THE PROMISE: A SACRIFICE BEYOND WORDS

THE PROMISE : A Sacrifice Beyond Words 
Chapter 2 — Three Little Shadows 
Morning arrived quietly in the Kingdom of Cangyuan.
Soft sunlight poured over the palace rooftops, illuminating the golden ornaments that decorated the ancient halls. Beyond the palace walls, the kingdom slowly awakened. Merchants opened their shops, guards changed shifts, and the sound of horses echoed through the streets.
Inside the royal courtyard, however, the morning had already become noisy.
“Again!”
The sound of wooden swords striking against each other rang across the training ground.
Jiang Yuchen stepped backward, his wooden sword raised in front of him.
Across from him stood Shen Yuze.
Both boys were older now, though their friendship had changed very little.
Yuze wiped the sweat from his forehead and grinned.
“I almost got you.”
“You’ve said that five times.”
“And one day, I will.”
Yuchen raised an eyebrow.
“You’ve been saying that for years.”
Yuze laughed before charging forward again.
Their wooden swords collided.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Yuchen blocked every strike with calm precision. Yuze, on the other hand, relied more on speed and instinct.
The two continued until Yuchen finally twisted his wrist and knocked Yuze’s wooden sword from his hand.
The sword landed on the ground.
Yuze stared at it.
Then he looked at Yuchen.
“You cheated.”
Yuchen frowned.
“How?”
“You distracted me.”
“I didn’t even speak.”
“Exactly. Your face distracted me.”
Yuchen stared at him in disbelief.
Yuze burst into laughter.
From the side of the courtyard came another voice.
“You’re both ridiculous.”
They turned.
Xiao Bao stood beneath the shade of the veranda, her arms crossed.
She had been watching them for several minutes.
Yuze smiled.
“Good morning, Xiao Bao.”
“Good morning.”
She walked toward them and looked at the wooden swords.
“I want to try.”
Yuchen immediately shook his head.
“No.”
Xiao Bao frowned.
“Why?”
“Because this is training.”
“I know.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“It’s a wooden sword.”
Yuze covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.
Xiao Bao turned toward him.
“You think it’s funny?”
Yuze quickly shook his head.
“No.”
Yuchen sighed.
“Xiao Bao, you don’t need to learn how to fight.”
She stared at her brother.
“And why not?”
“Because you’re a princess.”
Her expression immediately changed.
“So?”
Yuchen was silent.
Xiao Bao stepped closer.
“Does being a princess mean I cannot protect myself?”
Yuze looked at Yuchen.
For once, he did not make a joke.
“She’s right.”
Yuchen gave him a look.
“You’re supposed to support me.”
“I support whoever is right.”
Xiao Bao smiled triumphantly.
Yuchen rubbed his forehead.
“You two are impossible.”
He picked up another wooden sword and handed it to Xiao Bao.
“Fine. I’ll teach you the basics.”
Her eyes immediately lit up.
“Really?”
“Only the basics.”
“That’s enough.”
Yuze smiled as he watched them.
The three of them had always been like this.
They argued.
They competed.
They teased one another.
But somehow, they always ended up together.
No matter how much time passed, the three shadows never seemed to separate.
⸻
By noon, they had already left the palace.
The streets outside were crowded with people.
Xiao Bao walked between Yuchen and Yuze, looking at every stall with curiosity.
“Look!”
She pointed toward a small stall filled with colorful ornaments.
Yuze followed her gaze.
“Do you want one?”
Xiao Bao nodded.
Before Yuchen could say anything, Yuze had already walked toward the stall.
“Yuze.”
He turned.
“What?”
“Don’t spend money on unnecessary things.”
Yuze smiled.
“Then don’t look.”
Yuchen sighed.
Xiao Bao laughed.
A few moments later, Yuze returned with a small jade ornament.
He handed it to Xiao Bao.
“For you.”
Her eyes widened.
“It’s beautiful.”
Yuchen looked at the ornament, then at Yuze.
“You spoil her.”
Yuze shrugged.
“She’s happy.”
Xiao Bao held the ornament tightly.
“Thank you.”
Yuze smiled.
“You’re welcome.”
Yuchen shook his head, but there was a faint smile on his face.
They continued walking through the market.
For a while, they were not princes or a princess.
They were simply three young people enjoying an ordinary afternoon together.
They ate sweet pastries from a street vendor.
They argued over which one tasted better.
Yuze claimed his choice was the best.
Xiao Bao insisted hers was.
Yuchen eventually told them both that they were arguing over something meaningless.
Naturally, neither listened.
Their laughter followed them through the streets.
⸻
As the sun began to descend, they returned to the hills behind the palace.
The old tree was still there.
Its branches were larger now.
Its trunk had grown thicker.
And beneath the bark, their names remained.
Yuze ran his fingers over the carvings.
“Still here.”
Xiao Bao stood beside him.
“Our names.”
Yuchen looked at the tree.
The three names were still visible.
Jiang Yuchen.
Shen Yuze.
Xiao Bao.
Yuze smiled.
“Do you remember what we promised?”
Yuchen nodded.
“Of course.”
Xiao Bao sat beneath the tree.
“We were so young.”
“We still are,” Yuze said.
Xiao Bao laughed.
“Not for long.”
Yuze looked toward the distant kingdom.
“One day, we’ll all grow up.”
Yuchen sat beside him.
“I’ll become the King of Cangyuan.”
“And I’ll become the King of Yunjing.”
Xiao Bao looked at both of them.
“And I’ll still be here.”
Yuze smiled.
“Of course.”
“Even when you become kings?”
“Even then.”
Yuchen nodded.
“Nothing will change.”
The wind moved gently through the leaves above them.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
They simply sat beneath the same tree where they had once made their childhood promise.
Neither of them knew how much the future would demand from them.
⸻
As evening approached, they finally returned to the palace.
From a distance, Yuchen noticed his father standing with several officials near the main hall.
King Gu Yanzhi’s expression was serious.
Yuchen slowed his steps.
“What’s wrong?”
Yuze followed his gaze.
“I don’t know.”
Xiao Bao looked at their father as well.
For a brief moment, the three of them stood silently.
Then Gu Yanzhi turned toward them.
His expression softened.
“Where have you three been?”
Yuze smiled awkwardly.
“Just walking around.”
“Walking around?”
The king raised an eyebrow.
Yuchen immediately looked away.
Xiao Bao tried not to laugh.
Xu Jinghan, who had been standing nearby, shook his head with amusement.
“Let them be, Gu Yanzhi. They are young.”
Gu Yanzhi sighed.
“You always defend them.”
Xu Jinghan smiled.
“They remind me of us when we were young.”
The two kings exchanged a look.
For a moment, there was nothing between them except familiarity.
The friendship that had existed between their families for generations still stood strong.
No one could have imagined that the peaceful days surrounding them would not last forever.
That night, the palace became quiet.
The three young friends stood together one last time before returning to their rooms.
Yuze looked at Yuchen.
“Whatever happens when we grow up…”
He paused.
“We won’t change, right?”
Yuchen smiled.
“Of course not.”
Xiao Bao looked at them.
“We promised.”
The three smiled.
And somewhere beyond the palace, beneath the moonlit sky, the ancient tree stood silently on the hill.
Their names remained carved into its trunk.
Three names.
One friendship.
One promise.
A promise they believed nothing in the world could ever break.
They were still too young to know that someday, the world would ask them to choose between the people they loved and the kingdoms they were born to protect.