The old Grand Seer was never trained in catching ghosts. Their family line of Seers had existed for generations, and this was the first time anyone had truly encountered a ghost—especially when it was His Majesty the Emperor who saw one.
After returning to the Star-Gazing Hall, the Grand Seer looked defeated, like a withered eggplant. He opened the ancient records left by his predecessors, hoping to find even the slightest clue.
Lying to the emperor was a serious crime. He had only been stalling for a few days, but if he couldn't figure something out soon, it'd be the end of him. Could he even run? No. He remembered his young disciple was still inside the palace. If he tried to flee, it would mean the death of his entire clan. Shaking his head, he quickly gave up the idea of escape.
With no other choice, he kept flipping through the books, searching for anything about catching ghosts.
A man walked in. He wore a moon-white silk robe with a jade belt at his waist. Hanging from it was a green pendant. His eyes sparkled like stars, his nose was straight and elegant. Looking up, the man's silver hair was bound with a flawless jade crown.
His sharp features were like a painting, cold and distant, as if untouched by the mortal world.
Seeing the Grand Seer frowning deeply, the silver-haired man picked up a book from the table and casually flipped through a few pages.
"Why do you look so troubled, Master?" His voice was like himself—quiet and pure.
"Ah, Gabvriel, you're here," the old man stood up and explained everything that had happened. "You tell me, our Seer family has always dealt with star charts and face readings. We've never caught ghosts before. Now they're pushing me into it like throwing a duck into water."
"If you know you can't do it, why agree?" Gabvriel kept looking at the book in his hand.
"There was no choice. Saying no is death. Saying yes means I might delay death a little." The old man gave a dry laugh.
Gabvriel wasn't his real child. The old man had never married. To make sure the Seer bloodline didn't end, he adopted Gabvriel during a snowy winter. He had been traveling through a village and found the boy nearly starving to death. Because of his silver hair, the villagers thought he was cursed. The old man brought him home and made him his disciple.
"I'll handle this." Gabvriel's voice pulled the old man out of his memories.
"You know how to catch ghosts?" The old man stepped forward, excited.
Gabvriel stepped back a little, keeping some distance. His thin lips moved slightly. "No."
"Then why are you taking over? How about this—you pack up and leave tonight. You're still young. You haven't even married. I'm already old. Even if I fail, if they kill me, I've lived enough anyway." The old man spoke like he had made a huge decision.
"No need. I have my own way." Gabvriel closed the book in his hands. His fingers, as pale as white jade, brushed across the cover. He remembered the person he'd seen when he was a child. His eyes softened. That person once told him, "Take this. Give it to her, and you'll see me again."
Maybe now, he could finally see her again.
Gabvriel returned to his side room and opened a small brocade box. The box was made from fine sandalwood, and inside was a tiny black wooden charm. To even call it a charm was an exaggeration. It was about the size of a thumb, with a small hole at the top through which a red string was threaded. There were no carvings, no patterns.
He had checked this object many times to see if it was anything special. No matter how he examined it, it seemed like nothing but an ordinary piece of wood. He had followed the old man back then because he thought having the title of the Seer's disciple would help him gain access to more resources for his research. But all these years had passed, and he had found nothing.
Meanwhile, Cassian had been feeling strangely irritable the past few days. After dismissing the Grand Seer, he had waited in the Imperial Study for the little ghost girl to return.
But no matter how long he waited, she never showed up. He even went to the Imperial Garden, where she often appeared, but still found nothing.
She was a ghost, and only he could see her. That meant he couldn't send anyone else to search for her.
Had she left the palace? Left him? The moment that thought crossed his mind, the brush in Cassian's hand snapped in two.
He threw it on the table and stared at the broken pieces, lost in thought. Maybe it was better this way. At least he wouldn't need to worry about catching her anymore. The result would be the same. Wasn't this what he wanted?
But why did it feel like something inside him had gone empty? Why did it suddenly feel hard to breathe?
The room felt stuffy. Cassian hadn't visited the Crown Prince in a while. Ever since he appointed Arthur as tutor, he hadn't stepped foot in the Eastern Palace. Maybe it was time to go.
At this moment inside the Chutai Hall, Prince Allennon was resting. Lately, he'd been performing well, so the Grand Tutor allowed him a break that lasted the time of one incense stick.
Seeing that the tutor had gone to a side hall, Prince Allennon stood up and walked toward the corner where Liliana was.
Ever since coming to this strange world, Liliana felt like she wasn't a ghost anymore but a mushroom instead. It was bad enough that she had to shrink into corners back in the Imperial Library, but even around Prince Allennon she had to do the same.
There was no helping it. She was too bored, and every time she got close to Arthur, he'd take a strange step toward her. Last time, his lips nearly brushed her face. Even though she knew he couldn't touch her, it was still very weird.
So, she had no choice but to admire the good-looking people from the corner.
She had to admit, people in this world were all ridiculously good-looking. One after another, all pleasing to the eye.
"Liliana, my hand really hurts," Prince Allennon raised his right hand, his eyes watery as he looked pitiful.
"I had to do too much schoolwork today. The Grand Tutor kept making me copy books during class. My hand is so sore."
He held his hand out to Liliana.
"Does it hurt a lot?" Liliana looked at his puppy-dog eyes. As someone who died from over-studying, she knew better than anyone that studying was exhausting. Seeing how Prince Allennon had to do so many assignments every day, she couldn't help but sympathize with him.
"Yeah, it's sore and hurts." He knew Liliana was the softest. Every time he pretended to be in pain, he could fool her. She was so easy to trick. He thought it'd be best to tie her to himself forever. What if someone else came along and tricked her away?
Liliana looked at the hand he stretched out. She couldn't actually touch it, so she pretended like people do in TV dramas and lightly blew on it. "How about now? Does it still hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore. You're like a miracle remedy, Liliana. Just a little blow and the pain's gone."
If her expression had a physical form, there'd be three black lines on her forehead.
She looked at Prince Allennon and suddenly thought about Cassian. It had been days since she last went to the Imperial Library. But how could she? He tried to capture her before. Still, she hadn't found a way out of the palace. Thinking back to the last two times she touched Cassian, she wondered if she should try again. Maybe the odds of escaping from a Taoist priest's hands were better than she thought.
"What are you two doing?" Cassian had just pushed open the door and immediately saw the little ghost girl he'd been thinking about for days. And she was playfully messing around with Prince Allennon.
"Father!"
"Cassian!"
Cassian had just arrived at Chutai Hall. A servant outside had been about to report his arrival but was stopped. Thinking the Crown Prince was studying, he came in directly. But the moment he opened the door, this was what he saw.
——Mini Theater
Liliana: Reaches out to hold hands.
Prince Allennon: Woof woof woof woof.
Cassian: What are you two doing!
Arthur in the side hall next door: Where's my wife? Boohoo!