Chapter 43 – Wine, Words, and Unexpected Kinship

The evening was quiet, save for the occasional crackle from the fireplace. Qingsai sat with Fengrui Yuwen, cups of honey wine between them, in one of Whispering Hollow's private chambers.

Yuwen swirled his cup lazily. "You know, I never thought I'd enjoy talking to a 'Chosen One.'" He smirked. "But you're less brooding than I expected. Disappointing, really."

Qingsai chuckled. "And you're less insufferable than you pretend to be."

Yuwen raised his cup in mock salute. "Cheers to low expectations."

As the night stretched on, their conversation deepened. They spoke of politics, betrayal, and the weight of expectations. Yuwen admitted to envying Chunsi—not for power, but for being free of her dwarf brother's burden.

> "They see me as a joke, Qingsai. A court pet. A clever distraction. But you? You didn't laugh once."

> "Because I don't see you as weak," Qingsai replied. "I see someone who's been surviving in a lion's den without claws."

From that moment, a bond was forged—not of status or convenience, but of mutual respect.