Prologue

“This scenery will no longer be something I can see for a while.”

It was Lan Shou, who said this in a whisper, standing on a hill at the foot of Mount Shi Hou.

Lan Shou, the childhood friend of Li An, was the one who suggested climbing the hill. The two had grown up in this land since they were young. Below them spread the neatly arranged streets of their hometown, with soft, warm lights leaking from the rows of houses. Li An quietly watched Lan Shou’s beautiful profile as he gazed at the scenery, with a seemingly reluctant expression on his face.

Lan Shou’s skin was as smooth as porcelain, and his long, slightly sorrowful eyes shone with a deep black-purple hue, illuminated by the moonlight. The cold spring night breeze blew up from the town, lifting his black hair over his shoulders. A strand of white lock peeked out from behind his right earlobe.

Among those with black hair and eyes, Lan Shou’s hair color, which was naturally different from black, was quite rare. He usually hides it so that it doesn’t attract attention, so the only ones who know about it, besides his family, are Li An.

“…. So today’s the last day.”

Unexpectedly, words that sounded like those of a sulking child escaped from Li An’s lips. Tonight was the last time she would be able to talk with Lan Shou alone, and she hated himself for being able to say nothing but that. As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them, and couldn’t bring herself to lift her face.

Tomorrow, Lan Shou would leave his hometown, heading to the National Military Academy, a training school for military officers in the Sui Kingdom. This meant that Lan Shou’s path as a military officer in this country was already assured. However, Li An couldn’t bring herself to wholeheartedly celebrate this first step in Lan Shou’s glorious life.

From tomorrow, Lan Shou will no longer be by Li An’s side.

The sky was adorned with countless stars, and a thin crescent moon, nearing the new moon, emitted a pale silver glow. If Li An were to look up at the vast night sky, she would surely have to face the loneliness of being left alone in this land. She couldn’t help but wonder, would anything change if she could just tell him not to go?

Sensing the subtle movements beside her, she thought Lan Shou must have looked up at the sky. As Li An bowed her head, the clear voice of Lan Shou echoed, as clear as the night sky.

“Come to think of it, I guess I haven’t told you yet why I decided to become a military officer.”

“….Isn’t it because your father and brother are military officers?”

Li An asked, her head still bowed down. Lan Shou gently replied, “That’s not it.” His voice was filled with the kindness he showed for Li An.

“The reason I decided to become a military officer is because I don’t want that kind of tragedy to happen again.”

“Could that be because of my mother’s…?”

Struck by the unexpected words, Li An couldn’t help but look up at Lan Shou’s face. When Li An was still young, her mother had met a tragic death. That incident was handled as an unfortunate accident, without any proper investigation.

Li An struggled to suppress the dull pain spreading through her chest. She pretended to be fine, but she still hadn’t come to terms with it in her heart.

As if seeing through all of Li An’s inner thoughts, Lan Shou lowered the corners of his sharp, narrow eyes.

“I don’t want anyone to feel sad anymore. But right now, I don’t even have the power to save the one person right in front of me, and that has been something I’ve regretted for a long time.”

Lan Shou’s large, warm hand reached out and gently clasped Li An’s palm. It was the same hand that had always been by her side, supporting her all this time. And from now on, it would leave her side to become the hand that protects Sui Kingdom.

The night breeze was cold, and the scent of spring still felt distant. In the silence that filled the night, the only thing that warmed Li An’s heart was the gentle warmth from their palms pressed together. A sharp, stinging pain pricked the back of Li An’s nose, as if she wanted to cry. Lan Shou had chosen his path by his own will. How much courage must it have taken for him to make such a decision?

Suddenly, a vivid memory resurfaced, a fleeting, dreamy scene from her childhood she had seen with Lan Shou.

“Look, Li An, your mother has come to visit you.”

A lantern fly had landed on the tip of Lan Shou’s finger, as if it were gently resting there.

It was a rare and unusual species of butterfly that only appeared on full moon nights. Its delicate wings, as thin as a dragonfly, revealed streamlined veins, with the faint veins visible through them. Every time the butterfly fluttered its wings, powdery scales scattered down, emitting the sparkle of stardust as it melted and disappeared into the darkness of the night…

The feeling of thinking about someone turning into a butterfly, visiting the one you love on a full moon night. It was Lan Shou who taught her this. Those words, at that time, truly became a source of hope for her to keep living.

Looking up, she saw a band of stars, as if brushed with feathers stretched across the silent night sky, extending all the way to the distant horizon. At the edge of the sky, a faintly glowing crescent moon hung alone, its fragile gleam seeming to reflect Li An’s current feelings, as if it mirrored her own sense of uncertainty.

Li An, Lan Shou called out gently.

“Please stay healthy.”

What kind of feelings did Lan Shou pour into that whisper, which was almost like a prayer? He was the kind of person who would never say words of comfort just for the moment. He must have decided from the beginning that he wouldn’t make a promise about a reunion, one that he knew might never be fulfilled.

The people Li An cherished always end up leaving her. After experiencing the emptiness of reaching out and grasping nothing, Li An stopped wishing.

That’s why, Li An tightly locked the words “Don’t go” deep inside her heart. Even if she were to say them, she knew it wouldn’t change Lan Shou’s decision. On the contrary, expressing her loneliness would only make it worse. The only thing Li An could do was endure that loneliness in silence and wait, believing that one day Lan Shou would return to his hometown. That was the only, and the best, choice Li An could make.

–Will these feelings also turn into butterflies someday and reach my loved ones?

As if to respond to Li An’s thought, the stars twinkled in the night sky.