The Witch in the Woods: The Transmigration of Hazel-Anne Davis

The third morning of the hunt dawned too early and too bright for how little sleep I'd gotten. The tent fabric did little to block the sun, and the birds outside were far too enthusiastic about being alive to concern themselves about my sleep.

I groaned, rolling onto my side and yanking the blanket over my face. No good. The light was still there. The world was still waiting. And I was still very much not in the mood for another day of nobles pretending they were warriors and princesses pretending they weren't watching the Crown Prince like he was the last dumpling at a feast.

I shoved the blanket off and sat up.

The tent was still quiet…mercifully so. Yaozu had returned sometime after dawn. I hadn't heard him come in, which meant he hadn't wanted to be noticed. Still, I knew he was here. I always did. A shadow pressed to the edge of mine. A silent breath in a room too still.

"Anything?" I asked, my voice rough with sleep.

A pause. Then, from the corner: "Not yet." Because we were out in the open, no matter what people tried to convince themselves, Yaozu refused to share a bed with me. I was pretty sure that that was one of the main reasons why my sleep was getting worse and worse.

I stretched and nodded. My body ached, more from tension than anything else. These people were exhausting. At least in the capital, there were walls. Layers. Masks that stayed on. Out here, under the open sky, everything frayed. Tempers. Plans. People.

I splashed some water on my face and reached for the green outer robe I'd laid out the night before. Something simple. Nothing attention-grabbing. Just another piece of the armor I wore while pretending to be harmless.

"Someone's coming," Yaozu said quietly, coming out of the shadows to block the front of the tent.

I didn't ask how he knew. I simply straightened my collar, moved to the center of the tent, and waited.

A moment later, the flap rustled open—and there he was.

Sun Yizhen.

The dandy in ivory and red. The fox with too many teeth hidden behind that easy laugh.

His hair was freshly combed and tied back with red silk. His outer robe was far too delicate for actual travel, which only confirmed he hadn't come for anything official. No guards. No Longzi. Just him.

And Yaozu, of course, who remained exactly where he was—watching.

"Did I come at a bad time?" Sun Yizhen asked, tilting his head and giving me the same lazy smile I'd seen him use at dinner last night. The one that made most people underestimate him.

"You came at a strange time," I replied, gesturing to the small table near the center. "But I suppose I've had worse visitors at worse hours."

He chuckled and stepped fully inside. "That's high praise, considering who you usually entertain."

"Entertain is such a strong word," I said, pouring two cups of tea and sliding one toward him as he sat. "They show up. I tolerate them. Sometimes they live."

"Spoken like a true hostess."

He raised his cup in mock toast and took a slow sip. His eyes, however, never left me…not fully.

"So," I said, leaning back against the cushions. "What brings the High Lord of Hell out this morning? Don't tell me you ran out of women to sleep with and decided to try your hand at me."

"Would you believe," he said lightly, "that I wanted to speak to you?"

"Nope," I replied with a shake of my head. "I haven't even had breakfast, let alone coffee. It is too early in the morning for pleasant conversation."

He grinned again. "Good. I like that about you. But… what is coffee?"

"I'll marry you if you can get your hands on it, and that's all I'll say about the matter," I sighed, resting my cheek on the palm of my hand as I waited for him to get to the point.

The silence stretched between us, companionable in a way that surprised me. Eventually, he set down his tea and exhaled.

"You know who I am," he said, voice lower now. "Or at least… you've guessed."

"I don't guess," I replied, staring at him evenly. "But yes. I know."

"Then you'd be the second."

I raised an eyebrow.

"The first one didn't guess at all. He is my personal bodyguard," he continued, fingers tracing the rim of his cup. "There was no hiding it from him if I expected him to do his job."

"I'm honored," I said dryly.

"No. You should be. I don't share things lightly, Lady Zhao. But you're not like the rest of them, are you. You see the world without illusions. That's rare."

I could feel a vein at my temple pulsing as he spoke. "I'm not sure if you know this or not, but saying that 'I'm not like the rest of them' isn't as big of a compliment as you seem to think it is. If you are trying to pick a woman up, try a different line."

He looked up, meeting my eyes. The smile slipped, just a little. Just enough for me to see the man behind the fan.

"My mother was a courtesan," he said simply. "One of the best in the capital. Trained in poetry, strategy, and calligraphy. She could outwit half the ministers without ever raising her voice. But she was never acknowledged. And when I was born, they took one look at me and decided I wasn't worth the trouble."

"'They' being the noble Sun family," I interjected, nodding my head.

He hummed in agreement. "The great Sun clan. Pillars of discipline and honor. They left me with her, let her raise me in the red-light quarter, and then, when I was twelve, they tried to marry her off to some fat merchant to 'retire' her. She killed herself the next week."

His voice didn't tremble. Not once.

"I buried her alone," he said. "And then I disappeared, and Yan Luo was born."

The Fox Behind the Fan. The man who owned the capital's shadows.

"I built my kingdom from rot," he murmured. "And I made sure the ones who ignored us never slept peacefully again."

I studied him carefully. "And yet, you are being acknowledged as the forth son. How did that happen?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

"Because apparently, the matriarch didn't agree with General Sun and thought that everyone with Sun blood running in them must be part of the family. Willingly or not," replied Sun Yizhen. "But I will not be used. I will not have what I built with my own hands slip through my fingers like sand, only to profit the man who had my mother killed in a roundabout way."

I watched as he took in a deep breath before continuing. "Now I keep my face painted in rouge and silk, and they all laugh and drink with me, thinking I'm nothing but a clown." His smile returned, sharper now. "But I know everything."

I let that sink in for a moment. "So what is it you came to tell me?"

The humor drained from his expression completely.

"The Third Prince is planning something," he said. "I don't know what yet—but I've been feeling it whispered in the air. He's been spending more money than usual. Whispering in the ears of men who usually don't answer to the court. And someone's been asking about poisons. Subtle ones. The kind that linger."

"Do you think it's meant for me?"

He shook his head slowly. "I think it's meant for all of us. But you'll be at the center of it, no matter what. Because he can't afford to let you keep breathing."

I smirked. "He's welcome to try."

"I know," Yizhen said, his eyes gleaming. "And that's what terrifies him."

We sat in silence again. This time heavier.

"I don't offer loyalty easily," he said after a while. "But I do respect strength. Especially the kind that grows in shadows."

I met his gaze. "So is this you offering me an alliance?"

"No," he replied with a smile. "This is me offering you a warning. The alliance… that comes later."

He rose to his feet, adjusted the fold of his sleeve, and glanced at Yaozu before giving me one final look.

"You're not what I expected, Lady Zhao."

"Likewise, Yan Luo."

He grinned. "Keep your doors locked tonight. And don't eat anything you didn't watch being made."

And with that, he slipped from the tent—just a man in red silk, leaving no trace behind.

I exhaled slowly, staring at the tea he left behind.

Yaozu stepped forward finally. "Do you trust him?"

"No," I said. "But I believe him."

And for now, that was enough.