Chapter LXXVIII - The Spy Who Changed Sides
The first battle began at dawn.
Snow covered the western ridge.
Twenty thousand soldiers stood beneath silver wolf banners while cold winds howled across the frontier.
War had finally arrived.
—
Prince Rui sat astride his war horse overlooking the battlefield.
Black armor.
Silver-edged cloak.
A general forged by years of blood and winter.
The softness reserved for Shen Li no longer existed here.
Only cold remained.
Only command.
The soldiers watching him felt their fear settle immediately.
Because whenever Prince Rui stood at the front—
victory felt inevitable.
Dangerous man.
Very dangerous man.
Then the war drums sounded.
And hell opened.
—
The enemy charged first.
Thousands of cavalry pouring across the frozen ridge.
Arrows darkened the sky.
Steel collided with steel.
The battlefield erupted into chaos.
Prince Rui rode directly into it.
As always.
No hesitation.
No fear.
His sword flashed once.
Then again.
Then again.
The enemy line broke wherever he appeared.
The commanders nearby exchanged grim looks.
Because after years of campaigns—
Prince Rui remained terrifying.
Perhaps more terrifying now.
Because lately—
he fought like a man with somewhere he desperately wanted to return to.
And that kind of man became impossible to stop.
—
By sunset—
the ridge belonged to the empire.
Victory.
Costly.
Bloody.
But victory.
The soldiers celebrated.
The commanders relaxed.
Prince Rui did neither.
Because the moment battle ended—
he asked only one question.
"Any messages from the capital?"
The generals looked emotionally exhausted.
Hopeless.
Absolutely hopeless.
One commander finally answered:
"No, Your Highness."
Prince Rui's mood immediately worsened.
—
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away...
The Black Sparrow sat alone inside the abandoned warehouse.
Another intercepted letter rested before her.
Another letter she should destroy.
Another letter she couldn't quite bring herself to burn.
Dangerous curiosity.
Very dangerous.
Then footsteps echoed outside.
The Black Sparrow's expression cooled instantly.
An enemy contact.
One of the men paying for information from the capital.
He entered confidently.
Too confidently.
Mistake.
Then he smiled.
"Do you have the prince's correspondence?"
The Black Sparrow looked at him quietly.
The man continued:
"Our employers are very interested in Princess Rui."
Silence.
Then:
"The woman remains the easiest way to control Prince Rui."
The warehouse suddenly felt colder.
Because the Black Sparrow remembered the letters.
The ridiculous affection.
The quiet loyalty.
The promise to come home.
And unexpectedly—
she felt irritated.
Then very softly she asked:
"Control?"
The man nodded.
"Naturally."
"A hostage is more valuable than a corpse."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then the Black Sparrow stood.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
The man finally noticed something wrong.
Too late.
Far too late.
Because suddenly—
the assassin's blade rested against his throat.
His smile vanished instantly.
"W-what are you doing?"
The Black Sparrow's expression remained calm.
Cold.
Terrifying.
Then softly:
"Changing my mind."
The blade flashed.
Once.
The warehouse fell silent.
—
That same night—
inside Prince Rui's estate—
Shen Li sat beneath lantern light reading military victory reports.
The western ridge had been secured.
Prince Rui remained unharmed.
Relief spread through her chest immediately.
Dangerous habit.
Then another sound interrupted.
A knock.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Because it was late.
Far too late for visitors.
Qingyu entered moments later.
Pale.
Confused.
Holding something.
A folded packet.
Sealed.
Unmarked.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
"Where did this come from?"
Qingyu swallowed.
"Someone left it at the estate gate."
Silence.
Shen Li accepted it carefully.
Then opened it.
Inside rested:
Prince Rui's stolen letter.
Her own stolen reply.
A single note.
Only one sentence.
Written in unfamiliar handwriting.
Someone is reading your letters.
Be careful.
Nothing else.
No name.
No explanation.
No signature.
The room became very quiet.
Because suddenly—
the invisible enemy surrounding them had reached out directly.
And somehow—
instead of attacking—
they had offered a warning.
—
Far north, at almost the exact same moment...
Prince Rui stood outside his command tent staring at the winter sky.
Unable to sleep.
Again.
Then suddenly a scout arrived.
Breathless.
Urgent.
Prince Rui immediately turned.
"What happened?"
The scout knelt.
Then delivered astonishing news.
"Your Highness."
"A spy network connected to enemy agents was discovered inside the capital."
Silence.
Then:
"Someone murdered one of the handlers and exposed the operation."
Prince Rui froze.
Because that made no sense.
Spies didn't expose themselves.
Assassins didn't betray employers.
Unless...
His eyes narrowed slowly.
Dangerously.
The Black Sparrow.
Somewhere deep in the darkness—
the game had changed.
And for the first time—
someone standing among his enemies might no longer be an enemy at all.