He stopped. The explanation, the confession, was unnecessary. The situation, the twins, the exchange, was clear. He had been tricked. He had approached the wrong sister. He had been caught.
Tianlong's gold-crimson eyes, on the elder, narrowed. The gaze, the cold, imperial, absolute gaze, held the judgment.
"I will talk to your father," he said. His voice was flat. The declaration, the threat, the promise, was delivered. "Now. The Purple Kingdom will have to bear the load."
Eldest Prince, his face gray, bowed. His body, the scholarly frame, trembled. The words, the threat, the imperial summons, were the worst thing he could hear. His father, the Human Emperor Zihao, would be informed. The consequences, the political fallout, the diplomatic crisis, would be severe.
But before the situation could escalate further, the portal opened. Emperor Zihao, the Human Emperor, arrived. Beside him, Liu Mei, the Purple Astral Ancestor, the woman who had returned, descended.
