A Familiar Scar.

Liu Fen's gaze was fixed on her savior, now being released from his bonds by the imperial guards. His groans of pain echoed in the room as they gently lowered him to the cold stone floor. He was but a boy, she realized, studying his youthful features. He had a slight build, and his current injured state made him seem all the more delicate. It was difficult for Liu Fen to reconcile this sight with the memory of him killing two men twice his size, with swift, decisive movements.

The physician knelt beside him, his brow creasing as he took his pulse. After a moment, he turned to the Crown Prince, a look of confusion etched on his face. "Your Highness," he began, his voice filled with uncertainty, "this eunuch... she is a woman."

The words hung in the air, a revelation that elicited surprise from Liu Fen, the Crown Prince and Miss Ding. "What?" they echoed together, their voices intertwining in shared astonishment.

Liu Fen's gaze locked with that of the Crown Prince. A'Xin had been a sister to him, her absence a void in his heart as well. Liu Fen had seen the sorrow in his eyes, a mirror to her own, yet not quite the same.

Her grief had been a tempest, a storm of tears and cries that had lasted for what felt like an eternity. The Prince had been her anchor in that storm, his words a balm to her grieving soul, whispering that A'Xin would want her to find peace, to move forward.

Yet here they stood, in the presence of a girl who bore the pendant that had once graced A'Xin's neck. The sight ignited a spark within Liu Fen, a flicker of hope that had been slowly fading with time. She turned to the Crown Prince. "Your Highness." she said. "Might I borrow your cloak?"

The Crown Prince looked at her, confusion etched on his face. "My cloak? Why?"

"I need to verify something," she replied.

He reluctantly unfastened his cloak and handed it to her. She accepted it with a nod of thanks and moved towards the girl. With a gentle wave of her hand, she signaled for the physician to step aside. She knelt beside the girl, her movements as soft as a summer breeze, as she draped the cloak over the girl's lower body, providing a shield from the prying eyes.

"A'fen," the Crown Prince called out, his voice filled with worry. "What are you doing?"

She did not answer, instead, she slid her hand beneath the cloak. She uncovered the girl's left leg, her breeches bunching up at her thigh. Her breath hitched as her fingers traced the thin scar that marred the girl's skin, a scar that started from her knees and ran upwards. It was a scar she knew well, a scar identical to the one A'Xin had earned from her fall from the willow tree.