Amidst the Stars (SWORD SERIES #1)

CHAPTER O2

Chapter 2: The Name That Was Never Hers

The days passed in a blur of soft silk and gentle lullabies, but peace in the household was fragile—thin as rice paper, ready to tear at the slightest touch. Her parents were kind, but they carried a quiet fear in their eyes. They were new to the imperial capital, outsiders in a court where bloodlines and status meant everything. Their daughter was precious to them, yet they knew too well that in this grand, treacherous city, a daughter born without powerful protection could face a difficult life. But what choice did they have?

Then came the Lady Suyin—the General’s favored concubine. She was beautiful, with eyes that gleamed like polished jade and a smile that never quite reached them. She had been childless for years, a quiet shame that gnawed at her ambition. When she first saw the infant, something sharp and hungry sparked behind her gaze. She approached the couple with honeyed words and promises of safety.

"Give the child to me," she whispered, her voice soft as velvet. "I have status and influence, but no heir. You are new here, with little protection. If you let me raise her as my own son, she will want for nothing. She will grow up in safety and comfort, and you may visit her in secret. No one need ever know the truth. It is the only way to keep her safe in this dangerous court."

Desperate and trusting, her parents agreed. They handed over their precious daughter, believing they were securing her future. They had no idea they were handing her over to a viper.

Lady Suyin wasted no time. She dressed the infant in blue and gold, wrapped her in the trappings of a noble son, and presented her to the household with a triumphant glint in her eye. He is my son, she declared to everyone who would listen—a healthy, beautiful boy who would one day inherit the General’s legacy. She named him Lu Tian.

But safety was the last thing Lady Suyin intended for anyone but herself.

Days later, under the cover of a moonless night, the concubine moved. There were no shouts, no struggle that anyone heard. By morning, it was whispered quietly through the servants’ quarters that the couple had fallen ill—a sudden, terrible fever that had taken them both in their sleep. The healers shook their heads, baffled. No one suspected the elegant, grieving woman who sat in the main hall, dabbing at dry eyes with a silk handkerchief. No one knew she had silenced them forever, their secrets buried deep in the earth along with their bones. Lu Tian’s real parents were gone, erased from the world as if they had never existed.

Months passed. The child grew strong and bright, unaware of the blood and lies that paved the way for her existence. Lady Suyin played her part perfectly—affectionate, doting, the proud mother of a promising young heir. She guarded the secret fiercely, allowing only her most trusted servants near the child. Lu Tian wore boys’ robes, had her hair tied in the traditional fashion for young gentlemen, and was taught to walk and speak with the dignity expected of a noble son.

Then came the day of the Imperial audience—a moment that would seal Lu Tian’s fate for years to come.

The Emperor had heard whispers of the General’s newly acknowledged heir, and so he summoned the child to the palace. Lady Suyin knelt before the throne, her head bowed low, her voice trembling with feigned humility.

"Your Majesty," she said, her words carefully rehearsed. "This is my son, Lu Tian. He is still young, but I pray he may one day serve Your Majesty with loyalty and honor."

She stepped aside, revealing the child standing before the Imperial dais—small, wide-eyed, and beautiful. The Emperor leaned forward in his golden throne, his eyes studying the boy. There was something striking about Lu Tian—large, clear eyes, a quiet intelligence in his gaze, a grace that seemed unusual for one so young.

The Emperor smiled, a rare thing. He reached out, and Lu Tian, though she did not understand why everyone called her "he," did not flinch. She met the Emperor’s gaze steadily, and the Emperor was charmed. Impressed.

"A fine boy," the Emperor declared warmly. "Bright eyes and a steady heart. He will go far. I shall keep him close. Let it be known—Lu Tian is under my protection from this day forth."

Lady Suyin bowed lower, concealing the triumph burning in her eyes. The lie had taken root. The Emperor himself believed Lu Tian to be a boy. And with the Emperor’s favor, her position was unassailable. No one would dare question the Emperor’s judgment.

Lu Tian did not understand it all—not yet. She only knew that she lived in a beautiful palace, that a woman who was not her mother called her "son," that everyone bowed and smiled and spoke in hushed, respectful tones around her, and that deep in her chest, something felt… wrong. Like wearing shoes that fit too tightly, or a name that didn’t quite belong.

She was Lu Tian now. The favored young heir. The Emperor’s beloved protégé. And the world thought it knew exactly who he was.

But Lu Tian knew nothing of the graves lying quiet beneath the earth, or the desperate, loving hands that had once held her, or the terrible secret that lived beneath her robes. A secret that could destroy everything—if anyone ever discovered that the boy the Emperor adored… was never a boy at all.