CHAPTER 31: LET ME DRESS YOU.

Jian Ci shrugged. "I get it. Leila loses them all the time. You need, like, an entire pack."

Yu Xi hummed softly, already turning his gaze away, hiding the emotions that threatened to surface. Jian Ci returned to his communicator, the screen still in private mode. Yu Xi didn’t want to see it. The mention of Leila left a sourness in his throat, a quiet ache he couldn’t name.

Were they chatting now? Laughing? Sharing inside jokes?

Yu Xi looked out the window, watching the planet loom larger, its rings shimmering like fractured glass.

Then Jian Ci gently kicked his leg. "Would you like to choose clothes? You need a full closet."

Yu Xi turned his head sharply, the heaviness in his chest dissipating like mist in sunlight. He blinked and muttered, "Huh?" softly.

Jian Rui, eyes still locked on his floating screen, said, "Clothes. Ah-Ci will order them for you."

Jian Ci tapped his screen, switching off private mode. The interface expanded, revealing the Virelia Starnet store. There was a sleek catalog of tailored jackets, soft-knit tops, and ceremonial wear. Yu Xi leaned in, eyes scanning the options.

"I told you to order them yesterday," Jian Rui added.

"I slept late," Jian Ci replied, unbothered. "Picking things I think he will like."

He turned to Yu Xi. "If there’s anything you want, just add it."

Yu Xi shook his head. "Everything you pick is fine."

Jian Wei raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you trust this guy with that?" Yu Xi nodded seeming quite certain.

"You will regret it," Jian Wei muttered.

"Hey," Jian Ci said, feeling offended. "I have a great sense of fashion. Don’t listen to them. Let me dress you."

Jian Rui muttered something unintelligible, and Jian Wei groaned, "Oh for heaven’s sake."

"What?" Jian Ci said. "I didn’t mean it literally."

Yu Xi chuckled, then whispered, "Yes, dress me."

Jian Ci froze. "Don’t tease me," he said feeling embarrassed.

Yu Xi looked away, a smile tugging at his lips.

Soon, the spacecraft landed at the mansion. The four disembarked, and as soon as they reached the lounge, Jian Ci immediately slumped onto the couch. "Home sweet home," he said with a contented smile.

Jian Wei dropped beside him while saying, "Mum, we are home."

A shimmer bloomed in the center of the room. Threads of silver and rose gold spiraled upward, and Seraphyne appeared, radiant and composed.

She smiled. "Your brother told me you did an excellent job."

"You should have seen me," Jian Ci declared, arms flung wide across the back of the couch. "I was unstoppable."

Seraphyne turned, her gaze settling on Yu Xi with quiet intensity. "And you must be Yu Xi."

Yu Xi stiffened, unsure how to respond. He bowed slightly, formal but awkward. Jian Rui, ever the mediator, said, "This is Seraphyne... our mother."

Yu Xi nodded. "Nice to meet you."

Seraphyne smiled, her presence radiant and composed. "Make yourself at home," she said, then turned to Jian Rui. No words passed between them, but Jian Rui gave a subtle nod. Seraphyne vanished in a shimmer of light.

Jian Rui exhaled and turned to Jian Ci. "Make breakfast."

Jian Ci groaned but sat up. "Okay, okay your majesty. I will make a grand feast. Hey Yu Xi, come help me."

As the two headed toward the kitchen, Jian Rui walked to the elevator. A few levels down, the doors slid open with a soft hiss, revealing the sanctum chamber deep beneath the estate.

The room was serene, bathed in ambient light filtered through crystalline panels that mimicked the glow of dawn. Pale silk tapestries lined the walls, embroidered with celestial motifs—constellations, winged figures, and blooming vines in silver thread.

Two velvet couches faced each other across a low glass coffee table, its surface etched with delicate patterns of wind and water. On either side, potted flowers bloomed in quiet defiance of the underground air. There were white hyacinths, moon orchids, and trailing vines that curled like whispers.

It was a space designed for reflection, for secrets, and for the kind of conversations that never reached the surface.

At the center of the sanctum chamber stood the suspension pod, rising from the floor like a monument to memory and resilience. Its curved glass casing glowed faintly, filled with a translucent fluid that shimmered with protective energy. Soft pulses of light rippled across its surface like a heartbeat.

Inside, Seraphyne floated.

Her body was serene, untouched by time. A white bodysuit clung to her form, elegant and seamless, covering her from neck to toe. Even her hair was tucked beneath a soft membrane, held in place to prevent it from drifting. Her eyes remained closed, her expression tranquil, as if she were dreaming of something distant and beautiful, something beyond the reach of war and politics.

The pod emitted a low hum, steady and constant. Everything in the room had been chosen by Seraphyne herself after she entered her coma. The pale silk tapestries, the celestial motifs embroidered in silver thread, the velvet couches, the etched glass table. Even the scent, sandalwood and white tea, lingered like a whisper of her presence.

It was a sanctuary. A place untouched by time, yet filled with it.

Jian Rui stood silently, his gaze fixed on the pod. Then, without warning, Seraphyne appeared beside him, luminous and poised.

Her voice was soft, but carried weight. "What went wrong?" she asked.

Jian Rui didn’t answer immediately. He simply bowed his head, the question echoing in the stillness.

He slumped his shoulders, the weight of truth pressing down like gravity. "We were too late," he said, voice low and frayed.

The words cracked something in the air. His usual composed and calculating armour, fell away, revealing a rawness he never showed not even to his brothers. He only showed it in front of his mother.

She reached out, fingers brushing his head with the same tenderness she had offered when he was small. Jian Rui’s eyes reddened, but he didn’t look away.

"Show me all the files," she said gently.

Jian Rui lifted his hand, and several screens floated into view. They flickered to life, displaying Gander’s research on Yu Xi. There were videos, dosage logs, neural scans, and clinical reports. The data was dense, brutal, methodical.

Seraphyne’s expression darkened. "I knew he was a beast... but I didn’t think it was this bad."

"He had so many victims," Jian Rui said, jaw tight. "Most of them were his own blood."

Seraphyne tapped one of the screens. Yu Xi’s face appeared, five years old, wide-eyed, fragile. "He was so innocent," she murmured.

"But that innocence was destroyed before it even sprouted... No wonder he killed that beast."

She paused, eyes scanning the mangled corpse of Gander. "Are you sure bringing him here was the best choice?"

Jian Rui didn’t answer immediately. He just stared at the image of Yu Xi.