Chapter 65: Night of the Unspoken

Moonlight spilled across the courtyard like silver silk, casting the envoy estate in an ethereal stillness. The capital was asleep, but Bai Ru was not.

She had watched Kai train alone from the shadowed corridor earlier that day—his movements graceful, sharp, utterly focused. Even when bruised and breathless, he radiated calm. Untouchable. And for all her skill in healing the wounded, she had not yet found a way to reach him.

Until tonight.

Her feet moved soundlessly over the polished floors of the southern wing. No guards barred her path. No one asked why she passed through the carved archways in the dark. She had treated every servant here, knew every hall, every creak of the wooden beams. She knew where he slept.

And she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep until she tried.

The door was slightly ajar. She pushed it gently.

Inside, the room smelled of incense and sweat, qi and steel. The air was warm, the lanterns unlit. He lay there, half-shrouded in silk sheets, face turned slightly toward the open window where a breeze stirred the curtains.

He looked peaceful. Vulnerable. Human.

Bai moved to his side and placed her hand on his belly—testing the waters. She felt the latent energy thrumming under his skin, like a distant storm. Her fingers lingered.

Kai's eyes opened instantly.

Their gazes locked.

"I need to know what you're hiding," she whispered. "And why you never let yourself rest beside me."

He didn't flinch. "You should not be here, Bai."

She swallowed. Her hand slid up, tracing the line of his ribs through the thin inner robe. "Then tell me to go."

He didn't. Not yet.

She leaned in, her lips grazing his neck, her breath feathering along his collarbone. "Let me in, Kai."

He caught her wrist, firm but gentle. "Bai."

She leaned back just slightly, her eyes searching his. "I see the way you look at Yue. But she's not here. I am. Let me be the one who's there for you—tonight."

Kai sat up, his movements deliberate, patient. He shifted so that he was no longer beneath her, but beside her. His hand brushed her cheek, a gesture more of sorrow than invitation.

"You are stronger than you know," he said softly. "More than I deserve. But this... this isn't what I want. Not tonight."

Bai's heart clenched. "Because of her?"

Kai nodded, quiet. "I made a choice—to wait. That hasn't changed."

She looked away, embarrassed and angry all at once. "You never even gave me a chance."

"I did," he said. "And I will. But not like this."

Bai stood, straightening her robe with trembling fingers. Her face was unreadable.

"I'm not ashamed of this," she said. "And I will try again."

Kai offered a final nod. "I don't blame you."

She paused at the door, glancing back once. "Just remember: not every heart waits forever."

The door clicked shut.

Kai let out a quiet, nervous sigh and stared at the ceiling for a long while. The shadows pressed in as silence reclaimed the room, and though his body remained still, his thoughts did not.

Somewhere beyond the walls, a nightingale sang.

And somewhere in the city, a dream took root—fragile, blooming, and full of thorns.

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**\[To Be Continued in Chapter 66]