The Mad Ҡìղց

Whispers of the past.

Lan Qiren paced the floor of the grand study, his brows furrowed in disbelief. "Ayana, I suppose you have met him?" His voice was low but edged with fury, his eyes blazing as he turned to his daughter.

Ayana, composed and calm, took a deep breath before responding, "Yes, Father. I have." Her voice was firm, but there was a pleading in her tone that she knew her father would not acknowledge.

"What on earth was Lan Wanji thinking, to even entertain the idea of loving a boy?" Lan Qiren spat, shaking his head. His mind reeled with the weight of his son's rebellion.

Lan Xichen, always the voice of reason, stepped forward. "Father, why don't you give Lan Wanji a few days to sort himself? He's stressed, he needs time."

"No," Lan Qiren snapped, his tone cutting through the room like a blade. "There's nothing to sort. He cannot be with a boy. It is that simple." His voice was a hiss, laced with an absolute finality that silenced any argument.

Lan Wanji, who had been silent until then, lifted his gaze. His eyes were filled with the threat of tears, but he held them back. "Father, you have not even met him. How can you dislike someone you don't know?" His voice wavered, betraying the storm of emotions roiling within him.

"I don't need to meet him." Lan Qiren's voice softened, but only in volume, not in conviction. "I will not allow it. It's forbidden." He rubbed his temples, clearly exhausted by the argument, though his stance remained firm.

Mrs. Lan, who had been standing quietly by, stepped in at that moment. Her presence, though calm, carried an authority that could not be ignored. "Lan Xichen, take your brother with you. Ayana, please go with them."

The three of them bowed silently, casting glances at their mother before leaving the room. Lan Wanji lingered for a moment, his heart aching, but a stern look from his father made him follow his siblings.

As the door clicked shut behind them, Mrs. Lan turned to her husband, her eyes sharp but understanding. "What exactly is your problem? Why not let the boy be? You're tearing this family apart."

Lan Qiren exhaled sharply, unable to meet her eyes. "Have you ever seen a man with another man before?" His voice cracked, the confusion in his mind evident. "This—this is not how things are done. Our family, our legacy—it cannot withstand such a thing."

"There is nothing new under the sun," Mrs. Lan replied gently but firmly. "You need to calm down and reason with him. Lan Wanji has never disobeyed you before. This isn't just rebellion. This is his heart."

Lan Qiren closed his eyes, the weight of his wife's words pressing against the walls of his conviction. "I will think about it," he said, his voice low. "But I cannot promise anything. I need to go for a walk."

Without waiting for a response, he walked out of the room, leaving Mrs. Lan standing alone, her eyes following him with a mix of sympathy and frustration.

"Brothers, is it okay if I leave you two?" Ayana asks, her tone light yet laced with urgency.

"Yes, I need to be somewhere too. Wanji, why don't you go and see Wei Ying and have a talk with him?" Lan Xichen suggests, his gaze shifting toward Wanji.

Wanji nods, and the three of them part ways, each swallowed by the sprawling corridors of the castle.

Ayana quickens her pace, her legs moving swiftly as she approaches Niobe's chamber. She knocks, the sound echoing in the quiet hall. To her surprise, the door swings open to reveal Lady Salomi.