Kai Low was acting strange, and if Yuze had a spare second outside of worry about the Camelia's self-destruction, he'd ask him about it.
But he didn't, so he didn't.
If Kai Low stuck around until after they figured this entire thing out, then Yuze would ask him.
He owed him that much at least.
And it was strange that the Bandri was the first…companion? Lover? That Yuze had ever had that made him feel so comfortable. Despite how annoying he could be.
Or in spite of it.
He was glad Kai Low wasn't anything like Akari. Who would never have accepted having so little of Yuze's complete attention. Or even Fox, who would have stayed silent and out of the way and left Yuze alone unless he asked for help. Fox, who, despite everything, Yuze would always believe he had a kind heart, didn't step in unless asked, because he was one of those people who preferred to solve his own problems. Alone. And he assumed that's what everyone else did, too.
Yuze had never worked up the courage to tell him otherwise, so part of that was on Yuze, too.
But it seemed he didn't need to tell Kai Low. Even when the man was struggling or mad at Yuze, he was still around in some way. Still a presence that was somehow comforting.
Even when he was asking very uncomfortable questions.
Yuze hadn't actually had to talk about his feelings, related to love at least, to anyone besides Chenzhou, and Chenzhou always waited for him to be ready. He didn't push.
Sometimes Kai Low pushed a lot, and it made Yuze angry, resentful, especially when he pushed hard enough that Yuze actually answered.
Yuze hated answering. Hated talking about things he didn't want to.
Hated it even more when he felt better after he talked about it.
How childish was he? To be resentful for being made to feel better.
And why was he thinking about this when he didn't have time? Since the High Court had launched its investigation, the Camelia had collapsed in on itself. Chenzhou and Eirian couldn't leave the main castle without being followed by a mob of curious onlookers, some friendly, some not. The nobles in the court were taking sides. Well, they were pledging their loyalty to Chenzhou's face, and making deals behind closed doors. Yuze wasn't sure why or how they thought they were being subtle. That no one knew. He'd started a chart just based on information the maids and guards had been able to give him, since apparently most of the nobility not only thought they were invisible, but deaf and blind as well.
The hubris of the rich and powerful was always interesting…and stupid.
Families that had sworn their lives to the Camelia and the Ye family were trying to slink away in the shadows now that there was a scandal.
Chenzhou was too noble to keep score, so Yuze would do it for him.
And then he'd tell Eirian.
He smirked.
He'd definitely tell Eirian.
***
Eirian was ready to burn the whole estate to the ground. The walls had been closing in as the crowds outside grew.
Eirian was used to protests. There had been several during her time in the capital, but those hadn't been against her husband.
Her husband, who was innocent in all this. Who was being plotted against by people he thought he could trust?
And she couldn't do anything about it.
Well, she couldn't storm in and just burn them all.
She and Yuze were still working to find out who was working with the Yangs and the Wens, but Lady Yang had put them on the back foot by moving so quickly. Tayla and Mela were looking into the High Court members with Ran Orlo. Yuze was looking into the court with Kai Low. Captain Li and his guards were locking down the estate and identifying those bought by the Yangs among the guards and messengers.
Chenzhou was doing his best to lead the Camelia through its most trying time in recent memory.
And Eirian?
Eirian was doing nothing? She was too well known to sneak around and ask questions, but she wasn't known well enough to the court to have developed the personal relationships or friendships that could get her information at a time like this.
Eric had sent the announcement for his wedding to everyone and then sent Eirian a private letter agreeing with her judgment about the match. He liked Yunli, and apparently she liked the people he cared about, which meant Will, and he was doing his best to move the wedding along as fast as he could. There was no way he could intervene in what was happening at the Camelia before then, and even after, it would be Yunli who would have to do so.
Unless it all truly fell apart and violence broke out.
As much as Eirian wanted to call down the wrath of the throne on all these people trying to hurt Chenzhou and Mingzhe, she didn't want it to get to that point because it meant so many, including Chenzhou and Mingzhe, could get hurt.
~ tbc