Eyes Of Broken Lilies

Yurei's gray eyes widened, a storm of rage and panic flashing through them as Sozai dragged his reputation into filth ...and worse, spoke the words that Kyoren never wanted to hear aloud. His throat felt dry as stone. He swallowed hard, glancing at the direction of the meeting hall, silently praying Kyoren hadn't heard.

But inside, Kyoren's breath had already caught.

His golden fox eyes narrowed sharply, ears twitching ...there was no fooling him, not when the topic was… his dead wife.

A faint, shaken glare flickered toward the door before he forced himself to turn back to the Lan elders, hiding the tremor in his chest.

Outside, Yurei moved with the speed of instinct. He clamped his hand over Sozai's mouth, fingers digging against the back of his head. His expression darkened , voice dropped to a low, dangerous whisper ...his breath warm against Sozai's cat ears, making goosebumps rise across the skin.

"Don't. You dare… call my mother… a whore.

And not even Ribbon Prince's… or King Kyoren's… dead wife will you ever spit about again.

Or you might wake up tomorrow missing your right arm ....or one of those fluffy ears of yours."

Sozai froze, breath caught in his throat, pulse hammering wildly.

Yurei... always the polite, noble one...now looked like a man possessed...first angry and now..toxic ? the darkness in his eyes real and raw.

"And hear this, clearly…" Yurei's whisper cut deeper than a blade. "Respect me as the third crown ribbon. Because I am. And soon enough… you'll see it yourself.

You're. No. Match. For. Me."

He shoved Sozai back, making the black-clad yokai stumble a few steps, nearly tripping over his own tail. Yurei exhaled sharply, fixing the collar of his golden-trimmed hanfu, eyes still burning. A swirl of hurt, jealousy, and rage lingered in the air.

Sozai's own expression flickered between shock, anger, and a hidden pang of fear. But he turned and stalked away, his cat tail puffed up, muttering curses under his breath.

Yurei glared after him, then dusted off his sleeves, his heart still racing. Under his breath, his voice dripped with disgust:

"The real son of a whore is him… Not me. Freak ... can't even stand beside a king, yet barks so loudly."

Inside the meeting hall, Lan Kansai cleared his throat, breaking the tense silence. He placed a stained paper and a dry, wilted spider lily on the golden table before Kyoren. The young prince's golden eyes fell on the words written in blood, scanning them slowly.

"Lord Kyoren…" Kansai spoke carefully. "These were found at the scene. On the victims' bodies were carved phrases: 'lustful insects', 'heat removed forever', and 'rice problems solved'.

And this note... 'Torturing is more painful than death'… left beside a spider lily.

The corpses… were butchered in a way that's hard to even describe."

Kyoren felt a chill creep up his spine.

"Lustful insects…"

His mind flashed... to the dark, sharp gaze of that unknown spacial-grade snake yokai without even knowing how his eyes actually looked like..… the one whose name he still doesn't knows...but remembered after that ceremony night...that dangerous dancer who killed those souls he was about to use...that's the infamous kirihito .

His throat tightened, but he forced himself to remain still. He would not reveal Kirihito ...not yet, and not to them...

His golden eyes hid the unease, lips sealed behind a practiced calm.

Lan Kansai's gaze narrowed. He noticed the prince's subtle reaction: the faint choke, the way his fingers tensed around the sake cup. A silent suspicion sparked in his mind.

He tugged gently at Lan Suji's sleeve, trying to hint without words: "Something is off about him…"

Suji glanced at Kansai, brow furrowed, sensing the warning.

But Kyoren noticed ... and leaned back in his seat, slipping a golden pipe from the folds of his robe. He lifted it calmly, lips curling into a faint smirk, and spoke in a low, almost lazy tone.

"Well… that psycho sounds clever.

Didn't even let those victims scream loud enough to alert anyone… as if he — or she — or both… wanted to savor it, undisturbed, through the night."

A soft swirl of gray smoke danced from his lips, drifting toward the lanterns above.

His gaze cut toward Kansai for a heartbeat ... sharp, silent, almost like a warning dagger barely unsheathed. Kansai felt a cold shiver trail down his spine; he quickly looked away, eyes dropping to the spider lily...like asking help from that lifeless dry flower .

"Perhaps," Kyoren continued, voice cool, "the killer had some personal connection to the victims… especially the couple.

And since they didn't seem to use spiritual power, maybe someone else used the Yin Yan Jei Jei barriers to keep the crime hidden.

If I had to guess… it could be the Qianhua cult. Their name already says enough ....masters of charm and allure, silver-tongued bugs ruling shadows of the underworld."

The other Lan elders exchanged glances. His words did make sense.

And Kansai... who just moments ago had doubted him...now felt a flush of shame burning across his ears. His shoulders relaxed slightly, though doubt still lingered.

Inside, Kansai silently scolded himself:

"Was I wrong? After all, Kyoren-sama helps us, gives us insight we can't get anywhere else…"

Yet a part of him whispered back:

"But that glare… that cold moment... whose side is he really on? Ours… or the shadows?"

Outside, Yurei stood near the door again, ears tilted, heart still pounding.

A swirl of power and danger trembled under the golden ribbons he wore... like a flame barely hidden by silk.....

[ End of Chapter 18 ]