The palace tension had reached unbearable heights. Guards roamed through the corridors with their cold, unyielding stares as Xiéyàn directed a complete ransacking of Yǔlín's quarters. The facade was security, although the ulterior purpose was sinister — a trap set to uncover Yǔlín.
Yǔlín kept his cool, his expression a mask of stoic detachment while his quarters were overturned by the guards. Su Shu crouched in a secret compartment, her heart racing as indistinct voices rang out on all sides of her. Perspiration beaded her forehead as she listened to two guards grumble to each other:
"Prince Yǔlín is concealing a spy," whispered someone else.
"If that is true, he is as good as dead," sneered the other.
Su Shu swallowed hard. The walls seemed to be closing in and suffocating her. The offspring of the man she had attempted to kill was now gambling everything for her sake.
—
In another part of the palace, Wuji reclined in his chambers idly honing his blade. The air was heavy with a strange quiet that pricked his senses. It wasn't right. He got up to go out but was caught by Supreme Commander Kǒngyún.
"Commander Wuji," Kǒngyún greeted with a tight smile, cold and unreadable eyes. "You appear tense."
Wuji grudgingly smiled. "Merely restless."
Kǒngyún stepped closer, his tone dropping into a conspiratorial whisper. "There is a search ongoing in Prince Yǔlín's quarters. The king is... concerned. Even a prince is subject to the law."
Wuji gritted his teeth, his knuckles whitening. "The king is sensible to be so concerned."
"Indeed," Kǒngyún replied, his eyes glinting as he turned to depart, his robes billowing behind him as a dark shadow.
—
In Yǔlín's quarters meanwhile, the prince stood with his back to the doorway and his fists curled up as he attempted to conceal the small shudder threatening to declare itself upon his person. He glanced over at Su Shu as she crawled out from behind her shelter with a flushed face and ragged breathing.
"You must go back in," Yǔlín said firmly, and his tone held an undercurrent of fear. "This is where you must take shelter for now."
Su Shu widened her eyes. "What about you?"
Yǔlín took a step closer, his palm extended to grasp her wrist. "Just stay hidden for now. Don't mind about me."
A shiver ran up Su Shu's spine as she saw the intensity in his gaze. She understood he was shielding her at all costs.
—
Meanwhile, Queen Lei Feng rested in her chambers with her attendants around her. She looked every bit a vision fit for royalty and as serene as a lotus flower as she drank her tea. Supreme Commander Kǒngyún appeared and bowed deeply to her.
"Your Highness," he stated respectfully but with an underlying bite to his tone. "Xiéyàn has launched an intensified hunt."
The queen's eyes softened and her mouth curved into a soft smile. "Oh, dear. I do hope my sons are safe, particularly Yǔlín. He's so... fragile all his life."
Kǒngyún gave a nod, his face impassive. "Certainly, Your Highness."
—
As Yǔlín walked towards the king's quarters, he experienced a wave of dizziness come over him. His sight grew blurry and his knees gave way briefly. He pressed his palm over his chest and swallowed hard to keep bile from rising up in his mouth.
Pull yourself together, he said to himself. He couldn't be seen as being weak now.
But as he proceeded along the corridor, he was unaware that he had a shadow behind him standing behind the curtains and eyeing him with sinister intent.