The throne hall — air heavy, but filled with a strange feeling.
Chen's footsteps echoed through the vast, cold chamber. He walked alone, accompanied only by the rhythm of his steps and a heartbeat whose owner was unclear — his, or the ministers who already suspected the purpose of this audience.
At the far end of the hall stood the Emperor of the Yi Dynasty. Upright, eyes sharp, robed in black and gold. In his hand was a scroll he had read three times, brow furrowed.
"Ninth Prince. Chen Lu Han."
Chen bowed.
"Presenting myself, Father. With one request."
He lifted his head. His gaze was calm, resolute… and as cunning as ever.
"I petition to be relieved of my status as a candidate for Crown Prince, and to be appointed permanent ambassador of the Yi Dynasty to the Kingdom of Medang."
Silence. The ministers glanced at one another. Some grew nauseous. Some panicked. Some waited for an outburst from the Emperor.
The Emperor said nothing. He only watched his ninth son — the boy who had always been hard to read, able to parse strategies, slip through wars, and compose political schemes as if crafting poetry… sometimes written in the blood of enemies.
"You know… if you stay here, you could overthrow every one of your brothers."
Chen smiled courteously.
"Yes, Your Majesty. But I am tired. I prefer to spend my life making the woman who slaps me for looking at another laugh every morning."
The Emperor inhaled deeply.
"What plan are you plotting now?"
Chen inclined his head.
"Of course, Father. But this time… not to seize the throne. Rather, to ensure I might live longer without slaughtering my kin."
"And… without watching Sri stab them first, right?"
Chen shrugged.
"If she stabs first, I won't have time to mop her blood from the floor, Your Majesty."
"I also ask that my marriage to Sri be legitimized by the state. Not merely a diplomatic symbol, but a marriage of two stubborn people… who refuse to find other partners."
"You intend to invite every noble and court official… to your wedding feast — even those foreign soldiers who once kicked a delegate from our Outer Council?"
Chen nodded proudly.
"And show everyone… that a sly man and a muscular woman can be the most peaceful couple in history."
The Emperor studied him for a long time. Then he rose, stepped slowly toward his ninth son — the one called "a social defect who is a political genius." He looked deep into Chen's eyes. Then… sighed, and shook his head.
"If I refuse, one by one my children will die attacking Sri. If I approve… I lose my finest strategist, and perhaps the deadliest prospective ruler I have ever had."
Chen smiled.
"A difficult choice, Father. But if I may choose, I wish… to be happy without burying my siblings."
The Emperor patted his shoulder.
"My answer… later. After the world shows whether your choice was right."
After Chen left… the Emperor smiled faintly.
When a minister approached,
"Your Majesty… will you let him go?"
The Emperor gazed toward the doorway.
"If he stays, all his brothers will die.
If he returns to Medang… our enemies could be exterminated from behind the kitchen doors."
He sighed again.
"And I think… the woman named Sri frightens me more than my entire army put together."