Chapter 167: Character design

Kael stood quietly on the side as he watched everyone. It was Ru Yi that noticed him first. Not because she had been watching him, she hadn’t.

Qingyue’s injury had taken all their attention. The guide had been forgotten somewhere at the edge of it all.

But now he was staring at Qingyue and her sisters with a look of immense confusion. Like he couldn’t figure them out.

There was something unsettled in his expression, something calculating, as if the pieces of the puzzle that never quite fit were finally falling into place.

Ru Yi’s gaze shifted, narrowing when she followed his line of sight. His eyes moved from Lieyin, to Yexue, and then to Qingyue again. It lingered for a long time.

"What?" Ru Yi snapped, then cleared her throat. She didn’t want to take out her anger on him. "Why are you looking at them like that?" Did he think she didn’t belong with them too?

He didn’t mean to stare. But now that he saw it...he couldn’t unsee it. He remembered the first time Qingyue had approached him that night. It was her quiet presence and sharp eyes that had intrigued him.

He’d thought her to be a refined man, even though her hair was longer than what was thought appropriate, just stopping a bit before her chin.

Another thing was the soft planes of her face. It looked delicate and didn’t quite match the rough edges of the mountain paths she wanted to travel.

He’d dismissed it then. Because some men were pretty in a way that didn’t make sense. But standing now, he felt ridiculous.

It wasn’t just Qingyue, it was the rest of her sisters that had spawned out of nowhere. "I really thought..." he muttered to himself.

"Thought what?" Ru Yi asked, raising a brow.

Kael didn’t answer, he only took a step back. His gaze flicked again, but this time it landed on Han Shuying.

Specifally...on her sword. The imperial seal was engraved near the hilt. It changed everything that he had known since embarking on the journey with Qingyue.

Kael inhaled sharply. "No..." The word slipped out like he hadn’t meant to say it. He proceeded to let out a short, incredulous laugh, shaking his head.

Han Shuying went still.

Ru Yi looked at the sword and back to him.

Kael’s breathing quickened, his expression shifting from confusion to something closer to disbelief.

Recognition.

"That’s..." His voice cracked a little. "That’s the imperial seal."

Han Shuying rested her hand on the sword. "And what does that have to do with anything?" She looked at the boy in annoyance but tried to keep her cool. If she was lucky she’d be able to leave with Ru Yi sooner rather than later.

Kael looked at the entire scene, his brain struggling to process all the information at once. "Oh my god..."

Ru Yi went still. That was a phrase she hadn’t heard in such a long time.

Kael screamed. "They’re the exiled princesses!"

The words shattered the atmosphere. Before anyone could react, he dropped to his knees. The moment was so abrupt it almost didn’t register.

He was kneeling before them, his head lowered, his hands braced against the ground like he had just been struck by something unseen.

"I–" His voice shook. "I’ve been looking for you."

Lieyin walked towards him slowly. "You’ve been looking for us?"

Kael nodded quickly, almost frantically. "The seal...I saw it and everything made sense. I don’t know why I did not realize it the first time I saw Lin Jian..." he cleared his throat. "Or should I say Shen Qingyue?"

He finally saw through their disguise.

"That doesn’t explain why you’re screaming," Lieyin cut coldly.

Kael flinched. But it was fine, he’d heard of their brutality.

"I didn’t mean to," he started, then stopped, exhaling shakily. "No, that’s not true. I did. I just didn’t think I’d actually meet the wolves of Eastern palace. At first I thought the three of you were a myth."

Han Shuying frowned. "You’re not making any sense."

"I’ve been traveling these mountains all these while," Kael continued, lifting his head slightly but not daring to meet their eyes. "Acting like a guide, helping whoever passes through in hopes that I’d meet you one day."

Lieyin let out a short laugh before turning to Qingyue. "Are you sure this was the all and mighty guide we were supposed to meet?"

Qingyue nodded.

"It’s the truth," Kael said simply.

"Why would you be looking for us?" Lieyin asked. "Did any of our numerous enemies send you to spy on us?"

Kael fiddled with his fingers. How was he to answer in a way that wouldn’t give him away? A response that would make sense to people that have only known this world.

"My mission is to help the three of you get back the throne," he whispered. "Not that I want to commit treason or anything!"

Han Shuying narrowed her eyes. "That’s a very bold thing to say. I could strike you down this instant in the name of the Emperor."

Qingyue tapped Yexue who was still glued to her side gently. "Help me up, I need to speak with him."

Yexue looked at the boy and his strange red eyes. "Are you sure?"

Qingyue nodded.

Yexue helped her up, guilting eating her from the inside when Qingyue winced again. Luckily, the wound had since stopped bleeding.

"Kael..." Qingyue called to him when she got closer. "Look at me."

Kael bit his bottom lip. It was hard to keep up with his smugness now that she knew her real identity. To think he’d been treating her so casually all this while.

"Kael..."

He finally looked up. "Does your injury still hurt?"

Qingyue ignored the question. "What do you mean by you wanting to help us get back the throne? Is there something you’re not telling me?"

Kael shook his head. "Like I said, it’s my mission to help the three of you. There’s nothing else to it. You can even forget about our little deal."

Qingyue tried not to look at Ru Yi. She’d agreed to give Kael the ring if he got her safely to Ashen Fortress.

"But why do you want to help us?"

Kael looked at the ground. "Let’s just say it’s the role of my character."