I fidgeted uncomfortably as Aunt Tiaolin scrutinized me, her eyes narrowing as she looked me over. Next to me, Lihui was practically bursting with glee, her own eyes alight with anticipation. Lifei had gone out to the market (probably looking for potential suitors), but that didn't mean the situation was any better. The judgement the two Liang women were giving me alone was enough to last me seven lifetimes.

"So, Kailun," said Aunt Tiaolin, raising her chin, "you were making an offering?"

"To marry the prince!" Lihui interjected excitedly, her voice sliding into a squeak.

"I wasn't!" I protested. "Why would I make an offering to marry the prince?"

"Respect your elders, Kailun!" Tiaolin snapped, her expression becoming livid with offense. "Don't you dare raise your voice like that."

I held my tongue, but I continued to glare at the two women defiantly. I hadn't done anything wrong; it was all Lihui's creation. What she said wasn't the truth, so I was not going to act guilty or sorry. Lihui had used me as a scapegoat all my life here, and I was sick and tired of it.

"If you must know," I said tersely, "there had been two other girls at the temple making offerings. When Lihui found me, I was only looking at what they'd offered."

"Unlikely!" Lihui's eyes sparkled with enjoyment. She loved to see me scuttle for a foothold in the web of lies she always tangled me into. "Kailun's never been thankful to us. She's always wanted to leave, that ingrate."

"I wasn't the one hiding incense sticks up my sleeve, was I?" I retorted.

"Oh, please," Lihui waved her hand dismissively. "If I marry the prince, honor will be brought to this family. If you do, only shame will be brought."

"You see, Kailun," began Aunt Tiaolin in her most patronizing voice, "you cannot marry at all, or you'll shame the entire family. You can't act so selfishly."

How many times do I have to tell you? I wondered incredulously. I never wanted to marry the stupid prince anyways!

"He probably intends on seducing the prince at the function," Lihui sniffed, feigning offense. A pale hand fluttered to her heart. "Mother, he simply cannot go with us!"

"I know," sighed Aunt Tiaolin. When she turned to me, her expression hardened with disgust, contempt, and irritation. "Kailun, you are forbidden to go to the celebration. My daughters and I will attend, but you will stay here and do chores, understand?"

She spoke those words with sadistic undertones, a small grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. Little did she know--little did everyone know--that I had never planned on going in the first place. I held her gaze evenly, refusing to let her get satisfaction from a reaction.

"That's fine by me," I uttered, my eyes unblinking. "I didn't want to go, anyways. Why are you saying like it's a punishment?"

At those last words, I felt my throat constrict with anger, pushing my sentences out with renewed force and volume. Tiaolin thought I was going to be upset, and she was purposely trying to make me feel worse. My vision became fuzzy with building rage, and I slowly exhaled to regain control of my senses once more. When I could see again, I saw Tiaolin's snide face, her features bunched up into a self-satisfied smirk.

"Fine, Kailun." She waved her hand, motioning for me to leave her sight. "Just don't come with us to the palace tomorrow night, understood?"

"Okay..." I shrugged indifferently before stalking off, silently fuming. Behind me, I heard Lihui whine in annoyance, her mother comforting her by saying that I would regret what I had done soon enough.

Yet again, I found myself leaving home to find solace in another place. It was a routine of mine, since the last couple of years, when my cousins and aunt had become increasingly infuriating. As I left the house, the ceiling opened up into the cool evening sky, shades of violet and indigo, smattered by blinking stars, blanketing me in comforting darkness.

I enjoyed the dark. Aunt Tiaolin detested that about me, because according to her, only criminals and demons did. What she said was true, however. Only the dishonest liked the veil of darkness at night. It covered all they were hiding. In the dark, I felt more free. Other people only saw a rough outline of my figure, and that left me to be able to let myself go. I didn't have to stand in an uncomfortable masculine pose, and I didn't have to hold my face in a certain way anymore. At night was when I could almost be female, and it was liberating.

I paused at the tree outside our house, its aging branches hanging low enough to swipe at my forehead with brittle claws. Digging my foot into the groove at the base, I hoisted myself up to peer into the heart of the tree, where all the branches stretched out to the glimmering heavens above. Propped against the largest, most upward branch was my horn bow, along with a leather quiver full of arrows, both carefully positioned so that they blended in with the wood around them.

"There you are, my beauties," I whispered, wrapping my fingers around the bow first, then slinging the quiver over my shoulder.

Aunt Tiaolin didn't allow me to have weapons in the house; she didn't like me being more powerful than her. Whenever I came back from hunting or sparring, the first thing that ever happened was that she locked up my practice weapons. Unbeknownst to her, I'd been harboring secrets of my own.

The old master at the weapons forge had always been kind to me. He'd taught me how to make bows and arrows and how to wield swords when I was much younger. When the other boys used to call me a sissy and exclude me, I'd just go to Master Xie to learn about the world of weapons.

He had died four winters ago, leaving me as lonely as ever. In the entire village, the old master had been my only friend. Master Xie had been the father I never had, and following the passing of the role of master to his son, the forge never felt the same again.

But the new Master Xie, his son, had summoned me to the forges, gifting me a newly-made horn bow. A gift for keeping his father company after the death of his wife, he'd said. He'd hoped that I'd take care of the bow, in honor of the old master.

At the time, the bow had been too big for me, but now, as I strode across the village to the forest, it felt perfectly weighted in the palm of my hand.

I headed to the stretch of wilderness behind the village. It was dark, but that meant that it would be a more difficult and strenuous archery practice. Out of all the boys my age, I was one of the best archers, and I strove to keep my reputation and skills polished, since I had nothing else to offer.

I crept silently through the woods, sidestepping the faint outlines of branches on the ground, and keeping low. Keeping my eyes squinted to make out more in the dark, I reached for an arrow in my quiver, careful not to disturb the overhanging foliage. Stringing it against my bowstring, I continued on.

Hearing bubbling water, I turned to pick my way to the stream. Its silvery surface reflected in the moonlight, and it made perfect lighting to see potential prey. I squatted in the underbrush and waited patiently, my bow at the ready.

It wasn't long before a young doe pranced into sight. Its dainty hooves hit the ground with subtle, almost inaudible thumps, but the night was quiet enough for me to hear. I immediately sat up and pulled back my arrow, aiming with my cheek against the taut bowstring.

Before I could release, a large crunching noise sounded off to my left. The deer ran off, startled, dancing away into the trees. I cursed under my breath and wheeled around to whatever had caused such a ruckus.

My arrow pointed directly into the heart of a young man. He wielded a sword, and he gazed after the deer with both frustration and wistfulness. He couldn't have been more than a few years older than me, and looking at his clothes, he was from a well-to-do family, maybe a little wealthier than Aunt Tiaolin's.

I stood, lowering my bow. "I was going to shoot that, you know!" I hissed.

The boy turned quickly, instinctively brandishing his weapon. I leveled my arrow with his head, but he didn't flinch. We held our standoff, both ready to take the other on.

"Who are you?" demanded the young man.

"No, who are you?" I shot back. "I've never seen you around before."

"You've got some balls," he said, "for talking to someone with my status like that. If I were you, boy, I wouldn't do that if I valued my tongue."

"Your status?" I curled my lip. "I'm simply wearing my hunting clothes. I think you are mistaken--I am the son of the Liang family. I'm sure you've heard of them?"

My aunt had been born and married into respectable families, that was true. However, I did not experience much of the luxury or privilege that she or her daughters did. Tiaolin only gave me secondhand rags or left me to make my own clothes, so it was reasonable that the young man in the forest thought I was from a lower class. Even after proclaiming my heritage with such confidence, I still saw him waver, his eyes narrowing with doubt.

"I don't think someone from a family as respected as that would still wear what you are wearing, even for hunting," he said. "If you really are of the shi class, then you must be a trained warrior, correct? Then let's duel."

I nodded sharply, pulling my bow back into position. If that was what it took to prove myself, then so be it. The boy charged, slinging his sword over his head, and I adjusted my aim with minute precision before letting the arrow fly. It sliced through the air and pierced through the loose side of his shirt, pinning him to the tree behind him, barely nicking him. He grunted aloud as his back thumped against the wood, causing me to exhale in relief, thankful to have hit my target instead of impaling him.

"Believe me now?" I nocked another arrow and approached him slowly with a feigned air of confidence.

He eyed me with grudging respect. "Tell your family that you deserve better hunting clothes, Liang," he said, almost chuckling.