"Why does he have it? Didn’t you lose it years ago, or am I missing something?" Yu Xuan asked. He was truly panicked. With what he knew about how Yu Wen felt, he didn’t think it was a good idea for these two to meet.

Li Jun realized then that he hadn’t updated Yu Xuan on what was going on. Everything had been happening so fast that he forgot to tell him. Yu Xuan could sense there were things going on that he didn’t know about, so he asked, "What’s going on?"

Li Jun explained everything, but he intentionally left out some parts. Yu Xuan didn’t know that they slept together. He just knew something had happened, but not the details. Thus, he left that part out. He just mentioned that he had saved Yu Wen in the past, and that’s when he lost it.

Hearing this, Yu Xuan put two and two together. It now made sense why Yu Wen made a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn when Li Jun faked his death. It seemed Yu Wen had found out the truth about that day and realized his feelings for him. But did these feelings stem from guilt or gratitude? Yu Xuan was uncomfortable with it either way.

"Am I even your friend anymore? All this happened, and I was just an afterthought," he whispered angrily as he moved further away from the French doors. He didn’t want his mother to overhear their conversation.

Li Jun felt a little guilty. He tried to coax him, saying, "There, there, don’t be mad at me, little Xu. This prince was wrong. Next time I will tell you first."

Yan Jia let out a snort. Yu Xuan was so angry that his claws protracted and ready to scratch. He looked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "You! Look look look at her. She is making fun of me."

"I told you, you weren’t that special. I am even going with him to the front lines, and you aren’t," she said excitedly, pushing his buttons. When was the last time she had gotten to torment Yu Xuan? She couldn’t throw away this opportunity. The two of them started fighting like cats and dogs with Li Jun as the referee.

"If you aren’t a coward, then why not come over and show me what you got?" She said, taunting him.

"You think I won’t come over, right? I will be on the next trans-," he said, but his mother cut him off, yelling from inside the house,

"Come over where? You are grounded!"

Yu Xuan instantly tucked his tail in between his legs. He yelled back, "Ma, I am not going anywhere." He looked at Yan Jia, his lips twitching, and she was laughing at him.

Li Jun, seeing that he was on the verge of exploding again, said, "Alright alright, that’s enough fighting."

Yu Xuan said, "Keep me updated. I have to go coax my mother to unground me." Li Jun nodded, and when the call ended, he looked at Yan Jia, saying,

"Why are you always picking fights with him? You know he gets angry easily."

Yan Jia chuckled and said, "That’s why. It’s fun to watch him get mad."

"You have weird hobbies," he replied, finding it amusing. It was indeed her favorite hobby. She looked forward to seeing him with his hair standing on end while hissing like a cat before a fight.

Yan Jia didn’t deny it. She figured maybe she should call him often to satiate her cravings. That would be a fun pastime. "You haven’t picked a face. Which one would you like? Maybe this one?"

He showed a cute face with dimples and big, round eyes. Yan Jia’s lips twitched and said, "Your Highness, are you trying to torment me? Is this revenge for Xuan?" Li Jun didn’t say anything. He just smiled. The answer was obvious.

Five days later. Yan Jia was walking on the street with soft pink bangs framing her face. The rest of her hair was in two playful ponytails that bounced as she walked. Her appearance radiated a charm that was both cute and full of energy.

But when one met her fierce gaze, they would be frightened half to death. How could someone so cute radiate such murderous intent? She looked like she could take out a knife from underneath her pleated skirt.

She was so irritated, tugging at the hem of the skirt and pulling up the ruffled sleeves on her blouse. "Fuck," she swore under her breath.

Li Jun led her to a cafe on the side of the street and said, "You look really good. Really cutesy."

Yan Jia rolled her eyes. "Cutesy my ass. I looked like a clown," she said as she tapped on the floating screen, ordering some iced tea for Li Jun and black coffee for herself. Li Jun gently tugged at the ponytail while saying,

"Clown, where? Look at those eyes looking at you. If I weren’t here, they would be fighting over you."

Yan Jia looked back, and the eyes that were on her instantly shifted, frightened by her fiery gaze. "There, I fixed it," she said while placing the order.

Li Jun clicked his tongue and said, "Sister Jia, you are no fun. We could have gotten some free drinks sent to our table."

"Your highness, are you trying to pimp me out?" She murmured with an accusatory glance.

Li Jun gasped and said, "Nooooo, I would never." Yan Jia looked back at the screen, and he continued jokingly saying, "You could have smiled a little and shown more skin."

Yan Jia smacked him on the head, and Li Jun laughed before running for his life. He picked a table that overlooked the hotel on the opposite street. The streets were bustling, but there was so much tension.

The people were on the edge. Any sound would draw their attention, and they would be so tense, as if bombs were about to be dropped on them. It was with reason. This city was close to the battlefront.

The people from nearby towns fled here as instructed, and they were being transported out of Elora. There were men, women, and children all in a hurry to be somewhere.