The candles were burning low. Xue Liulan sat on the edge of the bed, watching her. The Mafeisan was still in her system, her sleep deep and heavy. Her face was colorless against the brocade quilt. Each breath she took seemed to pull at a raw nerve in his chest.
"How is she?" Murong Yu whispered, slipping into the room.
He turned, his gaze empty. Murong Yu's heart skipped a beat.
She had known Xue Liulan for years, but she had never seen him like this. The spark was gone. He looked like a walking corpse, his jaw dark with stubble, his eyes pools of despair.
Suddenly, she understood why the Crown Prince had made him promise. A king must be without heart. Her husband had known his brother too well. Once they loved, they loved unto death.
She hesitated, then quietly withdrew. He needed to be alone with her.
"My lord." Hanlu appeared from the shadows.
Xue Liulan didn't look away from the bed. He just nodded.
"Yi has returned."
Before Hanlu finished, the door opened and shut. Footsteps approached, then stopped. A rush of wind.
Hanlu moved to intercept, but Xue Liulan shook his head. He let Yi grab him by the collar and drag him off the bed, stumbling.
"Is this how you protect her?" Yi snarled, his voice low and dangerous.
Xue Liulan didn't answer. He just looked at the fist raised above his face.
"Say something!" Yi wanted to smash his face in.
"If it will make you feel better, hit me," Xue Liulan said, his voice flat. "I failed to protect her. There is nothing else to say."
"You admit it easily enough." Yi sneered.
"It was chaotic. No one expected an assassin," Hanlu said, stepping forward to block Yi's arm.
"Hanlu, stay out of this." Xue Liulan waved him off.
Yi's fist trembled, then dropped. He had never seen Xue Liulan like this. Even for Murong Jin's sake, he couldn't strike a man who looked already broken.
"What did the physician say?" Yi turned to look at her. She looked like a spirit, ready to vanish with the next breeze.
"No vital organs were hit. But she is pregnant, and her health was already poor. This… makes it worse." Xue Liulan closed his eyes, leaning his head back.
"Sister Jin," Yi whispered.
"She needs rest. I can't be here all the time. I am entrusting her safety to you." Xue Liulan bowed deeply to both of them.
They were stunned. Hanlu dropped to one knee. "Her Highness's safety is my life. Rest assured, my lord."
"The first person she'll want to see when she wakes up is you," Yi said, bowing back. "So, Fifth Prince… make sure you come back alive."
Xue Liulan nodded. He looked at her one last time. Whoever hurt her… Guo Shangzhong, Xue Feiyan, Die Man… none of them will be spared.
He walked out. Murong Yu was waiting for him.
"Sister-in-law?"
"How is she?"
"She'll be fine." He nodded. He knew what she wanted to ask. "We don't know who sent the assassin yet. But I can tell you this: it has everything to do with our seventh brother."
"He… he really tried to kill me." Her voice was hollow.
"I didn't expect him to act so quickly to silence you."
She gave a desolate laugh. "That's who he is. A sharp knife cutting through the mess. He never lets feelings get in the way of his ambition."
"After everything you did for him…" Xue Liulan sighed. Even if he didn't love her, he couldn't imagine killing a woman who had sacrificed so much for him.
"That is the difference between you brothers and him," she said, looking at him with a gentle sadness. "You and Liuyun… you value love too much. You let it bind your hands. That's why he told you a king must be heartless. Only then are you invulnerable."
He sneered. "If my brother was truly heartless, would he be dead now?"
She frowned and looked out at the quiet courtyard. Patrols marched past in the distance.
"Xue Liulan, what do you need me to do? Just ask."
"Even if it costs you your life?"
"I've thought a lot, guarding his tomb. I failed your brother, but he never blamed me. I'm here to do something for him. It won't pay my debt, but it's better than nothing." She smiled, a strange, radiant look on her face. "Death, for me, would be a release."
He stared at her. This woman, in her mourning clothes, willing to die for the man she had betrayed… was his brother lucky, or cursed?
"It might not have been him," Xue Liulan said, leaning against a pillar. "Someone might have beaten him to it. But no matter what, this must fall on his head."
"You mean to use this to destroy him completely?" She wasn't surprised. Murong Jin had been hurt. Xue Feiyan was doomed. "But what if it wasn't him?"
"Would you take back your offer?" He glanced at her sideways.
"Of course not." She rolled her eyes. "If it wasn't him this time, it will be next time. Besides… Liuyun would want me to help you."
"Good." He straightened. "I need you to tell Father the truth about the Crown Prince's death. As for the investigation into the assassination, I have full authority. Our seventh brother cannot escape."
"Alright. If the day comes to testify, I know what to say."
"I'll have men protect you." He turned to go in, then stopped. "Murong Yu. I won't let you die."
She froze. She knew how much he hated her.
"You are the person Murong Jin risked her life to save. I don't want her to hate me."
He opened the door and went inside, leaving her alone in the cold.
When love runs deep enough, she thought, even hate becomes irrelevant.
"Is she awake?" he whispered to Yi.
Yi shook his head, pointing to the bowl of medicine. "She won't wake up. She can't drink."
He touched the bowl. "Heat it up again. The Mafeisan should be wearing off soon."
Yi left. They were alone again.
He sat by the bed, watching her. After a long time, he smiled. "It's just me now. You can open your eyes."
Slowly, her eyes opened, hazy in the lamplight.
"Finally." He let out a breath and leaned close. "How do you feel? Any pain?"
She forced a smile, her voice raspy. "No. How did you know?"
"Your breathing was steady. And your eyelashes fluttered. So I guessed." He traced the line of her cheek. It felt like reclaiming a lost treasure after a lifetime apart.
"Why do you look so hagard?" She frowned, looking at the stubble on his chin. "Where is the romantic prince?"
"Right here. Before I met you, I was always the romantic prince." He tapped her forehead, trying to sound light.
"And after?" She smiled, wincing slightly as the wound pulled. Her hand found her stomach. Still there. Safe. That was enough.
After? He paused. He saw their first meeting by the palace wall, their wedding, the growing affection, the life and death battles on the frontier. And then, the image of her yesterday, covered in blood.
His heart clenched. He took her hand, cradling it in his palm.
"Murong Jin," he said, his voice soft as water, and just as deep. "After I met you, I became only your husband." He leaned down, his lips brushing her ear. "Known to the world for romance, but haggard only for you."