Four Months Ago (Part 10)

Presently in Cheng Yue Palace...

Within absolute darkness, next to Xiao Yiu's ears, an extremely faint voice kept calling, "Consort Liu. Consort Liu, can you hear me?"

[Whose voice is it?] Xiao Yiu wondered. [It's a little familiar… But why does this girl sound so anxious?]

"Consort Liu. Consort Liu, can you hear me?"

[Again] Xiao Yiu heard the voice repeating. [So familiar… where have I heard…. Yun…yun-]

"Consort…" the voice desperately called out but was cut off abruptly.

[Who is it?]

A sudden trepidation gripped at her chest, suffocating her to the point she woke. Sweat like waterfall drenched Xiao Yiu's forehead as her body awkwardly jerked up. Her eyelids flew open to near darkness. "W-what was that?" she breathed heavily. The voice that was once clear in her ears faded until she could no longer recall it. Only the sensation of an absent dream lingered. Moving her hands to prop herself more comfortably up from the cold floor, she scanned her surroundings. "Where am I?" she meekly questioned.

She was currently in a dusty room that had random piles of bricks, rusty equipment and cobwebbed furniture in. Most of the windows were blocked up by wood, stopping any natural light from entering. Though some of the ceiling tiles were shattered so the room wasn't in complete darkness. Sparing daylight filtered through these cracks. On the left side of the wall, knocked down bricks left a massive hole in the bottom corner.

Xiao Yiu got up and moved towards a window. She peered outside a gap in the wooden planks that sealed it. The scenery outside looked recognisable to her. "I need a better view," she decided heading towards the hole in the wall. Although it was a massive hole, it wasn't big enough to fit a person through. Xiao Yiu laid down on her belly and peered out. "Oh," she surprisingly gasped. She recognised the backyard outside and the main building too. "This must be the abandoned annex building," she worked out, sitting up. "So I'm still inside my Cheng Yue Palace," she began to pat the dust off her clothes. "But why am I inside the annex building? I was eating in the main hall, then...."

[It can't be] a dreading realization hit her. [Did it happen again? My memories....] Xiao Yiu began to shudder at the notion. Anxiously, she looked at her clothes to check. "These are the same clothes I was wear-" Her eyes widened in fear as she suppressed a scream from escaping her lips. Her body trembled even more than before. "B-blood..." she panicked. She started to feel around her own body. "I-I'm not hurt. I don't have any wounds," Xiao Yiu discerned. She stared at the blood stains on her sleeve. An even more frightening thought struck her [I-is this someone else's blood?]

Xiao Yiu clenched at her furiously beating chest. The feeling of fear gripping her so tight that she was struggling to breathe. "Again," she uttered, "it happened again. I don't remember anything." She took in very deep breaths, trying to regain control of her trembling body. [Why? It hasn't happened for so long. I thought it was gone] she felt sweat on her palms. [What did I do this time? Why did I come here?]

BANG!

Doors to the annex building violently burst open. Natural light instantly impaled the old, dimmed room. Xiao Yiu's body seem to momentarily freeze from being startled as Prince Ping stepped inside. Behind him was Consort Zhou, Consort Tong, Sixi and Jing Ke. Normally Xiao Yiu would be delighted to see Xia Qian Ping, the man she loves. However, her emotions right now were a splendid mess; conquered by dread and uncertainty, she couldn't move nor speak.

Prince Ping gazed at Xiao Yiu who was sat on the floor to the side. [Why] he mentally questioned. [Why is she like this? Did something happen?] He noted her quivering body and fearful expression. [Liu Ding Yiu, are you alright?] He parted his lips, wanting to speak those words which he forced back.

"Your highness, look," an eager sounding Liluo shouted. She pointed to an object on the floor in the middle of the room. "It's a cursed doll."

Prince Ping turned his attention to the object that Sixi now went to pick up. "Bring it here," he demanded.

Sixi handed the object to Prince Ping.

Now clutching the object in his hand, Prince Ping felt a rush of anger course through his body. It was exactly as described on that anonymous piece of paper. A black straw doll with a yellow paper attached. The name Zhou Yourong was written on it and a needle was sticking out of the chest. [How could you?] he mentally raged. [Liu Ding Yiu, I never thought you were like this. That you were this kind of a person]. "Liu Ding Yiu," he shouted, glaring at her. "What have you done?"