The Demon Palace lay long in darkness, but sleep remained elusive to Lei Yǔlín's golden eyes. He stood by himself on the balcony of his rooms, moonlight casting silver into his mask. His fists clenched tightly on the rocky balustrade, his knuckles white, as waves of dizziness tore through him once more. The poison was closing in on him. He closed his eyes for one moment, shielding his agony from behind his customary immobility.
Within, Wuji observed quietly.
"You need to rest," he said finally.
"I'm fine."
You aren't, and if you keep playing, someone else is going to catch on. The palace spies are closing in on you, Yǔlín
Yǔlín remained silent. He could not be weak at this time. Not when what surrounded him seemed like a shattered mirror — each fragment of it an image of betrayal.
Elsewhere within the palace.
Supreme Commander Kǒngyún strode down the corridors like a ghost, his face empty, but his thoughts in turmoil. He entered one of many hidden rooms secured by an armored figure wearing only a mask.
"Double the surveillance, you told Xiéyàn," he said, speaking quietly.
The masked man cocked his head to one side. "Yes. He takes credit for it."
Kǒngyún's face hardened. "The prince is unraveling. The poison is taking hold sooner than I anticipated."
The figure turned, revealing briefly the glint of scarlet in his mask's pattern — an unobtrusive signature of the Queen's clandestine agency. "Good. Maintain pressure on them both. The time shall arrive when they crack."
Su Shu sat in the garden at dawn, idly running her fingers over the petals of a midnight flower. Her memories were still of the previous evening — Yǔlín's hot breathing on her face, his shaking fingers in spite of himself.
She was descending and hated it.
A gentle noise caught her attention. Yǔlín occupied the archway, golden eyes inscrutable.
"Why are you outside?" he inquired.
I needed air
He took another step, and the mood intensified with every stride. "The air is filled with eyes these days. You shouldn't be alone."
She laughed scornfully. "And you? The prince who hides behind a mask even from his reflection?"
That halted him. The weight of what she said hit him, but rather than fury, he moved closer — slowly, intentionally — to be mere inches from her.
"Some things ought to be kept hidden, Su Shu. You won't like what is beneath."
She gazed up at him, not blinking. "I've already seen it."
Yǔlín moved closer, his voice falling to a whisper. "And still, you remain."
Their eyes met, an instant of silence suspended between them. Su Shu's breath caught up in her throat, caught in indecision to run or to move closer. But just as the moment hung, heavy tread steps approached.
Wuji emerged, furrowing his brow with anxiety. "We have an issue."
Word spread like wildfire that afternoon: A rebel, taken prisoner, confessed, under torture, that the killer was within the palace — not an outside person, but close to palace royalty
The king ordered Xiéyàn and Kǒngyun
"We need to move quickly," Xiéyàn said, his eyes sparkling with eagerness. "If there is even the barest hint, we need to search every room. Even the princes'"
Kǒngyún affected hesitation, and nodded in
The king's face grew stern. "Start immediately."
That evening, as Su Shu ignited a lantern in Yǔlín's quarters, he suddenly stumbled, clinging to the edge of a table to remain standing. Su Shu hastened to his side.
"You're not fine, stop pretending!" She said, her voice tight.
Yǔlín clenched his teeth. "It's
She reached for his hand. "You're burning up."
Their eyes crossed, gentler this time. Su Shu's voice quivered. "Please, just trust me."
But before he could respond, an abrupt knock broke into the moment.
"Prince Yǔlín — royal orders. You may open your doors. There is a search being conducted."
Yǔlín's face stiffened. Su Shu's face
Without saying a word, he took Su Shu's hand and quickly pulled her into a secret door behind the wall — one that only he and Wuji were familiar with.
"Don't make any noise," he whispered.
Guards rushed into the room shortly thereafter, ravaging through it as Yǔlín stood steadfast in the middle, face emotionless, body struggling to stay erect due to pain coursing inside.
The guard bowed back. "Nothing, Your Highness."
As they departed, Yǔlín exhaled unsteadily and turned to face the concealed wall, where Su Shu came out into sight gradually, wide-eyed.
"Why." She whispered. "Why do you still protect me?"
His golden eyes latched onto hers. "Because I don't know how not to."
Chapter 28 concludes as the masked character kneels at the base of a throne covered in silk and darkness.
"The prince is weakening," he informed us., also Xiéyàn is taking our lead
A gentle, voice spoke from behind the veil. "Good. When the mask finally broken, so shall break the Demon Realm."