Chapter 3 — Song of the Venom Pearl

Ta Duc was terrified that night and wept without pause. No matter how my mother tried to soothe him, he would not stop, pacing back and forth in frantic anxiety. According to the wet nurse, the boy kept calling out my name. Hearing this, I prepared a few sweet pastries with my own hands and brought them over to visit him.

Upon stepping into the room, I was met with my mother’s gaze—complex and tinged with reproach. "If you had not taken Duc into the back garden to fly kites, he would never have been frightened like this," she said coldly. "In the future, it would be best if you saw less of him."

My steps faltered, and my hands holding the tray grew unsteady. The moment Ta Duc spotted me, he scrambled off the bed and rushed over to throw his arms around my legs.

"It was not Elder Sister's fault!" he cried out. "I begged her to take me kite-flying!"

I squatted down and shook my head softly. "Little Duc is not to blame. You were very brave; you protected me. In my eyes, you are a true, courageous young man."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Then Little Duc is not afraid anymore! I am a man!"

"Then eat some pastry and go to sleep, alright? A brave young man fears nothing, right?"

I stroked his head and offered the tray. A brilliant light sparked in his eyes, but he turned to look at my mother. My mother reached out and pushed the tray out of his line of sight.

"Duc should not eat sweets at night," she said flatly. "Return to your quarters; he needs to sleep now."

"No! I want to eat the pastries Elder Sister made..."

Noticing the stern look in my mother's eyes, I softened my voice to comfort him. "I forgot to add sugar to these pastries. Next time, I will make them properly and make them delicious for you."

After much coaxing, he was finally settled, and I watched my mother carry him behind the bed curtains. Only then did I turn away with a heavy heart and step out into the night.

As I pulled the door shut, the soft sound of a mother’s lullaby drifted from within. Perhaps the night wind had blown dust into my eyes, for I had to rub them as a sharp sting rose in my nose. A single tear fell onto the edge of a snow-white pastry, blurring the delicate peach blossom blossom decoration crafted atop it.

"If you are not going to eat it, do not waste good food."

From the covered corridor, Ta Chu's figure gradually emerged from the darkness. I looked at him in surprise. How long had he been standing there?

He walked over unhurriedly, naturally took the tear-stained pastry, and popped it into his mouth.

"You..."

"Everything here is bought with the grain and wealth of the Prime Minister's estate. Are you going to squander my father's money so carelessly?"

"I..."

"Hmph... Only foolish Little Duc would believe this pastry lacks sugar. Did you substitute salt for sugar?"

"That is impossible..." Disbelieving, I took a piece of the pastry to taste it myself. "It is clearly... sweet..."

"Is it sweet?"

"Yes."

"Then that is enough. Why rely on others? When life feels bitter, add your own sugar—will it not become sweet again?"

His words were spoken lightly, but the profound meaning behind them was impossible to miss. I raised my head slightly to look at him, a feeling difficult to name welling up within my heart.

Yet he let out a faint sigh. "In the past, I too hoped Father would forever cherish my late mother..."

"But it was not long before he married your mother."

"I understand that my young brother needed someone to care for him... But Father truly loves your mother."

"At that time, I felt that life was hardly worth living. Devotion and affection were nothing more than self-deception."

No wonder he had always been so cold toward me. It turned out that deep down, he still held a bitter grievance against my father and mother. Noticing my persistent gaze, he coughed softly, looking somewhat self-conscious.

I ventured to ask, "But my mother has never treated you poorly. Why are you unwilling to open your heart?"

He remained silent, looking up at the sky.

"Father has forgotten her, and my little brother has forgotten her... If even I forget her..."

His voice choked, as though swallowing his emotion whole. My heart trembled softly, and I too looked up at the night sky.

"Your mother must have loved you very dearly, which is why she guided my mother to your side."

Ta Chu's frame quivered slightly, his eyes gazing at me as deeply as the night sky. Overwhelmed by his intense gaze, I flusteredly offered a curtsy. "Elder Brother, it is late. I shall take my leave."

A flicker of disappointment seemed to pass through his eyes, though he merely gave a faint, indifferent response.

Perhaps... I had simply misseen it.

The Prime Minister engaged an elderly nanny to teach me inner court etiquette and the four classic arts expected of a noble daughter in the capital. Smiling, he told me that these skills would surely prove useful when I married in the future. But I knew the truth: he merely feared I would bring shame upon the Prime Minister’s estate once more.

Because of this, I devoted myself entirely to my studies. Burning incense, hanging paintings, arranging flowers, and brewing tea—I grasped every discipline quickly, earning praise from the nanny for my natural talent. Only my handwriting remained unsightly, utterly unfit to show to outsiders. Should I become the mistress of a household in the future, I would have to handwrite invitations to various noble residences. The nanny instructed me to practice my calligraphy every day at noon.

The study sat beside the pond, airy and bright, with a floor-to-ceiling window. As the sunlight filtered through, it made me feel somewhat drowsy. Unbeknownst to me, a tall shadow fell over me from behind.

"Being so lazy, even Little Duc outperforms you."

Already irritated by the harsh sun, hearing his customary mockery made me blurt out a reply: "Indeed, I am not equal to Little Duc. His calligraphy was taught by you, and his brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone were personally prepared by Mother."

"I have no elder brother to guide me, nor a mother to love me. Naturally, I cannot compare to him!"

Ta Chu had likely not expected me to talk back. His eyes darkened, gazing at my flushed, angry face with an inscrutable depth. He rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward, almost enveloping my entire body within his posture.

"What... what are you doing?!"

He took my hand, holding it firmly within his warm palm.

"Were you not complaining that I only tutor Little Duc?"

"Then now, I shall teach you."

I instantly regretted the words I had just uttered. Little Duc was his blood brother, but what was I? Remembering how he had once told me to keep my proper place, my heart swelled with deep distress. Yet he seemed entirely unaware of my turmoil, guiding my hand to dip the brush into the ink.

The palm of his hand pressed tightly against the back of mine, our warm breaths mingling together. My mind grew increasingly scrambled, and in a flurry of panic, I released the brush.

Escaping from his embrace as if fleeing for my life, ink splattered across the white paper, leaving dark ripples like the surface of a disturbed pond.

"I... my station is humble. I dare not trouble Elder Brother."

Having said this, I hastily turned and departed. Glancing back, his lonely figure standing along the corridor seemed to blur quietly into the shadows.