Eyes Of Broken Lilies

Back in the silent marble halls of Kazomaki Palace...

Outside the grand meeting chamber, Yurei stood waiting.... his back straight, shoulders tense under the weight of the golden ribbon that marked him as the prince's right hand.

The air felt thick, heavy with incense and unseen whispers.

Yurei's long gray hair spilled over his robe's collar as he leaned closer, fox ears twitching, trying to catch even a fragment of the conversation beyond the door.

He pressed his palm against the polished wood for balance, the cold smoothness grounding him, though his amber eyes burned with curiosity.

Around him, palace lamps flickered softly, painting shifting gold onto the white walls.

Every now and then, servants padded silently past, careful not to disturb the guarded door where Yurei waited.

But inside… a different tension ruled.

Kyoren, young prince of this kazomski kingdom and palace , sat upon his father Kuradome's royal red cushion in his absence... While everything is named by kuradome's surname " kazomaki " only the domain he built around it remained different .with its own strong and..might silently holds history too...it's name is " domain Baiyun "which means " domain white cloud "

The round golden table before him gleamed under lantern light, cups of sake set neatly for each guest...a fragile peace offering between ancient lines.

Opposite him sat Lan Suji and Lan Kansai, faces carved in quiet severity.

Their pale robes bore the gentle clouds of the Yin Lan Clan, though their gazes held storms of worry.

Beside them, three elder Lans watched in silence, eyes sharp with history.

Kyoren's two silver fox tails lay coiled beside him, tip flicking every so often with restless thought.

His gaze traced the delicate swirl of steam rising from his cup, but his mind drifted far beyond the room's walls... to the shadowed depths of Fukaki Forest where truths lay buried like old bones.

"Lord Kyoren," Lan Kansai began, voice carefully measured, "only your yokai generation has the longest living memory between Fukaki Forest and Bayakuya Village.

Our clan's records are newer… Only the Lanxian... the Black Gold Lancers... and the Great Mist Sect lived as long.

But since that ancient sect fractured and vanished, your family may hold the last keys."

Kyoren's amber gaze met Kansai's, reflecting lanternlight like molten gold.

He nodded once, words caught behind quiet lips.

He thought of the spreading curse had made the village into a maze of rot and whispers.

Fields lay dying, rivers choked with strange moss... and people starved...And also..he's not allowed to go into Fukaki rain forest but only the Bayakuya Village...that's kuradome's strict order...

He knows how over tempted person his father is so he doesn't tried to go there..but he sometimes wonder why he can't . But he didn't mentioned it to Yin Lans for any unknown reason . And he knew Kuradome wouldn't step in to help them either . Perhaps because he despised their endless fighting for power and murder-solving..he's too much peace loving , stay distant and away from cultivators..while kyoren himself is total opposite of him .

"Things are going out of control," Lan Suji added, leaning forward, voice lowered as if the shadows themselves might listen.

"The Soul Gardens have awakened...even the spacual grade sealed ones.. The Fukaki Forest has become even more dangerous because of it..or...Worse… we also failed to track the melody of Guqin and bamboo flute which belongs from any soul garden..but unknown..

Its language was unfamiliar… ancient."

Kyoren felt a cold trickle run down his spine.

He took a slow sip of sake to steady himself; it burned all the way down, but his face remained composed .

"And," Suji's tone darkened, "a murder occurred last night in Bayakuya Village.

Not just any murder... a family, slaughtered silently.

We don't know whoever used The Yin Yan Jei Jei..but as a it's a powerful shield..it acted like curtains, hiding the blood behind silk..and who knows what it'll hide more . "

Kyoren's hand paused halfway to his cup.

He pressed his palm to the table, steadying himself as unspoken thoughts raced .

Yet he swallowed the questions, leaving only a soft nod.

"Oh… I see," he murmured, voice calm as falling ash.

"That truly is… troubling."

Lan Kansai shifted, robes whispering across the floor.

"The strangest thing, Lord Kyoren," Suji continued, "is the killer left no spiritual traces.

The wounds were physical, almost personal ... rageful.

Not maybe the work of cursed energy… but a hand guided by hate..we don't think it can be done by any yokai..we suspect any human or any member from demonic cultivator "

Kyoren leaned back, fox tails curling closer around him like shields.

Outside, a breeze stirred the palace banners, and the shadows of red columns stretched and twisted like silent witnesses.

Beyond the doors, Yurei kept listening, breath shallow, chest tight with curiosity and worry.

His fox ears flicked again, straining ...when suddenly, a firm hand landed on his shoulder.

He jumped, fur bristling, turning sharply.

Behind him stood Sozai... a black cat yokai, emerald eyes gleaming with sharp-edged amusement… and envy.

"What are you trying to hear?" Sozai hissed, tail puffed.

"Forget about us now that the Ribbon Prince favors you?

He isn't even crowned king yet!

Kuradome only dropped his burdens on his son's shoulders, and you act like the third crown ribbon!"

Yurei's chest burned with indignant pride.

He slapped the hand from his shoulder, pulling Sozai a step away so their quarrel wouldn't reach Kyoren's ears.

But even inside, Kyoren's fox ears twitched faintly at the echo of heated voices.

He silently sighed, fixing his silver hair, thinking : They fight like alley cats, but their loyalty is real.

"Shut up, Sozai!" Yurei snarled in a sharp whisper.

"Yes... it is like being the third crown ribbon!

Kuradome never chose a right or left hand ....only guards and servants!

So standing beside Ribbon Prince Kyoren is an honor you can't even imagine!"

His fox fangs showed, tail lashing behind him like silver fire.

Sozai's ears flattened, eyes narrowing, tail swishing violently.

"Aren't you just a fucking arrogant mutt?!"

"And you're a gutter-mouthed rat!" Yurei shot back .

"How can you expect to stand beside the prince when your mouth drips filth worse than your paws?!"

Their breath came in quick, hot bursts...anger sparking like flint on stone.

But Sozai stepped closer, voice dropping into a cruel hush:

"Don't forget your place.

Son of a whore... just like your mother!

You run around the prince like a dog licking his boots!

And the only reason you wear that golden ribbon is because you comforted the prince after his wife died!"

Yurei's chest tightened, breath catching painfully.

The words cut deeper than any blade.

For a heartbeat, his voice caught in his throat, fox ears drooping low...but his eyes stayed fierce, fighting not to show the old scars inside....

Yet outside, the moon rose higher, spilling cold silver light over angry tails and burning pride.

And in the depths of Fukaki Forest, the wind whispered of older secrets... of melodies unplayed, and blood still fresh on hidden stones..

[ End of Chapter 17 ]

Author thoughts : thank you , my lily verse for 7k views...

hope you all loving my story . Even after you all are silent..your eyes are talking louder then tongue ❤☺..I'll wait for your echos tapped by fingers on the screen..

those hearts , comments , rankings and power stones.. it'll support me a lot .

Let me become your next soul storyteller..and trust me you'll cry and smile with my characters ❤❤🤍🤍..I'll try my best for it...

keep staying with us..in the world of eyes which belongs to broken lilies and I believe...it'll bloom as next legend as my favorite writer MXTX 's...if you all are beside me too as you were beside her .