Chapter 21

Aaliyah walked slowly along the streets of the small town, the afterglow of the sunset casting a long shadow over her. On both sides of the street were low houses, and the air was filled with the aroma of butter tea and barley wine. In the distance, the sound of horse hooves echoed. Aaliyah looked up and saw a young girl riding a small horse, swaying unsteadily toward her. Suddenly, the horse startled, rearing up on its front legs. The girl screamed in fright, losing her balance, and was about to fall from the horse’s back. Aaliyah instinctively rushed forward, grabbed the girl, and both of them fell heavily to the ground. The girl was pale with fear, tears welling up in her eyes. Aaliyah ignored her own pain and quickly checked if the girl was injured: “Are you okay?” The girl shook her head, her voice trembling with tears: “Thank you, Auntie... Why did you risk to save me?” Aaliyah paused, her gaze falling on the little girl’s face. There was a striking resemblance between h