Chapter 150 - The Fox Finds His Brother In A Compromising Position

They moved quietly and swiftly through the room, locking down any possible escape avenue. Hua Nanyi stuffed discarded robes under the gap between the door and floor, reducing the chances of any conversation being overheard by the people slumbering in the adjacent rooms.

After they had done the best they could to ensure Chu Hean couldn't make another unlikely escape, the three of them came to a stop at the foot of the bed.

"Is that...," Hua Nanyi started, eyes narrowed as she observed the man hugging Chu Hean to his chest.

"The Crown Prince of Su," Xiao Zai said, finishing her thought with a sigh.

Chu Yun wasn't shocked exactly, but he really didn't understand how things had come to this. How was his brother in bed with the Crown Prince of Su? Was this the reason for his rebellion?

He was right to think their father wouldn't approve of such an union. No matter which way they looked at it, the political repercussions were too large to ignore. To say nothing of the King of Su's opinion on the matter.

Suddenly, the Crown Prince let out a loud sigh and turned around on the cot, slipping out of Chu Hean's embrace, and turning on his stomach. His robe became tangled with his movements, and one corner of it slid down his shoulder, making Chu Yun gasp out loud.

Right there on his shoulderblade, as clear as if it had been drawn with a brush and ink, a starburst birthmark. So uncommon it couldn't possibly be mistaken for anything else.

"How..." Xiao Zai couldn't finish the sentence, looking from the Crown Prince to Chu Yun in utter confusion.

Chu Yun too had drawn a complete blank. The more he pulled on the several threads binding all of them, the more tangled they became.

"Don't mention it," Chu Yun hissed, under his breath. They didn't know what they were dealing with yet. They had nothing to gain by exposing how much they knew already.

Besides...there was the very real possibility the Crown Prince didn't know about his true origins himself. Although they didn't know exactly how he was connected to Xiao Zai's uncle, Xiao Yao, it was undeniable that they meant something to each other.

It was the kind of connection that threatened the legitimacy of the Crown Prince's claim to the Su throne. 

A weapon like that, capable of overthrowing entire nations, was worth holding on to.

Right now he needed to have a talk with his wayward younger brother.

"Chu Hean, wake up," Chu Yun said, raising his voice for the first time since entering the room.

Chu Hean shot up in bed with a start, his eyes growing wide and roving over the room in alarm. Maybe his sleep wasn't as peaceful as it looked, or maybe he'd been on the verge of wakefulness anyway. But when his gaze first settled on Chu Yun's he looked as if he'd seen a ghost, something straight out of his nightmares.

It took him a second to school his features into a mask of nonchalance. "I should have known you wouldn't have left so easily." 

He sat up fully and pulled his inner robe tighter around his neck, eyeing Hua Nanyi and Xiao Zai suspiciously. Chu Yun squatted in front of him, balancing his elbows on his knees with an insouciant smirk.

"Why don't you wake up his Royal Highness too? He should be a part of this conversation, as well."

Chu Hean shook the man sleeping next to him lightly, who grumbled something unintelligible under his breath before turning on his front. He was obviously startled to see three people in their room but he composed himself faster than Chu Hean.

He met Chu Yun's eyes with a derisive chuckle. The Crown Prince of Su had a kind of lean beauty sharp glint in his eyes that reminded one of a sword. Everything about him seemed poised for attack, as if he had honed his own angles into sharp edges himself. 

When he smiled, his features took on a catlike grace. "Your brother did warn me you were persistent."

"Uhm, he knows me better than I know him," Chu Yun said. 

Chu Hean didn't flinch at the jab, but his lips flattened into a thin line. 

"The two of us owe us some explanations," Xiao Zai remained standing, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

The Crown Prince smiled. "Are we allowed to make ourselves decent, or must this conversation be conducted while we are in our inner robes?"

Chu Yun smiled tightly. "You'll survive." He got back up to his feet and stood shoulder to shoulder with Xiao Zai, looking at the two of them in the cot with an accessing look.

"Just drop it, Ru Long," Chu Hean said with a sigh, fastening his inner robes around himself with sharp pulls and getting up from the bed. "Well...you're here now. Ask your questions."

There were so many questions turning around in Chu Yun's mind that he had trouble knowing where to start. "How did the two of you even meet?" was the first thing he ended up asking, because he just couldn't wrap his mind around the unlikelihood of it all.

Ru Long got up to his feet as well, and answered instead of Chu Hean. "A couple of years ago I got lost around these woods. Chu Hean was the one who found me." His expression was serious, but the corners of his lips curled briefly up as he spoke. The memory was a good one.

"What was the Crown Prince of Su doing in Xin, near an Academy for omegas," Xiao Zai asked, stealing the words right out of Chu Yun's mouth.

Ru Long laughed. "Can't a prince enjoy the countryside in a neighbouring country?" Seeing as his glib words weren't having the desired effect his smile widened.. "No?" He sighed theatrically, and then added, with a flippant sigh, "If you must know I came looking for a long-lost relative."