"Are they beautiful?" Someone suddenly turned to ask me.
"Yeah!" I couldn't help smiling and nodding. Just as Mother said, I could never resist beautiful things.
These fireflies butterflies were completely different from when they had just emerged from their cocoons. It seemed that breaking out of the cocoon was not their real transformation. Instead, it was their repeated attempts to fly and their fearlessness of failure that truly transformed them.
I was deeply shocked. The glowing patterns on each of their wings were unique. I was so immersed in their graceful and gentle dance that I completely forgot about my contempt for them when they were first born.
They fluttered and gradually dispersed. I still kept looking up at them in the same posture. After a while, I said to Yu Chi Cheng beside me, "Thank you."
Thinking that he would soon leave and I no longer had to worry about how to face him, I was no longer harsh on him. He smiled gently, with a bit of starlight in his eyes. Then he asked, "Isn't it a bit of a pity that you've only just seen their beauty now?"
"Huh?" I was a bit confused.
Yu Chi Cheng said, "The hatching cycle of fireflies butterflies is much longer than that of ordinary butterflies..."
"And then?" I saw that he seemed hesitant to speak and urged him.
"And then someone received a box of caterpillars..."
"Bang!" A fantasy in my heart suddenly shattered...
It turned out that the box of caterpillars I received back then was their previous form!
"I'm really sorry for miscalculating the time before," Yu Chi Cheng said apologetically, looking at me.
Actually, neither he nor I knew that it wasn't that he had miscalculated the time. It was because the fireflies butterflies were too delicate. During the journey from the Northern Cold Region to the Great Yong Empire, the temperature and humidity were not right, so they were reluctant to form cocoons. Without cocoons, how could they turn into butterflies? So the people taking care of them on the way were extremely worried. They kept feeding them to prevent them from starving to death, which made them grow fat and big, scaring me. The caretakers didn't understand the prince's intention. They just thought that as long as they delivered the caterpillars alive, they could report back normally. They never expected that it would cause such a big misunderstanding.
This time, for convenience, Yu Chi Cheng waited until the fireflies butterflies had formed cocoons in the Northern Cold Region before setting off. But because of the different climates, the fireflies butterflies took many more days to break out of their cocoons and turn into butterflies. Fortunately, he finally managed to convey his feelings, and his carefulness along the way was not in vain.
Seeing that I was in a daze for a moment, Yu Chi Cheng pulled me up. "It's getting late. Xi He, go back and rest early."
I hadn't yet recovered from his previous words, and was shocked by his apology. He, he, he... Was he really the Yu Chi Cheng I knew? Suddenly, I couldn't see the person standing in front of me clearly. If this was the truth, was it actually me who had been holding a grudge against him all this time?
"What about these butterflies?" As I was being pushed out of the forest stiffly by him, I looked back at those nocturnal spirits behind me and suddenly felt a bit reluctant to part with them.
He said, "They are born in fire, active at night, and die in the light. They will lay eggs and die tomorrow morning."
"Ah?" I couldn't help exclaiming.
Yu Chi Cheng then said to me in an extremely serious tone, "So you have to remember that beauty can never be retained. The truth beneath beauty is often cruel."
I was startled by his sudden preaching and felt that I was becoming more and more unable to understand him. The one who laughed heartily and flirted with me was him; the one who pretended to be angry and spoke coldly to me was him; the one who looked melancholy under the moon with a gentle gaze was him; the one who looked serious and knowledgeable was him. Then what about me? Which one of him was the one I knew, the one I hated, the one I liked, and the one I was afraid of?
Yu Chi Cheng let go of me and suddenly said, "Xi He, maybe after we part tomorrow, we'll never see each other again. So I hope that when you hear about me in the future, you won't hate me. I'm really glad to have met you."
I was completely confused by his sudden words. After leaving the small forest, I saw the bright moon in the sky again. He was standing under the moon, looking at the moonlight with a cold and solemn face and a cold gaze.
...
When I returned to the Twin Palaces, I kept thinking about his words asking me not to hate him. I didn't even notice when my elder brother suddenly jumped out to greet me.
"Hey, what are you thinking about?"
I came back to my senses abruptly and then forced a laugh. "N, nothing..." Seeing my elder brother, I was extremely scared because I had betrayed our united front against Yu Chi Cheng.
But my elder brother didn't notice. He just smiled and said, "By the way, I've got some good news for you!"
"What?"
"The bad guy Yu Chi Cheng is going back tomorrow. You won't have to worry about him bullying you anymore!" My elder brother patted me on the shoulder and laughed heartily, looking extremely happy.
Seeing this, I quickly put on a smile. "Really? That's great!"
My elder brother said, "Of course it's true. I heard that they're leaving tomorrow morning. Then we'll call Xi Yao and Zi Zhen out to play hide-and-seek in the afternoon."
"Okay..." Seeing my elder brother so happy, I decided to put aside the things I couldn't figure out. Anyway, that someone was leaving tomorrow. It didn't make much sense for me to think too much now.
When I returned to the right palace, I fell asleep peacefully. Well, since I guessed that he hadn't sent the caterpillars on purpose last time, I might as well forgive him. But were the fireflies butterflies really only found in the Northern Cold Region? Why had I never heard of them in the Great Yong Empire? What other strange and interesting things were there in the Northern Cold Region?
I gradually fell asleep amidst a whole bunch of random thoughts. That night, I dreamed that I was running in a place I had never been to before. There were beautiful ponies and gorgeous flowers...
The next day, when my elder brother woke me up, I was really annoyed that he had interrupted my wonderful dream. My elder brother said, "It's time for the grand tutor's class. Hurry up and get up."
Only then did I remember that it was the day for the grand tutor's class again. The grand tutor's classes were always held every other day, so we never got tired of learning.
After washing and dressing up, I took the poem I had completed last time and followed my elder brother.
The morning passed quickly. My elder brother said, "The troublemaker has finally left. Let's go play hide-and-seek!"
My younger brother gave him a sidelong glance. "Is it still such a childish game?"
My elder brother said, "Come on. Then tell me what else the four of us can play. Isn't this Xi Yao's favorite game? Last time Xi Yao said that big brother didn't love her, so I've decided to spoil her this time."
Xi Yao immediately said, "Come on, big brother. Stop being so disgusting. Who doesn't know that you accidentally found a perfect hiding place last time and refused to tell us no matter what. This time I'll let you hide and see if you can escape to the ends of the earth."
I couldn't help sighing. "The palace is so big. How long will it take to find each other if only four of us are playing?"
My elder brother said, "Of course we'll limit the range. It'll be within the five palaces near the Twin Palaces!"
Xi Yao said, "Second sister, are you scared? I also know that every time we play this game and draw lots to decide who will be the seeker, you're always the unlucky one and always end up being the seeker!"
"Jinx!" I glared at her.
My younger brother said, "Second sister, it's okay. You know that I'm not good at hiding and I'm always the first one to be found..."
Hearing this, I laughed. I remembered the rule my elder brother had set. If a person was the first one to be found three times in a row, then the fourth time they wouldn't need to draw lots and would directly be the seeker... So I wasn't the most tragic one...
My elder brother said, "Do you want to play? The one who can hide the best and be found the latest can ask any of the participants to fulfill a request!"
As soon as Xi Yao heard this, she immediately screamed. "Ah, I want the butterfly-shaped jade pendant in second sister's hand!"
My elder brother laughed wickedly. "Hehe, I want to know second sister's secret from last night."
My younger brother said, "Why is everyone targeting second sister? Then I want second sister to cook something for me next time..."
I was immediately dizzy. What was going on!