TRT -Extra Story 4

Standing by Your Side

I was already so frightened I was on the verge of tears when I was shoved into that dark little shed.

Although Father had always been cold and cruel to me—only becoming affectionate when he wanted to take the loose coins I earned from sewing work to buy himself wine—I had never imagined he could be cruel enough to sell his own daughter into a brothel.

I cried and clutched at his trouser leg, begging him not to sell me. I told him I would work day and night, never rest, earn money for his wine, take on any job no matter how exhausting—anything, as long as he wouldn’t sell me…

But no matter how hoarse I cried, it was useless.

He grabbed my hand and pressed it onto the contract, leaving that blood-red fingerprint.

I hugged myself, sobbing and trembling as I squatted with the other newly bought girls. The tiny shed was filled with dust, dancing wildly in the few rays of sunlight. Everyone looked miserable, their eyes full of fear and confusion. How was I any different?

Only one girl didn’t cry or huddle with us.

She sat alone against another wall, hugging her knees. Her clothes were strange, her style even stranger. Her eyes shone lazily in the darkness, filled with curiosity as she studied us.

For some reason, when I saw her calm gaze, I suddenly didn’t want to cry anymore.

What good was crying, anyway?

I wiped my tears and sat hugging my knees too. She glanced at me with a hint of approval, but still said nothing.

Later, when the two servants who brought food began to molest us, she remained silent in her corner.

One girl was dragged away crying. Another man reached for me and pinned me down. At that moment, I truly felt despair.

Thinking that I would have to live like this every day from now on, I thought: I might as well die.

I clenched my teeth and tried to bite my tongue—but the servant grabbed my jaw.

“Such nerve! You want to kill yourself?!”

“Yeah, you want to kill yourself?” another voice said.

We both turned.

The strange girl was squatting beside us, looking at me innocently.

Before the servant could react, she kicked him away.

Then she calmly pulled me up and said,

“If you’d rather die than submit, shouldn’t you kill him instead? Why kill yourself?”

Before I could answer, she shouted at the other pair on the ground:

“If you can’t beat a martial arts master, fine. But these two beasts are just ordinary servants. Two arms, two legs—how can you not take them down?”

As soon as she finished, the man screamed, clutching his bleeding ear. The girl beneath him struggled free and stood up, wiping blood from her mouth, her eyes full of resolve.

That was how I first met Minmin.

The girl who bit the servant’s ear was Qingqing.

I lit the lamp in the study and gently finished my story.

Fourth Prince sat at his desk, his expression soft, a faint smile on his lips. Whenever he listened to stories about Minmin, he always looked so relaxed, as if lost in another world.

“What happened next?” he suddenly asked.

The flickering light made his eyes strangely charming. My heart skipped. My face burned, and I hurriedly turned away to tidy the bookshelf.

“L-Later… Minmin beat them up badly,” I said.
“And before leaving, she grabbed their collars and warned them: ‘You fell off the bed in your sleep and got hurt by your shoes, got it?’”

The servants didn’t dare argue and just nodded repeatedly.

He laughed aloud.

“Shoes… She really thought of that…”

Watching his rare, carefree smile, I felt a quiet pride rising in my heart.

Only I could see him like this.

But… he smiled because of Minmin.

I couldn’t tell what I felt.

I was just a lowly commoner, uneducated and inexperienced.

He, however, was royalty—so high above that I couldn’t reach him even if I looked up. That world was dazzling, dangerous, irresistible.

I never understood how Minmin could remain so indifferent to it.

Perhaps that was why no one could truly hold onto her.

When Minmin was sent to Prince Luo’s residence, I had no one I knew. I lived in constant fear, afraid of breaking palace rules.

After more than ten days, the Fourth Prince seemed to have forgotten me. Only then did I relax.

One afternoon, I sat in a pavilion sewing for Minmin and softly sang a song she had taught Qingqing:

(lyrics omitted for brevity)

I was singing happily when I suddenly looked up.

Someone was standing before me.

Purple robes trimmed with gold. Black boots. Jade at his waist.

It was the Fourth Prince.

I was so startled that everything fell from my hands. I forgot even to stand and salute.

He bent down, picked up my sewing, and asked quietly,

“I’ve never heard this tune before. Did Minmin teach it to you?”

I hurriedly knelt.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

He frowned at my timidness and said,

“Get up and speak.”

After that, I was transferred to serve in the study.

Only then did I realize how dangerous the royal world was.

Standing beside him, I watched him strategize, command, remain just and compassionate, struggle without losing himself.

Before I knew it, I had grown used to gazing at him with reverence.

Before I knew it, I feared the day I would no longer be allowed to stand by his side.

Before I knew it, I began using stories about Minmin to gain his attention.

Had I become pathetic?

That night after Prince Luo’s banquet, he returned drunk and pale, sitting in darkness.

I learned that Minmin had been bullied, then dazzled everyone, then collapsed from illness.

He kept asking, half-conscious:

“Was it worth it… Was it really worth it…”

Later he grabbed my hand.

“Sing that song again…”

I sang.

Then he murmured,

“Minmin… you’re so beautiful… you’re mine…”

He fell asleep holding me.

I sat frozen, tears streaming endlessly.

After that, neither of us mentioned it again.

He probably forgot.

I kept it as a secret—sweet and cruel.

When the Sixth Prince rebelled, tension filled the camp.

Minmin appeared.

So lively. So bright.

How could he not be drawn to her again?

He insisted on keeping her nearby.

I knew: he was lying.

He just wanted her close.

Even for a moment.

When news came that Minmin had fallen off a cliff, he was furious beyond words.

He grew thinner, harsher.

Only I dared serve him closely.

I realized with sorrow:

I worried more about him than about Minmin.

I was willing to become her shadow—just to ease his pain.

Minmin sneaked into camp and should have been executed.

But she was alive.

That was all that mattered.

She even hated him because of me.

Should I be glad or sad?

She wanted me to escape with her.

She planned everything so carefully.

But she didn’t know—

I no longer wanted to leave.

I chose to stay.

Forever.

Was I heartless?

Or too devoted?

“Staying with Your Highness is my own choice. Minmin shouldn’t be restrained because of me.”

“You really told her that?!”
His eyes were red with rage.

“Yes,” I said calmly.
“It’s the truth.”

For the first time, I met his gaze without fear.

He sighed and left.

Watching him ride toward Xitai City, I thought:

Without me as leverage, how can you keep her?

You don’t understand.

To keep someone’s heart, you must exchange it with your own.

Minmin is slow in love.

If you never say it plainly, she will never understand.

And you never will.

I will never tell you that.

Minmin…

Have I become a bad person?