Zhu Zhuqing took a deep breath. The air was filled with the crisp scent unique to the trees, clearing her mind even further.
"Big Sister, are you really willing to accept this?" Her voice was soft, yet like a needle, it pierced through the pretense that had always stood between the sisters.
Zhu Zhuyun's body visibly stiffened for an instant.
An unreadable glint flashed through her ghostly eyes, gone in an instant.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Zhu Zhuyun lowered her voice, her tone carrying a warning.
"We both know that this is not the life we want." Zhu Zhuqing stepped forward, her blazing gaze meeting her sister's directly.
"This rule of forcing us to kill one another is nothing but shackles the Dai Family imposed upon our Zhu Family to consolidate imperial power!"
Zhu Zhuyun's expression changed.
She had never expected her usually restrained younger sister to suddenly say something so treasonous.
"Shut up! Have you lost your mind?" Zhu Zhuyun shouted sharply, though a trace of barely perceptible panic colored her voice.
She looked around, as though afraid that someone might be listening through the walls.
"I haven't lost my mind, Big Sister." Zhu Zhuqing's voice instead became calmer, yet it contained an unquestionable strength. "I simply... saw the truth."
She raised a hand, pointing at the torn clothing over her chest, then at the sharp claws in Zhu Zhuyun's hand.
"Every attack you made precisely avoided my vital points, yet still forced me to run for my life. You don't want to kill me, Big Sister. You're only putting on a show—a show for the Dai Family."
Zhu Zhuyun's body went completely rigid. Looking into Zhu Zhuqing's clear and determined eyes, every last piece of her disguise was torn apart in that instant.
"Zhuqing, you..." She