Chapter 2 — Headless Bride

4

When I opened my eyes again, I discovered that I was back in Tran Hang's study room. I hastily walked towards him, but watched helplessly as my hand passed through his body. It turns out, I'm really dead.

“Ah Hang!”

Tam Tu's voice rang out from the study door, her pale face was full of tears, her hair was messy from running quickly. The panic and helplessness in her made people feel pity. She rushed into Tran Hang's arms, her eyes trembling like a frightened deer.

“Save me, A Hang…!”

“Ah Hang, I killed someone, what should I do now?”

Tran Hang couldn't bear to see Tham Tu shed tears, and couldn't bear to see her being wronged. Before she entered the palace, I - as the mother - was reminded over and over again not to mistreat her, as if I had committed a heinous crime. Tham Tu cried while talking, tears like rain, and kept saying he was scared. I quietly floated in mid-air, staring blankly at Dai Ly Tu Khanh, who was always calm and collected, but awkwardly wiped away the tears of the person in my arms. He received my bloody dagger from Tham Tu's hand, his eyebrows furrowed. He supported her trembling shoulders.

“Don't be afraid, lead me there.”

5

I couldn't control my movements, so I quietly followed the two back to the suburbs. Under the cold moonlight, my body was already lying motionless in the stone forest. The soil below was dyed black, the whole scene reeked of blood. Tran Hang stood next to my lifeless body, gently caressing the ring on his left finger. I know, you're thinking. Thinking about how to clear the sins of the person in our heart, how to handle our corpse - a difficult trouble. Tham Tu's sobs continued to echo endlessly. After a while, she walked behind him and gently pulled his sleeve:

“Ah Hang, I'm sorry... I caused trouble for you again... I don't want to affect your future because of me... Tomorrow morning, I will go to Dai Ly Tu to confess my crime.”

The last few words, Tham Tu's voice trembled, tears filled her eyes, but she still tried to hold them back from falling. Tran Hang sighed. He gently held her hand: "Don't cry anymore, okay?"

“It's just a maid who doesn't know the rules, don't worry about it.”

He took her hand and left the stone forest, taking her to the pavilion outside to rest:

“Wait for me here for a moment, don't look back.”

Then, he returned to my body and pulled out the long sword at his side. The blade was like cold moonlight, exuding a chilling chill.

6

In a moment that flashed like lightning, I suddenly understood what he intended to do. This place is close to the imperial city, at the feet of heaven, hiding a murder is definitely not easy. But he is Dai Ly Tu Khanh and understands that solving crimes requires relying on evidence. If the body is destroyed tonight, even if someone accuses it later, without a corpse as evidence, at best it will only be considered a missing person. The night wind blew away the clouds, the moonlight shone on my face, as pale and cold as when I was alive. I looked at the sword he held high, and finally couldn't help but scream at him:

"I'm already dead, why don't you leave me alone?"

“After all, I was once your wife, please leave me a little bit face!”

“Even if you burn me, it's okay! Please let me leave this world in peace!”

I rushed to block in front of him, but the sadness contained in my heart could not make even a sound. The blade glides through my soul.

“Sorry.”

That was Tran Hang's last words to me. The hand swings the sword and slashes down. My heart, following that sword strike, became empty.

7

I looked at the head being rolled to the side, only to realize that the liquid I spent a large amount of money to buy was actually not very smart. There was even still blood leaking from the edges that were not tightly glued. Tran Hang stared at my head for a few seconds, then suddenly lifted his foot, as if he wanted to step forward.

“Ah Hang, are you done yet?”

Tham Tu suddenly appeared behind the stone forest, his face pale, his sideburns still covered in cold sweat. Tran Hang immediately turned around and caught her body, which was staggering and about to fall:

“Didn't I tell you to wait in the pavilion, why did you come here?”

As he spoke, he leaned over, deliberately hiding my scary body, for fear of scaring her.

"I'm fine, I just have a slight headache. I've been waiting for a while and haven't seen you come back, so I'm worried."

“Ah Hang, it's almost dawn.”

Tran Hang turned around:

“Yes, it's almost done.”

I looked at my distorted body and felt an indescribable horror. Suddenly, I remembered the first year after getting married to Tran Hang, on the occasion of the coronation ceremony, I used to wear an exorcism mask and joke with him in the crowd. Yet he can always recognize me in a sea of people. At that time, he gently lifted my chin, a warm smile shining in his eyes:

“She is my wife, no matter what she turns into, I will still recognize her.”

But now, people change, people's hearts change easily. Being so close, Tran Hang has no time to think about who I am.

8

Tran Hang returned to the palace, Tham Tu's bloody clothes were burned, and the dagger was also thrown into the dry well behind the garden. At this time, he had washed his hands and put on white clothes, completely unlike the person who had just destroyed the body and left it behind. Having worked hard all night, Tran Hang sat on the bed and gently rubbed his temples.

“Where is the lady? Have you found it yet?”

The butler knelt beside him, not daring to raise his head, stammering in response:

“The lady was still in the palace last night, she must not have gone far.”

“Tomorrow... tomorrow morning there will definitely be news.”

"If such a small matter can't be done, those guards don't need to stay in the palace anymore!"

Tran Hang smiled coldly, picked up the tea cup and threw it hard on the ground. I just find it funny. Tran Hang is always like that, always playing the role of a husband who loves me very much in front of outsiders.