Hikari had never considered himself unfaithful or the kind of man who would be unfaithful. Loyalty was the trait most valued by the Yang family, and as its oldest son and future head, he strove to embody that value.
Even when he clashed with his mother, he did so out of loyalty to the family and what he thought was best for them. He knew that was exactly why his mother fought so hard against her own blood sometimes. Different people, different ideas, same motivation.
It was what had held them together for so long. They were a family of passionate, loud, often arrogant and obsessive people who put those negative traits to work for the greater good.
Hikari was aware of the weakness in this blood and trained hard to control it. He'd been careful to pick a wife who understood that and who would help balance their children.
There had been times when he was younger when he had struggled with it. When he had wanted to run, to be anything but a Yang, but he had grown up. He'd learned and come to understand the importance of the Yang family responsibility.
Despite his struggles, he'd never felt…guilty.
Not until now.
Not until Mingzhe.
He'd been Hikari's first real friend outside his family. The Yangs tutored all their children in the family until they were fourteen and old enough to join the Crimson Army. Hikari had been terribly awkward the first time he'd met his peers, the ones he wasn't related to. They'd had no patience for a stranger who thought he was in charge, and Hikari had no idea how to handle a bunch of people who didn't care for his opinion on anything.
Mingzhe had been the only one who understood both sides, and he'd helped open Hikari's eyes, teaching him the way of the world outside the Yang walls.
As much as the Zhao heir understood anyway.
They'd stumbled through it together, cementing the most meaningful bond Hikari had outside his own family. Though their time together ebbed and flowed as they'd grown older, Hikari still treasured their friendship. Had even dared to dream of Mingzhe at his side, his right hand, if things had worked out in his lifetime.
Part of him had never believed they would, but they were now. His mother was practically gloating every night at dinner, and the rest of the family was barely containing themselves. He'd had to warn his wife multiple times not to let something slip, but she was lost in her plans to be the Lady of the Camelia. Thankfully, that also meant she wasn't leaving the manor much.
He'd tried speaking to her about Mingzhe, but she'd been too distracted to do more than make sympathetic noises and point out that Mingzhe might still come around.
Hikari wasn't worried about him coming around. They'd been friends for so long, even a fight like the other day wasn't enough to break them. With Chenzhou gone and Eirian back in the capital, because even his mother wasn't bold enough to try and kill the heir to the throne of Sorrow, Mingzhe would return to the man he was before he'd grown close to them.
And their absence would allow more time for Hikari and Mingzhe to renew their friendship.
It would give Hikari more time to explain, to apologize, to make Mingzhe understand why all this had been necessary in the first place. How they were saving the Camelia from itself, and all of Sorrow with it.
But…
He was starting to worry that Mingzhe wouldn't survive. They were getting dangerously close to tipping over the edge where someone would have to die, and he wasn't sure they had enough to make sure it was Chenzhou. Mingzhe hadn't been the initial target; Hikari hadn't realized he would be working so closely with Chenzhou and taking personal command of his forces. He'd expected the Yin or the Wens to marshal their forces first. The Wens had even agreed to sacrifice a few units for the cause and send them to the northern outposts to be ambushed, but somehow Mingzhe's forces had gotten their first.
Hikari had been too late to stop him, and they'd had no choice but to let him take the fall.
Hikari had foolishly convinced himself that there would be time to correct the mistake, that it could still be laid at Chenzhou's feet as he had ordered the deployment.
He was still holding out hope, but it was dwindling with every day.
And after their fight… Mingzhe was angry at him. He didn't listen when he was angry.
But he didn't stay angry long either.
Hiari had time.
Could have time if he could convince his mother to wait a few days for the next step. Her agents had intercepted a report from Henri Colfax about communications in the days before the ambush. An official communication carrying proof that someone in the Camelia had coordinated with the Bandri and Beng Shai. The issue was that the communication didn't name who; Henri Colfax was too smart for that, and his mother had already prepared a response that clearly targeted Mingzhe.
It would be enough to force a trial, unless Princess Soliel suddenly produced strong evidence against someone else.
But that became more unlikely with every day. Her investigation had turned up that Mingzhe was being targeted, that there was a conspiracy about destabilizing the Camelia, but not who was responsible.
His mother had a list of those she believed Princess Soliel had proven weren't involved, but so far Eirian had been smart enough not to put any of it to paper for one of her agents to steal, so there was no way to know for sure. It was possible she already suspected them more than others, but there'd been no credible action to suggest that. His ancestors had worked diligently to put the first pieces into play so long ago that it had all been forgotten now.
The Zhao's were a valuable family. It would hurt the Camelia to lose them, and there were many among Mingzhe's soldiers who were fiercely loyal, so it would just be the family that was lost. His mother was convinced it could be survived, and Hikari couldn't really argue. The Camelia was built to survive that very thing; it just hurt to imagine that it would be Mingzhe. The Zhaos had been in the Camelia almost as long as the Yangs.
Their absence would be felt more than his mother realized.
Hikari would have to do his best to convince her to wait. To give him time to talk Mingzhe around to their plan.
They needed to mitigate the losses that would follow Chenzhou as much as possible anyway.
~ tbc