That night, as darkness settled over the palace once more, Xiao Zhi waited.
She sat on the edge of the bed, her back straight, hands clasped tightly together in her lap. Her eyes never left the door.
Every minute dragged.
Every breath felt too loud.
She listened.
Footsteps passed by the corridor outside. Voices murmured and faded. Somewhere far away, laughter rang briefly, then died.
Her body remained tense.
He didn't come.
The realization hit her slowly.
Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Then an hour.
Relief washed through her so suddenly it made her dizzy. Her shoulders sagged, breath shuddering out before she could stop it. She pressed a hand to her chest, steadying herself.
Not tonight. Pheew
She lay down carefully, every muscle still tight, half-expecting the door to creak open the moment she closed her eyes. Sleep came in fragments, half dreaming, and she could still hear the sound outside even after she closed her eyes. But it was better than nothing.
The following night, the ritual repeated.
She waited.
The door stayed closed.
Her fear eased, just a little.
And then on the third night, the door burst open.
Not quietly. But deliberately loud.
It slammed against the wall with a loud thud, almost knocking over the table beside it.
Xiao Zhi flinched.
Kabil stumbled inside, almost tripping over the doorway. He grabbed the doorframe and cursed under his breath, moving slowly and unsteadily. The strong smell of alcohol filled the room at once.
He was far gone.
His robe slipped off one shoulder. His hair was messy, damp with sweat. His eyes were unfocused, struggling to look at her.
It took him a moment to even recognize her.
"You…" he said, swaying. "You thought you were lucky, didn't you?"
His words slurred together, each one dragging, clumsy, and incoherent.
Xiao Zhi's heart sank.
He walked closer, still stumbling, knocking his knee against the bed frame hard enough that a sober man would have winced. He didn't even react. Instead, he laughed before reaching out.
His fingers closed around her neck, grip rough but unsteady. Lacking its usual strength. Panic surged through her, but almost immediately, she felt it.
His grip was weak.
His hand trembled.
Kabil frowned, as if confused by his own weakness.
Then his knees buckled.
Without warning, he fell forward. His hand slipped away, and he crashed onto the floor with a heavy sound.
For one terrifying moment, Xiao Zhi thought he was pretending.
Then he didn't move.
She stood frozen, watching his chest rise and fall. She waited. Counted her breaths.
Nothing.
No sudden movement. No cruel laughter.
He was out cold.
A shaky sound escaped her lips. Half laugh. Half sob.
"So," she whispered, "the universe isn't completely heartless."
Her legs finally gave out. She sank onto the edge of the bed, hands trembling as the adrenaline drained from her system. For a long moment, she just sat there, staring at the unconscious man sprawled on the floor like discarded clothing.
He started to snore faintly.
The sound was almost ridiculous.
That night, Xiao Zhi slept.
Not the shallow, half-dreaming doze she'd grown used to. But real sleep. Heavy and deep. The sound of his snoring stayed in the background, harmless now, stripped of its power.
For the first time in a long while, she did not wake in fear.
Morning came.
Xiao Zhi woke slowly, warmth brushing against her eyelids. For a brief, disorienting moment, her body felt light, rested in a way it hadn't been in weeks. Then memory surged back.
She sat up quickly.
The first thing she saw was him.
Kabil lay sprawled on the floor beside the bed, exactly where he had fallen the night before. One arm was thrown awkwardly over his head, his robe tangled and half-open. His face looked pale, and his brows pinched together even in sleep.
He groaned.
The sound was low and rough, thick with pain.
A hangover, she realized. A bad one.
Her pulse spiked instinctively, but she forced herself to stay still, watching him carefully. He shifted slightly, then settled again. His breathing was heavy, uneven, laced with the faint sour smell of alcohol.
He wasn't waking yet.
Xiao Zhi moved.
Slowly, deliberately, she slid her feet onto the floor, careful not to make a sound. Every movement felt exaggerated in the quiet room. She gathered her robe, quickly tied her hair with shaking fingers, and took a single step back, then another.
Kabil didn't stir.
Only then did she allow herself a breath.
She crossed the room and stopped by the door. Her hand hovered there for a heartbeat before she called the maids that was waiting in front of her room.
"Attend the Prince," she said, keeping her voice calm, steady. "He drank too much last night."
The two servants' eyes flicked past her before they could stop themselves. One of them stiffened visibly at the sight of Kabil sprawled on the floor.
"Be careful," Xiao Zhi added, stepping aside. "He has a headache."
They nodded quickly and rushed in.
She didn't wait to watch.
"I need to report for my duties," she said lightly, "I'll return later."
No one stopped her. They were too busy making sure Kabil didn't wake up as they carefully guided his drunken body onto the bed.
The door closed behind her, and Xiao Zhi walked away.
Her steps were slow at first, controlled, her expression carefully neutral as she passed through the familiar corridors. Servants bowed unwillingly, as usual.
But with every step farther from that chamber, her chest loosened.
When she made sure she had walked far enough from her quarter, she finally stopped and let out a big sigh. The events of the night replayed again and again in her mind.
Drunk.
Passed out.
Motionless.
Her mind then remembered the small porcelain bottle restingon her desk.
A thought began to form.
Clear and calm.
If she could make him pass out like that… then she could protect herself.
Not forever.
Not escape.
But survive.
Her lips curved into a faint, bitter smile.
"Thank you," she murmured, not sure who she was addressing. The unknown helper, fate itself, or maybe even her past self. "For reminding me I still have a brain."
She wasn't strong.
She wasn't powerful.
But she was smart.
And smart people survived.
For the first time since entering this palace, Xiao Zhi wasn't just enduring.
She was planning.
Planning how to rewrite the story.
Planning how to survive.
Planning how to strike back.