"When we arrive, you must greet your parents in the proper manner."

"What's the proper manner?"

"Bow, arms outstretched and head down"

"Like this?"

"Ahaha, not like that. Watch me."

"...Okay."

"That's much better."

"Is it okay?"

"And then you have to say 'Your daughter bows before you.'"

"I have to say what?"

"Sorry darling, that's how it goes here. You'll get used to it when it's our children greeting you."

"Jun."

"Was that too lewd?"

"..."

"Hmm?"

"Your actions don't match your words at all."

"Well if you're not opposed we could-"

"Master Wang! We have arrived."

Surprisingly, Shiyao didn't feel too nervous. She didn't feel scared or afraid or excited but rather...

Well.

That wasn't good.

Jun stepped out first, helping Shiyao come down from the carriage - the sunlight near blinding the both of them, though she didn't let it affect her expression even though it clouded her vision for a moment. She walked behind Jun for guidance, bowing as he did.

"Your nephew bows before you."

Nephew?

Shiyao kept her head down as Jun stepped aside, revealing her to her parents. Her linked fingers pressing hard together trying not to think about what the fuck Jun just said.

“Y-your daughter..." she began, the next words kicking and screaming against her tongue to not be said. She set her jaw, embarrassment flooding her system. She had never bowed to anyone in her life, not even the King and Queen and now look at her... bent over at near ninety degrees just to say hello to strangers she had never met. Her back swelled and deflated as she took a deep breath, steeling herself against the shame of the next words to leave her lips; "...bow-bows.... before you."

"Yaoyao, stand up!" the woman's voice was clear and calm, but slightly emotional.

"Yaoyao!"

Shiyao's eyes snapped open, a flash of the vision she had months ago appearing in her mind once again.

She stood up immediately, not realising that the woman's open arms was an invitation for a hug. She looked to the teary-eyed middle aged man and respectfully averted her gaze, clearing her throat. Two adults stood by the door of the large manor, who they were she neither knew nor cared, but the ones in front of her must be the parents.

"Let's go inside." the woman offered, dropping one arm and gesturing to the house.

Shiyao nodded stiffly, avoiding their eyes for too long and nodding politely to the two adults who greeted her as her little brother and sister.

The interior of the manor was darker than she thought it would be. They walked into the foyer where staff were all lined up and waiting, greeting the family appropriately before rushing off to tend to their duties. It wasn't a big house by any stretch, but she supposed the disappointment wasn't fair since she grew up in a literal palace.

The mother pointed out the dining room that was full of dark wood furniture and a thick, plush carpet. The room was quite big, but it would be impossible to tell due to the ugly furniture taking up more space than was necessary. They walked through to the reception room where the father pointed out family photographs on the wall and it only really hit Shiyao then and there, as she became transfixed for a moment on the younger version of the mother who looked exactly like her, that these people were her mother and father.

But they weren't.

They just created her.

“Would you like to see your bedroom?"

"Yes."

The mother led her upstairs, opening the door at the end of the hall on the right.

Shiyao entered carefully, a crib and stuffed toys catching her attention. She walked slowly as she tried to ignore the sound of the mother's sobs. The room was cleaned recently, it seemed, though there were thick layers of dust in places they hadn't quite reached. Shiyao's eyes fixed on a jewelry box and her steps quickened as she made her way towards it, opening it without hesitation.

A jade pendant in the shape of a monkey lay inside.

"A monkey?" she questioned, picking it up to examine it in the light.

"That's the year you were born."

"Sure." she replied, not knowing what that meant.

"It's the monkey year again this year, you'll be twenty-four."

"I'm twenty-five."

"No, you're definitely twenty-four." the father chuckled, "We were there."

His laugh died down quickly upon seeing his daughter's fierce expression, not knowing it wasn't directed towards him.

Another lie? Or, more likely, the Witches just guessed how old she was when they stole her. Whatever. She took another look at the pendant and decided that she quite liked it, pocketing it and taking one final look at the room before decidedly walking out, stopping at the top of the staircase where the mother spoke out:

"I don't suppose you've given it any thought, but perhaps you would like to come and live with us? We have missed you so much, today really feels like a dream, I couldn't ask for a better gift and we have another room you can take for yourself, we-"

"No."

Shiyao noted the surprised or... hurt expression the mother's face.

"Thank you. No, thank you."

"We understand." the father nodded, patting his wife on the shoulder as tears dripped down her face.

"Then we will take our leave." Jun politely commented, bowing once more to them and wincing slightly as Shiyao strolled straight down the stairs.

"Shiyao! Before you go..." the woman sprang from her husband's grip and ran after her daughter, leaving the two men on the landing.

"You must be very tired from this all, Uncle." Jun said.

"Well... it's not unexpected. Yaoyao won't remember anything of us, but we had a whole two years with her. I never imagined those Witches would be so bold as to use her as their own soothsayer."

"Shiyao was a very accomplished civil servant, Uncle. She was the navigation for their royalty. Without her they weren't capable of anything. She's amazing."

"Jun... do you perhaps have some intentions towards my daughter?"

"Oh she took my heart and ran away with it the first day we met."

"And does she feel the same way?"

"I can only hope so, Uncle."

Shiyao was very quiet on the journey to the capital. She spent the whole time with her knees up on the seat, her arms linked around them and her head resting against the carriage.

Thank goodness they'd never slept together.

"My darling, what's bothering you?"

Jun didn't miss how Shiyao's eyes squeezed tight as he used the pet name.

"Don't call me that."

She ignored his sharp intake of breath and flinched away from his touch when he tried to take her hand.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"You made me fall for you."

"Is that not something you're happy about?"

"WE'RE RELATED!" she yelled, taking the gentle man aback.

"...Yes, we are. What's wrong?"

"We can't be together, Jun. That's messed up."

"We're second cousins... not first, not that that's unusual either, but, it's perfectly normal amongst nobility."

"It's disgusting! We're still one family, this would never happen in Ranhara."

"We're not in Ranhara, Shiyao, and you'd do well to remember that things here are different!"

Jun would never forget how she looked at him at that moment, a mixture of fear and surprise at his sharp tone. In fact, the more he looked at her the more he realised how scared she seemed. She was so small and drawn into herself. A lot had happened over the last two days and he supposed he was being too harsh. No, he knew he was being too harsh, but he had never expected her to be so... offended by the thought of their relationship now that she knew.

It didn't even occur to him that it was something worth mentioning.

Shiyao shut her eyes as they carried on towards the where the Guorun Palace was located, some ten kilometres away from her parents home.

A million thoughts ran through her mind as she kept her head down on her knees, hiding her face from view.

Twisty ropes of unease and disgust wrangled around in her stomach as she suddenly regretted ever agreeing to go back. Sure, this was her home, but Ranhara was all she ever knew and at least there she knew who she was and what her role was and even though there was no way of stopping the takeover, she could've left with...

Min.

Though now she thought back on the Werewolves in Kijj who wouldn't let her past, it suddenly occured to her that it was because they knew she wasn't a Witch. Deliberately choosing Zhan over Min was because she knew that Zhan would at least try to get the citizens out before the Demons could do a lot of damage and Min definitely would've demanded that all citizens remain to fight - she knew it because she saw it as clear as day in her visions. It was the right thing to do in the end, Min was supposed to be the King and many more people were supposed to die but even after all the shit he pulled, the people he'd killed and regardless of how much of an arrogant asshole he could be, she did not want to see him die. She lied for him and for the country. The stupid soft spot that remained in her heart for him was what saved him in the end.

Now look at her

What the fuck was she supposed to do now?

She didn't know anyone here, she couldn't do anything for herself, and after Jun dropped that bombshell, she just couldn't accept it - it was like someone threw an icy bucket of water over her feelings for him. A lot of people wouldn't care, she knew. Even in Ranhara, there might have been a chunk of people who, considering her circumstances, wouldn't think of it as a big deal. They were virtual strangers, genetically distant enough, but it was hardly too much to ask to be with someone you didn't share relatives with, regardless of how good looking they were. It might not have mattered to anyone else, but it mattered to her and what she thought mattered more than anything else.

There was no going back to Ranhara, and no chance of her going to Western Pernesia.

Min was long gone.

She had no job, house or purpose in Revenet.

How was she supposed to survive?