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Outside the inn, golden hues of dawn poured over the land. Magic tingled on my skin.

That was one of the most vivid dreams I’d ever had.

I didn’t know what ultimatum they were talking about, but if the treaty was real, then Siwang had to sign it, as soon as possible.

I grabbed my robes and slipped on shoes before I charged out of the room.

By the time I came downstairs, I realized there was something missing—the guests of this supposedly fully booked inn.

The only people downstairs were three of Yexue’s five guards, who were sipping congees and laughing about something.

Yexue was nowhere in sight.

“That bastard.”

I ran upstairs and kicked open every door and, as expected, all the rooms were empty until I came across one that wasn’t and found a half-dressed Yexue inside, in the middle of tying his robe.

“Here to seduce me again?”

“You didn’t sleep downstairs?”

“Of course I didn’t. I am also not the ward you met in Yong’An anymore. Did you honestly expect me to sleep in that drafty hall? If this inn had actually been full, I would have made the innkeeper kick everyone out.”

“You told the innkeeper to lie about this place being full and there being only one room left?”

“Of course.”

“Why?”

“What can I say, I am simply a too-kind and generous man. You wanted to seduce me, and I wanted to give you the opportunity. If you want this inn to be full so that we will be forced to share one room and one bed again for real, I can make that happen, too.” He was laughing, but after the dream I’d just had, I was in no mood to laugh.

“Get dressed. I want to find the stargazer’s disciple, then get out of here and away from you as soon as possible.”

“I found her months ago. She is with the general who governs thiscity.”

“What?”

“You are not the only person looking for answers, Fei.” He gave me a look that said I should have expected this from him. And in all honesty, Ishouldhave expected this. Lan Yexue did not seem like the sort of man who did things halfway.

“Then why did you insist on coming to get the information yourself? You could just have sent a letter.”

He shrugged. “The same reason this prince regent would rather sleep in a dusty inn than a beautiful manor for the night. The things I do to?????.”The things I do to make the beautiful girl smile.

“I am not smiling.”

“Well, I tried. Would Siwang travel so far just to spend some quality time and make memories with you?”

I didn’t tell him that Siwang didn’t need to do all of this. He wasn’t this pathetic.

I turned around and walked out. “Let’s get going. I assume there is breakfast at the general’s manor?”

The general’s manor was a small house with a walled courtyard and a constant patrol of guards, sitting at the east of the city.

“This is his temporary residence,” Yexue explained. “The previous governor of the city burned his house down when the people surrendered.”

“The people surrendered, but not the governor?”

“Greedy men like to hold on to power when they can, regardless of the good of the people. And from what the people of this city have told us, their governor was not a good man. If he hadn’t ended his life on his own terms, he would have spent the rest of his life in prison, paying for the crimes he had committed against his people.”