Combing my hair once, I find it has turned white.

Night had fallen, and the winter wind cut to the bone. Qi Yong sat alone in the pavilion—a structure he had modeled after the one at Liyu Manor, standing in the middle of the lake. Yet, unlike its inspiration, this pavilion was not surrounded by the lush lotus blooms that flourished in every season.

He wore little: a single black robe, its collar embroidered with silver thread. Sitting upright, he seemed almost to blend into the darkness itself, heavy and remote.

He wondered if he had made a mistake. Would it have been better never to possess something at all, than to have it only to lose it? As Qi Yong pondered, he shook his head with a bitter smile. No wonder Beigong Qiyi had schemed so hard, at any cost, to keep a man by her side. After all… Beigong Juechen was the kind of person into whom one could only fall deeper and deeper, unable to extricate oneself.

He was so beautiful, so proud, so strong, so alluring—a fatal poison, sweet as nectar, yet capable of tearing one apart.

“Master.”

Qi Yong’s thoughts returned to the present as a figure appeared beside him. “What is it?” he asked, gazing up.

The figure bowed his head and replied softly, “Master, the true younger brother of Lord Beigong seems to be at Liyu Manor at this moment.”

Qi Yong frowned. “Are you sure he is really his brother?”

“He looks very much like Lord Beigong, and he has green eyes as well. I believe he is genuine.”

Qi Yong brushed a sleeve, his sharp gaze fixed on the lake. After a long pause, he said quietly, “I understand. You may go.”

A true brother… So Beigong Juechen did have a younger brother who survived. Qi Yong smiled with faint amusement. For him to appear now, of all times—how interesting…

Beigong Qiyi awoke while the sky was still gray. Turning, he gazed at Beigong Juechen beside him, who seemed still lost in dreams. Suddenly, he smiled and whispered, “Big brother…”

Beigong Juechen did not respond. Eyes closed, his breath was steady, as if truly deep in sleep.

Beigong Qiyi raised himself slightly and pressed down onto Beigong Juechen. Even in sleep, the man exuded an inescapable sense of dominance. Beigong Qiyi placed a gentle kiss on his smooth brow, studying the face he had carried in his memory for ten years—still as breathtaking as when they first met.

He sighed softly, then lowered his head, his crimson lips brushing Beigong Juechen’s. At the instant their lips met, the man’s eyes snapped open—clear, emerald, and utterly awake.

Beigong Juechen caught Beigong Qiyi by the back of the head, turning what might have been a fleeting kiss into a deep one, their lips and tongues intertwined. Laughter flickered in Beigong Qiyi’s obsidian eyes as he relaxed into the embrace.

Beigong Juechen finally released him. Beigong Qiyi playfully nipped his lower lip and laughed, “Why were you pretending to sleep, brother?”

Beigong Juechen arched a brow and replied in a low voice, “I didn’t want to pay you any mind, but you have grown bolder and bolder.”

“Actually, you were just waiting for me to kiss you, weren’t you?” Beigong Qiyi blinked, looking quite pleased with himself. “Let me tell you a story, big brother.” He shoved the youth off, and Beigong Juechen nodded indifferently.

Resting his head on Beigong Juechen’s shoulder, Beigong Qiyi cleared his throat and chuckled softly, “Once, there was a king who had a beautiful son. But at the prince’s hundred-day banquet, a demon appeared. The demon bestowed upon the prince unparalleled beauty—so that all who saw him would love him—but also placed a curse upon him.” Beigong Qiyi looked up at Beigong Juechen, feigning mystery. “Do you know what curse the demon gave, brother?”

Beigong Juechen kept his eyes closed, his face expressionless, as though unmoved by Beigong Qiyi’s theatrics. Seeing that the man would not play along, Beigong Qiyi pouted but continued, “The demon cursed the prince so that on the first day of his eighteenth year, he would prick his finger on a spindle and fall into a sleep from which he would never awaken. Only true love’s kiss could break the spell.”

True love’s kiss—those simple words fell from his lips as Beigong Qiyi gazed at Beigong Juechen. Even with his eyes closed, the man could feel the heat of the youth’s affection.

True love’s kiss… Beigong Juechen slowly opened his eyes, a strange smile curving his lips. “True love’s kiss… The demon set such a curse knowing that true love does not exist in this world, and so neither could true love’s kiss. The prince would never awaken.”

Beigong Qiyi’s smile did not falter. “You’re clever, brother. But don’t forget—the demon gave a blessing before the curse. The king ordered all the spindles in the land burned and sent the prince away to be raised elsewhere. The prince grew up, and as the demon had said, he was so beautiful that even the loveliest goddess in heaven could not compare. The demon watched him from the shadows. The prince was clever, pure, and good. He saw the demon and was unafraid, always following him, just as the second part of the curse had said—all would love the prince, even the demon.”

Beigong Juechen gave a cold laugh, saying nothing. Beigong Qiyi nuzzled into his neck and continued, “The demon tried everything to break the prince’s curse, but nothing worked. And so, on the prince’s eighteenth birthday, despite all precautions, a single spindle survived and was found by the prince. The curse was fulfilled, and the prince fell into endless sleep. The demon sought help from many, but none could give the prince true love’s kiss. Brother, can you guess how the story ends?”

Beigong Juechen looked down at the youth lying happily on his shoulder and shook his head. “How?”

Beigong Qiyi suddenly stretched out beside him, taking Beigong Juechen’s hand, and answered with a gentle laugh, “The only way to break the spell was true love’s kiss. The demon believed such a thing did not exist, but he never expected that it did.”

“The demon’s kiss—was that the true love’s kiss in the end?” Beigong Juechen asked suddenly.

Beigong Qiyi was startled, turning to him in surprise. “How did you know, brother?”

Beigong Juechen narrowed his eyes, half-smiling. “After all your buildup, how could I not?”

Beigong Qiyi smiled and leaned closer. Beigong Juechen, unmoving, tilted his head to watch him. Their faces drew nearer and nearer. Beigong Juechen’s gaze fell on the red cinnabar mark between the youth’s brows—the most striking feature of his beauty. Yet, a cinnabar mark on the forehead was said to portend ill fate.

Beigong Qiyi’s lips stopped just a finger’s breadth from Beigong Juechen’s. He slowly closed his eyes and brushed their lips together—a fleeting, gentle kiss.

Beigong Juechen felt a subtle stirring in his heart as the youth’s vibrant cinnabar mark touched his own forehead. Their hands, once simply joined, were now tightly entwined. A light smile blossomed on Beigong Qiyi’s rosy lips. Gazing into Beigong Juechen’s emerald eyes, he whispered, “True love’s kiss does exist—because true love exists in this world.”

Beigong Juechen’s smooth brow creased imperceptibly as he saw his own reflection in the youth’s dark eyes. Beigong Qiyi’s smile was clear and gentle, his gaze tender and utterly unthreatening, yet it made Beigong Juechen uneasy. He kept his expression unchanged, watching Beigong Qiyi calmly. “Is that so?”

“Of course,” Beigong Qiyi replied with a smile. “As long as you believe, you can have it.”

Of course, the story of Sleeping Beauty was nothing like this. The curse was laid by a witch, the one afflicted was a princess, and her savior was a prince. But how could he be the prince? Beigong Qiyi thought. He was a demon from hell, once loveless and cold. Yet after reincarnation, he had hopelessly fallen in love with someone.

Perhaps it was simply fate.

“And what if I do have it?” Beigong Juechen arched a brow. “I don’t need it.” The hand holding his own suddenly tightened. Beigong Juechen saw Beigong Qiyi’s face fall in an instant. He pushed the youth off, sat up, and looked down at him, saying slowly, “Beigong Qiyi, true love means nothing to me. In fact, it’s a burden—a weakness.”

Beigong Qiyi lay on his back, gazing up. Beigong Juechen withdrew his cold gaze and got out of bed. Behind him, he heard a low laugh, then the youth’s quiet voice: “Brother, it’s not just my weakness—it’s my armor.” Because I love you, I will risk everything.

Beigong Juechen’s hand paused as he dressed. Beigong Qiyi had already climbed from the bed and slipped his arms around the man’s waist, murmuring in his ear, “If you open your heart, you’ll find it’s something bittersweet, yet impossible to give up.”

Beigong Juechen frowned but did not reply, as if he had foreseen it all. Beigong Qiyi only smiled, then led him to sit before the mirror. Their reflections appeared in the bronze glass. Taking up an ivory comb, Beigong Qiyi said with a gentle laugh, “Let me comb your hair today, brother.”

Beigong Juechen was silent for a while before nodding.

Pale hands and a creamy ivory comb threaded again and again through the dark hair. Suddenly, Beigong Qiyi recalled an old saying: “One stroke to the end, two strokes to growing old together.”

The ivory comb glided from root to tip, and in the mirror, Beigong Juechen saw the youth’s exquisite face slowly light up with a smile.

Truly, a beauty to rival the world, unmatched and peerless.

Author’s note: Aha, yes, Sleeping Beauty—the story is based on the tale of the sleeping curse. Jolie is so beautiful it makes my nose bleed!