Chapter 56 — ILK Chapter 56

The Palace and the Disappointed Man

Late night. Capital Star. The Imperial Palace.

A maid beside the Empress hurriedly knocked on the bedroom door: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

"Enter." Lin Shuangxu had not yet slept, but she was slightly annoyed at being disturbed.

The maid pushed open the door, pretending not to see the other person in the room. After bowing to Lin Shuangxu, she spoke with a joyful smile: "Your Majesty, the Eldest Prince has just returned."

"Changli is back?" Lin Shuangxu was stunned. She quickly threw on a robe and stood up. "Why so sudden? Did something happen at Black Tower?"

"We've inquired with Executive Officer Ment. Everything at Black Tower is normal; no special circumstances. Only a visit from the Little Prince of the Tide Sea clan." The maid tidied the Empress's dress, combed her long hair, and thoughtfully put on a warm dressing gown.

"What about the Guide sent there? Wasn't it said she and Changli were getting along quite well? Changli even let her stay in the West Building," Lin Shuangxu asked. "Have you asked her?"

"We did," the maid replied while spraying perfume and fanning the air to disperse it. "Sang Ye also said nothing happened. She didn't even know the Prince had returned."

Lin Shuangxu suppressed the doubt in her heart. Just as she was about to head out, she remembered there was still someone else in the room. She turned to the man who had been acting as if he didn't exist: "You, go back first."

"Yes." The man lowered his eyes obediently.

…

Lin Changli was not surprised that his mother arrived barely ten minutes after he landed. The moment Lin Shuangxu saw him, she showed a rare, genuine smile, devoid of her usual lofty air or imperial majesty.

"Changli." Her gaze swept over his drooping, listless spiritual form. It didn't look anything like its usual arrogant, majestic self. The spiritual form was a projection of the master's consciousness.

"What happened?" Lin Shuangxu took the little Phoenix into her arms and sat beside her son. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but remembering his previous aversion, she pulled her hand back.

She extended her mental power. Her energy was not nearly as gentle as Sang Ye’s or any other Guide's. Lin Shuangxu was aggressive; her style of mental grooming was always about suppression—sometimes even beating a Sentinel's spiritual form into submission before channeling it.

The little Phoenix shuddered, recalling past beatings, and chirped: "Mother, I'm fine, I'm fine!"Lin Shuangxu ignored it; she had to see for herself to be at peace. Lin Changli did not resist—resistance was futile anyway. She searched through his mind and was satisfied to find his mental state much better than before.

But the problem wasn't solved. She lightly pinched the Phoenix's neck. "You tell me. What’s wrong with the two of you?"

The little Phoenix, finding someone to vent to, buried its head in her chest and whined like a child: "Mother! Sang Ye likes someone else! That fish has been seducing her and even provoked me!"

"Have you no shame?" Lin Changli couldn't take it anymore. He tried to pull the bird out of his mother's arms, but it clung tight. "I'm fine. I'll go back in a few days."

But Lin Shuangxu had heard enough. "Oh, dear." She relaxed; it wasn't hard to piece together the cause and effect. However, she couldn't help but find it a bit amusing.

"The fish... you mean the Little Prince of the Tide Sea?" She was well-informed about Black Tower. "And have you said these things to Sang Ye?" She stroked the Phoenix's feathers, seemingly asking the bird, but really addressing her son. "If words aren't spoken, the other person has every reason not to respond."

Lin Changli remained silent.

The Phoenix hopped around, chirping noisily: "He won't say it! He won't even let me talk! He threatened to lock me in the mental landscape forever!"

"You've had it hard," Lin Shuangxu said, letting the Phoenix play on her hands. "But you can speak secretly, can't you? You and Changli are one and the same, after all."

"Stop teaching him these things." Lin Changli was irritable again, his temper rising. This time, he ignored the Phoenix's protests, grabbed it, and tucked it under his arm. He bowed to his mother. "Mother, I'm going to bed. You should rest early too."

Lin Shuangxu smiled and nodded, watching him enter the inner chambers before she left.

…

Lin Changli didn't actually go to sleep. He climbed onto the palace roof and looked down at Capital Star. He hadn't returned in secret; he had barged onto the base's landing pad, flown away in his private warship, and even packed up all the cakes, desserts, and rice balls Sang Ye had left in the fridge.

Grumpily, he unwrapped a rice ball. One bite told him it was the one she made specifically for him: purple glutinous rice, salad dressing, and even a squeeze of ketchup on the pork chop. It was very sweet. Only he liked it that sweet.

It was sweet enough that he almost wanted to forgive her. His eyes were red from the wind, yet he still felt she was too annoying. Does everything have to be spelled out to be understood? Why say such hurtful things?The rice ball was dry. The roof was cold. The spiritual form was noisy. And the paparazzi taking photos from the opposite rooftop were a nuisance. Nothing was going right.

…

Sang Ye truly didn't know Lin Changli had flown back to the palace in a huff; she assumed he was just sleeping in his room. She figured a battle-hardened man like him would have a strong psychological constitution.

Asu Ment had more important things to do, and the affairs of the Royal Family were not to be pried into, nor was she a gossip. It wasn't until the Royal Chamberlain sent a message in the middle of the night to inquire that Sang Ye realized Lin Changli had vanished—taking the food from the fridge with him. He certainly has an appetite, she thought.

Before she could dwell on it, another message arrived from Jiang Siwei: I just got out of the hospital. I'll be there in a bit.In their months of cooperation, Jiang Siwei usually handled the transport herself so she could visit her brother. But today she had been turned away; Jiang Sili hadn't even shown his face, merely telling her it was "inconvenient."

Jiang Siwei arrived at the West Building baffled. Sang Ye had vacuum-sealed a variety of rice balls, buns, and bread; dried fruits and tea leaves were also packed into small sachets.

"Are you going to the Tide Sea next?" Jiang Siwei asked between bites. "I heard the waters there are incredibly clean—no metal pollution at all. There are natural plants underwater. Such environments are rare now."

"Let me tell you, I've opened a store in my family's mall just for your products. We sell out every day. But doing business in the Capital Star means you can't offend anyone; every shipment has to go to the military and nobles first."

Sang Ye’s mind whirred. She looked at Jiang Siwei. "Does your family have its own factories?"

When Jiang Siwei nodded, Sang Ye proposed: "How about we change our cooperation model? I'll provide the raw materials and recipes, and you process them yourself. The profit split remains the same."

Originally, Sang Ye did the cooking because the demand was small. Now that her dimension had expanded, she could provide massive amounts of raw ingredients. This would also free her from the mechanical repetition of production.

Jiang Siwei’s eyes lit up. It was a guaranteed profit. She agreed immediately. She would be taking back not just semi-finished products, but thirty to forty tons of cabbage, cauliflower, frozen meat, flour, and a thousand pounds of seasoning. In return, she brought Sang Ye a collection of ancient plant seeds she had searched for. Sang Ye couldn't tell what they were yet, but she planned to plant them and see.

Then Jiang Siwei asked: "Why did the Prince suddenly fly back to the Capital Star last night?"

"General Jiang Sili told you?" Sang Ye asked.

"No, I didn't see him today. Look at this." Jiang Siwei projected her terminal screen. A headline from a gossip rag was trending across the galaxy:[Marshal Crying on the Roof at Night! How Could a Former Hero Fall to This State?!]The photo showed Lin Changli on the palace roof, eyes slightly red, holding a white, unidentifiable object. The pixelated image was blurry, but his sharp features were unmistakable.

Sang Ye was speechless at the headline.

"Oh, the tabloids are always like that," Jiang Siwei said dismissively. She was more curious about why he’d gone home after years of staying away. Sang Ye scratched her head, finding it impossible to explain.

"Colonel, we can prepare to depart," Sireno said, appearing at the door in his white gauze and silver hair.

Jiang Siwei gasped: "Wow, so this is a merman? Are you all this beautiful?"

Sireno gave a shy smile.

"Alright, we'll talk when I get back," Sang Ye said, fleeing the scene. "I won't see you out. Come play again next time!"

"Oh." Jiang Siwei watched the two of them leave together, then looked back at the lonely figure on her terminal screen. "Aha." She let out a small laugh, seemingly realizing something.