Chapter 52: Lanna's Secret

Ever since the assassination attempt, Princess Lanna and Li Chuan had grown increasingly close. Plotting day and night, they not only had to guard against enemies moving like undercurrents beneath the surface, but also had to drive the economic recovery along the coast. However, this tight collaboration inadvertently led Li Chuan deep into Lanna's inner sanctuary, touching upon her long-sealed childhood secrets.

One day, while Li Chuan was browsing through documents in the mansion's study to find records related to Lanna's trade plan, he discovered an old wooden box in a corner. The box was covered with a thin layer of dust, looking as though it had not been touched for a very long time. Out of curiosity, he gently opened it, and what met his eyes was a painting.

In the painting was a girl of five or six years old, wearing a white gauze dress, holding a bouquet of flowers, and smiling as she stood in a magnificent courtyard. Standing behind her were a majestic man and a beautiful woman, both of their faces beaming with loving smiles.

Li Chuan froze for a moment, then realized that the girl in the painting was none other than Princess Lanna.

"What are you looking at?" A familiar voice suddenly rang out. Li Chuan was startled and hurriedly scrambled to close the wooden box. Turning around, he saw Lanna standing at the study entrance, her expression somewhat complex.

"Uh, Your Highness, pardon my intrusion, I didn't mean to..." Li Chuan stammered in explanation, only to see Lanna step forward, her gaze fixed on the wooden box.

Instead of rebuking him, she said quietly, "You saw the painting?"

Li Chuan nodded and asked cautiously, "Is this... your family?"

Lanna sat down in silence, took out the scroll, and gently brushed her fingers over the little girl's face. Her gaze gradually grew softer, yet carried a trace of thinly veiled sorrow: "Yes, this was painted when I was five years old. Back then, I thought life would forever be as beautiful as it was in the painting."

Seeming to sink into her memories, Lanna spoke in a low and slow voice: "The man in the painting is my father, King Lane. He was a lenient and wise ruler, holding immense prestige among the common people. And the woman in the painting is my mother, Queen Alissa."

"They..." Li Chuan acutely sensed the stark contrast between the bliss in the painting and Lanna's usual cold demeanor, and could not help pressing further, "What happened afterwards?"

Lanna's fingers stopped, her tone turning chilly: "Afterwards? Afterwards, they both died."

Li Chuan was taken aback: "Dead?"

Lanna gave a bitter smile: "During a diplomatic journey abroad, their ship was ambushed by assassins sent by a hostile nation, and the entire vessel was swallowed by a sea of flames. That year, I was only seven years old."

Li Chuan was momentarily speechless; he had not expected Lanna to carry such a heavy childhood trauma.

"From that moment on, I was forced to undergo all royal education, learning how to hide my emotions, how to vie for power, and how to face those ambitious schemers coveting the Kingdom of Lane." Lanna's eyes were like ice: "The innocent and happy Lanna of the past died long ago in that sea of flames."

Li Chuan listened quietly and let out an involuntary sigh: "Your Highness, your resilience commands my respect, but suppressing your inner pain will only make it harder for you to move forward."

Lanna gave him a cold glance: "I do not need pity."

"It is not pity," Li Chuan said earnestly. "I simply feel that for one person to bear so much alone is far too cruel."

Lanna looked at him, a flicker of hesitation passing through her eyes, though she quickly masked it: "You understand nothing at all."

Li Chuan did not press further; he vaguely sensed that this past was far from as simple as Lanna made it sound. And that painting was perhaps merely the tip of the iceberg of countless secrets buried deep within her heart.

That night, Li Chuan tossed and turned, finding it hard to fall asleep. He kept replaying Lanna's words in his mind, the image of that scroll lingering before his eyes.

"Could the deaths of Lanna's parents really just be a conspiracy by a hostile nation?" he murmured to himself, feeling that matters could not possibly be that simple.

Early the next morning, Li Chuan returned to the study. This time, he not only opened the painting but also discovered a neatly folded piece of stationery at the very bottom of the wooden box.

The handwriting on the stationery was hurried and scrawled, seemingly written hastily by someone on the verge of death: "The deaths of King Lane and Queen Alissa were the work of a traitor, the clues are all hidden within..."

Li Chuan's eyes widened, but the latter half of the note was blurred by water stains and remained illegible.

"A traitor?" he muttered, a tumultuous wave crashing in his heart.

Just then, Lanna's frosty voice came from behind: "What are you doing?"

Li Chuan spun around sharply to find Lanna standing at the doorway, her eyes locked dead on the stationery in his hand.

"Your Highness, I..." Li Chuan faltered, at a loss for how to explain.

Lanna slowly stepped forward, snatched the stationery from his grasp, and swept her eyes over its contents, her face turning pale instantly: "Where did you find this?"

"Right in this wooden box," Li Chuan confessed. "Your Highness, I mean no offense, but the traitor mentioned in this letter..."

"Enough!" Lanna suddenly cut him off sharply, her eyes filled with anger and pain: "Never speak of this again!"

Seeing Lanna's reaction, Li Chuan realized that this letter perhaps touched upon the deepest scar in her heart. He hesitated for a moment and said softly, "Your Highness, no matter what happened, I only wish to help you find the truth."

Lanna remained silent for a long while before finally placing the stationery back into the wooden box and saying coldly, "Some truths are of no use even when known."

She turned and walked away, leaving a bewildered Li Chuan standing in place.

Lanna's reaction to the letter made Li Chuan realize that this past was far more complex to her than he had imagined.

After Lanna left, Li Chuan stood motionless for a long time, the words on the stationery and Lanna's loss of control replaying in his mind. As a royal member renowned for her composure and intellect, Lanna rarely displayed such intense emotional reactions, which indicated that the contents of the letter deeply touched her most sensitive nerve.

Yet Li Chuan understood that unless he could make Lanna face these truths willingly, there would be no way to help her cast off her inner torment, let alone foster a deeper trust between them.

That night, Li Chuan spotted Lanna in the mansion's courtyard, gazing up at the moon. Dressed in light gauze, her back view was graceful yet exuded profound loneliness.

Li Chuan walked up to her and said softly, "Your Highness, the night is deep and the dew is heavy. Perhaps you should return to your chambers to rest?"

Without turning her head, Lanna said coldly, "My affairs require no interference from you."

Undeterred, Li Chuan pulled up a stool and sat down beside her, his tone gentle: "Your Highness, I know you do not wish to discuss what happened during the day, but as your ally, I must remind you that repeatedly running away from certain matters will only turn them into your greatest vulnerability."

Lanna fell silent for a moment before finally turning around, her gaze complex as she looked at Li Chuan: "You think I am running away?"

"I do not know why you refuse to face the contents of the letter, but I can tell that letter is of great significance to you." Li Chuan met her eyes directly and said firmly, "No matter what the truth is, I hope to help you share the burden."

Lanna stared at him for a long time before letting out a long sigh: "Do you truly want to know?"

Li Chuan nodded: "If you are willing to speak, I am all ears."

Lanna slowly began to speak, her voice low: "Actually, after my parents passed away, I sensed from a few clues that their deaths were no mere accident. But the powerful ministers of the time jointly blocked the news, leaving me with no way to investigate further."

"That letter..." Li Chuan probed cautiously.

"Was sent by my mother's personal maid just before she died." Lanna's voice choked slightly. "She risked her life to hide the letter in this wooden box, but was executed shortly thereafter. Back then, I was merely a seven-year-old child, utterly powerless to change anything."

"So you chose to endure in silence?" Li Chuan asked.

Lanna nodded, a self-deprecating smile touching the corner of her lips: "Endurance does not mean giving up. I knew a viper was lurking within the royal family, but until I had sufficient strength, I could only pretend to know nothing."

Hearing this, a wave of emotion stirred in Li Chuan's heart. He had once thought Lanna's coldness was innate, never imagining it was merely a disguise forged through years of hardship.

"Your Highness," Li Chuan said earnestly, "since you now possess power, perhaps the time has come to uncover the truth."

Lanna gave a cold laugh: "The truth? The truth is nothing more than a joke. Even if the murderer is found, so what? Those people have already grasped power firmly in their hands; if I expose them, I will only invite disaster upon myself."

Looking at Lanna's pessimistic attitude, Li Chuan felt a pang of sympathy. He said softly, "Your Highness, you once said the future of the Kingdom of Lane needs to be rebuilt. And true reconstruction is not just about the economy and people's livelihood, but also about purging the corruption and darkness within the royal family."

Lanna remained silent, evidently pondering his words.

Li Chuan pressed his advantage: "Rather than letting the viper continue to lurk, it is better to strike first. You are not alone; you have me and the entire team as your backing. We can start small, investigate step by step, find the evidence, and then bring it to light."

Lanna raised her head, a flicker of hesitation flashing in her gaze: "But if we fail..."

"If we fail, we can start over. But if we do nothing, you will carry this pain forever," Li Chuan said firmly. "I am willing to pour all my effort into this, as long as you trust me."

Lanna stared at him for a long time before finally giving a slow nod: "Very well, I am willing to try."

From that day on, the cooperation between Lanna and Li Chuan was no longer confined to surface-level trade plans, but gradually penetrated into the internal power struggle of the royal family.

Using his intelligence network, Li Chuan secretly gathered materials concerning the Lane royal family, while Lanna used her knowledge of the powerful ministers to provide crucial clues. The two worked in seamless coordination, gradually uncovering some long-hidden secrets.

One day, Li Chuan handed a detailed report to Lanna, listing the names of the ministers who were prime suspects along with their incriminating evidence.

"Most of these people are connected to the deaths of your parents," Li Chuan said. "However, we need more conclusive evidence before we can sweep them all away at once."

Lanna looked at the list, a resolute glint flashing in her eyes: "Since the first step has been taken, I will not back down."

As their cooperation deepened, Lanna gradually discovered that Li Chuan was not only flawless in action, but his character also brought her a sense of reassurance. His resilience, wisdom, and selfless dedication slowly dismantled the defenses around her heart.

Late one night, Lanna stood by the window, watching Li Chuan busy at work in the courtyard, when a strange emotion suddenly welled up within her. This feeling was both complex and warm, leaving her at a loss as to how to face it for a moment.

"Perhaps, I truly can trust him," she murmured to herself, a smile involuntarily blooming at the corners of her lips.

Lanna's childhood secret not only drew the two closer together, but also laid the groundwork for the upcoming power struggle. As the investigation deepened, the truth slowly surfaced, and the feelings between Lanna and Li Chuan quietly underwent subtle changes.