The throne room stands in solemn grandeur, vast and echoing, a place where power weighs heavier than stone.
Tall pillars rise on both sides, each carved with coiling dragon designs that spiral upward, their scales etched in meticulous detail as if ready to tear free from the stone. The white marble floor beneath them is polished to a mirror sheen, reflecting the pillars, the guards, and the distant gold of the throne itself. Above, a massive crystal chandelier hangs suspended, its countless facets catching the light and scattering it in cold, prismatic fragments across the hall.
A broad staircase draped in deep red carpet ascends toward the throne. The carpet's colour is rich and dark, like dried blood, leading the eye to the seat of power at the summit. There, upon the golden throne, the king sits upright, his posture composed, his gaze sharp and unreadable.
Along the walls, royal guards stand in full armour, motionless as statues. Their spears are grounded, shields aligned, eyes fixed forward. They do not speak. They do not move. Their presence alone enforces silence.
At the centre of the hall, on the marble floor below the throne, stand two figures.
The Seventh Prince stands straight but weary, his clothes still bearing faint traces of dirt and smoke. Beside him stands Commander Di, armoured yet dignified, his hands clasped behind his back, expression restrained.
The Seventh Prince lifts his head to look at his father, then at Commander Di.
Only minutes ago, everything had still been chaos.
The royal forest.
Masked figures attacking without warning.
Being separated from his guards.
Meeting Lady Duan amid blood and fire.
Seeing masked figures fighting alongside his uncle's guards.
Escaping into the bamboo forest.
Encountering Chu Feng.
The fire, set deliberately, was to burn the forest and everyone within it.
Then, the moment that shattered his last illusion.
Lady Duan is alive, attacked by his uncle's guards.
Red Slit Cave.
A desperate escape through darkness and stone.
Shouts behind him.
Pain.
Fear.
And then, nothing.
He woke near a sewer tunnel, his body intact, his mind fractured, memories blurred and broken.
The king's voice cuts through the silence.
"You don't remember how you escaped from the Red Slit Cave?"
The Seventh Prince lowers his gaze and shakes his head slowly.
"No," he answers hoarsely.
He hesitates, then looks up again, urgency breaking through his exhaustion.
"Father… is there any news of Lady Duan?"
The king does not answer immediately; instead, his gaze shifts to Commander Di.
Commander Di exhales quietly, then shakes his head.
"I have received no news of her return."
The words land heavily.
The Seventh Prince's face tightens, grief and guilt washing over him. Lady Duan had saved his life twice. And he had not saved her even once. Perhaps he never would.
His shoulders sag slightly.
The king's voice softens, though authority still underlies every word.
"If you are safe and sound," he says, "then she also is."
Hope flickers in the Seventh Prince's eyes as he looks up at his father.
Commander Di nods once in agreement.
"Prince Yuan would not allow you to live," he says evenly. "So if you have emerged alive, that means Lady Duan also escaped."
The Seventh Prince closes his eyes, trying to grasp the final moments in the cave. Stone walls. Flickering light. A voice, perhaps. Or a shadow.
Nothing.
A sudden spike of pain stabs through his head.
He groans softly, clutching his temple as the headache surges, sharp and relentless.
The king rises slightly from his throne.
"Xuanxi," he says, using his son's given name, "go and rest for now."
The Seventh Prince hesitates, even as pain and fatigue threaten to overwhelm him.
Commander Di steps forward.
"Seventh Prince," he says, his tone firm but respectful, "you should rest. Divine Guards are searching the royal forest. If Lady Duan is found, I will inform you immediately."
The Seventh Prince wavers.
His vision blurs.
His legs feel unsteady.
At last, he nods.
He bows toward the throne, then turns and walks out of the hall, his steps slow, burdened by exhaustion and worry.
The king watches until his son disappears beyond the doors.
Only then does he turn his attention fully to Commander Di.
"Yuanheng," the king says quietly, "what do you think? Is Lady Duan alive?"
Commander Di frowns, considering carefully.
"I do not believe Prince Yuan would have allowed the Seventh Prince to leave alive," he says. "So it is very likely she is alive, but seriously injured. And hiding."
The king's fingers tap once against the armrest of the throne.
"Then wouldn't it be better," he says slowly, "if she returned to the Duan Estate?"
Commander Di pauses, then speaks cautiously.
"Didn't the prince say that Lady Duan knew some information? That both the organisation behind the Shen Family and Prince Yuan wanted her dead?"
The king murmurs to himself.
"What could that information be?"
It must be valuable.
Valuable enough that both an unknown organisation and Prince Yuan, fully aware that Cai Wenji is the wife of Marquis Duan, still wish to kill her.
The king's eyes darken.
"Yuanheng," he commands, "find the organisation behind the Shen Family. And find Cai Wenji."
Commander Di bows deeply.
"Yes, my king."
He turns to leave.
Halfway across the hall, the king speaks again.
"Yuanheng."
Commander Di stops and turns back.
"Xingli is returning," the king says. "It would be better if she could become the main wife of Marquis Duan."
Commander Di's eyes widen briefly before he lowers his head.
"Yes, my king."
The king smiles faintly.
"Then try to make it happen."
Commander Di bows again and exits the throne room.
The king watches him go, his expression slowly tightening into a frown.
Can Yuanheng truly carry out such an order?
He exhales.
"Sparrow."
From the shadows behind the pillars, darkness peels away.
A woman steps forward, her presence so light it feels unreal. She kneels immediately.
"Master," she says softly, "what can I do for you?"
"Find Cai Wenji," the king orders. "Interrogate her about what she knows. Then make her disappear."
The woman nods once.
"Yes."
She dissolves back into the shadows.
The king straightens.
"Yixu," he calls.
A hurried voice answers from outside.
"My king, I am coming."
An older man in eunuch robes rushes in, stopping near the stairs and bowing deeply.
"My king, what do you wish?"
The king looks down at him, eyes sharp.
"I want immortality," he says. "Can you give me that?"
The eunuch remains silent.
After a moment, the king speaks again.
"Write my decree. Inform Prince Yuan that Shiyi's marriage with the Shen Family is forbidden."
The eunuch bows.
"Yes, my king."
He leaves quickly.
The king rises from the throne and walks out of the hall, the echo of his footsteps lingering long after he is gone.
------------
Within the Duan Family estate, a heavy, solemn atmosphere hangs in the air.
Even the blazing summer sun cannot drive away the chill that seems to seep from the stone walls and courtyards. The entire estate is eerily silent, as if holding its breath.
In the main meeting room, Housekeeper Chen stands beside Merin's empty chair. The seat remains untouched, its absence pressing harder than any presence. Before him sit the elders and leaders of the Duan Family, their expressions tense, restrained.
At the center of the room, the captain of the Duan Family guards kneels on one knee, head lowered, shoulders rigid. He does not speak.
Duan Lin breaks the silence.
"You still haven't found my sister-in-law?" he asks, his voice tight.
The captain remains silent.
Housekeeper Chen exhales slowly, the sound heavy with restraint.
"Did you find any information about the attackers?" he asks.
The captain finally raises his head, eyes bloodshot, jaw clenched.
"Housekeeper Chen," he says hoarsely, "after receiving news of the attack, I led my team into the royal forest. We coordinated with the Divine Guards and other family forces. But… we found no corpses of the masked figures."
The words settle like dust.
Silence spreads through the meeting room.
No bodies.
No traces.
Nothing to explain what happened, or what became of Cai Wenji.
At last, an elder speaks, breaking the stillness.
"Should we send a letter to inform Merin?"
Housekeeper Chen nods once.
"I will send a letter after this meeting."
One by one, the elders nod in agreement, though unease is clear on their faces. Each of them carries the same unspoken fear.
They do not know how Merin will react.
Merin has never been openly emotional with them. His expressions are restrained, his actions measured. Yet with Cai Wenji, there had always been something different, something softer, something unguarded.
And now,
Cai Wenji may be dead.
The thought lingers in the room, unspoken, heavy, and suffocating.
No one dares to voice it.
The meeting ends in silence.