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A gag order had been placed on Feilong reverting back to a child. According to the official announcement, the emperor was taking an extended rest. In the meantime, Kyril and Tomi would be taking over his official duties.
“Did you find out anything?” Kyril asked. He addressed this question to Yuen, who’d been interrogating the traveling performers.
Yuen shook his head impassively. “They insist that the troupe leader was acting alone.”
“That’s hard to believe.”
“According to the performers, the Yulan people have been blessed ever since Princess Angelina was acknowledged as an heir to the throne. No one would try to harm her. On the contrary, they revere her.”
Kyril nodded. Ever since Angelina became the imperial princess, Yulan culture received preferential treatment in an attempt to restore it within Jinlong. The empire was summoning back nomadic Yulans to promote their culture and technology. Certainly, their grudge against Jinlong wouldn’t disappear overnight. At the same time, directing that enmity towards Angelina made no sense.
“The performers are just as confused as us,” Yuen said. “They have no idea why their leader would attack Princess Angelina.”
“But attacking my father would be a different matter, I assume?” Kyril asked.
Yuen cleared his throat. Kyril had hit the nail on the head.
“From their perspective, both you and Princess Angelina are the last remaining members of Yulan royalty,” Yuen explained. “As Phaenna’s posthumous children, you represent hope for rebuilding Yule.”
“Indeed. I can’t fathom what the troupe leader was thinking. And after Father rebounded his magic, he turned into a wooden doll…”
“People often die from magical rebounds, but I’ve never heard of a corpse turning into a wooden doll.”
“How he transformed gives me pause,” Kyril mumbled. “It’s as if what we believed to be his living form was the real illusion all along.”
Yuen’s head shot up. “You might be onto something, Your Highness.”
“What do you mean?”
“Perhaps the troupe leader himself was being operated by magic, as you suggested.”
“Could you expand on that thought?” Kyril asked.
“If he returned to being a wooden doll after having time-reversal magic reflected back on him, perhaps he was never human to begin with.”
“Have you tracked his movements before coming here?”
Yuen nodded. “I haven’t confirmed the details, but the troupe returned to Yule for the first time in a long while, around half a year ago. They did this for the sake of one member who was growing homesick in his old age.”
“I see…”
“When the aged member remained in a forest near Yule, a new member joined their troupe. That new member became the leader.”
Kyril furrowed his brow. “A new member became the troupe leader?”
“That’s correct. They recognized his leadership skills since he was a better singer and more beautiful than anyone else in the troupe. On top of devising new performances, he also possessed rare barrel organ sheet music.”
“You’re talking about the sheet music that could be played backward?”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Yuen confirmed.
“Was he already targeting Angelina half a year ago…?” Kyril asked with a heavy sigh.
Yuen nodded again. “Investigating that sheet music seems like our best course of action.”
“Unfortunately, it seems to have disappeared when the magic activated.”
When Yuen gave no immediate response, Kyril bit his lip, frustrated.
“As a secondary measure, I’m having Junshi investigate the other sheet music and the barrel organ,” Yuen said. “There are Yulan characters engraved on the instrument. Hopefully, those will provide us with some sort of clue.”
“I’ll go read those myself,” Kyril replied.
Yuen shook his head. “That would be too dangerous. If the troupe leader was targeting the remaining Yulan royal family, that barrel organ might cause you harm, Your Highness. I’ll have Junshi copy the writing for you.”
“I see,” Kyril answered with a nod. “You think I might be in danger as well.”
“Precisely. You’re Empress Phaenna’s posthumous child as well.”
Kyril heaved another deep sigh. “Then why did Lina have to be the target of his assault…?”
Kyril pictured his mother absentmindedly. She’d been a kind and gentle woman. He could still remember her warmth and her loving gaze.
I don’t think Mother did anything to earn the enmity of the Yulan people, he thought. Lina couldn’t have done so either. Most people didn’t even know about her until just recently.
No matter how hard Kyril thought, he couldn’t come up with an answer.
“Lina should take a break from school until Father returns to normal,” he said.
“I agree,” Yuen answered. “Since we don’t know the enemy’s end goal, prioritizing her safety comes first.”
Kyril and Yuen both nodded in agreement.