Yǔlín strode back and forth in his chambers, his teeth clenched and fists shaking. Wuji observed in silence, resting against the doorframe and folding his arms over his chest. "You've said nothing since you exited the queen's chambers," Wuji said, his own tone falsely relaxed. "What did she say to you?"
Yǔlín's expression darkened, his eyes becoming as cold as obsidian shreds.
"She must have been aware," he muttered. "Of the—"
Wuji clenched his teeth. "Did she say anything particular?"
"Just... to watch out for those who don't belong here." Yǔlín's fingers moved involuntarily, recalling how his mother's gaze had rested upon him, soft and gentle on its face but empty underneath. "She was prying, Wuji. Grinning as if she were privy to some secret I wasn't."
Wuji's gaze narrowed. "She hasn't ever been interested in your room previously. Why now?" Although she had always cared for you
Before Yǔlín could say anything, the door creaked open. Su Shu entered hesitantly, her own hair tousled, cheeks flushed. "Yǔlín," she began and hesitated as she took in his dark and ominous expression. "Am I interrupting?"
Yǔlín's eyes narrowed and for an instant Wuji saw a fleeting glimmer of naked emotion behind them. Fear? Worriedness? Wuji wasn't certain. Yǔlín snuffed it out rapidly and strode closer to Su Shu, looming over her. "Snooping about in the palace once more, I take it?"
Su Shu scowled, glancing over at Wuji for some kind of reassurance. "No. I was in the courtyard."
"You certain about that?" Yǔlín's tone fell to a dangerous low, every word wrapped in venomous menace. "Because my mother inquired about you. A servant in my quarters. Would you mind telling me how she heard about you?"
Eyes widening, Su Shu swallowed hard. "I... I don't know."
Wuji cleared his throat and pushed himself away from the doorframe. "Perhaps she heard the guards discuss it. Gossip spreads so easily."
Yǔlín stared at Su Shu intensely, his dark eyes never blinking. "Stay hidden from view. From now on, you don't set foot outside this room unless Wuji and I permit you to do so."
Su Shu's eyebrows creased. "So now I am a real prisoner then?"
"Until I know who is speaking out, yes." He sounded firm, his words slicing through the air.
Wuji took a stride forward, a smile on his mouth atypically disarming for him. "Calm down, Su Shu. Yǔlín's just..."
Su Shu glanced at them warily, the tension palpable. "Anxious about what?"
Before Yǔlín could reply, a searing pain shot through his chest. He gasped, grabbing at his chest, his breathing in harsh gasps. Wuji's smile disappeared and his face hardened. "Yǔlín!"
Yǔlín brushed him away, his jaws set so hard that his teeth creaked with tension. "I'm all right. Just... tired," he growled.
She stepped closer to him, keeping her palm above his arm but afraid to touch him. "Are you certain you're alright?"
Yǔlín's gaze flashed with a sinister glint as he rose upright, struggling to compose his face into a cold, expressionless mask. "Worry about yourself."
But as he walked away, Wuji caught sight of something red trickling out through Yǔlín's mouth. Blood. Wuji's eyes went wide, but before he could even say anything, Yǔlín brushed it away with the back of his own hand, his face as hard as rock. "Let me alone."
While Su Shu and Wuji exchanged uneasy glances, Yǔlín's back remained turned to them, shoulders locked and rigid, glaring into the space beyond the window frame. For behind his cold facade, the foreboding throb in his heart grew more pronounced. And deep within him, an ominous inner whisper echoed — it's just started.