《《蛮族之花》 Flower of Wilderness》Yina_bubbles

20、第 20 章 The w

　　Chapter 20 — The Wedding Caravan

　　The wedding caravan left Younis before sunrise. The settlement was still covered in darkness when the first horses began moving through the gates. Lanterns hung from the sides of the carriages, their warm light swaying with every step of the horses.mInside the largest carriage sat Yula , she wore Suyuan's wedding clothes. The red veil covered her face, hiding the only person who knew the truth. She held her hands tightly in her lap. She was frightened not because of Khasar but because she kept thinking about the sister she had left behind.

　　Outside, the caravan stretched along the snowy road. Several riders accompanied it, along with servants, guards, and messengers carrying the Khan's gifts. Tarkan rode among them. As a member of the Khan's family and an envoy for Younis, he had been sent to accompany the bride and deliver the formal gifts to Kharun. At the front of the convoy, Khasar rode quietly beside his horsemen.

　　For the first time in many days, he felt relieved that Suyuan was finally willing to leave Younis. He remembered the pale girl beside the river, the strange princess who had looked more annoyed than frightened when he rescued her. He had worried about her health ever since. Now she was going to Kharun, away from the Khan's household. He believed he could give her a quieter life there. He looked back at the carriage and a faint smile appeared on his face. He had no idea that the woman behind the veil was Yula and the real Suyuan was still in Younis.
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　　By the time the caravan disappeared beyond the distant hills, the Orchid Courtyard was silent. Suyuan stood alone in her room. Her mother's ashes were already gone with Nanny Zhang.
　　Ayao was gone.
　　Yula was gone.
　　Everyone she cared about had been removed from Younis , exactly just as she wanted.
　　She sat beside the small table and opened a wooden box. Inside were the few things she had gathered over the past weeks. Nothing looked remarkable. Suyuan looked at them for a long while. Her hand eventually stopped trembling.She had already decided what she would do.

　　There would be no more waiting for the Khan to show mercy and no more hoping Xian would arrive in time. No more watching another woman be sacrificed to preserve a peace that had never protected her mother.She quietly prepared what she needed for the final part of her plan, keeping everything hidden from the servants who occasionally passed outside.

　　Her mother's death had taken something from her that could never be returned but it had also removed the last thing that made her hesitate. Suyuan closed the box. Then she looked toward the western horizon.Somewhere beyond those mountains, Nanny Zhang and Ayao were traveling toward Xian. They believed they would return.
　　They believed Suyuan would still be here but Suyuan hoped they would never understand the truth until they were far enough away.
　　She lowered her eyes.
　　“Live well,” she whispered.

　　Then she turned back toward the Khan's palace. The wedding caravan was already halfway to Kharun and no one in Younis knew that the girl they believed had become a bride had never left at all.

作者有话说

Suyuan little plan