The morning sun shimmered faintly through the curtains of Rui's chamber, casting golden light over the intricate jade patterns on the walls. For the first time in days, silence reigned within the palace, yet it was not peace—it was a silence born of things unspoken, of gazes that lingered too long and touches that trembled.
Rui sat at his writing desk, a brush poised over an unopened scroll. Ink bloomed dark and full beside him, but he made no move to write. His thoughts were a tangle of what had been said and what had not. Li Yuan's voice still echoed in his ears—Because I'm falling in love with you—a phrase that burned deeper than any wound.
He hadn't answered. He couldn't. Not when his heart was caught between the tug of longing and the weight of fate.
A soft knock broke the quiet.
"Come in," Rui called, though his voice came out fainter than intended.
It was Liu Shun, his loyal attendant, face pale with concern. "Your Majesty... the emperor requests your company in the southern courtyard."
Rui's heart tightened. He hadn't seen Li Yuan since their argument two nights ago. He'd heard the footsteps in the corridor, felt the hesitation beyond his door—but Li Yuan hadn't come in.
He stood, smoothing the folds of his robe. "Very well. Lead the way."
The southern courtyard was quiet, save for the soft rustling of bamboo and the distant splash of koi in the reflecting pond. Li Yuan stood alone under the moon bridge, back to Rui, hands clasped behind him. He looked regal, yet weary—his shoulders bore more than a crown.
Rui approached, footsteps muffled on the stone path. "You sent for me."
Li Yuan turned, and for a moment, the storm behind his eyes cleared. "Thank you for coming."
They stood in silence, the tension between them taut like the string of a drawn bow. Finally, Li Yuan spoke.
"The imperial astrologers brought another reading this morning. A star in the eastern sky has dimmed."
Rui blinked. "And you think this... ties to us?"
"I don't think," Li Yuan said quietly. "I know."
He produced a scroll from his sleeve and handed it over. Rui unrolled it carefully. The painting was abstract, but his trained eyes caught the symbols hidden in the ink: the phoenix, the serpent, the lotus blooming from blood. His breath caught.
"It's a prophecy," Rui whispered.
"One the court has kept hidden for centuries," Li Yuan replied. "It speaks of a union that will unseat the heavens. A bloodline that calls to the gods."
Rui looked up. "You think it's me."
"I know it's you," Li Yuan said. "And if your blood is the key, then they will stop at nothing to control or destroy you."
Rui's lips parted. "And you? What do you plan to do?"
Li Yuan stepped closer. "Protect you. Love you. Even if it breaks me."
For a moment, Rui wavered. His fingers clenched the scroll as the words of the prophecy seemed to hum through his veins.
"I don't need your protection," he said, voice soft but firm.
"But you have it, nonetheless."
Their eyes locked. Rui's chest ached. Everything inside him screamed to run, to pull away before fate swallowed them both. And yet...
A sudden sound cracked through the air—a hawk's cry from the palace walls.
An urgent messenger burst into the courtyard. "Your Majesties—the council has convened a secret meeting. Ministers from the north and west have arrived unannounced."
Li Yuan's expression darkened. "They move faster than I expected."
Rui's gaze sharpened. "Then we should move faster still."
And for the first time, it wasn't just Li Yuan taking a step toward Rui.
It was Rui stepping forward, into fate.