The spring sunlight passed through the thick branches, softly falling on the pink little face under the tree.
A gentle breeze swept by, lifting a few strands of dark hair near her temples, and the scattered light and shadow shifted with the wind.
"Mm..."
The sunlight hit her face, warm but a little too bright.
Xyliana rubbed her eyes uncomfortably.
What was going on...?
She clearly remembered pulling the curtains shut before sleeping last night, so why was the sunlight so bright today...?
She turned over without thinking and suddenly noticed that something felt different under her body...?
Xyliana's eyes snapped open!
A cool breeze drifted by, carrying a faint sweet scent. Trees and branches swayed gently around her, making soft rustling sounds.
Birds chirped in the distance, cicadas sang above her, and the air carried a fresh scent of earth...
"Where is this place?"
She looked down at the soil beneath her and the dense shrubs all around.
Her beautiful eyes slowly widened...
Xyliana could not believe her own eyes!
She never imagined that one day she would wake up not to the ceiling of her bedroom...
But to towering trees and a forest full of plants?!
"I must be dreaming!"
She patted her soft cheeks and muttered helplessly to herself,
"Yes yes yes, this must be a dream!" Then she quickly shut her eyes.
"It's a dream, it's a dream... just sleep a little more and it'll be fine..."
She kept repeating to herself while covering her eyes with both hands.
After a moment, she quietly opened her eyes...
Spreading her fingers, she peeked out through the gaps, like a sly little cat.
But the vibrant spring view before her seemed to mock her naïve thoughts...
After repeating this six or seven times, Xyliana finally accepted reality...
Had she time-traveled?!
And from her bedroom to a deep mountain forest?!
She sat there on the ground for a long while, finally forced to accept everything.
She stood up and checked herself, only to find she had nothing useful on her.
She only had the strange necklace she wore to bed and the bracelet she bought for herself on her birthday this year...
Thankfully, since Moon City was still cold, Xyliana had worn long-sleeved pajamas with pants to sleep.
Somehow, the bunny-eared slippers she had left beside her bed were now on her feet.
At the moment, she stood in the middle of the forest in pink pajamas, looking rather out of place...
Her watery eyes were filled with fear of the unknown. She bit her soft lips until they flushed red, as if silently inviting someone to lean in.
Her eyes were misty, the corners red, looking just like a little rabbit lost in the woods...
Taking a deep breath to calm her messy thoughts, Xyliana gathered her courage and walked forward...
What she saw were thick shrubs and tall trees everywhere.
But... the trees here didn't look like the ones on Blue Star. Everything seemed like a larger version of what she knew.
"They look full of life," Xyliana thought quietly.
"I hope this is just some remote suburb. I wonder how far it is from Moon City..." She carefully avoided the fallen branches and muttered to herself.
She repeated this softly again and again. In such a large forest, talking to herself was the only way to ease her anxiety and fear...
The earthy scent in the air was actually quite pleasant.
A breeze passed, lifting two or three strands of hair near her cheeks.
Sunlight filtered through the thick leaves above, falling across her fair skin. The shadows of trees danced lightly across her body...
A soft golden glow surrounded her. From a distance, she looked just like a fairy in the woods.
But that fairy had a faint sorrow between her brows, and her frown made people want to smooth it away.
Her beautiful eyes sparkled with emotion, and she looked like a soul-stealing enchantress, stunningly beautiful.
She didn't know how long she had been walking when finally, a path appeared ahead!
"Great, if there's a path, there must be people. If I follow it, maybe I'll find a village or at least someone."
Xyliana said excitedly. A flash of light shone in her eyes, and she opened them wide.
She couldn't help but quicken her pace. Only she knew how scared she had been walking alone in this deep forest...
Now that she saw hope, her long-tense nerves finally relaxed.
A breeze passed, bringing a coolness that eased her fear.
Even a warm wind couldn't bring more comfort than this.
Enjoying the moment of cool air, a small smile appeared at the corners of her lips.
She had been walking for quite a while before realizing that sweat had formed on her forehead, dripping down her neck...
The scent of her skin spread faintly, an intoxicating fragrance...
After finally reaching the road, Xyliana now faced a problem.
This looked like a major road, but it ran east to west. Which direction should she go?
Just then, a butterfly appeared out of nowhere, its wings a deep blue-green, looking beautiful.
The sudden butterfly caught Xyliana's eye, but before she could get a good look, it flew past her and headed west.
She watched it fly farther and farther until it disappeared.
A small smile appeared on her delicate face. She curved her lips and softly said,
"In that case, I'll follow you."
She followed the road without knowing how long she had walked, and just as she began to doubt her direction...
She saw a patch of blue-gray ahead, hidden among the overlapping greenery.
Trying to control her excitement, Xyliana quickened her pace.
A grand city wall appeared before her. The blue-gray bricks added an ancient feel to it.
Above the city gate were three strange symbols, looking like some kind of writing. Very strange.
The wall itself was built in a traditional style.
"Maybe it's a new set built by a film crew...?"
Xyliana thought to herself. She had heard of many crews filming in remote scenic spots.
Maybe this was one of them... But considering her current situation, she had nothing left to worry about...
She pushed aside her swirling thoughts and slowly walked forward...
She walked through the city gate and saw a wide street.
Carriages rolled and people bustled around, while both sides of the road were filled with various stalls.
Vendors shouted, deals were made one after another, and it looked like a lively town.
Xyliana looked carefully, but although the people were dressed in ancient clothing, she couldn't tell what dynasty this was. "Could this be a costume drama set?"
Then she thought, costume dramas had all sorts of styles. As an ordinary viewer, it was normal for her not to recognize them right away.
Xyliana examined the pedestrians closely, but "why didn't this production crew hire any actresses?" That was strange.
A trace of doubt showed in her eyes, and her brows knitted slightly.
For a moment, Xyliana's mind was full of thoughts.
She was lost in her thoughts and didn't realize that the once lively street had gradually gone quiet. Not a sound, eerily silent.
When she sensed something was wrong, Xyliana froze.
"Something isn't right. Why do I feel a chill down to my bones?" Her face.
Xyliana stood still. Since waking up, so much had happened, she had only focused on escaping the forest and hadn't thought about her face at all.
Her heart sank. "Looks like I need to find a place to stay later," she silently thought.
She steadied her thoughts, calmed her expression, and slowly lifted her head.
She saw that everyone on the street was frozen in place, staring blankly at her.
The sunlight hit her long black hair, making it glow as if wrapped in a divine light.
Her eyes were like water, brows like distant mountains, skin like creamy jade, lips like cherries. She was so beautiful she didn't seem human.
She looked like she was afraid of something. Her eyes showed a bit of fear, and when she glanced around, it was so enchanting it was almost soul-stealing.
Her teeth bit her lower lip unconsciously, creating a soft blush. She seemed to silently tempt people, making one want to hold her and feel pity.
Boom.
The crowd exploded in excitement.
Even the stall owners abandoned their stalls. Some collapsed or were knocked over.
The street was packed, but strangely, no one dared to step forward.
"Oh my god, is this real? Am I seeing a ghost? How can someone be this beautiful in this world?"
"No, this beautiful lady. Is this real? Am I dreaming?"
"She's real, she moved, she looked this way. She's real, I'm not dreaming."
"Heavens, she's so beautiful."
"Was she sent by the Beast God? What kind of number one beauty of the North Wing Kingdom could even compare to her?"
The noise and shouting filled the air, overlapping in a chaotic mess. Xyliana caught bits and pieces of what they said.
Strangely, whatever they were speaking was a language Xyliana had never heard before, but she could understand it.
And in an instant, she could also speak it. As if it was a natural ability.
"Beast God? North Wing Kingdom?"
Her willow-shaped brows furrowed slightly, confusion rising between them.
Her starry eyes turned slightly, and shock appeared in them. Xyliana had never felt so hopeless.
She had always hoped she was still in Moon City, or at least on Blue Star.
But that guess she kept avoiding from the depths of her heart suddenly exploded in her mind.
This place wasn't Moon City, wasn't Blue Star, not even any era she knew.
Realizing this, cold sweat poured down her back.
"Move aside, all of you get out of the way." A fierce voice shouted from not far away, filled with urgency and excitement.
The crowd that had gathered was suddenly pushed apart by a group of guards.
From behind them walked a young man.
He stood tall, looked about twenty-something, wearing a brocade robe with golden cloud patterns and a purple-gold crown with embedded gems. He had a proud presence.
A jade pendant on his waist clinked as he moved in a rush.
He was extremely handsome, but his eyes were locked tightly on Xyliana. They narrowed slightly, filled with amazement and obsession that made Xyliana uneasy.
Like a proud panther eyeing its prey, ready to pounce and devour at any moment.
His sharp eyes lifted slightly, like he had seen something interesting. A flicker of mockery and gloom passed quickly through them.
He reached out to tidy his collar, his slender fingers casually twisting.
"I am Prince Xavion of the North Wing Kingdom."
"Today, meeting you like this, I would like to invite you to my residence. Would the young lady..."
His hoarse voice came slowly, each word spoken clearly.
"Do. You. Accept."
He placed his hand over his chest and nodded slightly to Xyliana.
His brows raised a little, and a trace of gloom passed through his eyes. Though it was an invitation, it felt full of pressure.
He looked like he was half smiling, eyes locked onto Xyliana, as if he was about to pull her into his arms and devour her whole.
Xyliana had lived a quiet life, always on her own. She had never seen such a scene before.
A strange fear rose from deep inside her, rushing in and making her tremble.
She had a feeling that this man was extremely dangerous, and this place was not normal.
But right now, even though fear overwhelmed her, Xyliana had no choice but to stay calm and speak.