Early in the morning while Zi-ning was in the midst of sipping her breakfast congee, an excited Shujin came bursting into the room, her face brimming with eagerness. "Miss, did you hear? The Shadow Lord is arriving back at the capital later today!"

"The Shadow Lord?"

Zi-ning didn't know much about the Shadow Lord, except for his reputation as the most fearsome general in the kingdom. In her previous lifetime the only man that she cared about was Ru-an and she never spared a moment to bother with anyone else, hence there was much about the kingdom that she didn't know. She did remember one thing about this man though—that he had met with a tragic end on the battlefield while he was still in his prime, all thanks to the cruel betrayal of the fifth prince. A betrayal that had been aided by her stupidity.

An inexplicable sense of guilt welled up inside her when that name reached her ears.

Shujin nodded. "Everyone's talking about it in the market," she said. "This is the first time in over five years that the Shadow Lord has returned to the capital. There are tons of people lining up at the gates wanting to catch a glimpse of him. Should we go too?"

Zi-ning smiled, shaking her head. "What's there to see? He's just a general. There are plenty of generals in the kingdom. Minister Song used to be a general himself until he decided to take up a position in the imperial court."

"He's not just any general, this is the Shadow Lord!" her maidservant insisted, sounding offended that she was comparing the man to just any other. "He's the youngest appointed general in the kingdom. People are saying that the king has asked the crown prince himself to receive the Shadow Lord at the city gates. Can you imagine that? That's how much the king values him!"

Zi-ning pondered upon her maidservant's words for a moment.

If what she said was true and the king had indeed instructed for the crown prince to welcome the Shadow Lord back to the capital, that action in itself spoke volumes of the Shadow Lord's influence in the kingdom. Perhaps it would be a good idea to find out more about this mysterious existence. Your enemy's enemy was your friend, after all. Ru-an had plotted to get rid of the man in her previous life, so he would likely attempt to do the same again. However, if the Shadow Lord had gotten wind of the prince's intentions in advance, would the outcome have been the same?

Looking up at Shujin, she said, "Alright, since I haven't got anything planned this afternoon, I suppose there's no harm going down to join in the excitement."

Shujin squealed in excitement, immediately dashing for the door. "I'll get the carriage prepared immediately!" she said.

Zi-ning wasn't the only one who had decided to go down to witness the fanfare surrounding the Shadow Lord's return. When she stepped out of the manor, her sisters Meiyan and Meisi were also there preparing to board their own carriage.

"Whereabouts are you going, Zi-ning?" Meiyan asked, plastering a stiff smile on her face. Ever since the queen's gathering in the palace, Meiyan's attitude towards Zi-ning had been a stark contrast to what it used to be. In the past the girl would pretend to be the perfect, caring, older sister, frequently stopping by Zi-ning's quarters for tea. Since realising that Zi-ning was no longer the obedient pushover that she was before, Meiyan had started keeping her distance, not willing to associate with her as much.

"Shujin told me that there's going to be quite a bit of excitement in town today because the Shadow Lord is returning to the capital. I was thinking of going down to The Golden Goose to join in the fun. What about you?" The Golden Goose was a famous restaurant located not far from the southern city gate, which was the main gate of the capital. If they managed to get a private room there, they would have a clear view of all the fanfare going on down below.

"Oh, that's a coincidence. We were planning to go there too. We can go together then," Meiyan replied, the corners of her fake smile twitching unnaturally as she spoke. Unlike Meiyan, who was a seasoned actress, Meisi could not conceal her displeasure as well. She scowled and entered the carriage in a huff, not bothering to say a word to her older sister.

"Sure."

Since they had already prepared two separate carriages, the sisters proceeded as originally planned, with Zi-ning sitting in her own carriage while the other two girls shared another. It was just as well, because Zi-ning did not care for making small talk and she knew they shared the same sentiments.

"Miss, do we have to go along with the other two young misses?" Shujin grumbled.

Zi-ning laughed. "Why? Are you less inclined to go now that you know they'll be joining us? I thought you were really excited to see the Shadow Lord?"

"I am!" Shujin exclaimed. "It's just that..." She pursed her lips together into a small pout. "What if we bump into the princes there? If we go together with them, Miss Meiyan will surely try to steal the princes' attention away from you. She always does that."

"What's wrong with that? It'll be entertaining," she replied, lifting the curtain a little to peer out at the passing townscape. Huangcheng was the largest city in the kingdom of Duan and it was a prosperous sight to behold. Shops selling all sorts of colourful wares lined the cobbled streets and hawkers enticed passers-by with the fragrant aromas of their freshly-baked snacks. They passed by rows of shops with their beautiful emerald-tiled roofs and polished signboards, customers squeezing in and out armed with purchases of all shapes and sizes.

"No, it'll be annoying," her young maidservant retorted, folding her arms across her chest.

"Shujin," Hana warned, "don't spout rubbish."

Although they were the same age, Hana was the more level-headed and sensible of her two servant girls and often had to play the role of older sister to the more exuberant Shujin. While she watched her two maidservants bicker back and forth along the way, Zi-ning smiled, thankful that she had been given the chance to see both of them again. Now that she had a second chance, she was determined to prevent the tragedies of the past from happening again.

After a short journey, the carriage pulled to a stop in front of The Golden Goose. The Shadow Lord's reputation far preceded him as the streets leading from the southern gate to the palace were already lined with tons of people, jostling to get the best spot to watch his entourage pass by. The restaurant was also bustling with customers, but because Minister Han was a frequent patron of the place, the boss was only more than willing to open a private room on the third floor for the girls when he saw them enter.

"You're lucky," he said to them as he led them up the stairs, "because the customers that had originally booked the room had to cancel the reservation at the last minute. Otherwise it'll be impossible to get a room at any restaurant in the area today." He smiled widely as he pushed open the door to the room. "This room happens to have one of the best views of the southern gate. You'll be able to see everything quite clearly from here."

The owner was quite right about the view. Standing by the window, Zi-ning had a full view of the stoic city gates, the white and gold flags of the kingdom flying high above the walls. The crowd gathered along the streets was sizeable but two rows of burly guards had already lined up to keep the path clear for the entourage to proceed.

"Look, Miss!" Meiyan's maidservant Liren pointed down the street, her large eyes glinting with excitement.

A few men on horseback were riding down the cobblestones. At the head of the group was none other than the crown prince himself, followed by the fifth and eighth princes and the two Huang siblings. They were accompanied by some of the other court officials and palace guards. The gold thread on Ru-quan's maroon outfit shimmered under the reflection of the sun's strong rays, as did the gold cuff that he had used to hold up his dark hair in a top knot.

"Are those the princes?" Meisi asked, keeping her eyes peeled to the riders as they passed by, riding towards the gates.

"The one in front is Crown Prince Ru-quan," Meiyan replied, "and behind him are the fifth and eighth princes. The one in blue is the fifth prince, Ru-an, and the one in grey is the eighth prince, Ru-wen."

"They all look so dashing!" Meisi swooned, clasping her hands together.

Zi-ning shook her head, taking her seat by the table. Shujin quickly poured her young mistress a cup of tea, though her eyes kept roving towards the open windows. The crowd downstairs was cheering loudly as the royal entourage passed them by, all eager to catch a glimpse of their princes. Zi-ning had to admit that the group of men on horseback made was quite a feast for the eyes, but she was past all that now.

When she had seen Ru-an riding down the street on his dark horse, there was nothing but coldness and emptiness in her gaze. Her heart no longer beat for him, that was for sure. In fact, her heart no longer beat for anything but hatred. How could it? After all, she had already died once.

The restaurant attendants delivered their food to them in no time at all but Zi-ning was the only one interested in eating. The other girls were much more concerned with staring dreamily out of the window at the waiting princes, fantasising about what it would be like to marry one of them.

Zi-ning was in the midst of chewing on some tender bamboo shoots cooked with garlic and spring onions when the loud horns rang out from above the city walls.

"He's here! The Shadow Lord!" Meisi called out, craning her neck and leaning out of the window just so she could get the first glimpse of him.

The heavy city gates groaned as the guards pulled them open and everyone waited with bated breath for the infamous Shadow Lord and his men to enter the capital. The princes and the rest of the welcome party had dismounted their horses and were now standing in front of the open gates.

Zi-ning wiped the corners of her lips with a napkin before slowly getting up to her feet and walking over towards one of the windows.

The sounds of pounding hooves could be heard drifting over the city walls, but the grey stone prevented people from seeing what was taking place outside. Then, a black stallion rode through the gates, carrying its rider proudly on its back. The horse wore a silver mask across its face, its dark mane glistening under the sun's rays. Likewise, its rider was wearing armour black as night, with a matching black cape hanging across his shoulders. His dark hair was tied up with a silver cuff, matching the silver of the mask that obscured the top half of his face.

Is that him?

Behind the lead rider came two other men, both wearing the same black armour and riding atop black steeds, and then came the flagbearers and two neat rows of soldiers on horseback, all in the signature black of the Shadow Army. The cheering had abruptly halted and everyone held their breaths as they gazed upon this grand entrance.

The masked man pulled at the reins of horse, raising his hand into the air. The entire entourage came to a stop. He swiftly dismounted his horse, walking up to the crown prince and the rest of the welcome party.

"Is that the Shadow Lord?" Meisi asked, still poking her head of the window. "Why's he wearing that mask? I can't even see his face properly."

"Who knows?" Meiyan replied, shrugging her shoulders. "He's been at the border fighting battles for so many years, maybe he has some terrible scars on his face that he wants to hide?"

"Miss, the Shadow Lord seems scary," Shujin whispered into Zi-ning's ear.

The man's aura was undeniable. From the moment he had appeared through the city gates, his presence immediately garnered a respectful silence, as if making a single sound was now a punishable crime. From where they were on the third floor of the restaurant, they could even hear the sounds of his boots grinding against the pebbles on the road.

"He's just a man," Zi-ning replied, observing the newcomer with interest. There was something about him that felt familiar to her, although she couldn't quite place it. She didn't remember ever having met him before, not in this life nor the previous one, yet that silhouette seemed to be tugging at some forgotten strand in her memory.

The Shadow Lord walked up to the crown prince, before kneeling down respectfully before him. The men that he had brought along did likewise, their knees hitting the ground in an impressive, unified manner.

"Your Highnesses," they heard him say. His voice was deep and mellow, resonating with a certain cold conviction that could only belong to someone who had countless of victories under his belt. This was a man who had taken countless of lives on the battlefield, whose hands were stained with blood and whose eyes had seen destruction like no other. It was no wonder his voice sounded like it was laced with ice.

Zi-ning frowned.

"General Du," the crown prince said, taking the man by the shoulders and beckoning for him to stand, "I trust you and your men have had a safe journey. I am so pleased that you have finally returned! We have been rejoicing at the news of your recent victories. Come, the king is waiting for you back at the palace."

The crown prince's attendant brought his horse forward, helping Ru-quan mount the saddle. The other men followed suit, as did the Shadow Lord who returned to his black steed. The crown prince rode at the front of the pack, as was protocol, and on his command the entire entourage began to ride into the city and towards the palace.

As the retinue made its way past The Golden Goose, the man with the silver mask suddenly stopped, turning to look up at the window where Zi-ning was at. The frown that Zi-ning had been wearing on her forehead deepened just as their eyes met.

I have seen you before, haven't I?

"Meiyan, the princes are looking at us!" Meisi suddenly burst out, unable to contain her excitement.

The Shadow Lord's momentary pause had attracted the attention of the other members of his party and the three princes had turned to look up towards them as well. When the crown prince caught sight of Zi-ning, his eyes lit up with surprise, although it didn't take him long to gather his senses back together and remember the duty that had been thrust upon his shoulders.

"General, is something the matter?" he called out.

The Shadow Lord held Zi-ning's gaze for another moment, then he tore it away, looking back towards the front.

"No," he said. "It's nothing."