The matriarch's plan had failed.
All the assassins were dead, and they wouldn't inform her about Luwen's disobedience.
The customers fled in fear and the tavern was now empty except for the Luwen, the lord and his escorts. The tavern's owner and his employees, though frightened, were compensated for the damages and their help in clearing the bodies from the building immediately.
Dai Yichen was like a blazing inferno. He sent all his escorts to sweep the area once more for enemies and dismissed the guests he met during the meeting, allowing all to leave except one.
Luwen's right arm was still bleeding, and he pulled out his silk handkerchief to place pressure on her wound. He cradled her shoulders and supported most of her weight while taking her into one of the tavern's guest rooms quickly.
After settling her on the edge of the bed, he turned around and ordered the gray-haired man–who turned out to be the best healer in the city–to examine her condition. "Treat her."
As the healer tended to her wound, Dai Yichen stood beside her the entire time to watch the entire process. This made her acutely aware of his presence. His tall frame towered over them, his dark, brooding eyes watching over her in such a protective manner. She could practically feel the heat of his anger radiating off him like a scorching sun and almost searing her side of the face.
The healer examined her wound. "My lord, it's a surface wound. It will heal quickly after the lady gets some rest."
Concern thickened Dai Yichen's tone. "Will it leave a scar?"
"It won't. I've brought along a new medicinal salve that I've created recently and it's excellent in treating wounds like this. The scar should fade in a week."
"I'll buy the entire bottle," he decided. "If it's as effective as you've said, I'll send someone to get another box of them from you another day."
"A box?" Luwen's jaw dropped, finding his words outrageous. "I can't use them all for my wound, my lord."
Dai Yichen raised a brow, slightly amused by her reaction. "It's for the clan too."
"Oh." Embarrassment creeped up the back of her neck. Now, she felt almost foolish for thinking he was caring only about her. "You're a wise lord. I should have known."
She wanted to hit herself in the face.
What made her bear that silly thought in the first place?
He kept his eyes on her while she silently berated herself. Simply watching as the healer bandaged her arm carefully. As soon as the man was done with his work and left, Luwen finally faced Dai Yichen's true wrath, which he had been holding in moments ago.
"Why did you leave the room?"
Anger was evident in his tone, but so could she sense his underlying frustration. "A-a boy," she answered. "He lost his way and wandered into our room, and I was helping him to find his parents."
He didn't seem to be satisfied with her answer. "You should have stayed inside. Yerong would have called someone to help the boy find his parents."
Luwen pleaded on Yerong's behalf. She didn't wish for someone else to be blamed because of her. "He didn't have a choice because I insisted. If you wish to punish him, don't. Punish me instead. You may confine me to my room or give me whatever punishment you deem fit for me. It's not his fault."
Seeing the way she defended his subordinate, Dai Yichen slowly eased his anger and let out a sigh. "It was much safer in the room. That's why I kept you in there with a guard. But next time, do not wander off into this city without me by your side. Most of my people lost their families and hate your presence. They might seek you out for revenge."
"I understand," Luwen nodded dazedly, but there was something else that occupied her mind.
Next time. She dwelled on those particular words he just uttered.
The lord was intending to bring her out of the manor again. He wasn't punishing her or confining her to her room.
And that news itself brought out a spark of happiness within her.
Dai Yichen leaned against the tall bed frame, crossing his arms with an appraising look. "I wasn't aware that you knew how to fight."
His suspicion of her sent her nerves churning in her stomach, and her hands started to turn clammy. "Well, I-I know how to fight a little," she said bleakly. "The matriarch has made a lot of enemies, so I need to know how to protect myself, but I learned it in secret. She doesn't know about this."
He took in her words thoughtfully. "According to the rumors that I've heard, the princess of the Xia clan is a delicate woman, but I could see that you were well-trained and not a novice. The dagger you threw was aimed with perfect precision."
"If that's a compliment you're giving me, I'll take it."
The teasing in her tone eased the tension in the room, and he relaxed visibly. "Even though she's your mother, you truly do not share a close bond with her, don't you?"
She shook her head. "A wicked woman like her doesn't deserve to be my mother."
The hatred in her tone dripped from every word while Dai Yichen regarded her thoughtfully. Almost as if he wondered how a mother and daughter would have such a huge contrast in their characters.
"My lord, I've two requests," she continued. "Regarding today's incident, can we keep my skills a secret? Including my injured arm? I do not wish for others to know about this."
There was another reason for this request. If the story spread and her maid heard about this, she would inform the matriarch immediately about Luwen lending assistance to their enemy.
However, Dai Yichen was still unaware the matriarch sent in those assassins to kill him.
"As you wish," he agreed. "What's the second request?"
"Can you spare the boy who pushed over the lanterns and reward him? If not for him, we wouldn't have sensed the hidden rogues. They would have attacked us without our knowing."
Luwen was so thrilled about the boy's achievement and keeping her promise to him, she soon realized she made a mistake. Her request hid an underlying intention, and being the intuitive man that the lord was, he noticed it immediately.
"Wait." He went rigid in his stance. "The boy who lost his parents and led you out of your room... Is he the same boy who knocked over lanterns and set the stage on fire?" When she was stunned by his intuition, he sighed. "I saw the tavern's owner yelling at him during the fight. If you do not answer me honestly now, I will question Yerong later and have him bring the boy back to me."
Apprehension settled in the pit of her stomach. Luwen gnawed on her bottom lip.
What was the point of hiding when he already sensed something was amiss?
And to make the matter worse, Yerong chose the wrong timing to make his appearance. He stepped into the room and closed the door, before swerving around to report about his findings.
His face was grave and hard. "My lord, the assassins do not belong to this land. They snuck into our city using the identification tags that they have stolen from our comrades who went missing during the war. They were merchants hired by someone to assassinate you, and we both know that person is most likely the matriarch."
Both men shot questioning looks in Luwen's direction, their shoulders stiff with tension. She knew how they were slowly connecting the pieces together; the fire, the ambush, and the way she acted.
They knew she wasn't telling the complete truth. In fact, she looked as if she was aiding the enemy.
If she didn't rectify this situation right now, she would lose everything–including her own life.
Luwen rose from the edge of the bed, her hands clenching into tight fists.
"My lord," she said quietly, "I didn't lie to you earlier. I met the boy by chance and wasn't aware of the matriarch's plan. When he told me about his encounters with strange men in the tavern who carried weapons, I knew something was amiss."
"So you told him to set the stage on fire to alert us." Dai Yichen stepped closer to her. His height and size were intimidating, but she kept her chin up bravely. "Why didn't you inform me directly?"
Under his intense scrutiny, Luwen's emotional armor was weakening. "Because doing that would only turn me into an enemy in your eyes," she breathed. "That is not what I want, or who I am."
"Who are you then?"
"Someone who doesn't share the same beliefs as the matriarch," she said firmly. "But I know no one will believe a word that I say if I tell them I mean no harm—"
"I would."
The lord's sincere words caught her by surprise. Leaving her tangled in thoughts that should have been long dead; hope, respect and friendship with others who weren't just Qiqian.
A lump formed in her throat.
Because for the first time in a long while, someone was standing by her side.
Warmth filled her chest. She glanced up to meet his strong gaze, finding herself reflected in those eyes that shone like a galaxy of stars. Bright, dauntless and beautiful. A man who wouldn't manipulate her with words.
She was willing to believe him, just as he believed in her.
"I hope," he told her, "that you're my friend and not a foe."