Li Mei had always thought the worst thing in life was her boss at the convenience store yelling at her for microwaving noodles too long. She had been wrong. The real worst thing in life was standing frozen between the Empress of the Empire and the Crown Prince while they silently tried to kill each other with nothing but their eyes. Eyes sharp enough to slice dumplings, if dumplings were unlucky enough to be her.
The chamber felt like it had shrunk around her. Every inch of space pressed in with the weight of centuries-old authority. Celestia's silver eyes gleamed like shards of ice, her crimson and gold robes flaring around her like living fire. The air smelled faintly of incense and parchment, a combination that made Li Mei's stomach twist in knots. She could hear the subtle rustle of silk, the scrape of parchment, and—oh, that faint, terrifying inhale of breath that always accompanied power when it chose to focus on her.
Crown Prince Jianyu, dark hair falling just enough to make him look like a brooding painting, leaned lazily against a table stacked with petitions. His expression was smooth, almost bored—but his eyes flicked with tiny sparks of mischief, taunting her silently. Li Mei, in the middle of it all, felt like a very unlucky radish waiting to be diced.
[Warning: Host has entered a Death Zone. Survival chance: 17%.]
Seventeen percent?! Li Mei's internal monologue almost turned into actual choking. That was lower than her math test scores in high school. Lower than the time she tried to balance a ramen bowl on her laptop. She could practically feel her brain short-circuiting.
Celestia's voice cut the thick air, soft yet edged with steel. "You seem to have a great deal of free time, Jianyu, if you've come to hover over my maid."
"Your maid?" Jianyu echoed, dark eyes flicking to her like a cat sizing up prey. He plucked a scroll from the table and twirled it between his fingers lazily. "I didn't realize she belonged to anyone. I thought she was simply a… curiosity wandering the palace."
Li Mei gulped. Wrong word. Curiosity made her sound like a pet rabbit, and everyone knew what happened to rabbits in palaces—stew.
Celestia stepped forward, the sweep of her robes whispering against the marble floor, a sound that could freeze a lesser person in place. "She is under my protection. That means she is not for you to toy with."
Jianyu tilted his head, eyes glinting with mischief. "And yet you leave her buried in scrolls until midnight. Some protection, Mother."
Celestia's silver gaze sharpened, a shard of moonlight glinting within. "Discipline is not cruelty. Perhaps if you spent more time at your desk and less time wandering, you would understand."
Li Mei shuffled her feet. The tension coiled tighter and tighter around her lungs. She wanted to vanish into the nearest pile of scrolls. Her hand twitched, and before she could stop herself, she muttered, "Um… excuse me?"
Both sets of imperial eyes snapped to her. She felt herself shrinking, her knees nearly giving out. "I—uh—I just wanted to say that I can totally finish the scrolls on my own! No need for, you know, family disagreements over little ol' me. Carry on, ignore me, I'm wallpaper."
[Correction: Host does not blend in like wallpaper. More like an unsightly stain.]
Li Mei wanted to reach out and throttle the system. Maybe strangle it through reality.
Celestia's lips curved faintly, almost imperceptibly, though her eyes never left Jianyu. "See? Even the maid understands. You may leave now."
Jianyu chuckled, slow and deliberate, his fingers brushing the scrolls as he stepped over them like they were insignificant crumbs. "Of course, Mother. I wouldn't dare disobey." His gaze flicked to Li Mei as he passed, lingering just long enough to make her skin crawl. "Take care, little maid. You might find the palace less merciful than my mother."
Then he was gone, footsteps echoing down the hall like a drumbeat marking her failures.
Li Mei sagged, her body suddenly feeling like a puppet with its strings cut. "I'm going to die. I'm definitely going to die," she muttered to herself, more to convince herself than anyone else.
"You won't," Celestia said softly, stepping closer. Her voice had softened just enough to be terrifying in a different way—like a knife coated in silk. "As long as you remain under me, you are safe."
Li Mei blinked, staring up at the impossibly tall, impossibly commanding figure. "Safe? With all due respect, Your Majesty… every time I stand near you, I feel like I've entered the final boss room of a video game."
Celestia's brow arched. "Final boss?"
"Uh—it means you're… really powerful. And scary. And impressive!" Li Mei added quickly, because 'terrifyingly beautiful, soul-freezing' didn't exactly roll off the tongue.
For a long, unbearable moment, Celestia simply stared. The silence stretched, folding around Li Mei like a vice. Then, unexpectedly, the Empress laughed. Soft, low, like bells ringing in the dark. "Strange girl," she murmured.
Li Mei's cheeks flamed. Strange was better than dead, so she'd take it.
Celestia turned gracefully, her long hair gliding like liquid silver. "Finish the scrolls. At dawn, you will accompany me to court."
Li Mei's jaw nearly hit the floor. "C-court?! The one with all the nobles who look like they'd eat me alive for breakfast? That court?"
"Yes," Celestia said, glancing back with a faint glint of amusement. "Consider it your next test."
[Ding! New Quest: Survive the Imperial Court. Objective: Avoid humiliating yourself in front of the Emperor and the nobles. Reward: +100 XP, Favor with Empress Celestia. Failure: Possible execution.]
Li Mei collapsed against the scrolls, the weight of it all pressing her down. "I hate this game."
[The game hates you back.]
Hours later, after her brain had liquefied from bureaucracy and her back ached from kneeling over scrolls, Li Mei had learned one undeniable truth: survival wasn't about strength, cleverness, or luck—it was about timing, reading the room, and praying the celestial-level NPCs found her amusing enough to stay alive.
By the time dawn's first light crept through the palace windows, Li Mei was already exhausted, but there was no time for rest. Celestia's orders were precise and absolute: accompany her to court, survive, and somehow avoid making a fool of herself—or worse.
The dressing room smelled of fresh silk and faint lavender, mixed with a lingering undertone of burnt incense from the night before. Li Mei tugged at the confines of her new maid attire, plain yet immaculate, the fabric stiff and scratchy against her skin. Her hair was pulled into a severe bun, secured so tightly that each strand felt like a tiny torture device.
"This is going to be my doom," Li Mei muttered under her breath, inspecting herself in the tall mirror. The reflection staring back was pale, wide-eyed, and trembling—but remarkably still standing. She massaged her temples. Focus, Li Mei. Remember: blend in, observe, survive.
Celestia's soft footsteps echoed in the room, pulling her attention upward. The Empress entered, radiating authority that made the air itself seem denser. Crimson silk, gold embroidery, and that silver hair cascading like moonlight over fire. Every inch of her presence screamed danger and command.
"Come," Celestia said, voice smooth and unwavering. "The court waits. And your performance begins the moment you step into the hall."
Li Mei swallowed, the lump in her throat as heavy as a stone. She followed, each step measured, her mind racing with everything she knew—and everything she didn't. Do not trip. Do not speak unless spoken to. Do not breathe too loudly. Do not, under any circumstances, think about that dumpling from last night.
The corridor leading to the court felt endless, lined with jade pillars and golden lanterns, sunlight refracting through the carved lattice to scatter patterns across the polished marble. Courtiers passed with hushed whispers, casting sideways glances at Li Mei that prickled like tiny electric shocks against her skin. She kept her gaze down, memorizing every sneer, every lifted brow, every folded fan that could hide a dagger.
Finally, the Grand Court Hall came into view. The room was vast, cavernous, and lined with nobles glittering in silks, jewels flashing with every subtle motion. The floor was polished until it reflected the intricate latticework of the ceiling. Incense curled lazily through the air, mingling with the scent of perfumed nobles and polished wood.
At the far end sat the Emperor, stern and unreadable, robes deep blue embroidered with dragons in flight. His expression was carved from stone, and Li Mei felt instantly like a mouse stepping into the lion's den. A few courtiers whispered, eyes flicking toward the plain maid trailing behind Celestia. They're measuring me. Judging me. Deciding whether I am amusing enough to keep or ignoble enough to discard.
Crown Prince Jianyu lounged near the Emperor, dark eyes glinting with amusement—or menace—like a predator enjoying the scent of panic. Each time his gaze brushed over Li Mei, it made her chest tighten, stomach flutter, and hands tremble just slightly. Focus. Do not faint. Do not vomit. Do not think about vomiting.
Celestia glided forward, robes trailing behind her, her every movement precise and calculated. She spoke with soft authority, her voice echoing across the hall. Ministers argued about grain taxes, generals thundered about border skirmishes, and nobles whispered rumors about each other, the sound swelling into a chorus of tension.
Li Mei kept her head low, trying to appear invisible, yet every instinct screamed that she was far from invisible. The system chimed faintly in her mind.
[Warning: Host has attracted unwanted attention from 14 nobles, 3 concubines, and 1 assassin in disguise.]
"One assassin?" she hissed silently.
[Yes. Have fun.]
She shivered, feeling the invisible weight of gazes she could not name. Every flicker of silk, every curl of hair, every whispered breath around her was potential danger. She reminded herself: Observe, memorize, survive.
Then Jianyu's voice cut smoothly across the room, soft but laced with pointed amusement.
"And what of your new maid, Mother?" His words carried like silk laced with poison. "She seems… unusually close to you."
Every head swiveled. Li Mei's heart skipped a beat. Oh no. Too many eyes. Too many eyes. She wanted to melt into the marble floor.
Celestia's response was a razor's edge of control. "My maid is diligent. That is all."
Jianyu's lips curved. "Diligent enough to be brought here? Or perhaps she serves another purpose?" His gaze glittered, daring, teasing.
Li Mei's knees threatened to buckle. Her thoughts scrambled. She serves another purpose? She's not supposed to serve a purpose, just survive!
But Celestia's aura flared, suffocating and precise, silencing the room like a bell struck once and perfectly. "You concern yourself too much with a servant, Jianyu. Shall I remind you of your duties?"
The Crown Prince smirked, bowing his head, but his amusement lingered in the air like a venomous perfume. "Of course, Mother."
Li Mei exhaled shakily, clutching her sleeve, feeling the first real taste of relief—and the second wave of terror as she realized: surviving the Empress's favor, avoiding the Crown Prince's intrigue, and remaining unseen by the hungry nobles would require every ounce of wit, caution, and ridiculous luck she possessed.
She wasn't just a maid anymore. She was a piece on the palace chessboard.
And in this palace, pieces broke before they ever won.