Interlude: Her Name II

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The Palace of the Storm Dragon is wrong.

Most would not think so. Despite the state of the country, the palace still looks like a place fit for royalty. Lushly decorated rooms with priceless antiques. Long marble halls with black banners lined with gold hanging from the walls. Multiple floors and several adjacent buildings for court officials and servants. It is not as well kept as it should be due to a lack of personnel, but that is ultimately of little consequence. This is not a place that receives many visitors, and trying to maintain the palace grounds in any way is a fool’s errand.

The Grand Storm outside makes sure of that.

The palace is under a never-ending storm that stretches for several miles. The flash of lightning and the roar of thunder are constant companions to the people living here. Many would find it nerve-wracking, but that is not the case for her. The Grand Storm is merely an oddity. Its manifestation should happen only during emergencies as opposed to being constantly present, but it does belong here.

The Grand Storm is not what is wrong.

The Palace of the Storm Dragon is wrong at a fundamental level. It is not simply a matter of the palace having deteriorated since the Black Storm Dragon vanished (or so they tell her). Rather, the palace, down to its very foundations, should be larger and more majestic than the one she currently inhabits.

Su Daji does not know how she knows this, yet the certainty with which she feels it cannot be denied.

A frown mars her beautiful face. A passing-by servant, likely having heard the stories, quickly moves out of her way and rushes down the hallway.

What a stupid girl.

If Su Daji were in the mood for it, she could consider that an insult. However, she merely keeps walking, her steps echoing across the empty halls. She is not in the mood for that type of fun. She rarely is nowadays.

Her frown deepens.

It is all the transfer’s fault.

She was too eager. That much, she can admit. This body is compatible with her, but it is not natural compatibility. Not through bloodline and talent but rather through-

Boss!

… other means. Still, is there anyone who can blame her for seizing the opportunity presented to her? Who knows how much more she’d have to wait for someone else to appear? That had been her thinking, but…

Who even is she now?

Su Daji.

The name comes naturally to her. She is Su Daji. She can be no one else.

She is unsure if Su Daji is a name she has ever used before.

Su Daji knows things. She understands things. However, her actual memories are like water constantly slipping through her fingers. Nothing but flashes, sounds, and blurred images. There will be times when she can see them clearly only to forget them in mere seconds.

It is maddening.

With all her memories, she’d have already regained her glory. She is sure of it. Even in her diminished state, she has gained access to the Storm Dragon Palace. This is where she needs to be because… because…

She is Su Daji.

She will rise again.

“Lady Su, I did not expect to see you in this part of the palace.”

The voice roots her to the spot. A single breath passes before she turns around.

“Good Morning, General He,” she says. Her bow is without flaw as it rightly should be.

Shouldn’t it?

“This little miss was merely taking a walk. Should she not have?” She asks, well aware there are not many people in this wing of the palace. The one servant who crossed her path is doubtlessly far away now. She might have even warned the other servants to stay away.

It is only her and General He here.

General He is a man with pale skin and green eyes that match the color of his hair. His face is rugged but not overly so. His build is properly heroic. Many of the women at court swoon over him, and not just for his looks. The black and gold armor he wears marks him as one of the Three Heavenly Generals of the Storm Dragon Empire.

“It is not forbidden,” the general replies. “However, Lady Su may lose her way exploring this area on her own.” He sighs with sadness. “I am afraid the palace is not what it once was. These halls were once filled with life, but many areas now go unused.”

It is amazing.

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His tone. His posture. Even his Qi. All of them are perfectly chosen to make him seem trustworthy. To make her forget this man is in the Emperor Realm.

The loyal general, they call General He. He is a hero in the eyes of the Emperor’s court. However, something about him has always unsettled Su Daji. From the moment she first laid eyes on him, she knew she couldn’t trust him no matter what.

The scent lingering on him is disgustingly familiar.

“How sad,” she says with the right amount of sorrow in her voice. “Still, this little miss has no need to worry about getting lost now that General He is here. A lady could hardly ask for a better bodyguard.”

He laughs. “You flatter me, Lady Su.”

“However,” she adds at just the right time, “this little miss is surprised. I thought for sure General He would still be out pacifying the border territories. What is he doing here instead?”

Border territories. A misleading name for an unfortunate problem. The term refers not to the Storm Dragon Empire’s borders with other countries but to the areas in between the territories controlled by the Three Heavenly Generals. They are lawless zones where bandits roam. When a bandit group grows too powerful, the generals take time out of their constant fighting to pacify them.

General He frowns. A lesser lady would have thought he looked handsome like that as well. The perfect image of a hero burdened by duty.

“Unfortunately, it seems that wild beast got there before us.”