The garden paths were quiet that afternoon. Rows of sturdy pines lined the pathway, trimmed shrubs dotted with flowers, and heavy stone pillars balancing the space like silent guards. To anyone else, it looked like a peaceful palace scene in a northern land. To Lin Rui, it just felt like a stage set he had designed himself, and today, he was forced to play the lead.
Lin Rui walked beside Lady Naram, his hands clasped firmly behind his back. His posture was flawless. The rigid, untouchable spine of a Khan. Every step, every pause, and every slight turn of his head matched the character profile he had written months ago in his computer.
He had set up this meeting with Lady Naram on purpose. He needed the distraction. More importantly, he needed to force himself back into the "correct" plot. This was what he was supposed to focus on: the engagement, the secret schemes, and the wedding.
The story had to move forward.
"The palace gardens are beautiful," Lady Naram said softly. "To be able to create this kind of beauty in our harsh land... it shows so much about your strength and power, Your Majesty."
Lin Rui gave a subtle nod and a brief hum in reply. He remembered writing a similar line for a minor character in Chapter 12. Or something like that, he couldn't remember exactly.
She continued speaking, her tone pleasant and perfectly designed for the setting. He answered her politely. Briefly. Correctly. Like a machine following a program.
And yet, his focus slipped.
Across the curved stone bridge, beyond a row of flowering trees, he saw a familiar figure.
A simple Tughril dress. A familiar, slightly messy hairpin. The figure paused mid-step, looking hesitant, caught between the urge to move forward and the instinct to flee.
The Princess of Hua.
The very person he had been trying to avoid, yet who occupied his mind nevertheless.
She was near the Khan's quarters... again.
Lin Rui slowed before he realized it.
Lady Naram followed his gaze. Her perfectly practiced smile shifted, thinning just slightly until it looked more like a blade than a greeting.
"Well," she said lightly, though the coldness in her eyes told a different story. "It seems Your Majesty's quarters attract a wide range of visitors. Even those who should perhaps be elsewhere."
The said visitor noticed them then.
For a brief second, her eyes widened, a flicker of raw panic crossing her face before she regained her composure and bowed.
"Your Majesty."
Her gaze flicked to Lady Naram, uncertainty passing over her face. Lin Rui felt the need to introduce his companion, if only to re-establish the boundaries.
"This is Lady Naram," he said, his voice level. "My betrothed."
The Princess's eyebrows jumped. She looked at Naram again, but this time with a look he couldn't quite decipher. It almost looked like... pity?
"My Lady," she greeted.
Lady Naram studied her. "It must take great strength to adapt so well after being reassigned."
The word slipped in easily. Too smooth to be accidental.
Lin Rui felt it land. His hand tightened behind his back, but he did nothing. He could not interfere. He must not. To defend her was to break the logic of the scene.
But then Naram continued. "Your Majesty is truly generous to allow the consort of another prince such freedom. Some might find such a lack of supervision... unconventional."
The air around Lin Rui seemed to grow colder. "She is not just another prince's consort. She is a guest of this palace."
The words left his mouth before he could stop them. He regretted it at once. It was a massive deviation. The Khan should not care about the status of a lowly consort. The Khan was supposed to be indifferent.
Lady Naram blinked. "Of course. I only meant—"
"She has done nothing improper," Lin Rui cut in. "Nor has she overstepped."
The garden fell silent. Even the wind seemed to stop rustling the trees. Princess Lian Zhi looked up sharply, her eyes searching his face, looking for the man beneath the Khan's cold exterior.
Lady Naram's composure faltered for a brief instant before she recovered. "I spoke only out of concern, Your Majesty."
"I am responsible for all matters within my palace," Lin Rui said, his eyes narrowing. "You need not worry yourself with the management of my guests."
Naram's composure faltered. Defending the Hua princess openly was unthinkable coming from the Great Khan.
"I understand," Naram said after a moment, bowing low. But the way she looked at Lian Zhi suggested this was far from over.
Lin Rui turned to the woman he knew as Lian Zhi. He needed to fix this. He needed to distance himself. He forced his voice to shift, making it colder, more resonant. More Khan, less Ruhan.
"Is there something you need, Princess Lian Zhi? Or are you simply lost?"
She hesitated, her lower lip trembling for a second. "I was only passing through. Forgive my intrusion."
She wanted to ask about Ruhan. He could see it in her eyes. But she did not. One did not ask the Great Khan about a servant.
"Very well," he said. "You may go."
She bowed again. "I shall return to my duties."
Duties?
"Wait."
She turned back.
"I have heard that certain concubines have assigned you menial work," Lin Rui said. "That will no longer happen. If anyone questions it, tell them it is by my order."
She froze. She studied his face, her head tilting slightly to the side.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," she said softly. "You are wiser than people say."
The word struck deeper than any insult. Lin Rui looked away, unable to meet her gaze. But what he truly missed was Naram's gaze lingering like she was memorizing her.
***
That night, the palace was unusually quiet.
Lin Rui stood at the edge of the shadowed corridor leading toward Lian Zhi's quarters. His steps slowed with every pace forward.
This was a mistake.
He knew it.
He had already crossed too many lines. Kissed her when he should not have. Stayed when he should have left. Coming here again, as Ruhan would only pull him further in.
But he couldn't shake the feeling of just wanting to see her, just wanting to explain everything. Running away, he realized, was not the best solution. In fact, it was cowardice. And even he, who never dealt with women, knew that.
But if he went to see her now, then it would break the wall that he tried so hard to build. Again.
He stopped.
If he turned back now, he could still call this a slip of the moment. He could retract, step back. He could make the right choice.
So he did, reluctantly. He took one step back.
Then another.
"…Ruhan?"
The voice was soft, barely a whisper.
Lin Rui froze.