POV – The Seventh Prince
Li Wei's gaze flicked between Leena, Lady Jiang Ruolan, and the Empress Dowager.
Three women. Three very different chains around his heart.
He forced a smile he didn't feel and took Jiang Ruolan's hand, guiding her toward the Empress.
"You will be safer near Imperial Mother," he said, voice smooth and detached.
Leena froze for half a second.
Safe. Polite. Gentle.
Not at all like the man who had thrown her out of the palace, who fought Bao Wen like she was an object, who ordered her life without hesitation.
Her chest burned.
Without a word, she turned her back on him and walked away, skirts swaying with icy determination.
She slipped into the shadow of the pillars where Chen Yu and Maya waited.
Li Wei's jaw tightened.
He had taken two steps toward her—
When Bao Wen stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
"Let her go." Bao Wen said evenly.
His posture was calm, but his dark eyes dared the prince to challenge him.
Li Wei's voice chilled the air.
"Who are you? It's the first time we've met…"
Bao Wen's lips curved into a subtle, knowing smile.
"I didn't know His Highness had such… a fragile memory."
For a moment, silence pulsed between them like a drawn bowstring.
And then—
The heavy doors of the hall creaked open.
The royal physicians rushed inside, their green robes fluttering.
Leena immediately approached them, voice clear and professional despite the turmoil in her chest.
"Check the skin. There are strange marks—dark and spreading fast."
One physician knelt, pulling back the silk sleeve of a fallen dancer.
His face blanched.
"I know these marks…" he whispered.
"The Smallpox… we thought it was gone."
Gasps echoed through the hall.
The head physician strode toward Li Wei, bowing low.
"Your Highness, if this is truly the Smallpox, it cannot be contained within the palace walls.
We must move everyone to an open, airy space, far from the city…
Or the plague will awaken again."
The prince's hand clenched at his side.
Another disaster.
The grand hall fell silent as the prince's voice cut through the murmurs.
"We must all relocate immediately."
His gaze swept over the assembled nobles, servants, and guards.
"To the abandoned Westwood Estate — isolated, spacious, and secure."
A heavy pause.
"This is quarantine. None will leave until the smallpox is contained."
He glanced toward the Empress Dowager.
"The Imperial Mother will go to her own estate — for her safety and dignity." Whispers rippled through the crowd — fear, disbelief, and uncertainty.
Leena's heart pounded. This was only the beginning.
To be continued...