Chapter 219
His calm, cold answer left her completely speechless for a moment. She turned her head slowly, looking back out toward the distant silver army resting in the snow. "So... neither of you actually wants this terrible war to happen."
Cassian remained entirely silent for a long moment, watching the white wind drift through the open valley. Finally, he spoke softly. "No. Neither of us desires useless bloodshed. But sometimes, Lin Wan... the path we walk is chosen for us long before we ever arrive at the crossroads."
Lin Wan lowered her head, feeling a profound sense of sadness for both powerful men. "There has to be another way out of this... There has to be a peaceful path that doesn’t end in dead bodies on the snow."
Cassian quietly looked down at her pale face and asked a gentle, unexpected question. "If you manage to find such a path... will you tell me what it is?"
She quickly looked up, her dark eyes locking with his brilliant golden gaze.
For the very first time since she had been brought to this cold fortress, she realized something profound about the terrifying Manticore King.
Cassian wasn’t asking her that question as an unyielding ruler demanding obedience. He was asking her as a deeply tired man who truly, genuinely wished for an answer that could save his realm.
Before she could form a proper reply, the heavy doors leading onto the balcony burst open once more. Captain Ronan hurried across the stone floor with rapid, urgent steps. He dropped down onto one knee immediately.
"Your Majesty!" Ronan reported, his voice filled with suppressed excitement.
Cassian turned his body smoothly, his King’s composure instantly locking back into place. "What is it, Ronan?"
"The Silver Leopard army has completely halted their forward advance, sire!"
Lin Wan’s heart skipped a sharp beat in her chest.
Cassian’s face remained entirely calm, though his golden eyes narrowed slightly. "What is their exact distance from our outer defensive wall?"
"Exactly five miles from our outer spirit barriers, sire," Ronan answered quickly. "They have halted their main march and are currently establishing a temporary camp on the open plain."
Cassian narrowed his eyes further, processing the strategic meaning behind the move. "Wang is not rushing into a blind attack."
Captain Ronan nodded firmly. "No, Your Majesty. He is not preparing an immediate charge. In fact... he has just dispatched a small group from his camp."
Cassian frowned slightly. "A small group?"
"A single rider, sire," Ronan clarified. "He carries no weapons, and he is flying a broad white flag high above his mount."
Lin Wan looked back and forth between the two men, her heart pounding against her ribs. "A white flag?"
Captain Ronan gave her a brief nod. "Yes, My Lady. The messenger has officially reached our forward border gate and requested explicit permission... to deliver a personal message to His Majesty before the sun sets today."
The heavy words settled over the high balcony like cold, falling snow.
"A white flag?" Lin Wan repeated softly, her voice filled with a mixture of deep hope and lingering disbelief.
Captain Ronan kept his head lowered respectfully toward the ground. "Yes, My Lady. The rider claims he is carrying direct, personal words from Patriarch Wang himself."
Cassian stood completely still for several long moments, his broad shoulders squared against the howling wind. His golden eyes remained fixated on the tiny black dots moving slowly across the snow far out in the valley plain.
Finally, he broke the heavy silence, his deep voice smooth and steady. "Is Wang himself standing with the messenger?"
"No, Your Majesty," Ronan answered clearly. "The messenger came forward with only two unarmed escorts riding closely behind him."
Cassian gave a small, approving nod of his head. "Good."
Ronan raised his eyes slightly, seeking direct orders. "Should I instruct the archers on the outer wall to turn him away, sire? Or should we refuse the request entirely?"
"No," Cassian answered instantly. The command came without a single second of hesitation. "Bring the messenger directly to the outer stone pavilion near the lower courtyard gates."
He paused, adding sternly, "Do not bring him inside the main palace walls. Search him and his escorts thoroughly before they step past the outer barrier. Ensure they carry no hidden weapons, no concealed blades, and no spiritual attack artifacts."
Cassian’s voice hardened slightly, growing dark and imposing. "If he refuses to submit to a complete search, turn him back immediately or shoot him where he stands."
"Understood, Your Majesty!" Captain Ronan bowed deeply, rose swiftly to his feet, and hurried back through the heavy wooden doors to deliver the Sovereign’s strict orders.
The broad balcony fell back into a quiet stillness once again.
Lin Wan turned her head slowly to look at Cassian, her dark eyes wide with curiosity. "You actually agreed to hear his message."
"I did," Cassian said flatly.
"I honestly thought you would reject any message from them without a second thought," she confessed softly.
Cassian turned his golden gaze back toward the distant silver camp spread across the snowy valley plain. "If Wang truly wanted to start a bloody, senseless war with us today... he would not have wasted his time sending a lone messenger under a peaceful banner. He would have sent his vanguard charging directly into our spirit barriers."
Lin Wan gave a slow, gentle nod of agreement. That was completely true. That sounded exactly like the wise, careful Wang she knew and loved.
He always did everything in his power to avoid unnecessary violence and protect innocent lives whenever possible.
Cassian continued in a quiet, serious tone, "A white banner raised in good faith deserves a proper, formal answer from a sovereign. To ignore it entirely would be the act of an arrogant, foolish ruler."
Lin Wan looked at his handsome, stoic side profile for a long moment, feeling a strange warmth stir in her chest. "Thank you, Cassian."
Cassian glanced down at her sideways out of the corner of his golden eye, his expression remaining cool and aloof. "Do not thank me, Lin Wan. I did not grant him an audience out of kindness to you or him. I did it because it serves the tactical interests of my kingdom."
A faint, gentle smile touched her lips. "I know why you did it. But I am still thankful."
Several hours later...
Far outside the imposing stone walls of the Supreme Citadel...
The main Silver Leopard military camp was strangely calm and orderly. Rows upon rows of sturdy white tents stood in neat, organized lines across the vast snowy plain.
Plumes of grey smoke rose steadily into the cold sky from dozens of central cooking fires scattered throughout the camp.
Groups of hardened leopard warriors sat near the fires, carefully sharpening their heavy iron broadswords or repairing the leather straps on their shoulder armor. Yet, despite the routine military tasks, no one was laughing or shouting. The atmosphere throughout the ranks was heavy and intensely serious.
The closer they got to the dark, towering cliffs of the Citadel... the heavier the air felt to every single soldier.
Inside the large central command tent, Patriarch Wang stood quietly over a massive leather map spread out across a wide wooden table. The map detailed every path, cliff, and defensive tower surrounding the Citadel.
Wei Xiang stood directly across from him, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, his sharp eyes fixed on the map. Several senior clan elders and high-ranking battle captains surrounded the table in a tight circle.
Captain Bren pushed aside the heavy fabric flap of the tent entrance and walked inside, wiping frost from his thick leather collar. He broke the lingering silence in the room. "Our messenger should have successfully reached the outer gates of the Citadel by now, Patriarch."
Wang gave a single, calm nod of his head, keeping his eyes on the map. "He has reached them."
Wei Xiang raised his dark eyebrows, his tone filled with clear skepticism. "Do you truly believe Cassian will lower himself to meet with a simple messenger? Or will he just have his archers shoot the poor man down from the ramparts?"
"He will meet with him," Wang stated with complete composure.
Wei Xiang frowned slightly. "You sound remarkably certain about the mindset of a enemy king."
Wang lifted his head, his golden leopard eyes looking calmly at Wei Xiang. "Cassian is a ruthless sovereign, but he is not a mindless savage. Above all else, he fiercely protects his people and his kingdom. He will not foolishly ignore an open opportunity to prevent thousands of his own soldiers from dying in a bloody battle if it can be avoided."
One of the older clan elders sitting nearby let out a worried huff, his brow furrowed with deep lines. "What if this entire thing is merely a dark trap, Patriarch? What if Cassian uses this peaceful message as a distraction while he prepares an ambush along our western flank?"