The young man’s vision grew slowly dim, his fingers clenched tight around the flower petal in his hand.

“A’Chen.” Yan Shiyao dragged herself across the bloodstained ground and crawled to his side.

A’Chen managed to turn his head with great effort. A fresh surge of blood rushed from his lips, and he lost consciousness.

“A’Chen.” Yan Shiyao’s lips had gone purple. She trembled as she reached out a hand, but it fell away without strength and dropped limp at her side. Slowly, her eyes closed.

Fafa: [Master, where did you get the money to buy so many pastries?!]

Surely her master had no money?

Yan Yunning gave a light cough. [I borrowed it from Xuan Yanyu, of course.]

She had only needed to be a little sweet, and Xuan Yanyu would lend her however much she asked.

Fafa: [… You used Xuan Yanyu’s money to buy pastries for A’Chen. Does he know?]

[I said I borrowed it — it’s not like I’m not paying him back. That means it’s not really his money buying A’Chen pastries.] Yan Yunning glanced at the pastries in her hands. Leaving them with A’Chen for the road — that should be plenty.

Fafa: […]

The inn.

Ye Jian clung fearlessly around Xuan Yanyu’s waist. “Your Highness, calm down! Calm yourself! Emperor Qi may not be allowing Qi Qingchen to use the Third Prince’s identity to demand the antidote from Luo Xuan on the surface, but that is only because Noble Consort Li can still hold on for now.”

“If we rashly move against Luo Xuan, the hidden chamber won’t open and the antidote won’t be obtained — and if Emperor Qi traces things back to us, the trouble will be far greater.”

For the Crown Prince of Xuanzhao to condescend to come to the Qilan Kingdom in person — Emperor Qi would inevitably read too much into it.

Xuan Yanyu shook Ye Jian off and forced down the fury burning in his chest. His voice came out cold. “Then let it be trouble.”

Imperial Physician Wen stepped forward at once, clasping his hands in a bow. “Your Highness, have you forgotten what Prince Xuan instructed you? You wish to threaten Luo Xuan into opening the hidden chamber and retrieving the antidote — but have you considered this:”

“If the antidote is gone, can Emperor Qi afford not to investigate? Would you then silence everyone in Taoyuan Manor who has seen you? The moment Emperor Qi looks into it, will Your Highness still be able to remain in Qilan?”

“And furthermore — half an hour. If Luo Xuan stalls for time or refuses to cooperate, was the risk of exposing your identity worth taking?”

Xuan Yanyu kicked over the table in irritation. The teacup rolled off and shattered on the floor.

Ye Chen and Ye Jian exchanged a glance. Both lowered their heads, doing their best to minimize their presence.

Imperial Physician Wen held the single antidote pill in his hands, his expression grave. “Your Highness — who receives this?”

Ye Jian pressed his lips together. The last time word had come, he had retrieved the antidote for the Manzhu Xiang poison from Xuanzhao, and His Highness had told him to discard it — so he had given it to Imperial Physician Wen instead. Had he known things would come to this, he would have brought two more.

He couldn’t help but feel a surge of fury when he recalled how he and Ye Chen had found the eldest young lady and A’Chen lying on the ground, drenched in blood.

Whatever else might be said, the eldest young lady was the Crown Princess of their Xuanzhao. He and Ye Chen had carried the two of them to the inn for Imperial Physician Wen.

Imperial Physician Wen had said the dagger and the sword had both been coated in Manzhu Xiang poison. When taken orally, a victim could manage to hold on for a while, but when applied to a blade, a wounded person could not survive more than half an hour — and there was simply no time to fetch another antidote from Xuanzhao.

They had only the one antidote pill. That was why His Highness had wanted to retrieve Luo Xuan’s antidote from the hidden chamber — but if they moved against Emperor Qi’s resources, exposing their identities was all but inevitable.

Once Qi Qingchen took the antidote back to the palace, he would make Luo Xuan pay dearly for daring to harm their Crown Princess.

Xuan Yanyu’s throat worked in a slow swallow. “Give it to A’Yao.”

Imperial Physician Wen nodded.

Ye Jian looked up and ventured carefully, “Your Highness, even if the second young miss had been here today, she would have chosen the eldest young lady. You need not blame yourself.”

Had it not been for A’Chen’s closeness to the second young miss, His Highness would not have been in such a difficult position.

Had the one injured today been the second young miss rather than A’Chen — he didn’t dare imagine what he could have done to hold His Highness back.

Xuan Yanyu suppressed the strange turbulence in his chest. His voice came out muffled. “Send A’Chen back to the village.”

Ye Chen and Ye Jian stepped forward, took hold of A’Chen from either side, and lifted him onto their backs as they walked out.

With money in hand, Yan Yunning lingered through the town — peeking here, browsing there — and after dawdling for quite some time, made her slow way back.

The moment she entered the village, she passed through the courtyard and went straight to A’Chen’s room. She could already picture the delight on his face when he found out how many pastries she had brought him.

A’Chen’s room was lively with visitors. Xuan Yanyu and Qi Qingchen stood to one side. Nuonuo was supporting Luo Xuan, the two of them leaning against the doorframe. Yan Shiyao, still bearing her wounds, was kneeling beside the bed with her head bowed.

A’Chen lay peacefully on the bed in a white robe.

Yan Yunning’s brow creased. [Why are they all here watching A’Chen sleep?!]

Fafa: [No idea, Master.]

Without any particular reason, Yan Yunning felt her eyelid twitch. “Why is everyone gathered here?”

Xuan Yanyu lowered his eyes, deliberately avoiding her gaze.

“Second Young Miss Yan, you’ve finally come back. The eldest young miss and A’Chen were set upon by assassins. Both were poisoned by Manzhu Xiang. A’Chen… A’Chen, he…” Luo Xuan dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, affecting a grieving expression.

“He waited for you for so long — what a pity he never got to see you.” Luo Xuan added, pressing the words in.

The pastries slipped from Yan Yunning’s hands and fell to the floor. She bit down hard on her lip, her eyes trembling uncontrollably.

“A’Chen…”

A faint smile still lingered on the young man’s pallid face.

“A’Chen, didn’t we agree — after A’Jie’s wedding, I would come home, and you would wait for me there?” Yan Yunning knelt before the bed and took his cold hands in hers.

Xuan Yanyu felt his throat close up. He realized, it turned out, that he did not dislike everyone crying — at least, not her crying. Instead, he felt a suffocating heaviness settle deep in his chest.

“A’Chen, this is all my fault.” Yan Yunning pressed a hand over her mouth as her tears fell in heavy drops.

If A’Chen had not come to find her, none of this would have happened.

“Ningning.” Yan Shiyao pulled Yan Yunning into a tight embrace.

“A’Jie.” Yan Yunning’s voice had gone so hoarse it was barely audible.

Her mind was flooded with images of the time she had spent with A’Chen.

“Little Lemon, you can’t abandon me.” The young man pouted, aggrieved beyond measure.

“I know. I won’t abandon you.” Yan Yunning answered absently.

“Little Lemon, can you teach me to write?” A’Chen leaned close to her face, smiling with coaxing flattery.

“What do you want to write?”

“Little Lemon.” The young man scratched the back of his head.

“I’m asking you what you want to write.” Yan Yunning pressed a hand to her forehead.

“Silly — sillier than A’Chen. I want to write ‘Little Lemon.'” A’Chen laughed with bright, rippling delight.

Yan Yunning pretended to be angry, twisting his ear. “Who are you calling silly!”

A’Chen blinked. “It’s fine if A’Chen is silly, isn’t it?”

Yan Yunning dropped her hand and bit back a smile. “A’Chen is not silly.”

The young man repeated it aloud. “A’Chen is not silly. A’Chen is definitely not silly!” Then he paused, his mood dipping low. “But everyone says A’Chen is silly.”

Yan Yunning’s pretty eyes narrowed. “Who said so? Come on, let’s go give them a lesson.”

“Eldest Young Miss Yan, you and A’Chen were both poisoned by Manzhu Xiang — so why are you unharmed, when A’Chen…” Luo Xuan’s voice sliced through Yan Yunning’s memories.

“Manzhu Xiang?” Yan Yunning murmured the words to herself.

The last time, she had asked Xuan Yanyu for an antidote for Sister Bai, and he had said he had none. This time, he had saved A’Jie — but had done nothing for A’Chen.

He clearly had an antidote. He had simply said he didn’t, and stood by coldly as Sister Bai and A’Chen slipped away.

How could his heart be so cruel? No wonder, in the end, he had killed her.

Yan Yunning pressed down the burning ache in her throat. She tried to steady her breathing — to push the sobs back down. For the first time in her life, she felt such a profound hatred for another person.

[Fafa, I want to go home.] The girl bit down savagely on the back of her own hand, a smothered, strangled sound escaping her throat.