The Last Dahlia

045

#

They gathered back in Wen Shu's manor in the city of Muya, discussing the next step to take after their infiltration of the Dahai army encampment. A piece of parchment lay on the table, with a few sparse lines written on it in a neat, elegant hand.

The men might not have recognised the handwriting at one glance, but Yuehwa did.

The letter came from Princess Naying—her friend. Except she wasn't sure if things between them could go back to the way they were, not after she had reclaimed her true identity as princess and regent of Hwa.

"We should send this to Prince Baixun," Ru Fei said. "If the princess is working with Lady Kang, then he might still be in danger even if he manages to regain control over the Gi army."

The only thing Ru Fei had discovered in Lady Kang's tent was this correspondence from Princess Naying. In the letter, the princess spoke of her worries regarding Baixun's disappearance, and demanded to know whether or not her father's consort had lied to her about the effects of the draught.

It didn't take much to surmise that this "draught" that Naying spoke of was the cause of Baixun's unfortunate encounter in the Jilin moutains that had left him unconscious and almost cost him his life. Given how much Naying loved Baixun, Yuehwa was certain that the princess had not intended to take her husband's life. She had probably been lied to by Lady Kang and used like a marionette on strings. But would intentions matter when it concerned the life of a kingdom's heir? If Naying's role in this entire situation was revealed, she would be condemned as a traitor, deemed to have betrayed her husband's kingdom for the sake of the ambitions of her own.

"Commander Ru is right," Shoya said, sensing her hesitation. "We need to consider the bigger picture. Baixun is not an unreasonable man. He will be lenient on Princess Naying."

Yuehwa wasn't as confident about that. Baixun was not unreasonable, but he was also a man who would soon be king. Compassion was not a trait that most kings were known to value.

Still, she nodded in agreement. "We should arrange to meet with Baixun to discuss our strategy for dealing with Lady Kang and Dahai. We can show him the letter then," she said. She preferred to have the chance to speak to the prince personally, and plead leniency towards Naying's sentence.

#

But they didn't have to show Baixun the letter at all, for when the trio arrived at the Gi military camp, they found a trembling crown princess prostrated on the ground with her hair and clothes in disarray, her face streaked in tears as she tried to defend herself against the heinous crime she had committed. Had they not known, they would not have recognised the distraught girl as the famous rose princess, once the most beautiful jewel of the kingdoms.

"Baixun! What do you think you're doing?" Yuehwa exclaimed the moment she laid eyes on this sight.

The crown prince of Gi was seated behind his long mahogany work table at the front of the spacious, rectangular tent, with his trusted aide Maroo standing beside him. He wore a grim expression on his face, and it darkened when he saw Yuehwa, Shoya and Ru Fei enter.

Yuehwa rushed to Naying's side, wanting to help her back up to her feet, but the swung her hand away vehemently, insisting on remaining on her knees.

"Please, Baixun, you have to believe me," Naying cried, her words coming out in a garbled mess, "I didn't know things would be so serious. All I wanted was for you to... was for you to..." She glanced sideways at Yuehwa, and in those reddened eyes, Yuehwa thought she saw the hint of venom, but then it was gone, like a ripple in the water. The princess broke down in a fit of sobs again.