The War Bride

33 | The Hunt

"I'm convinced the lord had far too many cups of wine last night."

Biyu huffed and shook her head in an unimpressed manner. Half of her annoyance arose because of Dai Yichen's outrageous plan and the other half came from how Yerong yanked her out of bed while she was asleep. Out of rage, she was about to kick him in the ribs, but halted when she saw Luwen's worried expression.

When they filled her in on the details, Biyu threw Yerong out of the room and got dressed immediately.

Luwen, staring at Biyu's trunk of uniforms, glanced down at her dress before swiftly removing it and borrowing a set of hunting clothes. She found it easier to move like this.

Together, the three of them hurried towards the main entrance of the Moonlight Manor, only to realize they were late. The clan lords and their servants had already set off on their journey to the Nightfall Isles. The only way to catch up to them was to get horses from the stables and give chase.

During the journey, the trio formed a plan.

"What should we do once we meet the lord?" Luwen shouted amidst thundering hooves, racing towards the south. "How do we convince him to change his mind?"

"We can't," Yerong corrected. "We've known him since we were children. As soon as he sets his mind on a goal, he usually sees it through till the end. That's how adamant he is. Words aren't effective in this situation. He will not return with us to the estate."

"What would you suggest, then?"

"Perhaps..." he mused. "We can abduct him, shove a potion down his throat and put him to sleep for several hours?"

Biyu snorted at his suggestion. "That's a brilliant idea, but at the cost of your life and mine. We can't defeat him in a fight. Even if we do somehow knock him out, we are going to turn into hot soup as soon as he wakes up. Naturally, our lady will be safe." Her eyes wandered to Luwen with a thoughtful expression. "Since he wants to hunt the rare herbs for her sake, she's the only one among us who can dissuade him from putting himself at risk."

However, Luwen doubted her own capability. "I tried to talk him out of his plan last night, but he refused to listen to me. He has already decided."

"Of course he has!" Yerong exclaimed. "He's on a quest to save his loved ones! How admirable is that—"

Biyu threw him another glare, which had him clamming his lips together. "The lord is on his way to getting himself killed," she said. "Don't you know thousands have perished while fighting the Black Dragon? It's impossible to defeat such a formidable creature. We need to stop him before he gets to it. Our clan cannot lose another lord again. That would cause our downfall."

"I know," Yerong said with a grim purse of his lips. "However, I'm also terrified when he finds out we brought his lady out to the Nightfall Isles when I'm supposed to keep her safe in her room. He would scorch me alive."

Biyu scoffed. "Let him scorch you. It's what you deserve after telling the princess how boring of a companion I am."

"That's because you're always wearing this uptight frown on your face!"

"I'm interesting when I want to be."

"Only when you want to?" he repeated her words with an arch brow. "Don't worry. You're always interesting to me, no matter what others say."

His flirtatious remark earned him a scathing, but embarrassed, glare from Biyu. "Mark my words, Yerong. I'm going to kill you later after we find the lord alive and safe."

Her words brought them back to their crucial task at hand. As they contemplated the remaining alternatives, the heavy silence between them stretched on for ages.