Lin Rui had no real reason to still be wearing the Ruhan disguise.
For days now, he had done nothing but play the role of the eunuch, deliberately avoiding court and practically shoving Arkan to deal with the ministers, councils, petitions, and all the boring duties of a Great Khan.
Today was no different.
He had been hovering around her all day, appearing just often enough for her to notice, and staying long enough to be dismissed.
Again.
She had barely looked at him this time. A cold single glance was all he got before she waved him away as if he were nothing more than another passing servant.
Still angry, he thought grimly.
He didn't blame her. He just didn't know how to fix it.
By the time he reached the outer gate of the Khan's quarters, his mood had sunk into something heavy and tired. The wing was quiet, guarded as always by two soldiers standing at attention.
And someone else was there.
Lady Naram stood before the gates, her posture elegant but rigid, one hand clenched tightly at her side. She was speaking to the guards in a low voice, but edged with irritation.
"I am not asking," she said sternly. "I am informing you."
"With respect, my lady," one guard replied stiffly, "no one may enter without the Khan's permission."
Her jaw tightened. "I am his betrothed."
"His Majesty is not within the quarters at present," the guard explained.
Naram exhaled sharply through her nose, clearly at the end of her patience.
"You're lying," she snapped. "I've checked everywhere. This is the only place he could be."
Lin Rui slowed, then stopped a short distance away.
Great, he thought. Just what I need.
He stepped forward anyway.
"What seems to be the issue?" he asked, keeping his tone neutral.
Naram turned at once. Her irritation paused when she looked at him properly. The eunuch's robes, the calm posture, the face she had apparently not paid much attention to before.
"And you are…?" she asked.
"My lady," Lin Rui said, offering a shallow bow. "I am Ruhan. The eunuch assigned to this wing."
Recognition flickered across her face.
"Oh," she said slowly. Then her gaze sharpened with interest. "So you're the one."
He almost resisted the urge to ask. "The one?"
A faint smile curved her lips. "The handsome eunuch the noble ladies keep whispering about. I didn't realize until now."
Her eyes lingered on him without shame, traveling from his face to his posture and back again, as if appraising an object.
"You're… not unpleasant to look at," she added, as if offering a casual compliment.
Lin Rui kept his expression blank, though part of him shivered at the comment.
She turned back to the guards, clearly done with him. "I need to see the Khan."
He already knew that. He also knew exactly why he didn't want to deal with this.
Still, he said evenly, "May I ask the purpose of your visit, my lady?"
Her gaze snapped back to him, sharp with offense. "Do you not know who I am?"
"I do," Lin Rui replied calmly. "But protocol still applies."
"I am his betrothed," Naram said coldly. "If I wish to see my future husband, you cannot stop me."
Watch me, he thought dryly.
Outwardly, he inclined his head. "Very well. Allow me to inform His Majesty."
Before she could respond, he turned and slipped through the guards.
There was no Khan inside. There hadn't been all afternoon. Lin Rui waited just long enough to make the lie believable. When he returned, Naram straightened up, waiting for his news.
"My apologies, my lady," he said calmly. "His Majesty is resting and does not wish to see anyone. He has instructed that he will receive you tomorrow."
Her lips pressed together. She clearly didn't like it. But after a moment, she nodded.
"Very well," she said. "I can wait one night."
Relief barely had time to settle before she added, "Actually… eunuch. Come with me."
Lin Rui blinked. "Me?"
"Yes," she said, already turning away. "I want tea. You will serve it."
He stared at her back for a heartbeat.
"I—"
"You are the Khan's eunuch," Naram continued smoothly. "And I will be the Khan's wife. The future Khatun." She glanced over her shoulder with sharp eyes. "If you do not wish to find yourself on my bad side later, you will follow."
Lin Rui exhaled through his nose.
Why are all the women in this palace so hard to handle?
He followed her, reluctantly.
Next time I write a story, I'm banning women.
The pavilion was not far, quiet, and shaded. Lin Rui prepared the tea himself and returned to serve her like she asked. He poured the tea, stepped back, and remained standing.
Naram watched him over the rim of her cup.
"You attend the Khan closely," she said. "Tell me, what does he like?"
Oh, we're doing this now?
Lin Rui didn't miss a beat, pulling a generic list of "noble virtues" out of thin air.
"What does he dislike?"
More fabrication. He served up a few harmless pet peeves, anything to keep her away from the truth. He barely had time to finish a sentence before she asked another question.
"What sort of woman suits him, do you think?"
He deflected, pivoting to talk about the Khan's "dedication to the state".
But the questions were narrowing now.
"Has he ever been close to anyone?"
"No," Lin Rui said easily. "His Majesty does not form such attachments."
Her gaze lingered on him. She was not convinced.
Eventually, the conversation drifted where he had known it would.
"The Hua princess," Naram said lightly. "How familiar is he with her?"
"Not at all," Lin Rui replied. "She is the Grand Prince's wife. There is no reason for the Khan to be near her."
Naram laughed softly.
"You attendants are foolish," she said. "You never truly know what your masters are doing. And you claim to be his closest?"
Lin Rui smiled faintly. Inside, panic sparked.
Is it that obvious? Great. Now I've even made it look like the Khan is interested in her.
Naram took another sip of tea. "It hardly matters. Lian Zhi will not concern me much longer."
Lin Rui's attention sharpened.
"She has Kabil to deal with her," Naram continued calmly. "And from what I hear, he is likely on his way to 'discipline' her even now."
The air in the pavilion suddenly felt too cold. The word "discipline" woke up something inside him.
"I beg your pardon, my lady?" Lin Rui asked, hoping she didn't mean what he thought she meant.
She raised a brow. "You heard me." She paused, taking another sip of tea before continuing. "He is about to make her understand her position."
A weight suddenly dropped on him. The crushing realization that his own plot was moving without him.
"Forgive me, my lady," he said abruptly, already stepping back. "I've just remembered something I must attend to."
Naram frowned. "We are not finished."
"I apologize."
"Eunuch!" she snapped. "Do not defy me—"
He left the pavilion anyway, her angry voice fading behind him. He didn't even realize he was walking faster until he was almost running. The hallways became a blur as his thoughts moved much faster than his feet.
When he reached the corridor outside Lian Zhi's quarters and saw her door ahead, his sane mind finally caught up with him.
You're interfering again.
He slowed, then stopped.
This is the story you wrote, he told himself. She's just a character, not real. She's just a plot device.
He turned halfway back.
Don't get involved.
Then—
A scream tore through the corridor. The scream that did not sound like a plot device.
Lin Rui's body moved before his mind could argue.