When the Hound Bites

That evening, Seraphina sent her old nurse to invite me to her palace.

When I arrived, Seraphina was writing at her desk.

“You came.”

She gestured lazily.

I bowed.

“Your Majesty.”

“Shh.”

She kept writing.

Only when the brush stopped did I see the four words on the paper.

When the hare dies, the hound is cooked.

Before I could ask, she looked at me.

“You moved the emperor’s beloved into your palace?”

“How did you know Selena was—”

She laughed softly.

“What you can discover, I can discover too.”

“You used the bracelet to hint at me because you wanted me to investigate.”

“At first, I thought the emperor brought us into the palace to balance the court.”

“I did not expect he intended to cook the hounds after the hunt.”

“So what will you do?” I asked.

She pointed at the words.

“Since ancient times, winners become kings and losers become bandits.”

“There are only two roads before House Chen and House Liu.”

“First, we retire and return home. Perhaps the emperor will set aside suspicion.”

“But our families have deep roots and many enemies. If we truly leave court, even if the emperor spares us, will our enemies?”

“As for the second road…”

She drew two large crosses over the word hound.

I understood.

Rebellion.

Seraphina had always been bold.

In my previous life, she had nearly succeeded.

Unfortunately, I had been the brainless fool who ruined her plan.

Guilt flickered in my heart.

But rebellion was not a small matter.

How could she tell me so easily?

Only because I warned her about the bracelet?

“When Fallen Horse Pass was lost,” Seraphina said suddenly, “your second brother died.”

My second brother.

House Liu had few legitimate children.

My second brother was the heir.

The best brother in the world.

His death was a thorn in the heart of everyone in the general’s manor.

My eyes reddened.

“When your brother was trapped, my father petitioned the emperor early and sent reinforcements,” Seraphina continued. “But the reinforcements were intercepted by bandits.”

She looked at me.

“Tell me, what kind of bandit dares intercept the imperial army?”

I stood frozen.

After my brother died, my mother aged decades overnight.

For countless nights, the lamp in her room never went out.

Now someone told me everything had been an imperial scheme.

Just because of baseless suspicion, that bright young general died at the border.

Three thousand soldiers of Fallen Horse Pass died with him.

This was the dynasty my father protected with his life.

This was the sovereign whom loyal ministers and good generals defended.

“I will help you,” I said.

I did not know how I left Seraphina’s palace.

My mind was chaos.

That night, I wrote to my father.

By dawn, his reply arrived.

Only one line.

As long as the Liu army stands, Your Highness will never stand alone.

I read it again and again.

Then burned it.

Gideon owed House Liu.

I would make him repay everything.

Slowly.

Completely.