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Chapter 23 - A DISGUISE OF SHADOWS

For hours, I let my thoughts drift back to Bharat, the grand mansion I once called home, and the boring memories of the rear palace.

Every detail came alive in my mind, a sharp reminder of how far I had wandered from my beginnings. The memory carried both comfort and sorrow. I had left everything.

I assumed nothing would happen. No other servants, no other maids in the palace. The only person was sound asleep in his bed.

I was wrong.

A sudden knock rattled the locked bedroom door, making me flinch. An old voice, rough and loud shook from the other side.

"Renshu! Here is your breakfast!"

I walked over to open the door, but at the last moment I hesitated and turned away.

A surprise. He was standing right in front of me.

Renshu's dark eyes narrowed in irritation, his tone as gruff as ever.

"Why are you here, wandering about? You should be studying."

"Someone was knocking—" I began, only to be cut off.

"Yeah, so? That doesn't mean you can stroll about so carelessly. You can't risk being seen… not as a woman." His voice lowered, heavy with warning. "Once you're dressed, I'll let you leave this room. Until then—"

He stopped abruptly, his gaze snapping toward the door. Almost as if something had struck him, he moved in swiftly, unbolting the door with a long creak.

I stepped back instinctively, desperate to hide before the visitor could see what was happening. A woman in a high ranking man's quarters. Worse, a foreign woman.

"Ah, Bao Qin!" Renshu greeted quickly, his tone taking on an uncharacteristic warmth. "I didn't expect you today. Come in, come in. And… oh—"

His eyes darted toward me before he gestured vaguely. "This is… someone important. Wait—"

The woman who entered was older, her steps steady with the grace of years. She was draped in robes of deep red and black, the colors commanding yet somber, and her lined face carried the traces of wisdom and sternness both.

Yet there was kindness in her expression, a motherly gentleness that flickered the moment her eyes fell upon me.

Placing the breakfast tray neatly on the bed, she sat with a sigh and turned to Renshu.

"Ah, Renshu. So this is why you've been acting strangely. A woman in your chamber? How scandalous!"

Before the situation could spiral, Renshu's face flushed crimson. He barked back, desperate to correct her assumption.

"You've got it all wrong! She's here for other reasons!"

His frantic explanation dragged on for nearly an hour—how I had come to be here, the skills I carried, and the disguise that must be maintained.

Bao Qin listened, her sharp brows furrowing and softening in turn. When at last he finished, she rose, crossing her arms with a huff.

"You foolish man!" she scolded, voice echoing like thunder. "Why didn't you call me sooner? There's hardly enough time to craft a convincing disguise before your servants arrive!"

I blinked in surprise. Never had I seen anyone speak to Renshu with such unflinching authority. 

The proud and high ranking man now had his eyes glued to the floor, almost in embarassment.

But now Bao Qin's focus soon shifted to me.

"And you, young lady," she said sternly, seizing my arm in a firm grip, "you've entangled yourself in quite the mess, haven't you? Come along."

Before I could protest, she dragged me upstairs, her strength undeniable. She shoved me into a well-lit room.

Light poured in through wide windows, showing a desk and an expansive bed. Of course a black carpet had stretched across the floor, and a single green plant stood by the window, vibrant against the somber hues.

"This will be your room," Bao Qin declared. "It's farthest from the staircase, so you'll hear if anyone approaches. Now—"

Her hand reached toward my hair, plucking free Lianyu's jade hairpin. My hair tumbled down like a waterfall.

Panic struck me—I wanted to snatch it back before she noticed its fine embellishments, before she realized how precious it was.

But Bao Qin had already paused, the pin glimmering in her hand.

"This… this is exquisite," she murmured, her eyes widening with admiration. "Truly remarkable…"

My chest tightened, but to my relief, she set it aside without question. Instead, she thrust a pile of clothing into my arms.

"Here. These are Renshu's. Wear them quickly—I'll prepare your makeup."

Alone for a moment, I stared at the garments. They were unlike any I had worn. Deep crimson stitched with black, cut sharp and functional, with hidden pockets and a sheath for a blade. A direct contrast to my blue colored maid clothes at Lanxuan.

The fabric had faint scars of battle, a reminder of its owner Renshus life. Wearing such clothes felt like being in another's skin.

"Done?" Bao Qin's voice broke my trance. She entered, her sternness softening into satisfaction.

"Well, well. Good thing you're nearly as tall as Renshu. It suits you."

I was, in truth, nearly his height. Only a few inches separated us. Though in these lands, I was taller than most.

She wasted no time, sitting me down before a table. A bowl of caramel colored paste and small vials of black pigment awaited.

With careful strokes, Bao Qin reshaped me. The paste carved my face sharper, shadows deepening my jawline.

Dark freckles scattered across my nose, as though from long days of training under the summer sun. A line of black traced my eyes, narrowing their shape into something far less feminine.

When at last she handed me a mirror, I hardly recognized myself. A stranger stared back—a young man hardened by labor and weathered by the sun. 

I could almost believe it myself.

"You'll pass," Bao Qin said firmly. "As long as you hold your head high."

A knock came. Renshu entered, his gaze sweeping over me. His lips parted, and something unreadable flickered in his eyes.

"You… look so different," he muttered. Disappointment? Relief? I could not tell.

He stepped forward, a hairpin glinting in his hand—dark metal crowned with a red ruby, a delicate silver chain dangling from its end.

"You can't keep wearing that jade pin of yours. It'll ruin the disguise. Here—"

His fingers brushed against my hair as he fastened the new pin, neat and deliberate. The weight of the jade's absence pressed heavily on me, though the beauty of his gift could not be denied.

Bao Qin suddenly giggled like a girl, amused by the sight, which confused me.

"The servants will arrive any moment," Renshu said, voice snapping back to command. "From now on, you'll be known as my student. You'll need a name." His gaze fixed on me. "Think, Meilina. What will it be?"

A Bharat mans name. A new identity. My thoughts immediately turned to Ariya. But no—I could not steal his name, a pure monks name, not when this role demanded starting wars.

"Aryan," I decided. It was close enough. Familiar, yet new. Mine.

But before the word could settle between us, a creak echoed from downstairs. The main door. The servants had come.

Renshu's eyes darkened.

"Let's go, Meilina."

No—Aryan.

This was not the first time I had worn a disguise. But now, every breath carried danger. One slip, one curious glance, one falter—and my life could end.

This time, the stakes were not just mine alone.

This time, whether or not I was recognized… would decide everything.

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