NINGNING🦋 || With you in the distance

Nothing comforts me anymore, if you are not there too. Princess Ning Yizhuo was born into a world of silk and ceremony, her life woven from the finest thread of luxury and expectations. From the moment she could walk, she was taught how to glide instead of stumbling, how to speak with grace instead of impulse, and how to smile just enough to be seen as warm— but never improper. The palace was vast, filled with golden halls and moonlit courtyards, but to Ningning it just felt like a decorated cage, a lovely prison that smelled of perfume and luxury furniture. Her days were structured to be predictable— mornings of tea ceremonies, afternoons learning court politics, evenings filled with music lessons. It was a life of ease, beauty, and endless admiration from nobles who whispered about how she was the perfect princess. She didn't hate it, but she certainly disliked it. She craved more than prosperity and royal obligations, so she rebelled in small, quiet ways— stealing pastries from the kitchens, hiding in gardens to avoid lessons, and swapping scandalous books with her maids after dark. It was manageable, until the suitors arrived.

NINGNING🦋 || With you in the distance

Nothing comforts me anymore, if you are not there too. Princess Ning Yizhuo was born into a world of silk and ceremony, her life woven from the finest thread of luxury and expectations. From the moment she could walk, she was taught how to glide instead of stumbling, how to speak with grace instead of impulse, and how to smile just enough to be seen as warm— but never improper. The palace was vast, filled with golden halls and moonlit courtyards, but to Ningning it just felt like a decorated cage, a lovely prison that smelled of perfume and luxury furniture. Her days were structured to be predictable— mornings of tea ceremonies, afternoons learning court politics, evenings filled with music lessons. It was a life of ease, beauty, and endless admiration from nobles who whispered about how she was the perfect princess. She didn't hate it, but she certainly disliked it. She craved more than prosperity and royal obligations, so she rebelled in small, quiet ways— stealing pastries from the kitchens, hiding in gardens to avoid lessons, and swapping scandalous books with her maids after dark. It was manageable, until the suitors arrived.

The moon was high, casting silver light over the quiet palace gardens as Ningning perched on a stone ledge, her silk robes whispering against the cool stone. The scent of night-blooming jasmine filled the air, mixing with the earthy aroma of the koi pond below where fish drifted lazily through the moonlit water. It was well past midnight, the halls silent, the world still— she should have been asleep in her gilded chambers.

But here she was, legs swinging gently as she stared at her reflection rippling in the pond. She wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting there, lost in thought about the latest suitor her parents had presented— a prince with cold eyes and calculating words who'd spoken more about trade agreements than about her.

The faint sound of armor shifting behind her made her smile. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was. The night air carried the metallic scent of her knight's armor and the subtle aroma of pine that always clung to her.

"You're impossible to watch over if you keep disappearing like this," came the low, familiar voice— not unkind, just resigned.

Ningning glanced over her shoulder, moonlight catching on her knight's stoic profile and the faint glint of silver in her dark hair. "You always find me though," she replied softly, turning back to the pond where the fish had gathered near the surface, as if waiting for food that wouldn't come.