"Is this how you treat someone who helped you?"

His voice was raspy and accusing, but Hongyue accepted his words without any guilt in her heart. Instead, his accusation made Hongyue smile, "Third Prince, the exact words I believe you said was 'investment.' Since you don't seem to know, I'll be understanding and remind you of something. Some investments don't benefit the investor. How unfortunate."

Jiayi seemed taken back by her answer, his body instantly tensed.

"Is this a threat?"

With a shake of her wrist, Hongyue retracted the whip back to her side. She seemed to have lost interest in teasing him, "That was merely a reminder not to get to close to me. Next time I find one of your people shadowing me, not even their soul will leave my hands. Clear?"

Hongyue snapped the whip back into a bracelet and slid it back on to her wrist. Her eyes focused on Jiayi, "Being an important character in the royal court, I a.s.sume you're well-informed. What are your father's next steps?"

Jiayi narrowed his eyes at her bracelet. Where has he seen that before?

"You set the show for my brother."

His words were bland but straight to the point.

Hongyue smirked. She had been contemplating for a while. If the royal family were so keen on keeping her alive yet not intervene a hand when she was suffering, they must know exactly how she suffered day by day. Her eyes sharpened.

Who was to say that the royal family didn't have a hand in her poisoning? Seeing their abilities and power, nothing was impossible. After all, their words could be masking their secret intentions.

Although Jiayi didn't get an answer from Hongyue, he seemed to know what she meant already. Jiayi shook his head, "My father doesn't have any hand in this."

An understanding smirk spread played on Hongyue's lips," Oh?"

Jiayi frowned at her unexpected tone of voice, "You have to be more careful of my royal brother."

Hongyue's smirk grew wider, "Are you being nice to me? If you're worried for me, then send out an edict for me by tomorrow morning. Give me the first move."

Jiayi pursed his lips but he didn't refuse.

*************

Arriving back in her room, Hongyue looked over at Qingyu who was still unconscious. She frowned and strode over to the b.l.o.o.d.y bedside. As she stepped closer to him, the strands of silvery strands that guarded him started to melt apart, leaving a safe path for her. In her hand, she held a glittering gray pill. She had gained it by stealing it from the third prince without his notice. Now Hongyue stared at Qingyu blankly as she stood above him.

How was she supposed to feed it to him?

"Wake up!" Her voice cut through the air, but the boy gave no response to her sharp command. Hongyue's frown deepened. She had never cared for a person like this before nor had anyone care for her like this. What was she supposed to do? Grabbing him by the collar, she pulled him closer to her. Cupping his cheeks, she forced his mouth agape and tossed the pill inside his mouth. Then she roughly smacked his chin upwards and watched as the pill slid down his throat.

Good.

He'll be fine.

She released her hold on him, and Qingyu fell back on to the bed. Stepping lightly, she left the room. With a light exertion on the windowsill, she propelled herself into the air and descended gently on the branch of a tree near her room. Her fingers casually braced the truck of the tree, balancing her weight upon the tree branch. Her eyes peered up at the sky. There was only an empty spot where the moon should be but a web of stars could be seen. The gentle breeze of the night that pa.s.sed her figure seemed to sing her loneliness into the void.

The loose strands of her hair appeared to flutter gracefully in the air as she mused deep in thought with her legs swinging about.

Finally, her ruby lips opened and a melody seeped out:

"We fall, we stand, we die together

All we have and all for the better

Dancing flames of the sinful desires

Grasping for victims, grasping higher

Take a sip of poisoned honey

Take a handful of glittering money

Carry the chains of the past

Take the blame that'll come to last...."

As she sang, the siren's eyes seemed to burn. The gra.s.s sighed as the wind began to pick up its pace and the eerie resonance drifted around her residence. Singing the last words to her song, Hongyue's eyes began to flutter shut, and a strange smile hung on her lips as she drifted to sleep.

Inside her room, the unconscious figure began to stir, the dark purple crescent moon on his neck strangely glowing.