The north had a way of judging people.
It did not care about noble blood.
It did not care about palace titles.
It did not care how many servants bowed when you entered a room.
The north cared about only one thing—
whether you could survive the cold.
Tonight—
My dear Third Brother was finally about to find out.
Snow covered the western valley like a white grave waiting patiently for its next story.
Beneath that snow:
formation arrays,
hidden traps,
The Ghost Legion,
and enough bad intentions to qualify as a national crisis.
Beautiful.
Very beautiful.
I stood on the highest ridge above the valley, black battle robes moving in the freezing wind.
Below me, the trap was ready.
Beside me stood Feng Yuehuang, golden eyes fixed on the southern road.
Yue Lian checked troop positions one final time.
Bai Wuchen stood like a statue carved from war itself.
And Hu Mei—
was eating roasted chestnuts.
Because apparently, battlefield tension improved her appetite.
"Master."
I sighed.
"Yes."
"If you die today, can I inherit your room?"
I looked at her.
"Why is everyone so obsessed with my room?"
She shrugged.
"Excellent sunlight. Also emotional memories."
Reasonable.
Disturbing.
But reasonable.
Far below—
horns.
Deep.
Royal.
The sound rolled across the valley like thunder.
Everyone turned south.
And there they were.
The Third Prince's royal army.
Thirty thousand elite soldiers moving through the snow like a black tide.
Perfect formation.
Heavy cavalry.
War beasts.
Royal banners.
And at the centre—
The crimson dragon flag of the Third Prince.
Arrogant.
Elegant.
Annoying.
Exactly as expected.
The soldiers marched like they believed victory was already written.
I smiled.
Good.
Confidence made ambushes much funnier.
Then—
The main royal carriage stopped.
The army parted.
And Chen Lie stepped into the snow.
Silence.
Real silence.
Even the wind seemed to pause.
He wore black and gold battle robes, royal armour hidden beneath elegant, silk-like violence, dressed for court.
Tall.
Calm.
Perfect posture.
The kind of man who made entire rooms uncomfortable by existing.
Unfortunately—
He was also my brother.
And yes.
He was absolutely that dramatic in person.
Hu Mei whispered beside me,
"Oh."
She blinked.
"He's annoyingly handsome."
I folded my arms.
"Terrible personality, though."
She nodded.
"That helps."
Fair.
Very fair.
Chen Lie stood in the valley and slowly looked around.
The mountains.
The cliffs.
The silence.
He understood immediately.
Good.
He was always smart.
Too smart.
His voice carried upward without effort.
"Fifth Brother."
No shouting.
No rage.
Just certainty.
Honestly—
rude.
I stepped forward to the edge of the ridge.
"Third Brother."
Our eyes met across the battlefield.
Exile.
Crown favourite.
The prince was sent away.
The prince meant to inherit.
Two stories finally stand in the same sentence.
He looked at me for a long moment.
Then smiled faintly.
"You look healthier than expected."
I smiled back.
"You look more nervous than expected."
Hu Mei whispered,
"Oh, they flirt like assassins."
Correct.
Very correct.
Chen Lie ignored her, which proved he had excellent survival instincts.
He looked around the valley again.
"You prepared all this for me?"
I spread my arms dramatically.
"Brother, welcome to my battlefield."
A pause.
Then—
for the first time—
He laughed.
Short.
Cold.
Real.
Good.
I hated how familiar it felt.
He looked up at me.
"You always were wasted in the palace."
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Not an insult.
Not quite praise.
Something worse.
Truth.
I tilted my head.
"And you always mistook obedience for loyalty."
Silence.
That one landed.
Good.
The royal commanders shifted uneasily.
Even General Han lowered his gaze.
Because brothers knew where to cut.
Chen Lie's expression didn't change.
But the temperature somehow dropped.
He took one step forward.
"The throne requires order."
His voice was calm.
"Not idealism."
I answered immediately.
"No."
I looked at the villages behind me.
"The throne requires someone who remembers people are not tools."
Snow fell between us.
White.
Quiet.
Heavy.
He studied me like he was trying to decide whether I had become dangerous—
or had always been this way.
Honestly?
Probably both.
Then he said softly,
"Father should have killed you sooner."
There it was.
The royal family's warmth.
I smiled.
"And yet here I am."
Very inconvenient for everyone.
Especially him.
His hand rested lightly on the hilt of his sword.
Mine tightened around the ancestral spear.
Below us—
Thirty thousand soldiers waited.
Ghosts beneath the snow waited.
The entire north held its breath.
This was not a battle yet.
This was judgement.
Brother to brother.
Throne to throne.
Finally—
Chen Lie raised his eyes to mine.
"One last chance."
His voice was quiet.
"Come back. Kneel. Live."
The valley became still.
Even Hu Mei stopped eating.
Even Feng Yuehuang's flames stilled.
Because everyone understood—
This was real.
The final offer.
The last bridge.
I looked at him.
At the brother who had once decided whether I was allowed to exist.
At the prince who believed power meant permission.
The man who came north expecting to end a rebellion.
Then I smiled.
Slowly.
Honestly.
And said—
"No."
Simple.
Clean.
Absolute.
I lifted the ancestral spear toward the sky.
The formation arrays beneath the snow lit up.
Ghost flames erupted across the valley.
The mountains answered.
The dead stood.
Ten thousand ghost soldiers rose like the north itself had chosen violence.
Royal horses screamed.
Soldiers stumbled back.
The Third Prince's army finally understood.
This was not a rebellion.
This was war.
I looked down at Chen Lie through blue fire and falling snow.
"Third Brother…"
My voice carried across the battlefield.
"You should have stayed in the capital."
Bai Wuchen raised his ancient sword.
Feng Yuehuang's flames ignited the eastern ridge.
Yue Lian's Phoenix Guards revealed themselves on the cliffs.
And the valley became a trap with a prince's name written on it.
Tonight—
The Third Prince had stepped into the snow.
Now—
He would learn how cold exile truly was.