Yǔlín burst into Wuji's chambers after the interrogation, his jaw set and his fists clenched. Wuji leaned against the window frame, his shadow cast by the dancing torches. He spun around as Yǔlín burst in, his gaze narrowing as he took in Yǔlín's tense figure.
"What occurred?" Wuji asked, his tone tinged with worry.
Yǔlín exhaled heavily, combing through his hair with his fingers. "He interrogated me about the assassin. He's. convinced I am concealing something."
Wuji's eyes fell to Yǔlín's shaking hand. "And—"
"And nothing," Yǔlín growled out, fighting to straighten his clenched fingers. "It is done."
Wuji's eyes grew dark and his jaw hardened. "You look terrible."
"It's nothing," Yǔlín muttered, passing him by. "Simply. keep your head low. Do nothing foolish."
Wuji's face remained firm as he watched Yǔlín depart, his suspicions further increasing.
---
At the same time, in the chambers of the queen, a maid crouched at Queen Lei Feng's feet, head lowered, words quivering. "Your Majesty, I deemed it necessary to report to you. While searching through Prince Yǔlín's chambers, I overheard. a maid. A new one. I do not believe she is an actual servant."
Queen Lei Feng's calm smile never faltered as she filled a cup for herself with tea. "Oh? What do you suppose she is, then?"
The housemaid hesitated, glancing about uncomfortably. "Maybe. one of the assassins who tried to kill the king."
Queen Lei Feng took a sip of her tea as she smiled. "Oh dear. Poor Yǔlín. I do hope he is being set up by someone who resents him. Yǔlín never would attempt to harm his father."
The maid swallowed hard as she nodded and hastily excused herself. The queen took another sip at her tea and smiled.
---
Yǔlín opened the door leading into his chambers with his shoulders drooping. The room was abnormally silent.
"Su Shu," he stated flatly as he shut the door behind him. "You may come out now. I am here."
From behind a curtain, Su Shu stepped forward, her face pale and eyes wide. The moment she saw him, she rushed forward, her gaze scanning him for injuries. "Are you. are you okay?"
Yǔlín's expression set in a hard line, his gaze ice-cold. "What—"
Su Shu jumped, her heart racing. "In. I apologize. I didn't intend to—"
"How do you even know about that night?" Yǔlín flashed a cold glint in his eye. "And do you even have any notion what I experienced because of you?"
Su Shu's mouth quivered, her head dropping. "I never intended to—"
"Enough," Yǔlín spat, his tone dropping perilously low. "Just. stay out of my way."
He stepped away, shoulders rigid, as Su Shu retreated, a stinging sensation behind her eyes. She went to one end of the room and pressed her palms into the cold wall, gasping heavily to stifle her sobs.
---
Hours later, in the moonlight, Su Shu stood outside Yǔlín's door, her hands pressed to her heart. She hardened her heart and took a deep breath and found that the door was ajar. The room was dark with one flickering lantern alone, and its faint illumination cast deep shadows on the walls.
She entered, her heart pounding. And then she spotted him. Yǔlín sat on his bed's edge, his back towards her, his hair dropping over his eyes. What surprised Su Shu wasn't his sitting posture — it was his face.
Smooth. Pale. Flawless. His jawline chiseled, his full lips parted ever so slightly, his gold eyes blankly fixed on the ground. The mask was gone; his face now hauntingly beautiful, almost celestial and with a heart-wrenching coldness about it. Su Shu's own breath caught in her throat. She never saw him like this — so vulnerable, so raw and so exposed.
Yǔlín's gaze shot up to meet hers. "You didn't even knock," he stated, his voice low and threaded with a threatening undercurrent.
She swallowed hard as her cheeks grew red. "I. I just wanted to say. thanks and. apologies."
Yǔlín stood up, never taking his gaze from hers. He took a step closer, each deliberate step. Su Shu's heart beat faster as she tried to take a step backward and found her back pressed against the cold wall behind her. Nowhere to escape to.
Yǔlín stood before her, close enough she could feel his warmth. His smell – dark and heady – filled her nostrils. He raised his hand and stroked her cheek with one finger, and she shivered.
"You want to know why I wear the mask," Yǔlín whispered softly, crouching beside her, his lips touching the curve of her ear. "Because people fear a monster more when they don't see one."
Su Shu's heart beat with a tumultuous rhythm, her eyes opening wide. Yǔlín's hand fell away from her face to her chin, pushing her head upwards so she stared up into his face. "Are you really saying that thank you? Or is it another lie?"
"I." Su Shu's breathing caught in her throat; she panted. "I do."
A dark and sinister smile swept over Yǔlín's face. "Good."
He withdrew suddenly, and the moment shattered. Su Shu slumped against the wall, her legs weak. Yǔlín sat back onto the bed, his face now inscrutable.
"Why did you conceal your face?" Su Shu asked in a tiny voice.
Yǔlín's face hardened, his eyes shadowing over. " Although This isn't how I came into the world, but it wasn't intended to ever be seen."
Silence fell over them. And then suddenly, as if a dam broke, Su Shu's shoulders shook and she whispered, "I used to have a family. One who loved me. And then. they were stolen from me."
Yǔlín remained silent, but his look softened, ever so slightly.
"They were killed," Su Shu went on in a broken voice. "And I alone survived and was compelled to look out for myself. The world is hard on those who have nothing. That is why. that is why I learned to fight and survive."
Before she realized it, tears were spilling down her face and her knees buckled beneath her. Yǔlín held her up so she did not fall, his firm arms encircling her and holding her tight. Su Shu cried into his chest, her fists holding his robe in a tight grasp.
Yǔlín did not say a word, his hold on her tightening as his own heart throbbed with an unnameable emotion. Su Shu's breathing evened out, her sobs ceasing as weariness overcame her. She drifted into sleep in his arms, her tear-smudged face buried against his chest. Yǔlín sat staring at the wall with dark and haunted eyes as the moon shed silver shadows into the room.