A Worthless Gift.

Ding Xue had slipped out the window at the break of dawn, evading the eyes of her father's guards who stood watch at her door. She prayed they would not discover her absence soon. She could not endure the prison of her room, where sorrow was her only solace. She craved some air, some peace. She sought them here, in the grove, where birdsong filled the air and flowers bloomed.

She walked along the cobblestone path, a solitary figure in the morning mist. She clutched the half lotus jade pendant in her hand. It glittered in the sun, mocking her with its beauty. A worthless gift now, for the one she had meant to give it to was no more. Her maid, her friend, her confidant. The girl who had grown up with her, who had combed her hair and sewn her gowns, was no more.

Her screams still haunted Ding Xue. They had echoed in her ears all night, as she lay in her bed, weeping into her pillow. Her father? How could he have done this to her? How could he have taken her maid's life, just to teach her a lesson? And for what? For that Liu Fen. That viper, that spider. She had woven her web around them all. Ding Xue's father. The Crown Prince. All of them.

Ding Xue could still feel the sting of her father's words, like a lash across her face. "He will hate you, he will despise you." The Crown Prince would hate her, despise her, reject her. Because of Liu Fen. Liu Fen, Liu Fen, Liu Fen. Ding Xue muttered the name, over and over, clenching her fists, feeling the anger, the pain, the hate. Tears rolled down her cheeks, hot and bitter. Liu Fen. She hated her.