Chapter 157: Unraveling the Misunderstanding

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Liu Lü’s voice, tinged with a bit of sluggish confusion, clearly reached Lian Yi’s ears.

Tii’s heart pounded suddenly, and she looked down in disbelief, only to see Su Ling’s outline shimmering in the dim light, caught between dream and reality.

“Su Ling, you… you’re okay?” Tii’s voice held a trace of nervousness.

Su Ling nodded lightly, yawning, with two glistening tears at the corners of her eyes, looking especially pitiable.

“Tii, why are you here?”

“I just… just brought you some food,” Tii replied uneasily, “Little Su Ling, hurry up and eat… I’ll go now…”

“Don’t go.” The gentle cadence of Su Ling’s voice knocked at Tii’s heart, “Stay with me for a while, will you?”

For a moment, Tii couldn’t quite believe her own ears.

Su Ling slowly sat up, her face unusually calm, gazing at Tii with clear, earnest eyes. She gently held onto Tii’s hand, with no intention of letting go.

“I won’t leave, Little Su Ling. I’m right here.” Tii spoke softly, as if cherishing this hard-won closeness, “But, didn’t you say we should keep our distance?”

“I didn’t want things to become like this between us…”

Tii bent down, gently wiping away the tear stains at the corners of Su Ling’s eyes.

“Su Ling, you don’t have to worry about my feelings,” Tii said softly.

“I did something to make Little Su Ling dislike me, so you wanted to stay away from me. I know all that. It’s all right, as long as you’re happy.”

“That’s not it! I care about you very much!” Su Ling interrupted her.

In the past, whenever they tried to communicate, Tii would always shy away, causing the two of them to go a long time without a proper conversation.

Now that there was finally such an opportunity, this time, she had to explain everything clearly.

Su Ling no longer wanted this misunderstanding to go on between her and Tii.

“It’s precisely because I care about you that I can’t do whatever I want,” she continued.

“What we were doing before was too dangerous. If something happened, it’d be a big problem.”

“Tii, you’re a very important friend to me. I just didn’t want you to get hurt, so I said those things.”

A warm, gentle air filled the room, and in that moment, the barrier between the two seemed to quietly melt away.

How wonderful it was to hear the person she liked say such things. It truly made Tii happy.

Tii tightened her grip on Su Ling’s hand, as if afraid this was all just a dream that could end at any moment.

“So, Tii, don’t look at me with that expression~ Is there anything I can do to make you happy?” Su Ling asked with a hint of worry.

Tii hesitated.

“If you don’t mind… can I hug you again? Just one last time?” she asked quietly.

Just knowing that she wasn’t disliked was enough to put Tiii at ease. She tried to calm her racing heart, but still looked expectantly at Su Ling, hoping for a definite answer.

Su Ling smiled gently at her.

“Of course, Little Su Ling is always so gentle.”

In moments like this, Tii couldn’t help but feel her love overflowing, content to remain in her role as a close friend, deeply etching the memory of her true self.

Could she stay by her side like this forever?

Every time she escaped her own quest for revenge to follow her heart’s longing, the shadow of the past would creep in, like a giant hand gripping her throat.

Just as her mind wandered, her body was suddenly embraced by Su Ling.

“Of course I don’t dislike you. In fact, I really, really like you, Tii.”

The pleasant sound of her voice once again tugged at her heart.

Held in the iron-haired girl’s arms, Tiii felt a peace she’d never known before. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if to engrave this feeling into her heart forever.

“Tii, even though I can’t reveal everything to you right now…”

Su Ling gently stroked her back, “That field of pink blossoms you spoke of sounds beautiful. If there’s ever a chance, let’s go together.”

---

On a quiet night, the two figures were entwined in an embrace.

In the council hall, candlelight shone brightly, and the atmosphere was heavy. King Steyat sat at the head of the long table, his brow furrowed. Guard Corps Leader stood at his side, expression grave, while the new steward, Prus, the Guard Corps Leader, and two other trusted nobles stood in rows on either side.

“Your Majesty, this is a very serious matter,” the Guard Corps Leader said in a low, forceful voice. He took a deep breath and continued,

“Today, the soldiers guarding the secret vault reported suspicious activity at the room where the Military Map is stored. After an initial inspection, we confirmed that a map of the mountains near the Fumon Baron’s territory was taken.”

“It’s the influence of the Rebel Army again,” Moer said, his face darkening, “Even the secret vault has been breached. Did you catch the intruder?”

The Guard Corps Leader shook his head gravely.

“Your Highness, there were no signs of forced entry. The theft happened between two guard shifts, within a short time. My preliminary assessment is that it was committed by someone inside the castle.”

“An inside job?” King Steyat slammed the table, his voice sharp, “Does that mean, as Moer said before, there’s a traitor among us? Prus, what is going on?”

“Your Majesty, I’ve already ordered a thorough investigation of the Palace, but so far, nothing suspicious has turned up…” Prus replied, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“Enough! It must be because you didn’t search thoroughly enough!”

“That’s not it…”

“Enough! Stop arguing,” Moer interrupted the two, analyzing in a serious tone,

“To bypass the guards and steal the map without leaving a trace… Only the Organization could pull this off.”

At his words, the hall fell silent. Everyone’s hearts clenched.

The implication in Moer’s words was clear: the culprit wasn’t a human or the Rebel Army, but someone from the Blood Clan itself.

In other words, the traitor was a noble.

“This is a very important map. If it falls into the hands of the Rebel Army, the consequences will be unimaginable. We must find the infiltrator.”

Unlike the others, Moer remained calm, a determined light in his eyes.

King Steyat pondered for a moment, sweeping his gaze over everyone in the room, finally stopping on Moer: “I leave this matter entirely to you. You must find this traitor. The safety of Ansels rests in your hands.”

Moer nodded resolutely, then turned to Prus: “Steward Prus, immediately resume the search and investigation. Be thorough and leave no stone unturned. At the same time, increase patrols around the Palace to prevent any further disturbances.”

Prus accepted the order and left. The two other nobles also pledged their full support for Moer’s actions.

“The traitor is a noble… but who is it?”

After the meeting, King Steyat sat alone beside the long table, his head in his hands, sinking into deep thought.

If only his clever son, who always saw through everything, had been at the meeting, maybe they wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble to find the traitor.

But Moer was always at odds with Yutong, and before the meeting, Moer had insisted that Sirieta not attend. That stubbornness was something even King Steyat couldn’t do anything about.

“Will things really work out this way?”

King Steyat began to wonder if he should just pass the throne to Moer according to convention.