48 A Toas (1/2)

In the end, there was not an answer that could be shown by her expressions or actions. While Ruan Wang found himself paying close attention to her every action.

The stroking of the strings and her hand slightly coming through the strands of ink-black hair that was pulled into an updo behind her hair. A strange fusion between an unmarried maiden's hairstyle, and that of a married woman's.

She was ageless, the years had passed by rather joyfully. He could see that the last day of their meeting upon the mountainous cliff that day did not weigh heavily in her heart like it did in his. Perhaps she had forgotten about him altogether.

Madam Lin looked up at him, and for the first time, she saw the wrinkles around his sleepless eyes and his hair that had become gray. Strands of silver hair were displaced from the bun that stood affixed atop his hair. When looking upon him, no one could tell that he was once a prince that many young ladies of the capital swooned over, desperately trying to grasp his attention.

Though she did not believe it at first when told that he had so regretted that day. Looking upon his face, she knew that what was they say was at least partly true.

”Let's not think about the past anymore.” She said as she retracted her gaze, no longer able to keep her face without emotion.

She brought forth a jar of wine, placing it on the table. The jar was unsealed with and unceremoniously poured into a plain porcelain cup. An aromatic scent of fermented fruits spread through the air.

”Do you remember the wine that you had at your brother's banquet?” Madam Lin asked calmly.

Ruan Wang neither nodded nor shook his head. He certainly remembered at the time he had been invited to a banquet by the late emperor who was his brother, the child of the empress. He had at a point seen that his brother was one who had become suspicious and full of paranoia like the emperors of the past of the same lineage who were always mysteriously short-lived, as though a malicious curse had been placed upon the legitimate heirs destined to be the emperor.

Though they were still not as a family should, he could not at all fathom that his brother would so blatantly serve him poisonous wine. Perhaps this was the moment that he had begun taking note of the young miss Ye that he had placed in some abandoned courtyard after his marriage as she showed off her skills to save him.

Madam Lin watched the gaze that had changed to that of a reminiscing one, though no one ever knew what Raun Wang was ever thinking, she could somewhat tell that he was thinking of their past experiences.

It was unfortunate that some things came too late.