Aile’s Shadow and Noyu’s Claim

That was a terrible dream.

That day, the sun may have been shining brightly, or it may have been a cloudy day.

Her teacher fastened the newly purchased necklace around her neck.Her favorite cake sat on the table before her, and she savored each tiny bite with utmost care.

She was so overwhelmed with happiness that she felt she might faint.

Just yesterday, her teacher had remarked, ‘Aile’s progress is astonishingly swift; I fear soon there will be nothing left for me to teach her.’

Yet, Aile thought differently.

Her teacher was her entire world, the very sun of her existence.

How could she possibly live without her sun?

As long as her teacher remained by his side, her world would be complete.

Her teacher had also suggested sending her to the Royal Capital for advanced studies, but she wanted no part of it.

‘Separating from my teacher? Never!’

‘Absolutely not…’

‘And then what?’

‘A voice urged her to keep watching.’

‘Someone was knocking at the door.’

‘Ah, ah!’

‘Don’t recall anymore, please… don’t…’

But Aile’s pleas could not halt the unfolding horror.

She watched, helpless, as her teacher was kicked to the ground.

The man standing over him was none other than her mother’s killer.

He held a dagger, advancing step by step towards her teacher.

“No! Wait! You can’t… you can’t!”

“Please… I beg you…”

Aile pleaded once more.

She was hoisted up by someone, struggling desperately.

It was all in vain.

She couldn’t break free.

She bit fiercely into the hand of the girl who held her, but the girl didn’t even blink.

Her hair was yanked, and a sharp pain in her abdomen told her she had been punched.

‘It hurt…’

‘The physical pain left her breathless, but the agony in her heart was far worse.’

‘But… but…’

‘Compared to the terror of losing her teacher, her pain was nothing at all.’

‘Every cell screamed, every bone trembled, every breath reminded her…’

‘Her teacher isn’t dead yet, are you just going to stand there and watch?’

‘Just watch?’

She felt utterly drained, the despair suffocating her.

Even in her dream, Aile felt herself breaking.

If her teacher died, she would surely follow him in death.

She had never imagined this day would truly arrive.

Her very existence, Aile, was built upon her teacher.

‘Before her own eyes…’

‘Before her, she had been utterly powerless.’

‘Just as she was when her mother was murdered.’

The pain in her chest nearly choked her.

She longed to close her eyes, but found she couldn’t.

‘In reality, one could close their eyes and pretend not to see, but in a dream, such a thing was impossible.’

Her happiness, her sun, was being utterly shattered before her.

“Teacher… Teacher… Teacher!”

“Teacher! Teacher… Teacher…”

“Teacher…”

She cried out, searing the man’s face before her into her memory.

‘She would never see her teacher again.’

‘Never again…’

Several times, she considered biting off her tongue to end it all, but she forced herself to endure.

This man had not been content with killing her mother; he had now murdered her teacher too, stealing everything she held dear.

‘Ah… it hurts so much… my heart aches so deeply…’

‘Ah… such hatred… I want to kill him so badly.’

‘Yet, killing him would not be enough to soothe her pain.’

‘Her world was about to turn to ash.’

A single tear traced a path down Aile’s face as she lay curled in a ball.

From that day forward, she would no longer live for herself.

She would seek vengeance, and then, she would die alongside her teacher.

****

The creak of a door opening broke the silence, and a voice, accompanied by the scent of flowers, drifted in.

“I heard you picked up another new puppy, did you?”

Noyu gazed at Mingqian, sprawled on the bed, and gently settled beside him.

“Aren’t those two you’ve already taken in enough to satisfy you?”

“I never knew you had such an interest.”

“She’s not a puppy; she’s Aile.”

Mingqian replied without lifting his head.

‘Noyu merely pouted, unconcerned by these other women.’

‘After all, none of them posed any threat to her.’

“Whether she’s Aile or Artemisia (TL Note: A play on words, where ‘Aile’ sounds similar to ‘Ai’ in ‘Aicao,’ or Artemisia, a common herb), what does it matter?”

“But you came to see me on your own accord, which means you’re ready, then?”

“Ready?”

Mingqian abruptly sat up, suddenly remembering that he was supposed to have married Noyu seven years ago.

‘Aile’s appearance, however, had effectively made him a runaway groom.’

“I’m not ready! I’m not ready at all!”

“Mmmph!”

Noyu pushed him back down with an air of displeasure.

He looked at Noyu with trepidation.

Noyu shared one striking similarity with Bai Wanting: an astonishing possessiveness.

‘Yet, Noyu hadn’t always been this way.’

‘When he had first arrived in this world, Noyu was merely a cautious young princess, wary of him.’

‘At that time, he was a powerful minister, holding sway over the court, while Noyu was an adorable princess.’

‘How exactly had things transformed to this point?’

“What’s wrong? Why are you staring at me without speaking?”

The young woman’s bright eyes turned to Mingqian.

“Today, I even specifically did my makeup and wore a very pretty dress.”

“Nothing, I was just thinking about when we first met.”

Noyu’s face flushed slightly, and she lowered her head.

“No, don’t mention that time.”

Mingqian smiled faintly.

“Where did that adorable Noyu go, the one who used to say, ‘Who would ever marry a man like you, a mere insect!?'”

Noyu snapped her head up, her eyes brimming with both embarrassment and indignation.

She pursed her lips.

“Back then, I was still naive, alright? Why don’t you mention how you ran away the moment you saw me?”

‘…’

‘At that time, Noyu had been filled with aggression, almost an embodiment of hostility.’

‘She hardly seemed like a girl… until, under Mingqian’s meticulous guidance (and ‘training’ (TL Note: The original Chinese ‘调教’ (tiáojiào) can mean ‘training’ or ‘disciplining,’ but in web novel contexts, it often implies a more intimate, perhaps coercive, form of shaping behavior or personality, akin to ‘taming’ or ‘conditioning.’)), she grew more beautiful day by day.’

‘However, for some unknown reason, she became unable to leave Mingqian.’

‘And he had been gone for seven years…’

Suddenly, something salty dripped onto Mingqian’s lips.

He looked up to see tears welling in Noyu’s beautiful eyes.

“You… why did you just disappear for seven years without a word?”

“I, I didn’t miss you at all! I didn’t miss you sleeping alone every night! I didn’t miss you eating alone either!”

“Every time, I just thought… what if you died out there? You’re so weak… what if some woman took you away?”

‘He didn’t want to hear that last part.’

Mingqian raised his hand, gently touching her face.

Noyu immediately seized his hand, cradling it like a precious treasure.

“I lied, I’m sorry. I missed you terribly, so much that I couldn’t sleep.”

“Did Noyu do something wrong? If not, please don’t ever leave me again.”

‘Indeed, he had faked his death (TL Note: ‘死遁’ (sǐ dùn) means to feign death to escape a situation, often to avoid responsibility or a relationship.) to escape Aile… but he had also abandoned Noyu for seven years.’

‘Mingqian couldn’t imagine how the young woman had spent those seven years.’

He could only gently caress her face.

“If you try to leave again…”

Her voice suddenly shifted.

“Then I’ll have no choice but to take drastic measures.”

She gripped Mingqian’s hand, her strength so great it caused him a slight pain.

‘An alarm bell rang loudly in Mingqian’s mind.’

‘This was the prelude to Noyu transforming into ‘Yandere Noyu’ (TL Note: ‘病娇’ (bìng jiāo) is a Japanese portmanteau for ‘yandere,’ a character type who is initially loving and caring but becomes mentally unstable and violently obsessive, often to the point of brutality, towards their beloved.).’

‘Once she entered that mode, she would spare no effort in abducting Mingqian.’

“Stop, stop, stop… I promise you, I won’t leave you.”

Only then did Noyu release his hand, content.

“What about marriage, then?”

She asked, her face alight with joy.

“Let’s discuss that later.”

‘…’

After that, Mingqian spent a considerable amount of effort to soothe the princess, who was on the verge of a rampage.

[You brought Aile to the Royal Capital, thereby ending the mission of Farmer Mingqian.]

[You placed a s*ave collar on her, forcing her to live as your s*ave.]

[You wish to raise the young girl, and only after truly experiencing fatherhood did you understand the preciousness of such affection.]

[As a Female Xiao Yan (TL Note: ‘女萧炎’ (Nǚ Xiāoyán) refers to a female counterpart of Xiao Yan, the protagonist of the popular Chinese web novel ‘Battle Through the Heavens,’ known for his tenacious spirit, rapid growth, and cultivation based on unique powers, often fueled by adversity.), using hatred as Aile’s sustenance is perfectly fitting.]

[Even if you must feed her hatred, as long as it allows her to stand at the pinnacle of this world, you will have no regrets, even in death.]

[Fortunately, Noyu seems utterly indifferent to the fate of slaves.]

[You know that Farmer Mingqian’s mission has concluded; he taught the young girl how to survive.]

[Now, Duke Mingqian’s mission has just begun, and you resolve to teach her “power.”]

[In this world, power is nothing more than strength and authority.]

[Since she is a witch, it is impossible for her not to possess magical talent.]

[Since she is a Female Xiao Yan, you shall witness the growth of a Female Xiao Yan.]