The room was silent.
Only the faint sound of breath remained.
Li Xian sat still across from the chief.
Waiting.
The chief closed his eyes for a moment—
As if stepping back into something he wished to forget.
"…Long ago," he began slowly,
"…before the peace you see today…"
"There were two great kingdoms."
Li Xian didn't move.
"One was ruled by a cruel king," the chief continued.
"A man feared by his own people."
A pause.
"That kingdom… now belongs to your family."
Li Xian's eyes flickered slightly.
But he said nothing.
"And the other kingdom…"
The chief's voice lowered.
"… where Zhao Han's father live."
Silence.
"At that time," the chief continued,
"Zhao Han's father… Zhao Ren…"
"…was a royal prince."
Li Xian's gaze sharpened slightly.
"But you must understand something first," the chief said.
He looked directly at Li Xian now.
"Your father…"
A pause.
"…was not always a king."
The air shifted.
"He was the leader… of a hidden group."
The symbol on the paper suddenly felt heavier.
"A dangerous organization," the chief continued.
"One that operated in the shadows."
Li Xian's breath slowed.
"And your father…"
"…was at its center."
Silence.
"But power like that… was not enough."
The chief's gaze darkened.
"He wanted more."
Li Xian's fingers tightened slightly.
"So he created a plan."
A slow pause.
"A careful… patient plan."
The room felt colder.
"He approached Zhao Ren."
Li Xian's eyes flickered.
"Not as an enemy."
"…but as someone trustworthy."
A pause.
"And step by step…"
"…he built a bond with him."
Silence.
"A deep one."
The chief's voice lowered.
"Until Zhao Ren…"
He hesitated.
"…fell in love with him."
The words settled heavily in the air.
Li Xian froze.
But the chief didn't stop.
"…But your father…"
His gaze hardened.
"…never loved him."
Silence.
"He used him."
Each word landed like a blade.
"To gain information."
"To learn secrets."
"To reach the one thing he wanted most."
Li Xian's breath tightened.
"The king."
A pause.
"Zhao Ren's brother."
The truth began to take shape.
Dark.
Unavoidable.
"That king was already hated by his people," the chief said.
"Cruel. Ruthless."
"So, when the time came…"
His voice lowered.
"…it was easy to bring him down."
Silence.
"And your father…"
"…took everything."
The room felt suffocating.
"He became king."
Li Xian didn't move.
"…And Zhao Ren?" he asked quietly.
A long pause.
The chief's expression darkened.
"…He was left behind."
Silence.
"Betrayed."
Another pause.
"Heart Broken."
The word lingered.
Li Xian's chest felt tight.
"…That is the past," the chief said finally.
A bitter one.
A dangerous one.
And now—
It was no longer buried.