Chapter 224: 224 Hidden In Plain Sight

The sunlight bore down on the Palace of the Sun with heightened intensity bringing warmth and illuminating everything the rays kissed - all except for one particular courtyard of the extended wing which was drenched in dreary shadows borne of overgrown shrubbery. The garden of this courtyard was unkempt, suffering from years of neglect and avoidance and had risen to blanket the only building positioned in the vicinity completely... or at least that was how it was supposed to appear. If one took the time to really evaluate the scenery, one would observe that the choice of flora in the garden was focused on concealment.

The Sun-Sapping Creeper is a plant bordering upon the classification of a parasite that thirsts endlessly for sunlight. It finds support on large trees and structures, clambering up them towards the sun. Upon success, they then spread out endlessly in all directions ensuring that maximum surface area is exposed to the sunlight, often relying on and extracting the nutrients drawn in by the trees they use for support, draining them to a sliver of their lives and keeping them just strong enough to support the creepers. As the creepers spread, they blot out the sun, disallowing its rays to reach the ground below. The Sun-Sapping Creeper is notoriously quick to grow and proliferate and can thrive for a very long time in a myriad of environments. It was this exact creeper that blanketed the entirety of the courtyard and its garden, effectively shrouding the yard and evoking a sense of dread and despair.

Even the plethora of maids and eunuchs that swarmed across the palace grounds passively avoided the 'Haunted Courtyard'. Rumour went that the previous occupant of the court still haunted the gardens. She was a Concubine brought in from a niche Clan - which was just another way of saying that she was a hostage held by the Emperor to keep a small but powerful Clan in check. She was the bargaining chip the Clan handed to the Crown so that they could protect their lineage. Except she wasn't complicit in the exchange. She hated every minute of it. She hated her Clan for voluntarily sending her to the chopping block, she hated the man who ripped her away from her family and forced himself on her, and she hated everything and everyone.

Not many maids and eunuchs last in the Inner Palace to die of old age. The air in these grounds is charged with venom that can steal one's life without warning. No one is safe here as even the most innocent of bystanders can unwittingly become complicit in a heinous plot to murder a little prince for no reason but to remove a valuable piece from the gameboard. However, those sly of mind and gifted with infallible survival instincts can attest to the madness that befell the original occupant of the Haunted Courtyard.

Hatred is a destructive emotion, unfortunately, the Concubine who lived in the Haunted Courtyard was brimming with it. The maids who catered to her and still lived to date could authenticate the many treasonous words that rolled off of the woman's tongue when behind closed doors. They could attest, after days of endless and bone-rattling torture of course, to the sheer vitriol oozing from the woman at every point in time at the thought of her Clan, the Emperor and to an extent even herself. Over the years, her hatred had seeped into her bones and, following her demise, her soul which was bathed in this hatred had turned into a grudge and patrolled her courtyard... probably.

Of course, the servants assigned to the deceased Concubine would readily confirm that the woman was only ever deeply affectionate with one person, and one person alone. Ultimately, said person was now the sole occupant of the Haunted Courtyard and their name was Shuri Sol. Shuri was currently fourteen-years-old, and although she was a girl, and held little to no equity in the grand scheme of things, Shuri was still a Princess of the Solar Empire. That rank came with a package of benefits - the courtyard was a part of this package. However, Shuri had exhausted the remaining perks that came with the package such as the battery of servants, band of Teachers and teachers for everything magical and mundane, a clique of personal nannies to raise and guide her and a small drone of eunuchs acting as direct representatives of the Emperor himself. At this moment Shuri only had one member remaining from the exceptional package - Eunuch Bang.

Eunuch Bang was Shuri's mother's only ardent follower and supporter. In fact, he was originally a servant catering to her back when she lived with the Yoruz Clan. He had infiltrated the Palace through the most unorthodox and inhumane avenues, and in doing so had managed to avert all suspicion. After all, what man would willingly sacrifice his manhood to follow a woman? Was it some form of deep affection that drove Eunuch Bang to walk down this path? Shuri did not know, and honestly, she did not have the luxury of caring about it either - she had her own life and safety to worry about.

Being a day just like any other, Shuri awoke by herself, bathed by herself and dressed up by herself. She then proceeded to go through her morning routines of roaming around the courtyard halls and dense garden to work her muscles in some way. Unlike other Princes and Princesses in the Palace, Shuri did not practice cultivation - she was untalented, unable to resonate with any of the vast variety of cultivation methods stored in the Palace and the Magical Academies dotted across the Solar Empire. In fact, she was also unable to resonate with the enigmatic and powerful cultivation arts of the Yoruz Clan, which was part of the reason why she was in such a neglected position in the Palace. After all, the main purpose behind the Emperor sowing his seeds in the Yoruz Clan's "pastures" was to potentially cultivate a crop that could exhibit the best of both clans. Except Shuri was an absolute waste. Worst of all, the damn woman died a few years after Shuri's birth making it impossible to birth another potential offspring with the Yoruz blood flowing in their veins!

If Shuri were gifted in cultivation in some way, she would inevitably accrue the Emperor's utmost favour and love. Her position would rise and rival that of the Third Princess, the most beloved daughter of the current Emperor. But Shuri didn't want any of that. With greater attention came a boatload of danger, and she had to avoid it at all costs. It was for this reason that Shuri actively sabotaged herself in every step of her cultivation journey. She forcefully misinterpreted the teachings from cultivation manuals and from the Teachers assigned to her early on. She didn't act stupid, just incapable - she evoked an image of a girl trying her hardest but failing miserably regardless of her efforts. Because being stupid would paint her as a disposable piece in the Emperor's eye. However, if she presented that she was just unlucky, she would become a pawn that had the potential for use at some point in time. That implication would keep her alive. Shuri hoped that the day when her use manifested itself would never come, and she would eventually be forgotten.

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But alas, her fanciful dreams would come to a spectacular end.

Shuri furrowed her brows and irritably played with an elaborate yet overlooked pendant resting on her frail neck. The pendant was made of fading gold metal with a beautifully cut blood-red mana gem at its centre chiming with a pleasant crimson hue. She moved the fiery-red hair, the distinctive quirk of every offspring of the Sol Clan, flowing over her face and gazed out the dust-stained windows. She could see movement, a figure was approaching. By evaluating the familiar motion of the figure, she determined that it was Eunuch Bang. She could also conclude that bad news was coming her way, the man wouldn't approach the courtyard otherwise. She worriedly bit her chapped pink lips and walked over to the waiting room.

The door to the room creaked open as Shuri pushed through with all her strength. Since she rarely had to entertain guests, the room was coated with a thin film of dust. There was an assortment of bare minimum furniture, two opposing sofas and a table in between. Eunuch Bang remained seated on one of the sofas.

The man wore a worried frown that threatened to swallow his face whole. Like the other eunuchs, the man was completely hairless with a shaved head, face and presumably everything underneath. He had a healthy tan, unlike Shuri's pale pink skin which was starved of sunlight. His eyes were a lifeless brown shade, which contrasted Shuri's vibrant azure blue eyes - a trademark of the Yoruz Clan. The moment the man's gaze landed on Shuri, a faint tint of contentment flashed across his face, which was immediately smothered two times over by the previous glaze of woe.

"Princess Shuri," the man greeted with a respectful bow.

"Eunuch Bang," Shuri responded with appropriate etiquette. A eunuch was an extension of the Emperor's arm and voice. Frequently, the Emperor would send them out in his stead to watch over and report on tasks around the Empire. To that end, although it wasn't strictly necessary to treat them with excess respect, almost everyone obliged the eunuchs with a level of deference. After all, most eunuchs were petty and vengeful. To enter the Palace through that avenue, they would have to suffer through an unimaginable level of treatment. Most eunuchs were merely peasant folk or street urchins sold to the Palace for a hefty sum (willing participants to undergo castration were in short stock, so demand always exceeded supply). These individuals of low-born descent rarely had enough education, to begin with, and had a limited worldview. To be granted such power and authority so quickly often worked to boost their egos. To unintentionally offend a eunuch dispatched by the Emperor would ultimately end with the eunuch spewing poison regarding the offender into the Emperor's ear. Though it must be noted that the Emperor wasn't gullible. He would entertain the hotheaded and upstart eunuch's antics to a certain degree. Eunuchs without control over their egos would find themselves with additional parts cleft from their bodies.

"Princess," Eunuch Bang repeated with a morose intonation. "I come with distressing tidings."

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