"From this day forth, you have a new assignment. You are to ensure the safety of Lady Xianzhu Jihua, the youngest daughter of the respected Master Xian Huang."
Yunsheng, Houwei, and the remainder of the security detail arrived at the Xian estate at the break of dawn to escort his daughter to the Governor General's residence.
"You are to deliver the Young Lady to the Governor General's domain safe and sound. You answer for her with your heads!" shrieked a stout-looking man.
Yet, every soldier understood that this was mere bluster and feigned self-importance. Had he truly been concerned for his fiancée's safety, he would have assigned a larger guard.
Typically, such important figures are attended by a retinue of no fewer than twenty-five people; their party, however, numbered merely fourteen in total: Yunsheng as commander of the escort, Houwei as his second-in-command, eight other soldiers, two coachmen, the Young Lady's handmaiden, and a baggage porter. It appeared he did not place much value on the life of his betrothed. But none of them had the right to judge the General. The priority was to execute the mission.
When the speech concluded, two figures emerged from the house. The Young Lady, accompanied by her handmaiden. The women boarded the first carriage, drawn by two stallions, while the second transported their belongings.
"Is everything clear to everyone?"
"Yes, sir!"
Each carriage was flanked by four soldiers; Yunsheng, as the leader, rode at the vanguard, while Houwei brought up the rear.
The day was clear, and the road entirely unobstructed. After seven hours of travel, they stopped for a rest. The soldiers went to water and feed the horses, while Yunsheng and his comrade remained behind. The Young Lady also needed to stretch her legs, being unaccustomed to long journeys.
The coachman opened the carriage door; Yunsheng, standing opposite, bowed. Upon raising his head, he beheld her. A flowing dress the color of the heavens, hair reaching her waist, and a light veil covering her face. She stepped out, and it was as if the angels themselves sighed in her wake. Then, a gentle breeze blew in their direction, caught the veil, and lifted it, revealing the girl's face. Yunsheng stood transfixed, unable to believe his eyes.
A flawless, pure face, that same snow-white skin, a slender figure, and an infinite charm—a charm inherent only to him, his beloved. Yet now, a young woman stood before him. Outwardly quite dissimilar, yet he felt the exact same sensation as on the day he first saw him.
"Athit," the name escaped his lips; he stared intently, completely forgetting etiquette. Houwei, standing nearby, heard this, noticed his friend's strange reaction, and shifted his gaze back and forth between them.
The girl looked around in search of her veil and noticed the man. The stranger stood a few steps away from her—tall, in a military uniform that differed from the others. The veil had landed right on his shoulder guard. The girl caught his gaze upon her: surprised, and so unexpectedly soft and filled with tenderness. No one had ever looked at her like that before. It lasted mere seconds, but it seemed she would remember him forever. The handmaiden had already rushed to the commander to retrieve the veil; he handed it to her, yet he did not take his eyes off the Young Lady. It seemed everyone present noticed the scene, but for Yunsheng, the surrounding world froze; he would have stood there longer had not Houwei nudged him with his elbow.
It is definitely him. That very same gaze. Athit's face flashed before his eyes, in those moments when he used to look at Yunsheng in the same way. Could it be that after so many years of searching and waiting, they had finally met? Yunsheng was still in a sort of trance and disbelief. It would be too bold to presume that Athit would also remember his past life, but a glimmer of hope, however small, remained. Yunsheng had imagined their meeting a hundred times with various scenarios, yet not one of them turned out to be the truth. He had intended to say so much, but now he could not utter a single word. Everything was lost and dissolved before a single sound could be voiced.
It required effort for Yunsheng not to look at the Young Lady throughout their break. He could only cast fleeting glances, observing. Being in the body of a girl, he was now even more graceful and delicate. Looking at her, the man wanted to draw closer, to shelter her in his embrace and never let go again. This brought a sense of pain and melancholy. He needed to gather his thoughts first and determine his next actions. To make matters worse, the situation was complicated by current circumstances. For the entire journey to the next stop, Yunsheng did not utter a word. Houwei glanced at him but dared not speak first; his comrade's appearance was serious and pensive.
"Athit does not remember me."
The phrase echoed with pain directly in his heart. Moments from the past began to surface unconsciously in his mind. Their shared, happy past.
"I must restore his memories, if it is possible, or create new ones. But I must act with extreme caution. He is, after all, a young woman and the future bride of the Governor General. Damn it."