Chapter 16: Tangled Secrets

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The sun was setting fast in the cold weather of the last month of the year, bringing down with it the light of the day. Light’s pearls, candles, and the strict lights were already being lit. In the health center of the imperial palace, the light’s pearls were of the rarer quality, beautifully round and magnificently luminescent, almost blinding, not big yet powerful enough to turn the night into day. Just one per room was more than enough with that kind. With those tools’ light, the antidote for Yenaigai was safely prepared and had been left to cool down with the ambient temperature of the delicately heated room for it wouldn’t do it any good, to cool down abruptly.

In fact, the usual cure for the red ants’ poison was already available inside the health center but seeing the reaction of the patient far stronger than that of a normal infected person, the different chiefs discussed the possibility of condensing a stronger dosage for him while at the same time being preoccupied with the negative effects. It varied from a patient to another but generally, they were buzzing sounds in ears, the sensation of being hot one moment and cold the next one or a muscle that contracted suddenly. That was usually because the antidote used was said to have an effect on some selected people’s cores. But this patient had his core destroyed they couldn’t risk more damages done to it not knowing if he was of the percentage of those who would be affected. So it wasn’t really easy to have the antidote condense enough to heal him and at the same time dilute enough to not cause other problems. The calculation for it had been, surprisingly, being done by the imperial head physician herself.

When the time had been judged right, under the watchful eyes of the crown princess, they put the patient in a seating position, pried opened his mouth and inserted something like a small tube inside of him. It was a tube different than the one they had used to feed him easily digested liquid food and salty water some hours before. Now the tube was thinner and a little longer. Little by little, the department chief of flesh, who was the one administrating, let the antidote in the tube drop by drop. While she was doing so, the others were explaining what was there to explain. That was how they had worked the whole day, not moving or touching a thing without taking the time to explain their every move to the seated person next to the bed, not that the other was responding; then again she wasn’t asking them to stay silent too, so they kept on explaining. The first who had started to explain had been their chief elder and afterward, the poison department's chief and the qi's department chief took turns explaining when they weren't fiddling with flasks in their hands.

They were working earnestly, that she could tell, whether or not they really got the right cure, it wasn’t something Seyran could give a defined answer to. But she knew that under these people’s care, the servant didn’t wake up again. Whether it was their work or that of the multiples sedatives shots in his blood that was finally reacting, that too, she wasn't sure; but she knew at the very least that by herself there wasn’t much that she could do. Between killing and healing, killing was the only thing she knew. 

Huang was softly snoring on one corner of the bed for hours now. The little bird was tired… and a little hungry too. It contemplated asking for mana but remembered being told to cultivate a day ago. There was a strong unwillingness in it concerning that fact, and that aside, it wasn’t like it could gather that much concentration in this bustling room anyway. Furthermore, it refused to fly to do so in a calmer environment. That had, of course, nothing to do with the fact that he didn't want to be away from the sick man. Nothing! It was just that flying was too tiring! 

So, the red little bird slept with a hungry stomach, as close as it could be to the one it said had nothing to do with its unwillingness to go out.

As the last drop of the medicine went down the tube, Chief elder glanced at the now empty door. More than anxiety it was actually a faint surprise that she had felt when the royal advisor had gone, letting her know that she may have miscalculated. Her gaze rested on Seyran's back head afterward. With crossed legs and a hand resting under her chin, she didn't mind the slightest bit when her angry aunt departed. Maybe that talk about this person being able to manipulate Fenrir wasn’t all gibberish or why else would she treat her elder with this little consideration. Shanlin had waited but let alone entering; Seyran hadn’t even turned her head to look her way. In the end, she left fuming not bothering to conceal her anger. Head Yahui then glanced at captain Shen who was standing behind the crown princess’s chair as she has always been since her appointment as captain of the crown princess's guards. There wasn’t much difference between her way of being now and how she used to be two days before, letting elder chief pondered still if those claims that the crown princess was another person was actually really true.

As there hadn't been a special order for her to be at the welcoming ceremony of the fourth princess, she chose not to go. She had never been someone much interest in anything unrelated to her working field. So, she hadn't been there when everything took place and had to be abruptly wake up, during the night, notified that the crown princess had been brought to her healing quarter. Grumbling and not pleased she still went to see, when told that no one else was authorized anywhere near the crown princess resting area. Who would have thought that upon coming, she would be told that mistress Jing was already inside? Angrily, she ordered servants to notify her presence and expel the intruder, with what qualification did she dare touch an imperial person? However, the door never opened as the guards kept them outside due to their leader’s command. Now though, chief Yahui's anger cooled down. In her mind, one thought was left concerning this person, if there was no real reason, angering her wasn't an option. As far as choosing a side went, that could still wait. 

"Now we just have to wait for him to wake up, his life shouldn't be in danger anymore." That was the voice of the flesh's chief department, as she took out the tube and put away the now empty flask that previously contained the antidote. 

"You're saying it's finished?" the chief who just talked was startled a little, not having thought that the one who had been silent for so long would ask her a question. 

"We have to wait and see how he reacts to it first, before anything." She said humbly rather than straightforwardly saying things like 'it will definitely work' she much preferred being reserved. 

The other physician had already tidied up the various tools used and stored them away. Everything was finished and the moon was already out, it was safe for them to go right? Something like staying for the patient would be left to their apprentices and subordinates usually. However, seeing them ready to go, Seyran did say,

"Do not go far."

Thus, they could only make use of the health center's beds. While the staffs' beds weren't bad, they didn't particularly like sleeping in there and not much with the crown princess not far away.

As she was going, chief elder Yahui thought it was really a waste of her time to care so much for a servant. Hopefully, it would turn into a good investment in the future, because, of course, she had no doubt he was going to be alright.

***

The stench of blood was thick in the air. That person's remains had been arranged in five piles, and each pile had two to three someone people working on it. Elder Shen may look closely but to her, those things were just gory flesh, broken bones, and bloody hair; she really hoped that for those fiddling with it, it was something more talkative than that. The state of the corpse didn’t let much to work on and many of their known methods had to be discarded. That did not prevent matriarch Shen from staying seated there, from morning to night though. Lest would it be good, if anyone had the idea to tamper with the ongoing work. 

The door was knocked and after hearing the approbation, someone wearing the Shen family's symbol on her cloth entered and saluted the elder.

"The changing guards are already there" she announced. 

Following that, the matriarch got up.

"It's enough for today," she said. "Come back here tomorrow."

The workers put down their tools, their papers and writing feathers to report what they already found to their own leader. Well, there wasn't much for now and none was really important as it was already known that the decease was female and had a core and whatnots.

“We will need at least a week with this case.” the chief of the workers said when she saw the frowning face of elder Shen. 

“Three days is the maximum you'll get. Hired as many people as you want but I want the confirmation of her identity." 

They were mainly searching for a way to prove that this person hadn't been the crown princess and at the same time, looking for clues as to how she changed appearance. 

"All right." said the chief, following behind her subordinates who were already exiting the room. Elder Shen was the last to go out and personally locked the chamber. The ten guards that she had ordered to be called were there and bowed to her. While going, she glanced at the three cats with white and blue fur, common beasts which had an affinity with ice. It may be cold but extra precaution to preserve what was left of the body was still necessary

She didn't return to her clan's residence immediately but went to see how the interrogation lead by elder Tian and elder Yue was going.

Matriarch Yue had called the whole Min family to come, while matriarch Tian was handling the person who had called the crown princess 'Min Shan' during that time.

The Min family was just a small family of low officials. Min Shan had been lucky at that time to be one of the selected few to accompany the queen’s daughter. Then, the queen had been quite preoccupied with the fact that her only daughter didn't like going out of her room much or that she was unwilling to go out of her way to even talk to the other children in the palace. A little helpless, she invited more children to attended to her child thinking that maybe new faces would do her good. Up to four children were there to serve as the second princess's companion. Out of them, only one person didn't come back when the crown princess supposedly came back to the capital after years spent in the forest. That was Min Shan.

However, Eirin, the one who used to be Min Shan's best friend swore on her whole ancestors that her friend used to be kind and loyal, not one who harbored those kinds of thoughts as impersonating the crown princess!

Matriarch Tian was rubbing her eyes as she recounted it to elder Shen.

"She is now a bundle of tears. It doesn't seem like she knows anything else."

"Tears?"

"Quite hysterical," she said wryly. "Certainly pregnant. Her mood kept jumping, laughing while reminiscing then tearing up at the reality." She cracked her neck. "I feel more tired than anything... Things like that should be left to the youngsters"

Elder Shen glanced at the closed door not far from her.

"What of Yie?"

"I heard no sounds since the afternoon. It doesn't seem like she's anywhere near finish."

"Then she'll certainly spend the night here." Because if there was anything matriarch Yue hated, it was to let things in the middle of doing them.

"I'll wait and keep her company then, it's not like I can sleep anyway."

“You should maybe start taking mistress’s Jing pills, they are quite effective.”

Matriarch Tian had a mocking smile as she looked at the tired eyes of her long friend.

“That’s a bit extreme for now when it worsened, I will contemplate the idea.” That the Jing family was amazing in medicinal terms need no one's debate, but still, whispers about their ingredients weren’t always the best. "But maybe you should personally let them aside for now."

“... They are quite addictive, I suppose” she answered as though helpless but elder Tian heard the unwillingness hidden in her voice, making her wonder if the other person's nightmares had returned more fiercely than before.

The young seer's voice came to her mind, as she watched her friend's back going further.

“I recommend fleeing and going somewhere else, anywhere else. A terrible danger is lurking behind your country's shadow. When the day will come that it needs hiding no longer, only desolation and death will follow in its wake”

However, recently that same person had said: "there may be hope". Let's believe in that and bury the nightmares for now.

***

“The time isn’t early anymore. Would the princess like to rest?” asked Shen Ai after pondering a little. This person, after all, came not long ago, maybe she didn’t know or had forgotten that the crown princess had a special residence in this palace. Where they were now was still the health center after all, hardly the right place to stay.

Seyran turned to her but asked a question of her now.

“Who ordered you to come serve me?”

“…” Normally, she was the crown princess, this identity alone let her be served unconditionally by whoever she wanted but still, Shen Ai trustfully said concerning her own self, “Elder Shen”

“...Alright, I know.” Seyran looked at the softly snoring little bird which was still sleeping and continued "No need for any resting arrangement. Here is fine. You can withdraw."

"Then this is going to call for the replacements." Do not let her alone had said her matriarch. Seyran didn't refute, so she ordered one of her subordinates to go call for them. Yue Meili was quite happy to oblige. The poor woman could almost hear her bed singing a lullaby to her.

Not long, six regular guards wearing the uniforms of the palace came, with two of them, members of the Shen family and one, of the Tian family. They saluted the leader Shen and stayed at the doors. Shen Ai had ordered for them to bring in their sword and should carry them from now on unless the princess said otherwise.

Inside the vast place now, there was only one sleeping man, one sleeping bird, and a wide awaked woman. It didn't last long, for Seyran got up and carried the little bird by its claws. It soon woke up, with its head down, taking a time to blink not yet there in reality. 

"For how long are you going to sleep?"

"Ey?" chirp Huang in a bewildered manner.

"Get me a small stone."

She wanted to use something to infuse her mana infuse, in order to erect a barrier. The place had been carefully cleaned after the doors had been smashed, nothing was amiss she could only rely on the volatile. 

But when Huang came back with what she asked with then every intention to go back to sleep, he found himself ordered not to.

“You’ve slept the whole day, aren't you hungry?" For a fleeting moment it really thought she was going to say something as nice as 'come, let me treat you with mana and qi' but instead, the human said: "cultivate then".

Looking at the small rock which was being infused with mana, Huang swallowed its saliva several times. 

***

The four crown princess's personal guards, each one on her horse, separated ways after exiting the palace gates. There was no moon in the sky and no stars either, only a cold breeze to be felt. Shen Ai had her brown horse picked up a higher speed, wanting to be home quicker. However, mid-way to her home, she encountered the carriage of the first princess who was returning to the palace and since the other had wanted to talk, she got off her horse to join her inside her carriage, when the other insisted to take her back to the Shen residence.

Su Qiun had thought to talk with captain Shen recently but never found the time to do so. But since the providence led the other to her path, she wasn't going to let it down. 

It started quite randomly, with the princess asking about the guard's living condition, then about her sister who had just come back. Shen Ai for her part was just playing the part of the person who answered, never giving any more information than what was necessary for the question at the same time without detailing it.

As they were talking snow started to fall, which Su Qiun noted and with a faraway look, she asked,

“Had captain Shen ever been in the southern part of the continent?"

“Once in my earlier years. Never since then.”

"Dear!" she exclaimed with a smile, "you should take the time to. It had changed so much since then, ..." she put her hand out of the window and touched a falling crystal. "And the way things are there... really need to be looked at."

The other was smiling, but Shen Ai knew that it wasn’t really a smile. She had for years, secretly contemplated the idea of this person being queen instead of her younger cousin. How would the country be under her reign? As a princess, she was already worthy of praises, would she let people down as queen? Shen Ai was far from being blind though. The first princess didn't have a heart as pure as the songs were saying so but it wasn’t like what she did so far was bad. Whether it be orphanages or extending her help to whoever was courageous enough to ask, those kinds may have deeper motivations but they were still good results. For that, Shen Ai still felt a deep respect.

***

As said, the first princess left captain Shen in front of her residence before saying goodbyes and have her driver take the road to the palace again.

With her head full of thoughts, captain Shen went to her room contemplating the future of the country. Should she go in accordance to what she had thought years before or should she let the crown princess be their queen? After all, for more than a year now, she had been searching for a way to convince her matriarch about the benefits of having the first princess queen, even contemplating the idea of giving her the secrets on how to tame Fenrir. But now, it seemed the crown princess had been misjudged for it wasn't the real deal. But so what? That person had lived in a forest for almost her whole life, what did she know that made her qualify to be queen? Just because Fenrir listened to her, did she mean they could only follow? The protector who fought for them along with the queen almost ten years ago, should she trusted its judgment to keep them safe once again?

As she was pondering, Shen Ai already was in front of her matriarch's personal room. When she had entered the residence, she had already been informed that the woman had yet to come back. And while there were servants everywhere it wasn't the first time that they were seeing her entering that room when the proprietor wasn't there. She searched a little, before putting everything back in other, shaking her head a little while exiting the room. Not yet. She shouldn't take any hasty decision. Maybe she should wait a little more. In the end, she was more afraid to find what she was looking for more than anything else.

Her timing was quite good actually, for not long after that elder Shen returned. The woman certainly had just the time to change her clothes before sending a servant to call for her, which made Shen Ai wondered a little if she had found out about her touching her thing. The young woman could only release a sigh and get up, anyway, be it this or not, she was going to know soon enough.

When she arrived, elder Shen was sitting outside her room, gazing at the falling snow with furrowed brows. These years, her brows were rarely relaxed.

“Sit. How is she?” the elder woman asked without waiting to be greet.

Knowing full well who that she was referring to, Shen Ai politely said.

"Good. Mistress Jing said that she just lost consciousness, nothing to be afraid of."

"Ey."

There was a silence as it seemed that it was the only thing that her elder wanted to know. She ruminated a little, but in the end, Shen Ai still asked,

"What about the corpse?"

“Still waiting for definite results."

“I see”, but her doubts had yet to leave her. "... If there is nothing then this junior retired"

"Do so." The matriarch seemed to remember something and added as an afterthought. “Don’t do anything foolish"

Shen Ai froze for a moment, before responding

"This young one heard" and then she left.

Left alone, matriarch Shen held her writing feather that she had found at the left side of her ink bottle instead of the left, playing with it while looking at the falling snow. 

"If this servant may, the air is getting colder, pleading with matriarch to safely return." urged one of her servant which brought the woman back to reality. She went inside and took off the cloth that served as a belt. Inside the folds, was a carefully folded paper. With a heavy sigh, she whispered,

“Foolish girl, don’t rush to your doom.”

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