The journey back from the southern ruins was quieter than the one that had led them there.
Rui rode with his silver hair braided down his back, eyes fixed on the horizon. The golden crown they had unearthed—now wrapped tightly in silk and tucked within his travel chest—seemed to thrum faintly even through layers of cloth.
Li Yuan watched him often, careful not to let it show. Rui had said little since the temple's depths. The moment they had shared in the ruins—charged with honesty, with desire, with pain—still burned beneath the surface like embers in ash.
But Rui had wrapped himself in silence since then.
He answered questions with nods.
Held himself like stone.
Li Yuan knew that wall well. He had worn it himself for most of his life. But seeing it now, on the one person who had ever unraveled his pride, made him ache.
Not with anger.
But with longing.
And guilt.
The Walls of the Capital
By the time they approached the capital's outer gates, the sky was painted with dusk.
The soldiers posted at the entrance bowed low—but their eyes lingered too long. Their hands twitched at the hilts of their weapons. Li Yuan noticed.
So did Rui.
The palace had always been cold, carved from stone and gold. But as they crossed into the imperial grounds, it felt colder than ever.
There were no welcome banners. No ministers waiting to receive them. No public ceremony.
Only quiet.
Li Yuan dismounted, handing the reins to a stableboy who would not meet his gaze. Rui descended behind him, but a hand brushed his arm.
He turned.
Li Yuan met his eyes. "Stay close."
It wasn't a command. It was a warning.
A Quiet Betrayal
That night, the court gathered at the Hall of Clear Jade for what was called an "informal reception." Ministers filled the room with silk smiles and honeyed poison.
Li Yuan and Rui entered together, side by side, both in ceremonial black. The contrast between them was striking—Li Yuan, gold-eyed and flame-like; Rui, silver-haired and moonlit.
Whispers followed them like shadows.
"They've returned…"
"Still together?"
"Did you hear about the southern ruins…?"
"They say the boy bears a crown."
The hall quieted as Minister Zhao stepped forward, offering a low bow. His voice was smooth as lacquer.
"Welcome back, Your Majesty. And… Your Highness."
Rui offered no bow in return.
Zhao's smile faltered just slightly.
"We had feared something ill had happened," he added with gentle malice. "After all, the southern lands are wild, untempered. Strange things bloom in places like that. Don't they?"
Li Yuan's voice was cold. "Stranger things bloom here, Minister."
Laughter rippled nervously.
Rui's eyes never left Zhao. He could see the edges of the trap forming—slight nods between ministers, coded glances. They had met in his absence. Plotted.
They were waiting for something.
Waiting for them to slip.
After the Banquet
Later that evening, Rui stood on the balcony of his chambers, the city's lights a quiet glow below. He felt it in his blood—unease. Like something ancient had been disturbed.
The crown lay hidden behind silk screens, pulsing faintly beneath its wrappings.
"You should not show it," he said aloud, sensing Li Yuan's approach before the emperor spoke.
"I won't," came the quiet answer.
Rui turned. "They're afraid of us."
"They should be," Li Yuan said. Then, after a pause: "But I didn't bring you back to parade you. I brought you back because… I couldn't leave you there."
Silence.
"You think I don't feel the weight of what we saw," Li Yuan continued. "But I do. I dream of that temple. Of those walls. Of your blood lighting up the stones. You are more than prophecy. More than a crown."
Rui's breath hitched. "Then what am I?"
Li Yuan stepped closer. "Someone I can't bear to lose."
The tension between them thickened.
Rui looked away first. "Then protect me. Not with soldiers. But with truth."
Li Yuan didn't answer. Instead, he reached into his robe and drew a scroll—aged, sealed with crimson wax.
Rui's eyes narrowed. "What is that?"
Li Yuan held it out.
"A letter from the Oracle of the Western Reach. Sent three days ago. It arrived while we were away. It speaks of a divine bloodline returning to the earth... and the birth of a star-child that will shift the balance of the empire."
Rui's heart pounded. "They know."
"They fear it," Li Yuan said. "And they will strike again."
Elsewhere: In the Shadows
Minister Zhao sat in his private study, sipping tea as envoys from the Northern Wastes bowed before him.
"The prince has returned," one said. "Alive. And with him… something divine."
Zhao's lips curled. "Then we must act before it takes root."
Another envoy spoke. "There are those within the High Priesthood willing to challenge the Oracle's decree. But they require proof that the union is dangerous."
Zhao set his cup down. "Then we shall give them one. A scandal. A rebellion. Something… emotional."
He leaned back in his chair, eyes gleaming.
"Let them tear each other apart."