Chapter 70: Cracks in the Court, Cracks in the Heart
Point of View: Kai Jin
The sun rose slowly over the Eastern Capital, spilling light through latticed windows and across the marble floors of the envoy estate. The city buzzed already—messengers darting like bees through corridors, nobles gathering silks like armor, rumors sharpening their edge in every teahouse and hall.
Kai Jin stood at the balcony of his chambers, bare-chested, robe loosely tied at his waist. His hair was damp from the morning basin, but his eyes were focused far beyond the walls.
The warmth of Yue's skin still clung to him like a secret. She had slipped away at dawn, leaving no words behind, only the pressed shape of her lips on his collarbone.
But outside this room, the empire had already begun to judge him.
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The Imperial Banquet Hall was a marvel of opulence—ceilinged with carved gold clouds, its floor veined with mother-of-pearl. At the long crescent table sat dignitaries from the five great sects, envoys from the southern provinces, scholars from the Jade Institute, and three imperial ministers whose eyes glittered like obsidian daggers.
Kai entered flanked by Lin Su and Bai Ru. Yue was already seated at the far end, dressed in imperial navy with a high-neck collar, her gaze unreadable.
Whispers stirred like dust in a sunbeam.
"Is that her?"
"The healer and the shadow blade—how convenient."
"Three women, one man. Does he cultivate by seduction now?"
Kai ignored them. He moved like a general—calm, precise, utterly unfazed. But inside, a fire coiled. He was a man of control, not performance. And yet today, his life was theater.
Elder Song sat at the Emperor's left hand, robes pale gray and unmarked by sect sigils—neutral, deadly.
He raised a cup. "To our envoy, who keeps such… intimate company."
Polite laughter followed.
Kai bowed slightly, tone cool. "Only the unworthy fear intimacy, Elder."
Song's smile thinned, but he did not respond.
⸻
Throughout the meal, officials pried like blades:
"So tell us, Envoy, who will be your official consort?"
"Are you not worried your alliances will turn inward?"
"Surely the heart can only guide the sword so far before it dulls."
Lin Su leaned in with a smirk. "I don't think he's dulled. At least not last night."
Gasps. Stifled chuckles.
Bai Ru nearly choked on her wine.
Yue remained still as stone.
Kai set down his cup. "Love is not a distraction. It's a weapon sharper than steel. Those who wield it wisely are never unarmed."
A pause.
Then the Emperor himself, seated above all, spoke at last.
His voice was silk over flame. "The envoy speaks boldly. But can he lead without dividing his court by affection?"
Kai bowed low. "Your Radiance, I serve the Broken Sky. My heart may be split, but my loyalty is singular."
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After the banquet, as nobles and officials dispersed in slow waves of silk and murmurs, Kai remained on the terrace.
Yue approached from behind. "You held your ground."
"They wanted me to stumble."
"They still do."
She touched his shoulder. "You made your choice clear last night. But now they'll use it."
"I know."
"Then be ready to fight for what you claimed."
He turned to her. "I'll fight for all of you."
She frowned. "Even her?"
"Even her."
Behind them, Bai Ru watched from the corridor, her heart like a drumbeat in her ears.
And Lin Su stood beneath the veranda, sipping a fresh cup of wine, whispering to herself, "Let the court glare. Let the empire gossip. They have no idea how good we could be… together."
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That night, the World Eye pulsed in Kai's dreams—not with prophecy, but with mirrors.
He saw himself reflected four times.
In one: crowned, loved, alone.
In another: burning, betrayed.
In the third: holding hands that were not his own.
And in the fourth: walking away from all of them into mist.
He awoke with a shudder. The sky outside had turned blood-red with dawn.
⸻
[To Be Continued…]