The Emperor's gaze hardened further. "Dragons are dangerous, Lily. You don't know what you're asking."
Lily's breath caught in her throat. "He's not like the others," she repeated, her voice gaining strength. "He's different. He—"
"Enough!" The Emperor's voice rang out, cutting her off. "You will come with me. Now."
With a firm hand, he grabbed her arm and pulled her away from Ao Bing, though she resisted slightly. As the two of them walked up the beach toward the palace, Lily cast one last glance at Ao Bing. His eyes were wide with fear, but there was also a quiet sadness in them.
Once inside the palace, Lily's father led her to a quiet hallway. His anger was barely contained, and the weight of his gaze bore down on her like a storm. "Do you understand what you've done, Lily? You've risked your life, and the lives of others, just by talking to him. You don't know what kind of threat he could be."
Lily stood still, her heart heavy with the knowledge that her father didn't understand. He didn't know Ao Bing the way she did.
"I was only trying to help him," Lily said softly, her voice trembling slightly. "He's not evil, Father. He's just... misunderstood."
The Emperor's face grew pale with anger. "Misunderstood? Lily, dragons have brought nothing but destruction and chaos. I will not stand by and let you get involved with one. He's a threat to our kingdom, and I will not let him—"
"You're wrong," Lily interrupted, her eyes flashing with a fierce determination. "Ao Bing is kind. I've seen it. And I believe that dragons aren't all bad. I won't turn my back on him." Her voice wavered only slightly, but it held more conviction than it ever had before.
The Emperor's face softened, but his eyes remained cold. He took a deep breath, trying to regain control of his emotions. "You will stay away from him," he said firmly. "I'm having him moved to another room. You are not to speak to him again. Do you understand?"
Lily's heart clenched in her chest. She felt the weight of his words like a stone sinking deep inside her. But she couldn't bring herself to nod. She couldn't promise him that. Not when she knew in her heart she couldn't abandon Ao Bing.
"But, Father—" Lily began.
"Enough," the Emperor snapped, his voice colder than ever. "You will stay away from him. This is not a request, Lily."
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving her standing alone in the hallway.
Lily felt the sharp sting of his words. She had never seen her father so angry before. And it hurt, more than she wanted to admit. But she knew, deep down, that she couldn't let Ao Bing be shut away. She had seen the truth—he wasn't a monster. She wouldn't let anyone make him one.
That night, after her father had left, Lily snuck back to the room where Ao Bing had been moved. She waited for the guards to turn their backs before slipping inside. Ao Bing was sitting on a bed, looking out of the window at the darkened sky.
When he saw her, his eyes widened in surprise. "Lily?" he whispered. "What are you doing here?"
Lily stepped closer to him, her heart heavy. "I couldn't leave you, Ao Bing. I know my father wants me to stay away from you, but I can't. I just can't."
Ao Bing looked at her with a mixture of gratitude and sadness. "Lily... it's dangerous for you to be here. If your father finds out—"
"I don't care," Lily interrupted. "I won't let you be locked away just because of what you are."
Ao Bing shook his head slowly. "But you don't understand. Your father is right. Dragons like me... we're dangerous. And if anyone finds out who I really am, the gods will—"
"I don't believe that," Lily said firmly. "I don't believe all dragons are evil. And I won't let anyone treat you like one."
Ao Bing's eyes shone with something that might have been hope. He reached out, gently taking her hand. "You're the only one who's ever believed that. Thank you, Lily."
Lily smiled softly, squeezing his hand. "I'll help you, Ao Bing. I promise."
But in the pit of her stomach, she knew that helping him wouldn't be easy. It might even mean going against her father. But for Ao Bing, she was willing to do whatever it took.
Lily paced back and forth in her chamber, the soft rustle of her silk gown the only sound accompanying her restless movements. The weight of the Emperor's words echoed in her mind, pulling her in opposite directions like a tug-of-war.
"You shouldn't be talking to him."
The coldness in her father's voice had stung more than the sharpest rebuke. She'd never seen him so furious, not even when she had broken the fragile porcelain vase her mother had gifted him years ago. But today—today it was different. It wasn't just anger. It was fear. Fear of Ao Bing, fear of the dragon's power, and fear of what it meant for her.
Why doesn't he understand? Lily thought, clenching her fists tightly by her sides.
The Emperor had lectured her for what seemed like hours about the dangers of the dragons, how she had unknowingly put herself at risk by associating with Ao Bing. He didn't even care that she had healed him—that she'd helped him when no one else would. All that mattered was that he was a dragon. All that mattered was his power.
Lily stopped pacing and turned toward the window. Outside, the last vestiges of daylight hung like a thread across the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow over the palace gardens. The evening air was cool, yet it held a strange weight—one she couldn't escape.
She had been born to a life of luxury, of duty, but every time she looked out into the vast world beyond the palace walls, it felt like a prison. The walls that kept her in, the guards who always hovered nearby, the courtiers who whispered behind their fans and never looked her in the eye. She was the Emperor's daughter, expected to uphold tradition and marry for the good of the kingdom.
But Lily didn't want any of it.
She wanted freedom.
She wanted to run through the fields, barefoot in the grass, feel the wind tug at her hair. She wanted to play by the river without worrying about being seen. She wanted to be like every other child who didn't have the weight of the world resting on their shoulders.
As she gazed out the window, her mind wandered back to the beach, to Ao Bing. She could still hear the soft crash of the waves, feel the cool breeze on her skin, and—most of all—remember the connection she'd felt with him.
He had been the first person, the first being, who had ever truly understood her. They had both wanted the same thing: a moment of freedom. And when they had met, it had felt like nothing else in the world mattered.
But now, after the Emperor's harsh words, she felt lost. Trapped.
"Why can't he see?" she whispered aloud, her voice breaking the silence. Why does he always see danger where I see kindness?
Her fingers brushed over her throat, where the pendant her mother had given her rested. It was an heirloom passed down through generations of royal women. It was meant to symbolize strength, the legacy of the emperors, the power of her bloodline.
But at that moment, it felt like a weight—another chain, another symbol of the life she had no desire to live.
Suddenly, a strange sensation began to stir in her chest, an uneasy warmth that spread like a flicker of fire. She gasped, and the air around her seemed to shimmer. The room was too still. The heat was intensifying, rising in her chest like a storm. Her fingers began to tingle, and she instinctively placed them over her heart.
What is this?
Her skin felt like it was glowing, but not with light—more like a heat that radiated from within her. It was like the power had awakened, but there was no controlling it. Her heartbeat quickened, and the light grew brighter.
No... no, not now.
She clenched her fists tightly, trying to push the sensation away, but it only seemed to grow stronger. The windows rattled as if a strong wind was rising outside, though there was no breeze. Her pulse quickened with every breath, and for a moment, she was afraid that she might burst.
But just as suddenly as it had started, the sensation faded. The warmth in her chest subsided, leaving behind an eerie silence. Lily blinked, trembling slightly, her fingers still pressed against her skin as if trying to hold the power in.
Her mind raced.
What was that? she thought in a panic.
It wasn't the first time she had felt something strange bubbling up inside her. It had happened before—those moments when the air would inexplicably grow warm, when winds would swirl around her unexpectedly—but this time, it was different.
She didn't understand what was happening.
It wasn't just the power she had inside of her—it was the uncertainty. She had been born into a life where she was supposed to control everything, where her destiny had been written for her before she was even old enough to understand it. And yet, here she was, feeling like she was losing control of everything.
Her mind flashed to Ao Bing. He had felt something similar, hadn't he? The connection between them, the bond that had drawn them to each other on that beach—could it be that his power had somehow triggered her own?
What if it's because of him? Lily thought with growing panic.
She could almost hear the warning in her father's voice again: "You shouldn't be talking to him."
But the more Lily thought about it, the more she realized that Ao Bing was the only one who could help her understand this power, who could help her make sense of the strange things happening inside her.
Suddenly, Lily was tired. Tired of the royal life, tired of pretending she was someone she wasn't, tired of the heavy expectations. She had always been good—obedient—living in the shadow of her father's strict rule. But she couldn't shake the feeling that her life, her real life, was out there waiting for her, far beyond the walls of the palace.
She couldn't let it slip away. Not without knowing the truth.
Lily stood up from the window, her hands still trembling. With a final glance back toward her chamber door, she made her decision.
She would find Ao Bing again.
And maybe, just maybe, together, they could unlock the answers she was desperately searching for.