Chapter 25: Fault in the Transformation

Countless thoughts flashed before Kesi's mind, each one worse than the last.

What if his rejuvenating touch was temporary?

What if this whole thing was a mistake, and he could never really sustain her youth?

…

What if Mu Luming was so deeply hurt that he couldn't even sustain his own life?

She stopped herself dead in those tracks, reminding herself that she was a cold-blooded assassin at heart. She shouldn't be caring about the wellbeing of this kid, especially if he couldn't even provide her with temporary youth anymore.

No, she had to think logically.

She forced herself to look away from Mu Luming. He had too much innocence in his eyes.

Luckily, no one seemed to noticed the range of emotions flicker across her face. In fact, no one even looked in her direction.

Kesi scanned the crowds, looking for anything out of place that might have caused the issue.

Was it something about the location? But glancing around, other than the bushes of bright flowers, nothing stood out.

If anything, the chitter-chattering of the crowd of concubines was annoying. But it was only distracting at best.

Could it be that the transformation couldn't happen in front of other people? No, that wouldn't explain how the guards saw her youthful form and how she fought against the assassins with all her strength.

Perhaps it was someone in the crowd that suppressed the transformation…

She looked around.

"Killers?" One of them must have sent the assassins.

Hushed whispers.

"After the Crown Prince?" If it wasn't for someone in the palace pulling on the strings, who else in the city would have even suspected that the little street rat was the Crown Prince?"

Soft exclamations.

"I'm so glad that the lucky stars were shining over them?" But were they really glad? Or did these words just mask their true intentions?

Kesi closed her eyes, tired.

"Be quiet!" The Empress's commanding voice boomed, the shrill sound immediately hushing the squawking crowds.

By her side, the Emperor remained deep in thought, silent.

Once again, Kesi reminded herself to not look at Mu Luming.

But despite all her best intentions, she still snuck a look at him. The rims of his eyes were red, and as he clutched his arm, it seemed like he was biting back his tears.

She twisted her head away.

Somehow, despite the countless gory scenes she had witnessed, or even caused before, she couldn't stomach the sight of blood dripping down this little kid's arms.

"Empress, how do you want to deal with this situation?" After what seemed to be an eternity, the Emperor finally spoke, his voice grave.

"Are you sure of what you saw?" The Empress suddenly motioned for Kesi to approach her. Narrowing her eyes in an angle so that the Emperor couldn't see her reflection, she leaned forward. "Lying to a member of the Imperial family is punishable by death."

She waited for Kesi's response.

"Nanny Rong, I know that your senses are not what they used to be, but you have to take responsibility for everything that comes out from your mouth." The Empress tapped her fingers against the chair handle, the ruby ring from before gleaming more brightly than ever. "I would hate for your tongue to be plucked for accidentally spreading fantasies at such an old age."

Even an idiot knew what the Empress wanted. Yet, the Emperor did not seem to react, instead seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Whether he did not care about the Empress's threats or was too scared to react to her, Kesi did not know.

All she knew was that she had lost this match in the game of chess. Cursing herself, she made a mental note to not overestimate the Emperor's place in this entire situation. Relying on the Emperor to help fight back would be unrealistic.

If she wanted to secure Mu Luming's place and life in the palace, she would have to play along with the Empress before taking her down.

No, she didn't want to help Mu Luming, she reminded herself again. She wanted to help herself. She was the one who needed to survive in the palace to fulfill Death's bargain. She was the one who needed to improve her living conditions. There was nothing in her mission about Mu Luming.

He was just a tool. He was a cute one, admittedly, but he was nothing but a card in her hands.

She didn't actually care about him.

Just when she was about to speak to the Empress, unexpectedly, a familiar voice chirped up.

"Nanny Rong must have remembered incorrectly or met someone else on the streets yesterday." Mu Luming limped forward. "As I was walking around the streets a few days earlier, some people had bumped into me, and I fell into a merchant's stand."

His expression was natural, almost as if he was recounting something that had truly happened to him.

"It was a meat store, and one of the butcher's knives had nicked my arm. The wound must have accidentally reopened on its own just now since I was so excited to meet Your Highness and Your Majesty!"

He tore off a piece of cloth from his sleeve, dipping his fingers into a spot of undried blood on his arm. With a few flicks of his wrist, a giant red symbol symbolizing luck appeared on the canvas.

The strokes were strong, and if it wasn't for Mu Luming's charming smile, the scene would have been grotesque.

"They all say that you should repay your caring parental figures with blood, so let me express my greatest wishes for your prosperity." He paused.

Flashing a toothy smile, he bounced up to the throne and offered out the cloth with his two hands to the Emperor and Empress.

"Red, just like the color of good fortune. Your Royal Son hopes this is a lucky sign for the future of the empire. Isn't Your Royal Son right?" His wide eyes looked expectantly at the Emperor and Empress. Hearing no response, he added, "Isn't Your Royal Son right, Father Emperor and Mother Empress?"

The royal couple nodded politely, and the distaste in the Empress's eyes were unmissable.

But to Kesi, all the word looked like was a single thing — bloodshed.

The already turmoiled palace was to become even more stirred up than before.