Xiao Zhi followed beside Kabil through the long corridor of the palace, each step feeling heavier than the last. Her cheekbone throbbed beneath the thick layer of makeup the maids had tried to pat on her bruises, and although Ruhan's ointment had lessened the swelling, nothing could completely erase the harsh marks left on her skin.
Certainly not the cosmetics of this world.
Whenever sunlight cut across her face, she wondered if it revealed more than she wanted. The faint purple shadows around her eyes, the slight split on her lower lip, and the discoloration spreading across her cheek.
Kabil walked with effortless confidence beside her, as if the night before had been a pleasant memory rather than an act of cruelty. His hands were folded neatly behind his back, posture straight, chin lifted. And every few steps, he glanced at her. An unspoken warning glittered in his eyes.
Say the wrong thing, and you will regret it.
Xiao Zhi swallowed, focusing on her breath as they approached the Khatun Dowager's receiving pavilion.
The Dowager seated on a raised platform, her face stern but composed. Khatun Dowager looked every bit the regal matriarch of a powerful empire.
She lifted her gaze as they entered, her expression unreadable.
"Ah," she said, voice thin but clear. "The newlyweds."
Kabil bowed low and Xiao Zhi followed as well. "Greetings to the Khatun Dowager." They both said in unison.
Kabil then turned to her with a smile so sharp it made her blood run cold. His hand slid behind her back. Not touching, but hovering, reminding her of his ownership.
Reminding her of the consequences.
Khatun Dowager gestured for them to sit.
"Princess Lian Zhi," she began, "How was the wedding night? I trust the night went… smoothly?"
Her brows lifted, just slightly.
Xiao Zhi froze.
Doesn't she see my face…?
Even with makeup covering most of it, the swelling was visible. The bruising pressed faintly beneath the powder. And yet the Dowager looked straight at her without pause, without narrowing her eyes, without the slightest flicker of surprise.
As if bruises like these were a normal part of the wedding-night report.
Kabil's fingers brushed her back. A subtle pressure, a warning.
Xiao Zhi inhaled.
"Yes," she said softly. "Everything went well."
Khatun Dowager smiled.
A thin, small, polite thing.
Xiao Zhi's heart sank.
She knows.
She must know. The makeup wasn't good enough to hide everything. No one with eyes could look at her and pretend nothing was wrong.
So why didn't she ask?
Why didn't she care?
Unless…They all know. They all expect this. They all accept it.
A chill crawled up the back of her neck.
She's his mother. She must approve. Does that mean the Khan approves too? Is the entire royal family, the whole palace, lined up against me?
The realization squeezed the air from her lungs.
A servant stepped forward, placing a tray in front of them. Two porcelain cups sat atop it, filled with steaming tea. Kabil stepped up first, took one cup, and offered it to the Dowager with a smooth bow.
"May Mother live long and be blessed," he said.
The Dowager accepted with a nod.
Xiao Zhi took the second cup, hands trembling despite her effort to steady them. She bowed and offered it carefully.
The Dowager accepted with the same neutral composure, sipping silently before placing both cups back on the tray.
And that was it.
The rest of the meeting dissolved into polite conversation. Bland remarks about the weather, unnecessary comments about the upcoming royal banquet, vague acknowledgments of Xiao Zhi's new position. Everything was formal, predictable…
…And completely fake
When the meeting ended and they began walking back toward the exit, Xiao Zhi exhaled softly, her shoulders aching from tension.
She barely had time to gather her thoughts before Kabil leaned close, his breath against her ear.
"You did well," he murmured. "Keep doing well. Remember your place."
His hand clamped down on her wrist for the briefest moment. Just long enough to hurt, to remind, to warn, before he released her.
She flinched.
But he had already straightened, his face shifting into something charming as he strode forward.
High-pitched laughter echoed from the hallway ahead.
Three concubines approached, dressed in vibrant silks and dripping with jewelry. Their eyes lit up when they saw Kabil. Gleaming with the kind of excitement Xiao Zhi knew too well from brothels in period dramas and novels.
"Prince Kabil," one giggled. "You're already up this early?"
"Only because the Dowager summons," he replied smoothly, smile turning warm.
The women blushed, exchanging looks dripping with desire and familiarity. Xiao Zhi watched with a hollow sort of amusement.
So this is the real Kabil, huh?
Cruel, abusive, and a shameless flirt.
Of course.
This was exactly the character she'd read about. The mask had cracked yesterday. Now she was simply seeing the rest of him.
Kabil barely glanced her way before he waved a hand casually.
"You may return on your own," he said. "I have business."
Business, her ass.
He walked away with the concubines in tow, their laughter floating down the corridor like poisoned perfume.
Xiao Zhi huffed out a bitter laugh.
"Figures."
She turned toward her own path, accompanied by two palace maids who had been assigned to her earlier. They walked quietly, eyes down, respectful but distant. Xiao Zhi couldn't blame them, they were servants too. No room for loyalty in a place like this.
They descended a stone stairway when something, someone, caught her attention ahead.
A procession.
A line of guards in dark armor. A man in a long, shadow-black robe. His mask glinted under the morning sun. A sharp, intimidating piece of craftsmanship shaped like a predatory bird of prey. Even from a distance, he dominated the space the moment he arrived.
The Khan.
He's even scarier in daylight…
Xiao Zhi stiffened immediately. The maids bowed deeply, whispering for her to do the same. She almost tripped in her hurry to lower herself in a respectful bow.
"Your Majesty," she murmured.
Silence.
The temperature seemed to drop as the Khan paused in front of her. His mask hid his expression entirely, but the weight of his gaze was unmistakable. It felt like invisible fingers clasping her chin, forcing her to stay still.
Then…he lifted a hand.
Arkan, his second-in-command, stepped forward holding a wooden box.
"This is the wedding gift from the Great Khan to you," Arkan announced, voice loud enough for nearby guards to hear.
Xiao Zhi blinked.
A gift?
From him?
She opened her mouth, closed it again, then finally found her voice.
"T-thank you, Your Majesty."
The Khan didn't respond. Didn't speak. Didn't linger.
He simply turned and continued forward, entourage following behind him in disciplined silence.
Xiao Zhi watched him pass, wide-eyed.
"Okay," she muttered once he was out of earshot. "That was weird."
A terrifying man gave her a present.
Nothing in her expectations prepared her for that.
They resumed walking. Her heart hammered against her ribs, but not from fear this time. More from confusion. Uncertainty. The plot was twisting again, spiraling in directions she didn't understand.
Once she reached her chamber, she dismissed the maids and placed the box on her table.
Carefully, she lifted the lid.
Inside were two items:
A small jade token, shaped like a leaf with a single unfamiliar Tughril character engraved in the middle.
And a porcelain jar.
Her breath caught.
It looked exactly like the one Ruhan used earlier.
Her fingers trembled as she lifted it out. She opened the lid. The same herbal scent drifted out, cool and faintly floral.
No way…
Did the Khan… know?
Did he know what happened last night?
Did he see her bruises?
Had someone reported it to him?
If he knew, why wasn't he siding with Kabil? Why did he give her a medicine?
Was this… compassion?
Her heart pounded as the questions swirled.
He's part of the same terrifying family. Isn't he supposed to be another villain? Another monster? Another plot device there just to make her life miserable?
But instead…
He gave her this.
A jade token.
A healing ointment.
A gesture of acknowledgment.
Recognition.
Or something else entirely.
"What are you…" she whispered to herself. "What is this story even doing anymore?"
She slumped forward, covering her face with her hands.
"Lin Rui… I swear…" she groaned. "I must've underestimated you. Plot twist after plot twist… what are you planning now?"
The room stayed silent.
But the story?
The story was just beginning to unravel.