Sworn Sisters

"You are not really Zhao Mingyu's cousin, are you?" Su Mei asked Zhao Mingyao.

Zhao Mingyao knew this was coming, but she didn't expect it to be this soon. However, it didn't matter because this was exactly what she had planned. To make the twin sister story more believable, real, and emotionally appealing, she had to act as if she was trying her hardest to hide it. That way, when she finally revealed the "truth," it would seem more logical, convincing, and impactful rather than simply stating that she was Zhao Mingyu's twin. While some might believe it immediately, others wouldn't be so easy to convince. But how did Su Mei come to this conclusion so quickly?

Zhao Mingyao had only just begun making intentional slip-ups—referring to Zhao Mingyu as "Crown Brother," the former Empress as "Mother," and Xiulan as "Elder Sister" in front of the Su household servants just last night. She had estimated that it would take at least a day for the Su family to catch on, yet they had already figured it out within hours.

Zhao Mingyao pretended to freeze before attempting to deny it. "No, I am the Crown Prince's cousin. Why do you think I'm not?" she asked, attempting to add a nervous quiver to her voice.

"Relax, Mingyao Meimei (younger sister Mingyao). Is it okay for me to call you that?"

"…We have trained together and are now bathing together, so why not? But just so you know, I am older than you."

"Oh, really? How sure are you?"

"I am only a year younger than Xiulan Jiejie (Elder Sister Xiulan)."

"Okay, but you don't know my age, so how can you be so sure…?"

"That's because I told Mingyao Meimei that you are a year younger than her, Crown Princess," Xiulan said, suddenly appearing in front of the two bathing women.

"It's not polite to reveal a woman's age, Xiulan Jiejie. And please, just call me Mei Meimei like you used to. It feels so distant when you use such a formal title. Besides, I am still not married to the Crown Prince, and we don't know what the future holds. Come join us, Xiulan Jiejie—we were just bathing after an intense training session."

"No, I couldn't possibly intrude. How can I bathe in the same place as Lady Zhao Mingyao and the Crown Princess? I am but a humble maid."

"Nonsense, nobody cares about rank and nobility. Besides, even if we did, you are still a member of the Li family."

"The Li family is nothing more than sinners right now."

"We don't see you that way, so please join us."

"Yes, join us!"

"If both of you insist, then I will."

"Back to you, Mingyao Jiejie. Don't take to heart what I said. Even if you are not the Crown Prince's cousin, I know you must have had a good reason to lie."

Zhao Mingyao paused for a moment, appearing to consider something before finally speaking.

"…To tell you the truth, I am not Zhao Mingyu's cousin."

Xiulan felt her heartbeat quicken. Was the Crown Prince going to reveal their secret to Su Mei?

"I don't know if I should say this, but…" Mingyao hesitated.

"It's okay, you don't have to force yourself to tell me anything. I trust that you are a good person," Su Mei said calmly, despite her curiosity being stirred.

"No, you have been good to me, and I don't want to lie to you anymore. I am not Zhao Mingyu's cousin, but I am still related to him."

"Related to him how?"

"I am… his twin sister."

"Twin sister? I thought as much."

"Wait, you believe me?"

"It is well known that the former Empress gave birth to two children during her first pregnancy. It was reported that one was dead, but when you first introduced yourself as Zhao Mingyao, I automatically assumed you were his twin sister. I guess you weren't dead after all."

Zhao Mingyao was confused. How had she not known about this fact? Was the ghost sister telling the truth?

Yes, I was, a feminine voice responded in her thoughts.

"Not now," Zhao Mingyao shot back.

"What's wrong, Mingyao Jiejie?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just surprised that my twin birth is well known. Did you know about it too, Xiulan?"

"…I sort of did."

"Does your family know this too, Su Mei?"

"Yes, they do."

"Then I must have looked like a fool to them while telling my lie."

"No, don't take it to heart."

Although caught off guard by the sudden revelation of her twin birth, Zhao Mingyao saw a good opportunity to cultivate sympathy for future purposes.

"For my whole life, I have lived a harsh life as a commoner, referring to my own mother as 'Empress' and believing my family consisted of other people—only to recently discover that I had a twin and royal blood within me. Did my foster family only keep me for the money? Did they truly love me? Were they harsh and cold to me because I was not their blood? What is real, and what is false? Who is my real family? What is family?" Zhao Mingyao lamented, tears streaming down her face.

"Calm down, Mingyao Jiejie. I understand that it's all confusing, but it doesn't matter what kind of life you lived before. Right now, you are my sister, and that's all that matters," Su Mei said, trying to comfort her. "So why don't we make it official? Do you want to be my sworn sister?"

"Sworn sister?"

Xiulan didn't know how to react. The prince was so convincing with his acting that, if she weren't aware of the situation, she would have been all over Mingyao, trying to comfort her. But was it okay for Mingyao to become Su Mei's sworn sister? Su Mei was technically betrothed to Mingyao's male form, Mingyu. Wouldn't that dynamic be a hindrance?

Su Mei's voice cut through Xiulan's thoughts.

"You too, Xiulan Jiejie. Don't you want to be my sworn sister?"

Xiulan looked at Mingyao. "If Princess Mingyao accepts, then I will too."

"Great! We will become sworn sisters soon. Let's hold the ceremony tomorrow."

Was this really going to happen? Did I, Xiulan, just agree to become sworn sisters with the Crown Prince? That was Xiulan's first thought—not that the prince agreed to become sworn sisters with his betrothed, but that she herself had agreed. Xiulan had always seen the Crown Prince as her younger brother, a dynamic she had grown accustomed to despite their different social standings. But now that she was going to become sworn sisters with him, something felt wrong.

She couldn't explain why, but the idea of being sworn sisters with Mingyao made her feel very uncomfortable. It baffled her. Why did she feel this way? She had always seen Mingyu as her little brother, and a little sister was no different from a little brother… was it? Yet the thought left a bad taste in her mouth.

Finally, the three women left the bathing area. Su Mei suggested they have a dolling-up session. Although Su Mei appeared rough and very masculine, she also had a love for wearing beautiful clothes, trying different makeup, and doing things that made her feel pretty. However, she had always kept this to herself, even with her two very feminine sisters. But now, with Mingyao—a girl who seemed the most similar to her—she was excited to try out pretty things with her new sister.

Mingyao, on the other hand, was not. Although she didn't show it outright, Mingyu had an appointment with Yue Ying and hoped this dolling-up session would be over soon.