lingering touch that made her skin hum. "The reason they are nameless is because they represent every lover who has to hide. Every heart that beats for someone the world says they shouldn't have."
