Zhi Rui met the prince at the teahouse. They are both seated simply enjoying each other"s presence.Zhi Rui stammered
"C-Can you please bring me there again I think that thing did something to me."
"Julius" eyes widened and he hesitates "Are you sure? your core almost broke that day."
"I have to know what Happened."Zhi Rui insisted. she wanted to read that parchment completely.
Julius sipped his tea and shrugged exasperated"If you want it, then fine."
They got up, Julius in front and Zhi Rui behind
She could see his shoulders slightly slower than usual.
She turned to his knight, as she thought she still had that uncomfortable expression, though it did not seem to bother to hide it at all, Zhi Rui understood one thing, it"s not herself that it"s causing that reaction, otherwise, she would feel it in her core being this close.
She walked beside Julius and smiled at him, I want to know her, can I?
seeing her smile sweetly like that he felt is heart churn and then break.
He nodded smiling but the light left his eyes. he saw as Zhi Rui held s.h.i.+zu"s arm and called her elder sister.
He sneered inside, "What is yours is to come."
---------
Inside the Hall Zhi Rui did not leave s.h.i.+zu"s side. prince nonchalantly stood by the side
That is until Zhi Rui reached the parchment. then she ignored both of them and read it
"Innocence, death, life, and corruption are birthed from chaos.
together it results in mankind, therefore mankind is chaos."
She repeated to mentally trying to understand
Julius saw her dazed, his eyes were lifeless, but the smile was still there.
Without looking at the others one more time Zhi Rui rushed to her carriage.
"I"ve gotta go, prince, I"m sorry."
---------------------
s.h.i.+zu saw Zhi Rui going away in a hurry, she turned to the entrance of the hall and saw Julius walking slowly void of any expression. He stopped at her side.
"So is this how women are? they trick and manipulate men into love only to suck them dry then just goes away?"
s.h.i.+zu looked at his back, her stomach cringed hard she could barely stand close to him so she turned to the carriage without saying anything.
-------------------
When Zhi Rui rushed to her house Zhin Zhin came looking for her and stood nervously in front of her, Zhi Rui hurried her with her eyes.
"Y-Young lady w.a.n.g lei gu came back to the city."
Zhi Rui stood still. without a word she rushed to her bedroom
Once alone Zhi Rui closed every window and door.
She sat in complete darkness, before closing her eyes she spoke aloud.
"Do not bother me, no matter what, your existence depends on the conclusion I reach in these few hours."
Demon Hu snorted, but did nothing more.
----------
"Prince Julius might be acting the same but his objective changed.
The business is unnaturally flouris.h.i.+ng, n.o.body is even hara.s.sing.
My father went away without rhyme or reason.
w.a.n.g Lei gu the youngest prince who took old Zhi Rui"s place on the light sect came to the city."
Zi Rui bit her nails.
"These four are all interlinked, but how, what is the final result from that?
No, I have to think simpler, who"d profit more from these?
That"s me. With my father gone and Julius acting the same, I can keep on gathering the people from the slums and there"s nothing holding me back.
with the brothel business."
"But demon Hu keeps pressuring me to do the spell.
And there"s also w.a.n.g Lei gu"s untimely arrival."
Rocking her upper body back and forth Zhi Rui brainstormed
Demon Hu obviously can talk to other people too,
s.h.i.+zu, Julius"s blonde knight not so cleverly described to her everything that happened when she pa.s.sed out in the hall.
Julius looked around as if looking for something when he had the idea to feed her the ethereal lily. He did not even call a doctor, and foolishly trusted the voice.
No one questioned my weird situation, that"s bizarre in itself my troubles were cleared out of the way, relieving me of these worries, made me focus on the issue of the core more cleary. and Demon Hu is the one to gain from that. But he"d need someone to help him, who could he"d talked to. Julius is too spoiled. A fire light up in Zhi Rui"s mind.
Only one person had the authority to call Lei gu from the light sect, and only him is close enough of Julius to ask him to keep up the act with me. He might even be the one to told Julius about my plans. And finally, the one who had enough leverage on my dad to send him back to the front lines.
The crown prince Robert.
"But to what end? my business is still nothing in his eyes."
Zhi Rui stopped in place, she took her nails off her mouth and her eyes widened, she smiled, she just got a glimpse at the truth. And that"s all she needed. With just a glimpse of the tail, you can guess the animal.
For Zhi Rui, it"s the same. Once she discovered their motives, objectives. and resources. It"s easier to narrow down their path of action.
She opened her windows again and inhaled deeply, she felt the comfort of outside air in the lungs and started to think of countermeasures.
-----
"Miss, Izaya came visiting again." Zhin Zhin knocked on Zhi Rui"s door.
With a foosh sound Zhin Zhin her hair went wild.
She looked at Zhi Rui Who opened the door with so much strength, it created a gust of wind.
Before Izaya could greet, Zhi Rui threw him two letters. "Deliver one to the light sect and fallow every direction on the green one. Now!"
Izaya read the mood and turned his back at once.
Zhi Rui smiled with malice, Zhin Zhin saw it and stood still.
"If you froce me to play, then I"ll go all in." Zhi Rui whipered.
She looked at the frozen Zhin Zhin and laughed out loud.
---------
Robert listened to Hilda"s report.
"Haha, to think I expected something from her. You said she brought that spring something fruit from the barbarian lands? She intends to produce drugs. specifically extremely high-end drugs.
But that kind of drug was abolished from the continent, What the h.e.l.l did she have in the place of her brain?"
Prince Robert shook his head and sighed
"Ugh, Gray let"s start this soon, Little lei Gu said, it was her call to choose a day to gather the people for the light sect right? Tomorrow, tell her to do it tomorrow. Also, tell her to practice her speech skills she"ll need to lead that community inst.i.tute."
Prince Robert turned to Hilda
"I"ll need you to keep that brothel business in check while Iook for someone else alright?"
Hilda sighed inwardly "Understood."
then gray took a step forward.
"For confirmation"s sake. My prince, What do we do with miss Zhi Rui?"
"Oh, that"ll be slightly different than usual so, I"ll need to explain."
Prince Robert raised his closed hand in the air and stretched his thumb out
"One newborn baby"
Then his index finger.
"One malicious criminal, the more heinous the best."
Then he stretched the middle finger.
"And one naive person, the important is to be pure of mind."
Robert relaxed on the sofa and drunk his wine again.
"Gather all that and Zhi Rui in a secure place. Then you tell her to do the spell, she"ll know what to do. Oh, I almost forgot. Prince Julius is pretty aggrieved for being played for the first time, bring him to watch."
Gray bowed "As you command"
As gray turned around the prince continued.
"Her dad and her elder brother is too far away to help, her partners are all about personal benefit if they have a mind they won"t offend the crown for her. there"s absolutely nothing that can save her. So, gray. Do not fail me."
The steward bowed one more time
"Yes my Prince"
"You both can leave," Robert said
------------
Outside, Gray looked at Hilda.
"this is your chance to prove yourself, our prince might look easy going, but he sees everything around him. When the time comes you better plunge your arrow deeply on her back."
Hilda looked at him coldly. She turned around and left, without wasting breath.