Underneath The Moonlit Night

Chapter 81 - Glass Thrones and Gilded Lies

The Kingdom of Shahai stood as a jewel between two worlds, its territory stretching across a peninsula where the Northern and Southern seas converged in a tumultuous embrace. Unlike the sprawling inland might of Khufu, Shahai's power flowed from the waterways that surrounded it—a naval empire built on trade routes that connected distant lands. Merchant vessels with billowing sails crowded its harbors, their holds laden with exotic spices, precious metals, and rare fabrics from across the known world.

Yet for all its maritime supremacy, Shahai's prosperity had long been secured through a delicate alliance with Khufu. The vast, primarily landlocked kingdom provided military strength where Shahai was vulnerable—on land. In exchange, Shahai's formidable fleet protected Khufu's limited coastline and secured its trade routes. Neither kingdom particularly admired the other, but each recognized the necessity of their union, a marriage of convenience that had endured for generations.

Within the inner sanctum of Shahai's royal palace, King Hai Long sat upon his throne with a furrowed brow, the royal seal of Khufu imprinted on an open letter in his hand. Soft, diffused light filtered through translucent jade panels, casting a pale green luminescence across the polished marble floor. The room was silent save for the distant cry of seabirds and the occasional shuffle of the royal guards positioned at the entrance.

The king stared at the parchment with tired eyes. "Khufu's Grand Duke is paying us a visit," he muttered, the words curling off his tongue like something bitter.

Below the throne, before the first step of the dais, Prince Liu Shang stood with arms folded behind his back, his youthful face calm but sharp with calculation.

"And what will your response be, Father?"

King Hai Long didn't answer right away. He set the letter aside, letting it rest on the armrest of his throne, though his fingers lingered there as if tempted to pick it back up. A long silence passed before he continued, eyes unfocused, as though speaking more to himself than his son.

"Shahai and Khufu... we've been allies for generations. Not out of friendship. Certainly not out of trust. But we needed one another. Our ships defended their waters. Their soldiers kept our borders intact. Mutual dependence."

He leaned back slightly, exhaling through his nose. The wind from the archways tugged gently at the long ribbons of his sleeves.

"King Chengli," he murmured, "was never a gentle man. Not kind. Not forgiving. But I admired him. His methods were brutal, yes... but effective. He dragged Khufu from a soft-bellied kingdom into an empire others dared not challenge. A lion, through and through."

Liu Shang tilted his head, lips curling slightly—not quite a smile. "And now his son sits on that throne. Kai Ze." His tone held faint incredulity.

"I never imagined he had it in him, to rise from death and challenge his father. We all believed he was lost forever... Whatever magic brought him back—it must've been something terrifying."

Hai Long glanced at his son then, sharply. "It was not magic that won him the throne."

He stood from the throne with a rustle of silk and stepped down onto the marble floor, each footfall echoing in the chamber.

"It was Baihu."

He paced toward the window overlooking the bay, the wind tousling a few loose strands of his silver hair.

"They say the new Duke of Khufu...this...Qing Yi... made a pact with the celestial beast itself. That Baihu now walks beside him—its power bound to his blood."

He paused there, gazing out across the sea, lost in the crashing waves and the consequences.

"Resurrecting a prince is only the beginning of what that creature might be capable of."