Huian's hand hovered over the quiver of arrows before her gaze drifted to the targets set in front of her. Eighty-percent of her shots had met their target, but twenty-percent had veered off by a long shot. She gritted her teeth together as she placed an arrow in place and pulled back the bowstring, her back muscles shifting with the motion. She stared at the head of the figurine in front of her and let the arrow sail. It lodged into the dummy's neck. She frowned.

Chun clapped excitedly from behind her. Huian pursed her lips together and looked over her shoulder at the overly happy woman. It was hard to imagine that they were the same age sometimes. She reminded Huian of a small child that was excited to receive sweet treats any time something good happened. Huian took the jug of water she offered her and took a sip of it. Coolness slithered down her throat and she sighed contently. How long had she been practicing her archery? By the looks of it, the entire afternoon.

Chun hugged the jug to her waist when Huian handed it back to her. "You're as impressive as always, my lady."

Huian didn't answer to that and instead took another arrow from the quiver. She notched it and aimed at the dummy's heart. She let go, watching as it whizzed through the sky before smacking straight into the chest. Satisfaction pulled at the corner of her lips. "Did my father send you to tell me something?"

"Yes, he did, actually."

"What is it?"

"He asked if you packed everything you wanted to take."

"I have."

"Alright, I will tell that to him."

"All I need is my sword," she said with a shrug. "Other than that, nothing else concerns me. No, even then, the Yao family can supply me with anything that I want or need."

The maidservant bobbed her head slowly. "Oh, I see."

Truthfully, Huian didn't have any belongings that she cared about. Many people held items dear to their heart and yet she didn't. Her father held onto his grandfather's sword like it meant the world to him, while her half-brother loved his collection of miniature statues. She oftentimes wondered if that made her a cold and bizarre person to not have any care for any item, but she settled with the fact that she didn't value materialistic things like other people did. Even her dead mother's belongings had little meaning to her—they were just belongings, after all.

"Are you excited to see General Chenglei?"

The arrow slipped from her hand and lodged itself into a tree, five paces away from the target. She arched an incredulous brow at her. "Excuse me?"

Chun flinched. "Uh, err, I mean, you haven't seen him in eight years so I thought maybe you'd be excited to see him again. A lot can change—"

"Stop," Huian said. "I'd rather face a blaze of arrows rather than submit to his will."

She frowned. "But you're going to be his wife—"

"As I've been told multiple times," she said.

"Wives are supposed to—"

"I don't care."

"But you're his prop—"

She slammed her bow on the ground. "Enough."

Chun shrunk back while Huian pushed past her and headed inside. She was tired of hearing the same old nonsense over and over again. She wasn't supposed to do anything. She was tired of everyone speaking down to her as if she was unreasonable for not wanting to submit her will to her husband. Did they not realize who she was? She was Lin Huian and she refused to listen to anyone. She was defiant, she was strong, and she would never allow anyone, man or woman, think that they had control over her.

[Such a feisty attitude.]

"Shut up," she snapped. "I don't need to hear this right now, Bazyn."

Bazyn chuckled, which was something she still couldn't get used to, even after all these years. He had appeared to her shortly after her mother had passed away and declared that he was a demon. Not just any demon, but a five-hundred-year-old demon that was stronger than typical demons. What was interesting was that his true body was locked away, making him weak, and that he wanted her to find the location of his sealed body. What took the cake out of the whole situation, however, was that she was apparently his great-granddaughter.

She didn't even know where to begin with him. "Stay out of my thoughts," she said. "I want to be alone right now."

[Oh, so I'm only useful when you want to use my powers?]

"I didn't mean it like that."

[You can't truly be alone when I'm here.]

"I know."

[It should be comforting.]

"It's suffocating."

[Then how about we find my body and free both of ourselves from this?]

"You know I can't do that."

[Why not?]

He always asked that, even though he knew the answer. She couldn't travel by herself to search for his body. When she was younger, she had told him that she wasn't strong enough to venture by herself for such a mission. Now, the only thing holding her back was her family. Of course she wanted to rid herself of the demon—not because she hated him but because she wanted her privacy back—but it was going to be a long journey once she embarked on it. "When I'm married and Chenglei is off on his campaign, then we can go search for your body," she settled with.

[Thank you.]

"Don't show gratitude, it's gross. Demons don't do that."

[But you're my daughter.]

"Great-granddaughter," she corrected. "Even then, only by your word. I still have a hard time believing a demon, a creature borne of evil and arrogance, slept with a human to produce a child."

[It's true. I have no concern for humans, but your great-grandmother was something else.]

"Something else?" She turned the hallway and almost bumped into two servants, who bowed down hurriedly and got out of her way. She breezed past them.

[She was a beauty. Much like you.]

"All men think the same." She rolled her eyes as she made it to her room. She pulled the sliding door open and trekked inside. Everything was neatly stacked into five large trunks. Her maidservants had been the ones to pack away all the clothing that they thought fitting. She hadn't cared in the least. "They go crazy for a pretty face."

[Not many men like you, even though you're pretty.]

"That's because they fear me." She shrugged as she scanned the room for her sword. Once she found it resting on the dresser, she visibly relaxed. "I'm sure many of them admire me."

[From afar. They'd run if they came too close.]

She glared at the ground, wishing he could see how dark her expression was. "You're annoying."

[Tsk. Don't you have any respect for your father?]

"Great-grandfather," she said as she ran her hand over the gilded hilt of her sword. The blade itself didn't hold any sentimental value, but she liked the weight of the sword and the feel of the hilt. If she was able to attain a sword better than this one, she would discard this one and take the next one without even thinking. Materialistic things didn't hold sentimental value to her. "Don't call yourself my father when you're my ancestor."

[Close enough. How cluttered is it to keep calling you great-granddaughter when I can simply call you daughter?]

She sighed. "Do whatever you want."

[I will.]

"I still have a hard time believing that I have demon's blood in me."

[Only about twelve percent.]

"That's still a significant chunk of me that's not human."

[Well, you don't have any magic. You didn't inherit any.]

"I'm quite aware of that."

[You have heightened senses, though. You can sense magic better than typical humans.]

She still wasn't convinced, but shrugged it away. There was no point thinking about it too hard. Unless he was standing in front of her and could offer her solid proof, it was hard for her to believe that she was partially demon. Demons and humans didn't breed, period. If what he was saying was true, she was an abomination. If her father found out—since she got this blood from her mother's side—she would be the shame of the Lin family. She would be a disgrace and would most likely be stoned to death for being born.

There was a part of her, however, that wondered if her affinity to weaponry and her great skill at them was partially due to Bazyn. Although she hadn't inherited demon magic, had she inherited strength from him? She wasn't entirely sure.

She pulled away from her sword and instead sat down on her thick quilted bed. "Hey, I have a question for you."

[What is it?]

"It's a bit personal."

[Alright?]

"The wedding night. What's it like?"

Silence.

"Bazyn?"

[I can't believe you're asking me this.]

"Ba—"

[Me, your father. Your relative.]

"Never mind then."

[It's an awkward question.]

"But you're like five-hundred years old. How is it awkward?"

[It's awkward because my daughter is asking it.]

"So even demons feel awkward?"

[Demons have emotions just like humans. Just because we're superior to humans doesn't mean that we don't feel the same as them.]

"Anyway, do you have an answer?"

[I'm not a woman, so I don't know what to tell you. Why, are you nervous?]

"Honestly, I am."

[Don't be. It's a natural process. You'll get used to it. You'll probably enjoy it too, if he does it right.]

Her cheeks burned and she placed a hand on her forehead. She couldn't believe that he was actually saying that. Truthfully, she was nervous about the wedding night—nervous and furious. No man had seen her naked before. She didn't even want to think about what would run through his mind. She had heard that men liked to dominate women during sex. The thought made her want to vomit. "I really hope you sleep through it," she said. "I don't want you to be there when it happens."

[Of course. I don't want to witness it either.]

She huffed out loud. "I don't even want to get married, much less sleep with the guy."

[Understandably. You don't know him.]

"Nor do I like him."

[You can't judge him based on what happened eight years ago.]

She rolled her eyes. "I don't want to hear another lecture."

[If you say so.]