The night sky over the Medang Kingdom felt quieter than usual.
Outside the banquet pavilion, the palace garden lay under a veil of mist and the scent of kenanga blossoms.
Chen Lu Han stood alone beneath a cherry tree, holding a small bowl of coconut toffee he had "smuggled" from the dining table.
"Sweet. A bit too sticky. Like the good reputation that clings to me," he muttered.
He was about to return to the main hall when his steps halted.
From behind the bushes, a hushed but tense conversation floated out.
Three silhouettes stood on a small second-floor balcony, veiled behind a woven curtain. He recognized one of them: Rakryan Kanuruhan Wijaya—a senior official who'd supposedly been absent from the inner circle for quite some time.
"If the King keeps giving that Senapati Anom his full trust, we'll soon be completely sidelined."
"This alliance can be broken… if we have the right trigger," murmured the second man—a plump figure with perpetually drowsy eyes: Patih Parwa.
"That envoy from the Yi Dynasty… a young man who likes to play games, doesn't he?" Rakryan Wijaya continued.
"Imagine if he were provoked into causing a scene."
"Then we blame the Senapati Anom for failing to manage the diplomacy. And the King begins to waver."
Chen stopped chewing.
He leaned against the tree—watching, listening. His face was unreadable.
But a flicker had ignited behind his eyes.
"The King loses face. Senapati Anom is pulled from her post. And the new seat... can be filled by someone who 'understands the situation better.'"
Chen stood upright, sighing.
"Good grief... I'm surrounded by palace drama—and it's not even my palace."
A few minutes later, in the southern corridor...
Mei Lin narrowed her eyes as Chen strode briskly toward his chambers.
"Did His Highness sneak off to the kitchen again?"
"More like the enemy's balcony."
"…Excuse me?"
"There are three old men plotting treason against this kingdom," Chen said plainly.
"And they want to use the Senapati as their pawn. I thought it would stop at slander, but… looks like they're planning to take her down completely."
Mei Lin stiffened. "So... what are we going to do?"
Chen gave a small smile, biting into what was left of his coconut toffee.
"We help them, of course."
"Your Highness!?"
"Relax." Chen patted her shoulder.
"We help them—by letting them think I'm the easiest weapon to wield.
And when they let their guard down, we strike back."
"But why go to all this trouble? Didn't the Senapati torment you yesterday?"
Chen turned, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"She may drive me half-mad... but only I get to bully her.
If anyone else lays a finger on her…"
He grinned.
"They'll be the next target in archery practice.
But the arrows will be mine."
Elsewhere...
Han Yue, just returning from patrol, caught fragments of the conversation.
He stood silently in the doorway, face expressionless.
"I need to ask the ancestors to rewrite my fate in the next life."