For a long, stunned moment, the two most powerful women in the world could do nothing but stare at each other in the silver moonlight, the absurd, cataclysmic news hanging in the air between them.
Lan Yue was the first to break the silence, her voice a faint, disbelieving whisper. "A… celestial moon dragon?"
Xue Lian, whose mind had finally rebooted from the initial shock, began to pace the balcony frantically, her regal composure completely gone, replaced by the raw panic of a mother whose child has just set off fireworks in a munitions depot.
"Yes! A two hundred foot tall, corporeal, sentient celestial moon dragon!" she whisper shouted, running a hand through her white hair. "Vex'aal says it is currently sleeping, curled around the main spire of the Silent Palace. And it is occasionally purring so loudly that it's rattling the priceless vases in the throne room! The entire court, the entire capital, has seen it!"
A slow, dawning look of pure, unadulterated pride spread across Lan Yue's face. A small, irrepressible smile touched her lips. "She has your flair for the dramatic."
Xue Lian whipped around, glaring at her. The Soul Bond between them lit up with a powerful, frantic wave of her anxiety. "This is not the time for compliments, Yue! This is a catastrophe! Our ten year old daughter, in a fit of academic pique, has just announced to my entire demonic empire that her soul contains a celestial power of apocalyptic proportions! Archduke Jin is probably having a celebratory seizure as we speak!"
As if on cue, the Whispering Stone in her pocket pulsed with another update from Vex'aal. Xue Lian's face grew paler as she processed the silent report.
"It's worse than I thought," she breathed. "The court is completely divided. The reformist factions are hailing it as a divine miracle, proof that the Luminous Dynasty has a heavenly mandate. They're calling her the 'Starlight Princess.'"
"That's not so bad," Lan Yue offered.
"The traditionalist factions, led by Jin, are calling it a celestial curse!" Xue Lian countered, her voice rising. "They are screaming that her 'tainted human blood' is an unstable, dangerous element that threatens the purity of the demonic realm. He is using this to rally support, framing it as the ultimate failure of my 'soft' policies!"
The decade of carefully constructed political stability, of peace built on secrets and isolation, was fracturing in real time. And the cause was one brilliant, frustrated, and impossibly powerful little girl.
This new reality crashed down upon them both, stark and unavoidable. Their slow, careful investigation of Elder Feng, their game of whispers and shadows it was all a luxury they could no longer afford. The board had just been violently upended by its youngest player.
"This accelerates everything," Xue Lian said, the mother's panic receding as the Empress's cold, strategic mind took over. "Jin will use this chaos to make a move against me. The peace is over. I have to go back. Now."
"And I can no longer remain here," Lan Yue stated, her own expression hardening into a look of fierce resolve. "News of this will spread beyond the Great Ward. A celestial event of that magnitude cannot be hidden. Feng and his conspirators will hear of it. They will see it as a threat, a miracle, or an opportunity. They will be forced to act."
The time for their separate paths, for their lies and deceptions, was over.
"Let me come with you," Lan Yue said, her voice quiet but firm.
"No," Xue Lian's immediate, instinctual response was a refusal. "It's too dangerous. The moment you are seen with me, the righteous sects will have their proof. It will be an open declaration of war."
"The war has already begun, Lian," Lan Yue countered, stepping forward and taking Xue Lian's hands, her grip strong and sure. "It began the moment Feng summoned those creatures. My place is no longer here, playing pointless games with Wei Chen. My place is at your side. And at our daughter's."
Her gaze softened, her voice filled with an undeniable, profound logic. "She has just unleashed a power she cannot possibly comprehend. She will be frightened, confused. She will need someone to help her understand the celestial half of her soul, to guide her in controlling it. That is a task for me, Lian. Not for a demonic metaphysics tutor who has just been proven so spectacularly wrong."
The argument was flawless. It was about their daughter. It was the one thing to which Xue Lian had no defense. She looked into Lan Yue's steady, determined eyes and saw not a request, but a statement of fact. She was no longer asking for permission. She was coming home.
A slow, determined smile touched Xue Lian's lips. The fear was still there, but it was now overshadowed by a powerful, rising sense of rightness. The lie had run its course. "You're right," she said. "It is time for the Luminous Dynasty to meet both of its queens."
She turned, her entire demeanor shifting into that of the Empress in full command. She gave a series of sharp, silent orders to her commanders, who were waiting in the shadows of the manor. Prepare the princess. We are returning to the palace.
Then, she looked at Lan Yue, her partner, her equal. "Find your ugly uncle," she said, a spark of their old banter in her eyes. "Tell him your mission of 'research' is over. Tell him whatever lie you must. But be at the Whispering Pass by dawn."
Her voice dropped, full of a fierce, possessive pride.
"We are all going home. Together."