The morning meal ended, but the quiet bubble of intimacy remained. True to her word, Xue Lian moved to her ornate desk, but not to pore over scrolls of state. She took out a single, dark piece of paper and a stylus.
"A moment," she said to Lan Yue, her expression focused. She wrote a series of swift, decisive commands, her script sharp and elegant. She summoned Elara with a small, silent bell.
"Have these delivered," she instructed the elderly servant. "Commander Kael is in charge of border patrols for the day. General Kairo will oversee the new recruits' training. Vex'aal is to continue her intelligence gathering as planned. All petitions and audiences are to be postponed. I am not to be disturbed unless the palace itself is collapsing. Is that clear?"
"Perfectly, Your Majesty," Elara said with a bow, taking the scroll without a flicker of surprise.
Lan Yue watched, fascinated. With a few strokes of a stylus, an entire empire had been put on hold. As a Head Disciple, her life had been an endless cascade of duties. The idea of simply setting them aside for a day was a foreign, almost decadent concept.
"Is it wise to leave your commanders in charge?" Lan Yue asked as the door closed, leaving them in their sanctuary once more.
"Kael will enjoy hitting things, Kairo thrives on discipline, and Vex'aal is always working anyway," Xue Lian said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "The dynasty will survive a day without me. My companionship, however," she turned, her amber eyes locking onto Lan Yue's, a soft, genuine smile on her face, "requires my full attention."
She held out her hand. "Come. You have seen my court and my farms. Let me show you my favorite part of this palace."
She led Lan Yue to the Grand Library. The vast, silent chamber felt different now. Before, it had been a battlefield of ideologies. Today, it was a refuge. Instead of sitting at opposite ends of a large table, Xue Lian led her to a quiet, secluded alcove with plush cushions and a low window overlooking one of the new gardens.
"Tell me about your life at the Azure Cloud Sect," Xue Lian began, her voice soft. "Not the doctrines or the training. Tell me about you. What did you do when you weren't being a prodigy?"
Lan Yue paused, considering the question. No one had ever asked her that. Her life had been defined by her title. "There was little time for anything else," she admitted. "I would meditate. Practice my sword forms. Read the ancient texts. My shizun said my focus was unparalleled."
"Did you have any friends?" Xue Lian pressed gently.
"There was Wei Chen," Lan Yue said. "He was dedicated. Loyal." She searched for another word, another name, and found none. Her focus had indeed been unparalleled. It had also been deeply, profoundly lonely.
"I had a friend once," Xue Lian offered, her gaze distant, as if looking into another world. "In a story I read. Her name was Mei. She was loud, and had terrible taste in romance, and she was fiercely, unapologetically alive. She believed that duty was important, but that joy was essential."
Lan Yue listened, captivated, as Xue Lian spoke. Over the course of the day, Xue Lian shared many such "stories." Tales of worlds with flying metal carriages and glowing rectangles that held all the knowledge of an age. Stories of societies where the lines between Alpha, Beta, and Omega didn't exist, where people were free to love whomever they chose. It was all framed as myth and legend, fiction gleaned from ancient, forgotten scrolls. But Lan Yue, with her ancient soul, heard the ring of truth in the words, the nostalgic ache of a home that was not the Netherworld. She didn't understand it, but she felt the profound loneliness of the woman beside her, a loneliness that mirrored her own.
They moved to the balcony as the twin moons began their ascent, the air growing cool. They leaned against the balustrade, their shoulders touching, watching the festival lanterns being taken down in the city below.
"What is it you fear most?" Lan Yue asked, the day of shared truths having emboldened her.
Xue Lian was silent for a long time. "Forgetting," she said finally, her voice barely a whisper. "Forgetting who I was, and the things that truly matter. And… losing this." She turned, her hand finding Lan Yue's in the dim light. "This is new. It's fragile. The court, the righteous sects, the entire world will try to break it. I fear they will succeed."
"They won't," Lan Yue said, her voice full of a quiet, unshakable strength. She squeezed Xue Lian's hand. "They will have to go through me."
The simple declaration was a vow, an oath of allegiance that went deeper than any political alliance. Xue Lian looked at her, her heart aching with a love so fierce it almost frightened her. The day of talking, of sharing, of learning the histories of their souls, had forged a bond far stronger than their night of passion.
The weariness of the long, emotionally charged day finally settled over them. The cool night air raised goosebumps on Lan Yue's arms. Xue Lian noticed, and her expression softened.
"The day is over," she said, her voice a low, intimate murmur. "The night is ours." She brought Lan Yue's hand to her lips, pressing a warm kiss to her fingers, her amber eyes glowing with a gentle, rekindled heat.
"Lan Yue," she said, her voice dropping to a husky whisper. "Will you join me for a bath?"