The Imperial Founding Day and Hidden Memories

This happened yesterday.

[In the blink of an eye, two years have passed]

[Today marks the Empire’s founding day.]

[The Empire’s cruel tyranny seemed to fuel growing public discontent.]

[Yet, intimidated by the formidable Royal Cavalry and the clandestine spy agency lurking in the shadows, no one dared to openly defy the Empire, despite widespread grievances among the populace.]

[Whispers of rebellion emanated from the southern border, though they would likely be swiftly crushed.]

[None of this concerned you; as a beneficiary of the Empire’s prosperity, and with Noyu Julius, the de facto commander of the Royal Cavalry, as your fiancée, you remained untouched.]

[Though not yet married, it was widely speculated that you had long since consummated your relationship.]

[You had, in fact, prepared gifts for Aile, as you did every year, carefully tucking them away into a secret compartment in your room.]

[One gift each year, accumulating to five after five years.]

[You could not accompany her on her journey, and these gifts might never be unwrapped.]

[Still, none of that mattered; you were simply doing what you believed was right.]

[On this day, everyone would pour into the streets to celebrate.]

[As an Imperial Princess, Noyu would preside over a grand ceremony.]

[And you, her fiancé, naturally could not miss the festivities.]

[Tomorrow, Aile would depart for the South, marking perhaps her final day by your side.]

[You resolved to savor this day to its fullest.]

****

The lively sounds filtering through the carriage stirred a sigh in Mingqian’s heart.

‘How wonderful it would be if I could be with Aile in my true identity?’

Back in the village, Aile would happily report every little detail to him, no matter how insignificant.

Even after accomplishing the smallest task, she would endearingly seek Mingqian’s praise.

Now, though she sat across from him, her face exquisitely refined, the innocent charm of her youth was long gone.

The maiden was nineteen; her eyes were downcast, her golden hair cascading like a waterfall, accentuating her inherent elegance, and her already slender figure had grown even taller.

She still wore a maid’s uniform, yet it did nothing to conceal her captivating physique.

She was pondering the same thoughts.

‘If only… I could be with Teacher, how wonderful that would be?’

She recalled a time when her Teacher had unexpectedly fallen ill with a fever—the only time Mingqian had ever been sick since arriving in this world.

It was the fourth year since she had been given the name Aile.

Watching him lie weakly on the bed in the dead of night, Aile anxiously circled him, utterly at a loss for what to do.

She was too clumsy, and Mingqian had never taught her how to care for the sick.

In that moment, only one thought consumed her.

“Will Teacher die? No… I don’t want that to happen.”

She desperately wished to soothe her restless teacher into a deep slumber, yet she knew not what words or actions might achieve this.

His subtly pained expression filled her with anxiety, her thoughts growing increasingly muddled as an overwhelming surge of impulses welled within her chest.

‘This cannot continue.’

She remembered how Mingqian would always hold her close when she couldn’t sleep, telling her fairy tales that promised happy endings.

She couldn’t tell stories… but she could…

‘But would such a thing be permissible?’

‘Could someone as humble as herself truly dare to touch her Teacher?’

‘The one who radiated such immense warmth and light, illuminating her entire inner world.’

She hesitated for a long time, before finally spreading her fingers and slowly leaning down, gently stroking Mingqian’s face.

When her Teacher showed no reaction, she carefully embraced him.

Teacher had taught her that prayers were useless, yet he was the only person she had to rely on.

“Don’t leave me.”

She held Mingqian tightly, a faint sob escaping her lips within his embrace.

‘If she could only be with Teacher, she would gladly forsake all thoughts of revenge.’

Mingqian’s scent, the warmth of his body, solidified time even as it swiftly slipped away.

Aile found this sensation profoundly strange; she had never felt such… her heart had never beaten so powerfully, nor had her cheeks ever burned so hot.

‘If Teacher were to awaken now, would he blame her? Would he punish her?’

More than any punishment, she dreaded seeing her Teacher angry.

Suddenly, Mingqian’s body stirred—a subtle movement that seemed merely to wipe sweat away—but it startled Aile so profoundly that she instantly released him, scurrying back to her own room.

“…!”

She quickly kicked off her shoes, disregarding her still-clad socks, and swiftly pulled the covers over herself, curling her body into a ball beneath the quilt.

Her body trembled slightly, her throat felt a little itchy, and most importantly, her cheeks were scorching hot.

“How strange…”

“It’s so hot…”

Aile hugged herself, surprised by her own transformation, thinking perhaps… the fever had spread to her.

Carried by that unfamiliar warmth, she drifted into a deep sleep.

That night, she had a very shy dream.

****

Aile let out a faint, blushing smile, her gaze distant, clearly lost in a memory.

Lately, her recollections had grown more frequent.

Eliza observed Aile, then shifted her gaze to Mingqian, her lips twitching slightly, though she uttered nothing.

“Master, look.”

Eliza opened a box, revealing a sparkling necklace within.

“Ha!”

Eliza’s sudden exclamation jolted Aile from her reverie.

She stared blankly out of the carriage window as it passed through the slums, witnessing a diverse array of people outside.

They were clad in rags, starving, begging by the roadside during the day.

She glanced down at her own attire.

Though it was a simple maid’s uniform, its fabric was soft and delicate as a cicada’s wing, and the stockings on her legs were crafted from the finest southern silk; she seemed to have grown accustomed to such a life.

In the past, when she was with Teacher, her clothes were hand-me-downs from the neighbors’ children, with only an occasional new garment bought from the market.

Even then, those purchases came from Teacher’s meager savings.

Teacher himself never owned a single nice piece of clothing.

She gritted her teeth.

‘Damned Duke… damned nobles.’

‘Are kings, nobles, generals, and ministers born into their station?’ (TL Note: A famous rhetorical question from ancient Chinese history, challenging inherited status and suggesting that commoners can also rise to power.)

The irony was, this very phrase was something the Duke had made her memorize and recite.

Unbeknownst to her, her clothes were not standard issue; they were magic artifacts Mingqian had commissioned at immense cost.

He had hired specialists to engrave multiple layers of defensive magic, and for optimal comfort, he had personally overseen Chris to supervise and try them on, only then was the garment completed.

Even the intricate patterns were chosen after long deliberation, envisioning what colors and styles Aile might prefer.

The silk stockings, made from the most precious silk from the Empire’s south, held a material value of a thousand gold pieces alone.

Aile possessed an entire wardrobe filled with such stockings.

Yet, she remained blissfully unaware.

She was also oblivious to the fact that the magic books she read daily in the Duke’s mansion represented a fortune many people could not accumulate in a lifetime.

In her eyes, this world was so wretched that it simply had to be changed.

“Princess Noyu instructed me to personally place this on you.”

Eliza took the necklace and gently fastened it around Mingqian’s neck.

The next second, the carriage abruptly halted.

“My Lord, please have mercy…”

A scantily clad woman, cradling a child, blocked the path of the carriage.

“Please save my child… I beg of you…”

She pleaded desperately, hoping her child could be rescued.

Mingqian merely lifted the curtain with an indifferent gaze, then spoke.

“Eliza.”

“Yes.”

Eliza dismounted the carriage, and in the next instant, her short sword was unsheathed.

She stood coldly before the mother and child.

“My Master bids you to disappear. Quickly.”

“My—My Lord… please save…”

With a crisp whistle through the air, Eliza’s sword flashed, and several strands of the woman’s front hair scattered.

“Eek…”

The woman hastily retreated, but the little girl remained frozen in place.

Eliza, however, acted as if she hadn’t noticed, re-entering the carriage.

“Drive on.”

The carriage continued its journey, heedless of the mother and child on the ground.

In the nick of time, Aile used a faint wind magic to gently push the little girl back into her mother’s arms.

Aile witnessed the entire scene, and she swore that she would avenge the suffering of these people, adding their pain to her retribution against the Duke.