Lady Qian positioned herself directly in front of Shen, her posture regal and commanding as she unfurled the scroll in her hands.
"General Shen," she began, her voice carrying the crisp authority of noble breeding, "I reviewed your tactical corrections from last evening."
Her ice-blue eyes fixed on him with laser focus, completely bypassing Rui as if she were merely part of the furniture.
"Your analysis of the moisture patterns was remarkably astute. Few possess such... refined strategic insight."
Rui's fingers tightened imperceptibly around her fork, though her expression remained pleasantly amused. The casual dismissal stung more than she'd expected—as if her very presence at this table was inconsequential to the conversation.
Oh, how fascinating. Apparently I've become part of the furniture.
She forced a light laugh, taking another bite of starfruit as if Lady Qian's pointed ignorance was nothing more than an amusing oversight.
