Chapter 187: Betrayal at the Gates

Ru Yi stood beneath the cold morning sky with her heart pounding so violently that she could feel every beat against her ribs.

Qingyue stood directly in front of her, her expression filled with concern, while Yexue and Lieyin watched from either side.

Ru Yi swallowed hard.

She had rehearsed the words so many times in her head that they no longer sounded real. She had imagined telling them in the privacy of their room, imagined sitting across from them at dinner, and imagined confessing after they returned from training.

Even imagined saying everything during the quiet hours of the night when there was nowhere for her to hide.

But none of those moments had come.

Now, with all three sisters standing before her, she finally understood that there would never be a perfect time.

"I was the one who—"

An explosion shattered the rest of her sentence.

It was a deafening boom that erupted somewhere beyond the fortress walls, shaking the ground beneath their feet so violently that several soldiers stumbled.

Birds scattered from the rooftops in a frantic cloud, and dust rained from the ancient stone walls as the sound rolled through the mountains.

Ru Yi instinctively ducked. Yexue immediately moved in front of her, while Lieyin’s hand flew to the sword at her waist.

Qingyue turned toward the fortress gates. "What was that?"

For several seconds, no one answered.

The soldiers looked at one another in confusion, their weapons half drawn as they tried to determine where the attack had come from.

Officer Liang came running from the training grounds. "Princess Qingyue!"

Qingyue turned. "What happened?"

"I don’t know."

Another soldier rushed toward them. "The eastern watchtower says there are forces approaching from the southern ridge."

Qingyue’s brows drew together. "The imperial army? They’re not supposed to get here for another two years."

"No." The soldier shook his head. "They aren’t flying the imperial banner."

Everyone fell silent. If it wasn’t the imperial army, then who had attacked them?

Han Shuying had been standing slightly behind Qingyue, her eyes fixed on the distant mountains. She had been unusually quiet since the explosion, and Ru Yi noticed the moment her expression changed.

The color drained from her face. "That’s impossible."

Qingyue turned toward her. "What?"

Han Shuying didn’t answer immediately. She stepped toward the edge of the courtyard, trying to see beyond the fortress walls. From their position, only a portion of the approaching force was visible, but a large banner could be seen rising above the trees.

It was dark red, marked with a distinctive golden emblem.

Han Shuying’s eyes narrowed. Then she whispered, "it’s General Sheng."

Qingyue frowned. "General Sheng?"

Han Shuying turned toward her. "Sheng Yao."

Lieyin’s expression hardened. "What about him?"

Han Shuying pointed toward the distant banner. "That is his army."

Ru Yi looked at the flag.

It couldn’t be.

General Sheng had been the one to tell them about Ashen Fortress. Had told them to find their mother’s soldiers. He was on their side.

So why would he attack them?

Yexue looked toward the approaching army and asked the question that plagued Qingyue out loud. "Why is he attacking us?"

Han Shuying’s expression remained grim. "Because he wasn’t sending you here to protect you."

Qingyue stared at her. "Don’t say that. There has to be a reason."

Han Shuying gave her a blank look. "I’m telling you what I see."

Qingyue shook her head. "General Sheng helped our mother when she was alive. He was one of the few members of the imperial family who remained loyal to her after the palace began turning against her."

Han Shuying’s eyes hardened. "And how long ago was that?"

Qingyue didn’t answer.

"Years," Han Shuying continued. "People change. Alliances change. Circumstances change."

"Don’t speak like you know him personally."

"I know enough about people to know that loyalty is rarely as simple as we want it to be." Han Shuying scoffed. "I can’t believe you even trusted the old man."

Lieyin stepped between them. "Han Shuying, choose your words carefully."

Han Shuying looked at her. "I am."

Her gaze returned to Qingyue. "You trusted him because he gave you a destination when you had nowhere else to go. You assumed that because he was related to your mother, he must have inherited her loyalty. You assumed that because he told you to come here, he wanted you to reclaim what was stolen from you."

Qingyue’s jaw tightened. "He did."

"Then why is his army firing on this fortress?"

No one had an answer.

Ru Yi felt the tension spreading through the courtyard.

She looked toward the walls and saw soldiers rushing into position. Men who had only begun training that morning were now grabbing actual weapons, fear visible on their faces as they stared toward the approaching army.

Qingyue looked at Officer Liang. "Get everyone to the walls."

"Yes, Princess."

"Don’t engage until we understand what we’re dealing with."

Officer Liang nodded and hurried away.

Yexue turned toward Qingyue. "What if Han Shuying is wrong?"

Han Shuying looked at her. "Then General Sheng will have to explain why his soldiers are attacking us."

Qingyue remained silent.

Ru Yi could see the conflict inside her. This wasn’t simply an enemy attacking her fortress. It was someone she had trusted. Someone connected to her mother. Someone who had supposedly guided them toward the very place they were now trying to rebuild.

Qingyue’s fingers curled around the hilt of her sword. "He wouldn’t."

Han Shuying’s voice softened, but her words remained firm. "Trust is a fragile thing, Qingyue."

Qingyue looked at her.

"It should never be given away simply because someone shares your blood or once stood beside someone you loved."

The words settled heavily over the courtyard.

Ru Yi felt a strange chill. She had been thinking about trust all morning. Especially the trust she had broken. And now the person standing before Qingyue was warning her about exactly what Ru Yi had been too afraid to admit.

Qingyue looked away. "We’ll find out the truth."

Han Shuying nodded. "We will."

A distant horn sounded and every soldier on the wall turned toward the southern ridge.

The enemy had moved closer.

Ru Yi could now see rows of soldiers emerging between the trees, their armor catching the morning light. The sight made her stomach twist.

There were far more of them than the people currently defending Ashen Fortress.

Yexue reached for Ru Yi’s hand. "Stay close."

Qingyue turned toward them. "Ru Yi, go inside."

Ru Yi shook her head. "No."

"You don’t know what you’re walking into."

"Neither do you."

Qingyue’s expression softened. "I don’t want you to get hurt."

For a moment, Ru Yi forgot about the army. She forgot about Kael. She forgot about the confession she had been trying to make.

She only saw Qingyue.

The woman who had once been dying in her arms.

The woman who had held her through the night.

The woman she had betrayed.

And Ru Yi realized that she couldn’t leave her now. "I’ll stay."

Qingyue didn’t argue. Instead, she nodded.

Then another sound split the air.

This time, Ru Yi saw the projectile before she heard the explosion. It flew over the fortress wall and crashed into the ground only a few steps from where she had been standing.

The force threw her backward. She barely had time to understand what was happening before the world disappeared beneath a cloud of dust and smoke.

"Ru Yi!"

Yexue’s scream pierced through the chaos. Qingyue turned violently toward the blast. Lieyin was already running.

Ru Yi hit the ground hard, pain shooting through her shoulder as debris scattered around her. Her ears rang, and for several seconds she couldn’t hear anything except a muffled buzzing.

Then someone grabbed her. "Ru Yi!"

Qingyue pulled her upright. "Are you hurt?"

Ru Yi blinked through the dust. "I... I don’t think so."

Qingyue’s hands moved over her shoulders and arms, checking for blood. Yexue dropped beside them, her face pale.

"I thought you were dead."

Ru Yi stared at her. "I wasn’t."

"You almost were." Yexue’s voice shook.

Lieyin reached them moments later, her expression murderous as she looked toward the walls. "They’re firing directly into the courtyard."

Qingyue slowly rose. Her face had changed.

The hesitation was gone. Whatever doubts she had been carrying about General Sheng had disappeared beneath the realization that his army had just tried to kill Ru Yi.

She looked toward the distant banner. "Prepare the soldiers."

Officer Liang appeared nearby. "Princess?"

Qingyue drew her sword. "We defend Ashen Fortress."

Han Shuying stepped beside her. "And now you know exactly what we’re dealing with."

Qingyue looked at her. "You were right."

Han Shuying’s expression didn’t change. "I wish I wasn’t."

Ru Yi stood behind them, still struggling to steady her breathing. Only moments ago, she had been preparing to confess the greatest betrayal of their lives.

Now an army belonging to the very man who had sent them to Ashen Fortress was preparing to tear the fortress apart.

And as the first ranks of General Sheng’s soldiers emerged from the mountains, Ru Yi realized that whatever happened next would change all of their lives. Her confession would have to wait.

For now, there was a fortress to defend.