The room they discovered was a storeroom, filled with Ursa's old belongings—clear evidence that Fire Lord Ozai had preserved everything related to her.
More importantly, Kou Li sensed something inside one of the boxes:
letters. Many of them.
Both Kahn and Azula instantly realized what that meant. Without a doubt, these letters were the most important clue to solving the mystery of Ursa.
The moment Azula confirmed there was a clue about her mother, her composure shattered.
She moved like someone dying of thirst who had finally seen water. She nearly pounced on the box before Kahn restrained her.
"There are other people here—calm down!"
He practically yelled in her ear, pulling her rational mind back just enough, though she continued staring at the box with burning intensity.
Kou Li was so startled by Azula's sudden shift that she took half a step back, her face pale.
Seeing no other choice, Kahn left Azula there and led Kou Li out of the palace through the secret passage.
He thanked her sincerely. "I'm really sorry for the trouble. You've helped us more than you know."
Once they emerged from the hidden corridor, Kou Li finally relaxed. Thinking back on Azula's outburst, she asked with concern:
"It's alright, but… Princess Azula just now… is she okay?"
Kahn wasn't completely sure either.
"She's fine… I think? Those things are deeply important to her. That's why she reacted so strongly. I'm sorry she scared you."
Kou Li nodded slowly, understanding only part of it.
"So… this mission is considered complete, right?"
"Of course," Kahn said immediately. "You're absolutely the top contributor. I'm sure Princess Azula will remember what you did."
Kou Li hesitated, then asked.
"What about you? Will you remember it?"
"Me?"
Kahn blinked, but then smiled.
"Of course I will."
"But don't forget—"
"Keep it a secret. I know." Kou Li finished his sentence with a grin.
Hearing that, she waved, turned gracefully, and walked away with light steps.
"Then I'll go first. See you tomorrow!"
"See you tomorrow."
Once she was out of sight, Kahn didn't waste a second. The main event was still ahead.
—
Instead of returning straight to the chamber, Kahn first went to find Zuko.
Although Zuko hadn't participated in the search the last few days, he was still part of their group—and something this important couldn't happen without him.
As expected, once Zuko heard there was finally a clue about Ursa, he became as excited as Azula had been.
He practically shoved Kahn back toward the secret chamber.
When they arrived, they saw Azula standing atop a stack of boxes, holding several letters with her usual composed smile, as though nothing had ever happened.
As soon as she saw them, she waved the envelopes.
"Found it. The clue."
Zuko rushed over and grabbed one, frantically reading it. Meanwhile, Azula casually began revealing the conclusion.
"Although the letters don't directly mention Mother's whereabouts, there's an extremely important detail—Mother's hometown, Hira. A remote, poor, almost unknown place."
She tapped the letters with her fingertips.
"Whether she returned there or not, there will definitely be clues waiting."
While Ursa's exact location was still unclear, this was the biggest breakthrough they'd had. Azula's expression relaxed for the first time in days.
Then, with a sly smirk, she pulled out another letter.
"Alright, my poor Zuzu. Instead of that useless letter, I think you'll be more interested in this one."
"I have to say, this is shocking news! Hahaha!"
Zuko ignored her mocking tone, but Kahn leaned closer, curiosity piqued. Seeing this, Azula handed him the letter.
"What?!"
Kahn's eyes widened. He couldn't even form a complete sentence.
Just like Azula said—this was enormous news. Completely unbelievable.
"What happened?"
Seeing Kahn's stunned look, Zuko finally reacted. Kahn silently handed the letter over.
Zuko read it—
And his entire world collapsed.
"What?! This is impossible—!!!"
The letter was written by Ursa to an old acquaintance in her hometown. In it, she revealed something shocking:
Zuko wasn't Ozai's child.
He was this acquaintance's.
Zuko nearly dropped the letter.
Ozai might've been strict—even excessively harsh—but never once did Zuko imagine he wasn't biologically related to him. But now…
Kahn also realized the implications.
Ozai was now Fire Lord. And while Zuko hadn't been officially named Crown Prince yet, it was essentially guaranteed—Ozai had only one son and one daughter.
But if this letter was true… then the "Crown Prince" wasn't even the Fire Lord's son.
That was explosive.
But something didn't add up.
"Wait—something's wrong," Kahn said, gears turning in his mind.
"If this letter was stored here, then with your father's personality, he wouldn't fail to check the contents. Which means he should already know."
Zuko blinked.
Kahn continued, "And if you really weren't his biological son… with his personality, you'd be dead. Right now."
Even an ordinary man wouldn't tolerate such a thing.
Let alone a ruthless man like Ozai—someone who killed his own father to seize power.
If he could tolerate something this humiliating, then Fire Lord Azulon's death would've never happened.
Azula rolled her eyes dramatically.
"That's right. You ruined my fun. Are you expecting praise?"
She'd been shocked the first time she saw the letter too, but after thinking about it for a moment, she immediately recognized something was off.
She only brought it out to tease Zuko—but Kahn had ruined her theater.
Zuko's eyes regained a little light. But he still looked at the letter uncertainly.
"But the letter says—"
Azula snorted sharply.
"And that's why you're an idiot, my poor Zuzu. All day long it's
'The letter says,'
'Mother said,'
'Teacher said,'
'Father said'—
Do you not have a single thought of your own?"
"Even a dog knows to look for its own poop to eat!"
"Don't go too far!"
Zuko snapped back, face red with embarrassment and anger—but at least he seemed less devastated.
Kahn clapped his hands, drawing both their attention.
"Look. There are still many mysteries. Whether it's Empress Ursa's whereabouts or Zuko's parentage, as long as we keep investigating, the truth will eventually be revealed. The important part is that we've taken a huge step forward."
"And our next target is already clear."
The three of them looked at each other.
Then said in unison:
"Hira!"
...
Author's Note:
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