Fang Lian dusted herself off and plopped down beside him, hugging her knees.
For a while, they sat in complete silence under the silver moonlight. Then, her voice came small but steady.
"Master, are we being attacked because we have her royal princess with us?"
Fang Yuan shook his head. "No. This is just political power play. Think—why do you suppose they didn't attack us the moment word spread that the princess had been taken by my brother?"
She blinked, unsure. "I… don't know."
Fang Yuan tilted his gaze to the moon, voice steady. "Because the kingdom was at war with the Azure Phoenix Kingdom. They couldn't afford to split their attention. We were beneath their notice while their armies bled on another front."
He let that sink in before glancing back at her. "So tell me—why strike now, instead of then?"
Fang Lian hesitated, then answered slowly, "Because… now they're free? With no war to drain them, they can come for the princess."
