Already approaching the palace, Yang Yulan felt that something was wrong. It seemed to her that the building before her was shaking slightly. She cautiously went inside and encountered chaos raging within. None of the servants understood what was happening. The building, for some reason, began to collapse on its own. People quickly ran outside, abandoning all their work.
Yang Yulan could only assume it was an earthquake. Strange black lights emanated from the house. They resembled demonic power.
Not knowing what to do, Yang Yulan went further and encountered an alarmed Xin. She had never seen the latter in such a state.
«Hey, what's going on here?!»
Xin was too confused to notice the rudeness in her words.
«Her Highness has lost control again. This building could blow up any moment.»
«What happened?! Why is she angry?»
«I don't know. She suddenly flared up after reading that letter from Northern Bei.»
«A letter? From whom?»
«How would I know?»
«Fine, never mind. Better tell me, how do we stop this? Can she be calmed down somehow?»
«No. It's impossible. If we get closer, we could burn. The only thing we can do is run further away before the explosion happens.»
Yang Yulan thought upon hearing the bodyguard's answer and continued to stand still. Xin was losing patience with every second and was about to abandon her when she heard another question.
«Where is she?»
«Her Highness? What are you planning again?»
«What do you mean? Of course I'm going to her.»
«Are you deaf?! I just told you it's deadly dangerous. Get out of here if you value your life.»
«Don't worry about me. Death and I are on familiar terms. Just tell me where to go.»
«You're suicidal,» Xin spat out and ran away without answering her question.
«Fine,» Yang Yulan shrugged indifferently. «Looks like I'll find her myself.»
On the way deeper into the building, the girl couldn't help but think:
«Why did the villainess suddenly lose control? There definitely wasn't an episode like this in the book. Did the author simply skip this moment or gloss over it while writing? If Shin Zuzhou really releases all her power, the resulting blast could harm many innocent people. Could something like this not even be mentioned in the book?»
Yang Yulan walked quickly towards the hottest spots, and this path led her to the door of Shin Zuzhou's study. Black, fiery cracks emanated from the entrance. Only mere splinters remained of the door itself.
Yang Yulan cautiously peeked inside and froze in shock.
Shin Zuzhou stood in the middle of the room, enveloped from head to toe in flames. Her scarlet eyes burned like lit lanterns. Small sparks flew from the girl. The entire study was littered with broken things and scattered paper.
At first glance, it might seem that the perpetrator of this nightmare was terribly angry, but Yang Yulan held a different opinion in this situation. And here's why: Despite the fact that Shin Zuzhou was mortally dangerous at the moment, her face was as innocent as a small child's. She looked not so much enraged as terribly frightened. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders and lowered her head, as if trying to escape from cold and pain. Tears flowed from her eyes, and she constantly muttered something to herself.
Yang Yulan looked around the room, and her gaze caught a crumpled beautiful letter with an envelope among a pile of torn papers.
Perhaps this was exactly what she needed. With quick movements, darting deeper into the room, Yang Yulan grabbed the coveted sheet and hid behind the overturned desk. To not waste much time, Yang Yulan ran her eyes over the text and realized something. Her heart suddenly clenched painfully.
Looking again at Shin Zuzhou's face contorted in pain, she thought.
«It feels like these powers are harming her herself. She's not angry. She's in despair and asking for help.»
Yang Yulan couldn't watch this. She had always been ready, everywhere and always, to come to the aid of a person in trouble. And this case was no exception.
«Hey!» Yang Yulan shouted, coming out of her hiding place. Shin Zuzhou didn't notice her. Then the girl tried to get closer but got slightly burned because of it.
«Listen to me!» she raised her voice, and Shin Zuzhou finally turned her face towards her. «I understand what you're feeling, but you need to calm down a little. Okay? Do you hear me?!»
The villainess's gaze directed at her promised nothing good.
«You haven't perished yet?» she whispered. «Then I'll help you with that.»
«Wait, wait!» Yang Yulan barely dodged the attack. She was very lucky that Shin Zuzhou was in an unstable state and her attacks were chaotic. In any other scenario, the girl would have long turned into fried fish.
«Let's not be angry and just talk!»
«Shut up! Shut up! Die!»
Yang Yulan barely avoided another fireball again. She was getting very hot. Sweat streamed down her face by the liter, and her breathing became more rapid.
«Listen to me! You're angry because of that letter, right? Angry about how they treated your mother?»
Shin Zuzhou was stunned for a second, then flared up with renewed vigor.
«It's none of your business! Stop! Die! Why don't you just disappear?»
«You know...» Yang Yulan didn't stop and shouted as loudly as she could. «You know, my mother... My mother also died! She died, and I never got to know her.»
To Yang Yulan's surprise, Shin Zuzhou not only felt no bitterness upon hearing this but also began to laugh evilly. Her laughter resembled a hysterical fit. Her eyes were insane. There wasn't a hint of a smile in them.
«What a tragic story. Poor thing. Should I pity you? Come on, come closer, and I'll pity you properly.»
Yang Yulan got goosebumps from these words. But she didn't back down.
«I didn't say that for you to pity me. I want to help you!»
«Help?» Shin Zuzhou laughed again. It felt as if the villainess physically couldn't stop doing it.
«Listen to me! How will you get back on your feet after such an incident? If the imperial family finds out you're a demoness, they'll kill you immediately. Do you think this explosion will go unnoticed?»
Yang Yulan was only guessing when she said this, but fortunately hit the mark. Shin Zuzhou suddenly stopped throwing fireballs at her and stood still.
Yang Yulan continued:
«You'll lose everything you've worked for to become empress. All your efforts will go to waste. And for what? To mourn your mother's death? This way, you'll only help that spiteful empress more.»
«Would your mother want such a future for you?»
Shin Zuzhou cast a glance at the hated person in the mask. What did he just say? Mother? Mother. Mother. This word was so warm, so pleasant.
«Mother?» Shin Zuzhou's voice suddenly became very quiet. She retreated into her thoughts and was ready to cry again. «No. Mother. She... No... She wanted something different for me.»
«Mother was good. She was always ready to help people. She never cursed. And she only got angry once in her entire life. Yes. There was just one occasion. That time, mother lay broken in her bed after another meeting with the emperor and stroked my head. Then I suddenly looked at mother and said that phrase I repeated to her too often: 'Mother dances so beautifully. I want to be like mother.'»
«At that moment, when the woman heard these words, she jumped up from her place and slapped me. It hurt a lot. But I was sure she didn't do it out of malice. Yet I was very surprised. Even this strong, patient woman could suddenly lose control. But mother wasn't angry for long. She immediately embraced me and began to apologize: 'Forgive me. Forgive me, please,' she begged. 'I love you very much. That's why I don't want you to suffer. I don't want you to follow in your mother's footsteps. You mustn't become a dancer. Dancing brought your mother nothing good. I love you. I love you so much, and that's why I want to protect you. Promise me. Promise me you won't be like me. That you'll achieve something in this life and won't let others treat you like garbage. Promise me you'll gain power. That you'll show everyone you're worth something.'»
«Forgive me,» Shin Zuzhou's gaze became softer, but the tears continued to flow with the same intensity. She had weakened completely. Her fire gradually began to subside.
Yang Yulan noticed these fluctuations and decided to approach the girl. She looked into her enemy's face and felt a pang in her heart. She felt unbearably sorry for this unfortunate girl, even if she was a ruthless villainess. But why? Perhaps she saw herself in this broken woman.
Yang Yulan came closer and closer, and the fire gradually enveloped her entire body, not letting the girl breathe without fits of hoarse coughing. Yet the girl didn't stop.
Shin Zuzhou no longer noticed anything around her. She felt nothing but emptiness and loneliness, right up until the moment she felt a strange surge of warmth. This warmth... It wasn't the heat of her fire; it was someone's warm hands. Yang Yulan approached her closely and embraced her.
Shin Zuzhou didn't resist. She wearily fell into someone else's arms and began to cry bitterly into her shoulder. Clutching the other's back, she clung on, scratching it with her claws.
Yang Yulan didn't complain. She continued to hold the girl, despite the pain and heat. She slowly and calmly patted her on the back.
«It's okay. It's okay. Don't worry. I'm here.»
Gradually, the earthquake subsided, the fire died down, and Yang Yulan could breathe easier. Sometime after everything had calmed down, a frightened Xin rushed into the study.
«What's going on here?!» she exclaimed, seeing her mistress sitting on the floor in someone else's embrace.
Shin Zuzhou seemed to wake from a dream at this cry. She lifted her head, wiped her face, and looked in front of her. Consciousness returned to her. Also surprised by the scene before her, she immediately pushed the other person away, and that person, flying back a couple of meters, crashed forcefully into the wall. From such an impact, Yang Yulan wheezed painfully.
«Your Highness, are you alright?» Xin ran to her mistress and helped her to her feet. Yang Yulan also got up from the floor, but with varying success.
«What did you do?» Xin threatened, addressing Yang Yulan.
«Ah, if you mean what just happened, then I kind of saved your beloved mistress's life.»
Shin Zuzhou continued to remain silent, staring at the masked person. She thought he looked even more pathetic than usual. His clothes were all burnt, and his voice was hoarse from coughing.
«If you're finished, get out of here,» she suddenly spoke after some time. Her voice was quiet. And even a little soft. «Know this, if anyone finds out what you just saw, then I...»
The villainess stopped and didn't dare finish the threat.
«Never mind. Just don't tell anyone.»
Yang Yulan felt offended by such a response.
«I know, I know! Don't worry. I'm not going to talk about it. So far, I haven't told anyone about your belonging to the demon race. And I wouldn't have saved you if I didn't know how dangerous you are for this country. I just regret that the imperial family didn't teach you to thank people for help.»
«How dare you!» Xin got completely angry upon hearing the last words. «Who do you think you're talking to?»
Shin Zuzhou interrupted her mid-sentence and lowered her eyes. She gathered her thoughts for a long time.
«You're right. I was rude.»
«...Thank you.»
«Now leave. I don't want to see you.»
Yang Yulan was surprised that the villainess actually thanked her. She was also surprised by the fact that the villainess's ears turned red from embarrassment when she spoke the words of gratitude.
«Cute,» Yang Yulan suddenly thought and hurried to leave the room, feeling a sudden flutter. Just think! She had just considered the bloodthirsty villainess cute. She must have hit her head pretty hard when she crashed into the wall. She urgently needed to return to her room and rest.