Miss The Dragon Episode 17 Recap
> Miss The Dragon Recap
Tasked with learning imperial courtesy before entering the palace, Ayu found the process challenging, struggling with the formal kneeling and having to practice extensively. She privately lamented that a life as the emperor's concubine, confined within the palace walls, was not what she desired, despite others perhaps seeing it as a blessing. Longing for Yuchi, she released fireflies to summon him.
Yuchi appeared but kept his distance, declaring he would no longer come to her when she called for him this way. When Ayu pleaded with him to reconsider, he refused. Ayu then begged Yuchi to take her to the city wall for one last fireworks display, and he eventually agreed.
As they watched the dazzling show, Ayu bravely confessed her feelings, asking why he had always been so kind to her, showing her wonders like fireworks, shooting stars, and the dance of countless butterflies. Yuchi coldly dismissed her confession, stating that humans and demons follow different paths and that she had misunderstood his intentions.
He revealed that he had been good to her and given her the fireflies only because she bore a striking resemblance to Liuying, the woman he truly loved. Heartbroken, Ayu watched the fireworks end. She asked for another jar of fireflies, admitting she was scared of the vast imperial palace. Yuchi refused, assuring her that as the Lady Divine, she would receive every luxury and be safe, with Qing Qing there to protect her.
Ayu then softened her request, begging him to visit her just once a year, on her birthday. Yuchi vaguely promised to do so if he had time, and Ayu, clinging to that faint hope, told him she would wait. Ayu formally entered the palace as the Lady Divine, dressed in grand crimson robes, with Qing Qing by her side.
Far away at Dragon Pool, Yuchi was filled with a deep sadness, knowing he could not stop her and could only hope she would live a peaceful life. Meanwhile, in the palace, Qing Qing reminisced about the beautiful peach makeup Xue Qianxun had once done for her. To her surprise, Xue Qianxun appeared, sporting intentionally drawn "turtle makeup."
He asked if she was happy in the palace, and Qing Qing admitted that while she enjoyed fine clothes and delicious food, she felt like a caged canary, having lost her freedom. Xue Qianxun then asked for Qing Qing's honest opinion of him. She candidly described him as an "ice-cold face," rigid, intolerant, easily offended, and unsympathetic in his punishments.
However, she also conceded that his face was quite handsome despite his seriousness, and that as the lord of Luofeng Pavilion, his strictness was necessary. She pointed out that while he often threatened punishment, he never truly followed through and had always been kind to her, giving her gifts and even applying her makeup. She concluded that anyone unaware would think he was pursuing her.
Xue Qianxun immediately confirmed her suspicion, admitting he was indeed pursuing her because he liked her and believed she liked him in return. As Qing Qing tried to process this, she stumbled, and Xue Qianxun caught her, resulting in an accidental kiss. Just then, Ayu called for Qing Qing, prompting Xue Qianxun to swiftly disappear, leaving them both with racing hearts. On her birthday, Ayu dressed elaborately, eagerly awaiting Yuchi's arrival.
As dusk settled with no sign of him, her spirits plummeted. Qing Qing tried to comfort her, speculating that the Dragon King was likely fighting the heavenly guards who barred non-mortals from the palace. Just then, a butterfly flew into Ayu's chambers, confirming Yuchi's presence. She followed it to the palace wall, where she and Yuchi were separated by a mere barrier but felt miles apart.
Ayu asked the butterfly to tell Yuchi that she would wait for him every birthday. From the other side of the wall, Yuchi's voice softly told her not to wait for him any longer. Decades passed. Ayu, now known as Consort Dowager Yu, watched as the emperor's favor shifted to new consorts, leaving her to spend her days in lonely chambers.
Year after year, her only solace was the annual ritual of waiting by the palace wall on her birthday for a sign from Yuchi—a butterfly that confirmed he was just on the other side. From Dragon Pool, Yuchi watched her solitary life unfold, overcome with guilt. He confessed to a companion that he had hoped sending Ayu to the palace would free her from hardship, but he now saw how heartless the mortal emperor was.
He admitted to repeatedly breaking into the palace to see her, fighting heavenly guards and stealing forbidden items for her sake, describing the long wait as torture. His companion urged him to be patient a little longer. Later, as Consort Dowager Yu, Ayu watched fireworks light up the night sky, recalling the most beautiful display she had ever seen when, as a young fisherman's daughter, she confessed her feelings to Yuchi.
That brief, cherished memory had sustained her for sixty years. She reflected that Yuchi had never truly left her heart, while Yuchi, aware of her enduring affection, resolved that if they ever met again, he would never let her go.
