The Last Dahlia

034

Baixun fell silent, his brows furrowed deep in thought.

"Your Highness, if it is the princess that you are concerned about, then perhaps the safest way would be to put a stop to the alliance between Hwa and Feng. That way, even if we wage war against Feng, Hwa will have no reason to intervene."

Maroo knew that Baixun didn't want to do anything that would put Yuehwa in harm's way, which was why he had been sitting here racking his brain for such a long time. If it was Yuehwa and Hwa that Baixun was worried about, then it was his duty as the prince's adviser to help his prince find the best solution to his problem. Instead of hesitating and losing the chance to conquer both Hwa and Feng, it was better to forsake Hwa for now and focus their attentions on Feng alone. And in order to do so, they had to find a way to dissolve the alliance that the king of Feng had sacrificed so much to attain.

"You have a way to do that?" Baixun looked at Maroo expectantly, then in the next moment the look of anticipation in his eyes fizzled away, replaced instead by a tinge of sadness. "It's not possible," he said.

"Why not? There is one thing that the princess treasures above all others, Your Highness, and that is her family. The only reason why she returned to the kingdom to take on the position of regent was so that she could govern the kingdom in her brother's stead until the true heir comes of age. She's doing it out of duty. If the young prince is compromised, then..."

Maroo knew that it was a despicable sort of thing that he would otherwise hate to suggest, one that would put the Phoenix through a great deal of pain, but his allegiance was to Gi. If the prince was unable to sacrifice Princess Yue, then surely another sacrifice could be accepted. The only way to for the prince to protect the woman he loved and achieve his ambitions at the same time was to steel his heart now and play a cruel card. In the path to being a king, sacrifices were often necessary.

He could only hope that Prince Baixun would agree.

The furrow upon the prince's forehead deepened as he stared fixedly at the map before him, but he said nothing.

A gentle knock came at the door, interrupting their conversation. Maroo turned and saw the crown princess enter the room, balancing a wooden tray with a bowl on it. The fragrance of freshly made chicken soup wafted into his nostrils, reminding him that he hadn't had lunch yet.

"What are you doing here?" Baixun asked, sounding mildly displeased to see Naying.

"Your steward said you didn't touch any of the dishes at lunch, so I brought you some soup. I know you're busy, but you should still eat. The kingdom cannot afford to have you fall ill," the princess replied, setting the bowl down on the table beside the map. If she detected Baixun's irritation, she showed no signs of it.

"Leave it and I'll have it later." Baixun waved his hand dismissively, then turned his attentions back to the map, not sparing his new wife a second glance. "Maroo, you can leave too."

"Your Highness, about what I just suggested..."

"I'll think about it," the prince replied brusquely.

Maroo sighed inwardly, then bowed and backed away towards the open door. Under any other circumstance he would have no qualms about surrendering to the Phoenix with both hands in the air, for he was genuinely impressed (and very much frightened) by the woman's abilities and charisma, but he could not afford to be a coward this time, not when it meant possibly losing his prince's lifelong dream of uniting the five kingdoms. If Baixun couldn't bring himself to hurt Yuehwa, then maybe he had to play the role of the villain.

"Maroo, is the prince bothered by something?"

The prince's adviser turned his head, startled. He hadn't realised that the crown princess had followed him out, and was still trailing a few steps behind.