Appearance
Rebellion Against Piyse Novelization
Scene 1 - Level 4
Yaling stands by the tall windows in her sitting room. Cinean Sung, hovers nearby.
Hanzen bursts into the suite, bowing quickly. She’s breathing quickly.
Hanzen: My lady, we have confirmation. She's gone. Disappeared in the middle of the night. Yang Xue...she believes Winny Lo might have been a spy. For the Piyse government.
Yaling closes her eyes. Gone. Of course she’s gone. Winny’s pleasant smile, the sly ease with which the archivist drew out details of Yaling’s daily routine, of local politics, of random anecdotes.
Spy. The word echoes, hollow and ugly. Winny. Smiling, helpful, eager Winny. A spy? It feels like a personal violation. The magazine, the social club, the shared confidences…
Cinean: A spy?
Cinean's disbelief mirrors her own. We were both fools.
Yaling: I...I don't understand. The project...the magazine she was working on...
Lies. All lies? A sharp, bitter taste of naivete.
The realization strikes her. You had warned her about trusting Winny too readily. She'd tried to be cautious, but the allure of what the archivist offered—connections to important publications, a chance to showcase Len's growing significance—had been too tempting.
He warned me. The memory surfaces, unbidden, unwelcome. His face, serious, his voice low and firm. Careful, Yaling. This archivist...she asks a lot of questions. She'd been so proud of her new friend, of her expanding social circle. Fool.
Yaling: I introduced her to everyone in my inner circle. I answered her questions. I vouched for her to Cinean.
Cinean must see the devastation in her eyes, because she steps closer, her voice gentle.
Cinean: No one could have known, my lady. She was remarkably convincing.
Winny's "research" binders litter the desk—useless props now. She might have compromised her husband's position.
Yaling: The King's summons last week. And what MC told me this morning... it all connects.
Yaling’s breath catches. It’s happening so fast—impossible to outrun. She looks at Cinean, who seems just as stunned. Yesterday, rumors; today, a credible threat. And Winny’s disappearance lines up with that threat too neatly.
Nali, the networker, peeks around the half-open door. Yaling knows that expression—it means someone urgent is calling in the SCN. Nali bows:
Nali: My lady, your mother-in-law is requesting your presence on the SCN. She seems… insistent.
Yaling nods curtly. If she knows about this… it must be dire. She gestures for Cinean and Hanzen to remain behind, then follows Nali into the adjoining room. There, thick plush cushions lie arranged around a low table. Yaling settles onto one, closes her eyes, and lets Nali guide her consciousness into the dreamlike realm of the Solfrey Correspondence Network.
In the SCN, the environment flickers into a well-lit hall built of pale marble. A tall figure with a poised silhouette stands waiting. It’s the Countess of Rom—Yaling’s mother-in-law.
Countess of Rom: Yaling, child. I trust you know the situation by now.
Her tone is usually brisk, but Yaling senses genuine fear beneath it.
Yaling: I only just found out Winny Lo is gone—likely a spy. My husband suspects the King is moving against him. It’s… worse than I thought.
Countess of Rom: I’m afraid so. I spoke with him early this morning, telling him to flee. He refused to commit. My husband and I both stand ready to offer you and our son sanctuary in Chaoxia. It might be the only safe path if the King truly aims to brand him a traitor.
Yaling swallows. She pictures her husband’s calm face when he told her the news mere hours ago, not a hint of panic in his eyes. He’s always so composed—doesn’t he understand the danger?
Yaling: He… he believes we can manage without fleeing. He sounded confident. I’m not sure what to do.
The Countess’s expression remains firm.
Countess of Rom: Yaling, men—especially men like my son—can be blinded by pride. We both know he’s brilliant, but brilliance doesn’t always save one from the gallows. The King’s spies might fabricate any evidence they like. If he’s caught, you risk losing everything.
Yaling: Would he truly let it come to that?
Her voice sounds small, even to her own ears. The Countess steps forward and grips Yaling’s shoulders gently in the SCN’s airy simulation.
Countess of Rom: It falls to you to make him see sense. You are his wife, his partner. If anyone can soften that stubborn streak, it’s you. Bring him to Chaoxia. I can shield you both.
Yaling pictures the last time she saw the Countess in person—this formidable woman rarely lost a political game. If there’s a place where Yaling’s husband might avoid the King’s wrath, it’s under her mother-in-law’s command.
Yaling: I’ll try. I already spoke with Jingfei. She’s determined to fight if it comes to open conflict. But that’s exactly what I want to prevent.
Countess of Rom: Of course. War or no war, one thing is certain: the King is no friend to Len. If he wanted a fair hearing, he’d have summoned your husband openly, not schemed in shadows.
Yaling’s hand lifts to her mouth as she fights the cold dread blossoming in her chest.
Yaling: If Winny’s testimony shapes their case, I—I helped her gather so many details…
Regret slams into her. She sees it in the Countess’s eyes: It’s done now, but it’s not too late to keep him safe.
Countess of Rom: Yaling, please. Convince him to leave if you can. Survive first, worry about the County’s pride later.
Yaling closes her eyes, nodding. The tension loosens a fraction. She summons a shaky breath.
Yaling: Yes… I understand. I promise you, I’ll speak with him immediately. I won’t let him stand alone against a kingdom’s might.
The Countess draws her into a brief, virtual embrace. Even in the SCN, the warmth feels oddly real. Then the older woman’s form dims—connection severed.
Yaling opens her eyes back in her suite. Nali helps her up, concern obvious on the networker’s face. Outside, the corridor bustles with guards wearing Len’s crest—everyone on edge.
Cinean meets her at the threshold.
Cinean: My lady, are you all right?
Yaling smooths her robe, mind churning with the Countess’s words. Flee. Survive. Then she thinks of her husband’s unwavering confidence.
Yaling: I have to make him see reason… or at least understand what’s at stake.
She steps into the hallway, purpose in her stride. She’ll fix this. No matter how unstoppable he looks—no matter how calm—she must pull him back from the brink before it’s too late.