Yunan walked out of the throne hall with the steadiness of someone refusing to look back at an explosion. Her footsteps echoed in controlled rhythm, but her pulse beat in a tempo she had not felt since childhood.
The emperor's words clung to her like frost.
You cannot refuse what comes next.
The palace felt different now.Walls leaning in.Curtains whispering.Tiles humming with secrets beneath her feet.
The bullet comments hovered like nosy spirits:
[The palace is literally gaslighting her now.][Sis the emperor is two steps from locking her in a jewelry box.][Yunan's defiance is glowing today.]
Yunan reached the courtyard, grateful for the harsh brightness of the morning sun. But she was not alone.
Song Xiao waited beneath the veranda.
He stepped forward instantly, tension rippling through his posture. His eyes scanned her face with a dark concern that touched the edges of anger.
"What did he say to you?" he asked.
Yunan ignored him and continued walking.
"Princess—"
"Do not make me repeat myself," she said without stopping. "I am not here for your guilt."
Song Xiao swallowed, then walked beside her, insisting quietly:
"I'm not here out of guilt. I'm here because I need to be."
"That is worse."
She tried to turn down the side path toward her pavilion, but Song Xiao reached out—hesitated—and then withdrew his hand before he touched her.
"That prince you saw earlier," he said. "Prince Yuanxiu. You must be careful around him. He carries out the emperor's punishments."
"I'm aware."
Song Xiao's jaw tightened. "No. You're not."
She finally looked at him, sharp as a blade. "Then enlighten me, Captain Song."
He flinched slightly at the coldness in her tone.
"He is not just loyal," Song Xiao said quietly. "He is devoted. If the emperor ordered him to kill a thousand innocents, he would only ask how quickly."
Yunan absorbed the words.Heavy.Dangerous.
"I can handle him."
"You shouldn't have to."
"And yet here I am," she replied, "handling everything alone."
His mouth opened.Then closed.Then opened again with a crack in his voice.
"That is my fault," he whispered.
Yunan turned away before the old softness of his tone could reach her.
"Stop apologizing with your voice," she said. "If you regret it so much, apologize with action."
Those words landed like a stone tossed into calm water.
Song Xiao stiffened. "Then… what action do you want?"
"I want you to stop acting as if you still have the right to protect me."
Song Xiao inhaled sharply. Pain flashed across his face, so raw it could've bled.
Then—
"To protect you," he said softly, "I do not need the right."
Yunan stopped walking.
Song Xiao froze behind her.
The courtyard air tightened.
The bullet comments burst like firecrackers:
[OH HE DID NOT.][He said 'rights? I'll make my own.'][Someone hold me I'm falling into Song Xiao's angst.]
Yunan didn't turn around.
But she said, voice flat, "Song Xiao. Leave."
He stepped back.
"I will," he whispered. "But only because you asked. Not because I want to."
He turned and walked away, shoulders trembling ever so slightly.
Yunan continued forward.
Until—
A faint rustle sounded from the opposite walkway.
Jang Linghu.
He stood half-hidden behind a carved pillar, as if he'd been waiting or listening.
His expression was unreadable. His hands fidgeted with the folded cloth that once held the jade comb. He stepped out slowly.
"Princess."
Yunan closed her eyes briefly.Of course.
Today the past had decided to resurrect all at once.
"What do you want?" she said without looking at him.
"To ask something I shouldn't," he murmured.
"Then don't ask."
He took another step closer despite her warning.Desperate.Haunted.
"Princess… why were you summoned by the emperor? Did he do something to you?"
Yunan kept her face impassive. "It has nothing to do with you."
Jang Linghu shook his head. "Everything about you… still has to do with me."
"No," she said sharply. "It does not."
He flinched. "I know I hurt you. I know I betrayed your trust. But I still—"
"Don't," she snapped. "Don't finish that sentence either."
His breath hitched.
Yunan moved to leave.
But Jang Linghu's hand shot out—then stopped a hair's width from her sleeve, fingers trembling violently.
"Princess… let me protect you," he whispered.
"You cannot protect what you destroyed."
Those words sliced him open more cleanly than any blade.
Yunan walked past him, refusing to let the memories he dragged behind him pull her under.
As she reached the end of the corridor—
Prince Yuanxiu appeared again.
Silent.Watchful.Too well-timed to be coincidence.
He bowed.
"Princess. His Majesty wishes to schedule another audience with you."
Her eyes narrowed. "For what purpose?"
Prince Yuanxiu's lips curved beneath the mask.
"For whatever will happen next."
Her stomach tightened.
The emperor wasn't done.
Not even close.