"Wouldn't dare!" She yelled out and sat up in a daze. "I really would not dare!"

Before she had a chance to see him, he quickly left her side and returned to sit at the table. He struggled to center himself once more, worried the quick drumming of his heart would betray his emotions. Taking a calming sip of tea, he steadied himself.

Fengjiu, meanwhile, had reclaimed her senses. Remembering her strange dream, she stumbled out of bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Migu, I had the strangest... dream..."

Fengjiu stared at the person sitting at her table. Dijun?  She smacked her cheeks. He was still there. He raised an eyebrow at her. Migu walked into the room and awkwardly watched the scene.

"M-Migu?" She spoke without taking her eyes off of the stone god.

"Yes your highness?"

"Who is sitting at my table?"

Migu felt concerned for the little queen.

"Uh... It's Donghua Dijun, of course. Are you feeling alright?"

Donghua sipped his tea.

"Yes, Queen Fengjiu, how are you feeling?" He asked, hiding a smirk. "Did you sleep peacefully? No bad dreams?"

"Sleep?" She could not very well tell him she was dreaming such embarrassing things! "I slept fine, of course! No need for Dijun to worry about such things." She bowed slightly, "This little queen apologizes for not greeting Dijun properly."

He waved her needless apology away.

"Now that you are well rested, we should discuss the missing children's case. I've read all of the files. Is there anything else to note?"

Fengjiu sat next to him, and Migu served her tea before leaving in a rush. He did not wish to impede any conversation between the two. If he did, Fengjiu would certainly cook him later.

"Other than the files... There are a few things." Fengjiu scrunched her eyebrows in a way that was terribly distracting to Donghua. He sipped his tea and ignored the urge to poke the concern from her forehead. "Firstly, the scene of the bear cub and baby fairy from the other night both smelled of a celestial spirit, but the scent was incomplete. It was masked in some way. All I can say for sure is that the culprit is one person, most likely male, and they are from the heavens."

Donghua nodded, "That's why you pushed your way through heaven's gates the other night. You should have said so."

She frowned, remembering that night.

"Would you have listened?" Her voice was tinged with sadness. "It does not much matter now. The child is already taken."

Donghua was silent for a while. Truthfully, her words hurt him, though he could not blame her for them. This was one of the many costs of his forced distance from her. If he had not been so focused on pushing her away, he would have noticed her distress and could have helped her instead of hurting her again.

"I would have listened," He muttered into his cup. Even if I shouldn't, my heart gives me no choice in the matter.

He wished he could let her believe him again, but it was better if she didn't. It could be the beginning of her moving on, if he could let her do such a thing.

Fengjiu smiled softly at her cup, "Of course you would have. Dijun always listens to me, even the silliest things. I just was not thinking right at the moment."

Donghua wondered if he should not have come. Any progress made towards distancing himself from her seemed to be breaking now. But he had been too worried to stay away. Each time he let himself get closer, it became harder and harder to separate again. He used to consider himself to have exceptional self control, but Fengjiu always shattered it.

"Anything else?" He tried to distract from his failing facade and the words came out exceptionally cold. "There must be more you've found."

Fengjiu noticed his distance and looked away. She wondered how he could pull away so easily and act like nothing was between them. She would never be able to act so indifferent.

"Meeting with the parents yesterday, I found one thing of note. They were all practitioners of powerful and ancient hereditary magics." Fengjiu frowned deeper. "But I don't know what the perpetrator could be planning to do with them. Whatever it is, I think the connection can't be a coincidence."

Donghua nodded. This was quite troubling.

"What else?"

Fengjiu hesitated, her encounters with Wenchang at the tip of her tongue, then shook her head. She shouldn't bother Dijun with such things.

"That is all."

His eyes narrowed at her lie.

"No." He said and Fengjiu whipped her head to look at him, confused.

"No what?"

"There is something you are not telling me."

Fengjiu looked at her drink and shook her head again. She couldn't very well tell him that her main suspect was someone claiming to be Wenchang Dijun whose name was written in stone with hers.

She put on a forced smile, "What would I dare keep from you, Dijun?"

Donghua may have believed her if she wasn't such a terrible liar, avoiding his eyes and nervously fidgeting in her seat.

"Queen Fengjiu, we are investigating this together. The children are counting on you to find them. You mustn't hide any information that could help find them."

Fengjiu wriggled, feeling caught in between a rock and Dijun's calculated stare.

"Dijun, I-" The young queen sighed. She could not selfishly help this information, not when those poor children were counting on her to save them. "I do have a suspect... But I have no proof. It's just a feeling."

"And who is he?" He wondered who could make her so tight-lipped other than her aunt.

"He is... He said-" Fengjiu took a breath, "Well, he claims to be Dijun. Wenchang Dijun."