Li Feng stood frozen in place.
The words he had been about to speak died in his throat.
His eyes remained locked on the woman standing before him… on the crimson hair that flickered like living flames, on the amber eyes that glowed with an unnatural light, and on the orange-red robes that seemed to have been born from fire itself.
For a long moment, he could not move.
…Since when?
The question rose in his mind… heavy and cold.
...Since when did it begin?
Had it started the first time he met her?
Or had it been much earlier… long before he even stepped into the Fen Dynasty?
The gentle, caring but sickly Concubine Zi who always spoke softly, who always wore that fragile smile, who always seemed one step away from collapsing and worried about her daughter's safety…
...Was any of it real?
Li Feng's face remained pale.
As a deep, uncomfortable self-doubt and repulsion began to coil inside his chest.
Or perhaps…
...Perhaps some part of him had already known the truth.
