I stared out the window of the room and clasped my hands together tightly. Outside was bleak, the skies a muddied gray color, the clouds puffed up darkly, and the wind howling wildly for the storm to come. I could see soldiers scuttling about around the base and a few sparring with each other. My mind was wandering to places that were dark and unlike my usual thoughts. Meilin, especially, came to mind every time I tried to think of something happy. His words, the way he spoke, and his laughter echoed in my head.

He was insane.

He was dangerous.

And he was evil.

Although I knew that there was a dark side to him and even though he had told me he wasn't a nice guy, I was conflicted. He wasn't a good person, that was for sure, but I couldn't exactly categorize him as completely bad. Yes he had left me cowering and whimpering this morning, but now that it was late and I had the whole day to reanalyze our situation, I couldn't help but feel like there was more to him than the darkness painted outside him.

If I was going to be his bride and the empress, I needed to have a stronger backbone. I would have to accept him if it meant spending the rest of my life with him, but was that what I wanted? Did I really want to spend the rest of my life with a man like Drakkon Meilin? He was scary and intimidating, fearless and strong, and most importantly, he was a man full of mystery and intrigue.

Coming to my feet, I brushed my hands over the robes that I had been given to wear. It was old and worn out, but it was the only thing that was available at the moment. Although I preferred a pretty hanfu, these robes were more accessible here in the north.

"Excuse me," I said as I stepped out of Meilin's room. A soldier walking by slowed down when he saw me, his expression softening and the corner of his lip twitching up. "Do you perhaps know where Atreus is?"

The soldier frowned and scratched his beard. "The foreign boy with emeralds as eyes?"

"Yes, the green eyed boy," I said. I needed to see him and thank him for everything he had done for me. Although he had done it for Meilin, he had still saved me and I was eternally grateful for his efforts.

"I last saw him sitting outside," the soldier said. "He was arguing with Prince Yat-sen."

"Prince?" I paused and my eyes widened as I remembered the young prince that apparently liked Meilin and had tried to copy his hair style. Why was he here in the base? Did Meilin call him out here? Besides, why was he arguing with Atreus?

After thanking the soldier and asking for direction, I hurried down the halls and throughout the base, trying to figure out where Atreus was. From what I could tell, Atreus wouldn't fight with someone unless it had something to do with Meilin, but then again, I didn't know him too well to discern what degree his loyalty was to Meilin. What if he saw Yat-sen as a threat since he was the previous emperor's son? What if he thought that Yat-sen secretly hated Meilin for killing his family and imprisoning him and his siblings?

I ran headlong into a soldier, my shoulder bumping into his. I almost bounced away from the big fellow if he hadn't grabbed my elbow to steady me. His beady eyes took me in and he smiled broadly at me.

"Since when did a pretty woman infiltrate the base?" the man said with a chuckle. A few other soldiers around him glanced over at me curiously. I noticed that a few tensed up, their eyes widening. "I thought bringing whores weren't allowed?"

My blood ran cold as I realized that he thought I was from a brothel.

It was normal for soldiers to call women from brothels or to go to brothels themselves, but I felt low as he leered down at me.

I pulled my arm away from him. "Don't touch me so freely," I said in a soft voice. I swallowed, mentally cringing at how scared and pathetic I sounded to even my own ears. How was it that Meilin was able to sound so intimidating all the time? I was just as he said I was, a scared little rabbit unable to do much.

He cocked a brow. "Who paid to have you—"

"Best stop talking if you know what's good for you," another soldier said firmly, sweat beading on his forehead as he looked between the two of us. "Drakkon will kill you if he heard you."

The man inhaled sharply as his eyes widened.

"You don't mean . . . ?"

I raised my chin. "I am Yin Daiyu."

There was a silence and the man in front of me looked flustered, sweat forming on his brow and all color draining from his face. Not wanting to further waste my time on him, I brushed past him and quickly strode towards where I presumed Yat-sen and Atreus were at. Still, as I hurried about, I couldn't shake the words of the soldiers. He had true fear in his eyes when he realized I was Meilin's bride, and for some reason, that fear that registered in his eyes was . . . satisfactory to me.

I slowed down as my thoughts came to a full stop. Why exactly did I feel safe under Meilin's protection? His very name carried a weight of fear and authority, and although I was petrified of it, so were others. Still, why was it that I was able to acknowledge our union without questioning it when I was put in that situation? Why was I able to accept his intimidating status when it served to protect me, but I was able to deny it when he was around me?

Shoving the conflicting and contradicting thoughts out of my mind, I focused on finding Atreus. As much as I tried to not think about it, however, it wasn't until I finally spotted Yat-sen and Atreus outside that I was able to snap out of my thoughts.

Yat-sen was standing across from Atreus and was shrinking backwards, his face a mask of defeat and his shoulders coming together. Atreus held a neutral expression, his eyes blazing with distrust as he stared at the younger boy in front of him.

"I can never accept you," Atreus told him coolly. "I don't understand why you would think any of us would want to be affiliated with you."

Yat-sen swallowed. "I told you, Uncle Meilin told me that I should try—"

"And I told you, don't speak so freely about Master Drakkon as if you know him," Atreus said harshly, his eyes narrowing. "I don't approve of you calling him 'uncle' without restraint. He's not your kin."

Yat-sen shrunk back even further, taking a step back and rubbing his arm. It was clear that he was intimidated by the taller, broader, and obviously stronger boy. Although Atreus couldn't have been much older than Yat-sen, he carried himself better and more dangerously than Yat-sen. Whereas Atreus had a deadly aura about him, Yat-sen was cheerful and sweet.

"U-Uncle Meilin—"

"You're the son of Emperor Yan, the man Master killed. Why would you even side with Master? You're clearly affiliated with the traitors in the palace that had the Empress kidnapped."

I stayed back and watched the two of them for a moment, unsure when I should step in and stop the fighting. They both were in a heated, yet cold discussion with each other. Although Atreus was glaring down at Yat-sen and was practically glowing with hostility, Yat-sen was standing meekly yet with determination.

"I'm not a part of the enemies!" Yat-sen said shakily. He squared his shoulders and stared at Atreus. "I told you, I would never want to harm Lady Daiyu—"

"I'm only allowing you to live since Master Drakkon likes you," Atreus said in a steely tone. "Don't overstep your boundaries. I don't know why Master wants you to live, but the second you prove to be a hindrance to Master, I will personally take you out."

Deeming that the conversation was taking a dark tone, I hurriedly interceded. "Atreus," I said in a soft voice as I neared them. "Yat-sen."

They both glanced over at me, Atreus's face void of emotion while Yat-sen's eyebrows were raised in surprise. Atreus glanced down at my bound feet before frowning. "Empress, is it safe for you to walk? Do your feet hurt? I can carry you—"

"I'm fine, thank you," I said with a small smile. It was true that my feet had been hurting for a while, but once salve had been put on my feet yesterday, they were healing and I was surprisingly able to walk without much problems. "Atreus, I came to tell you my thanks for saving me.

He nodded curtly. "It is my pleasure. I will protect Master Drakkon and his family for as long as I live."

"Thank you, that means a lot to me," I said after a moment of hesitation. What would he say if I told him I was still irresolute about being Meilin's wife? I was sure he would deem it as an insult towards his master.

"Please excuse me, but I have other duties to take care of," he said stonily as he gave one last look of contempt to Yat-sen, before leaving the two of us.

We both watched his retreating form and it wasn't until he disappeared inside the base that I turned to Yat-sen. "Is everything alright, Yat-sen? You look down," I said carefully.

He gave me a tightlipped smile and kicked at the rocks at his feet. "Yeah, everything's . . . fine."

I watched him for a moment. "I'm sorry to say this, but I overheard the conversation between you two."

Yat-sen, who couldn't have been much older than fourteen, reminded me of my youngest brother that was the same age. Him and Enlai were similar that they both were gentle and unused to harsh treatment. They both spoke softly and they both hated to be the center of displeasure. I couldn't help but feel the need to comfort him.

His shoulders slumped downwards and he sighed loudly. "I'm sorry you had to hear that."

"What happened between you two?"

"I've been trying to get along with him," he said dejectedly. He rubbed the nape of his neck and stared at the ground. "Uncle Meilin told me I should get along with the Peccata, but each one of them has . . . " He bit his bottom lip and kept his gaze averted. "They all have treated me in a similar manner."

"The Peccata?" The word was foreign to my lips.

"The six children of Sanguis that are Uncle Meilin's most trusted soldiers." He huffed out and raised his eyes to meet mine. "Atreus is a part of the Peccata and although his reaction was cold, it wasn't as bad as the others."

"Have you spoken to the other . . . Peccata?"

He nodded. "Only two of them, Vita and Nikator."

"You've met half of them," I said after a moment of thought. "You don't seem happy about it. Were they harsher than Atreus?"

"Much harsher. Nikator laughed at me and threatened me, while Vita ignored me and pretended as if I didn't exist." Yat-sen frowned deeply. "I understand why they treat me like that, since I'm the son of the late emperor Yan."

"Still, they shouldn't be so callous," I said. "Maybe I can talk to Atreus—"

"No, please don't do that. Although it's bad treatment, it's much milder than what my brothers and sisters would do to me at the palace," he said in a barely audible voice. He fiddled with the hem of his shirt for a moment before rubbing the palms of his hands over his thighs. "You probably know this, but my mother was a commoner, someone my father picked up and had fun with before she outgrew her usefulness. As a result, my siblings never treated me like family and they were always so harsh to me and my mother. Even my father hated me. I hated them and I hated myself, but once Uncle Meilin took the throne . . . my life improved. I know it sounds weird to call the usurper my uncle, but he's treated me like family. I've . . . I've never had a true family before and I felt so happy when he paid attention to me and told me I could become his general one day."

"Yat-sen—"

"Besides, the Peccata's treatment towards me just means that they care deeply for Uncle Meilin and want to protect him no matter what." He smiled weakly.

I was stunned in silence as I watched him. The way he spoke of Meilin was the same as Atreus did, with undying admiration and with a sense of duty, as if upsetting Meilin was out of the question. It was as Bohai said, they both seemed to thirst for Meilin's praise. I was shocked and wondered how so many people could look up to the intimidating Dragon with so much respect and loyalty.

"What is it about Meilin that you love so much?" I blurted out unexpectedly.

Yat-sen furrowed his brows together at my outburst, but then he smiled shyly, as if understanding what I was trying to say. "He's a scary man and he's very intimidating, but when he protected me from being beaten by one of his soldiers, I couldn't stop crying and feeling happy. He had protected me and had told me that I was someone under his care and that he wouldn't allow anyone to hurt me. He protected someone like me, a worthless bastard prince. He believed in someone like me. Everyone hated me but he told me I could become great." Yat-sen smiled genuinely. "He's a man that believes in the scum that society and everyone else has rejected."

At his words, I couldn't help but feel even more torn and confused about Drakkon Meilin. Was he truly evil, or was he misunderstood? Was he darkness, or was he light with darkness? What and who exactly was Meilin?