Back in the Khan's courtyard, the body remained where it was.
Lin Rui stood beside it, the silver iron hiding the anguish spreading across his face. Sometimes, he was glad he was wearing a mask.
Only when the doors were closed did he exhale slowly, and the tension on his shoulder loosened a little.
"Take care of it," he said to the guards. "Bury him properly. Mark the tomb."
"With what name?" one of them asked.
Lin Rui paused for a long moment, unable to find the strength to say the name.
"Ruhan."
The guards bowed and moved to obey, carrying the lifeless body away. When they were gone and the courtyard emptied, Arkan turned to him.
"Are you certain this is the right move?"
Lin Rui remained silent for a moment. "It is the best move."
Arkan couldn't tell if he was convincing himself or him.
"For her?" Arkan pushed again, "Or for you?"
Lin Rui looked at the empty space where the body had been, then he looked away just as quickly. "For both."
Arkan studied him carefully. He did not argue, but neither did he look convinced.
"As you say, Your Majesty."
Lin Rui knew his answers did not satisfy Arkan, and he couldn't blame him. He himself was not sure either. But the first step of Ruhan's death had already been set into motion. There's no turning back.
Now came the aftermath.
Ruhan could not just simply die. There has to be a reason, an explanation. Something that could feed the rumors without confirming the truth.
Lin Rui knew this. He had written enough tragedies to understand that a death was never the end of a plot. It was a trigger of something else.
To ensure that Ruhan's disappearance remained clean, unquestioned, and free of unnecessary friction, there had to be a second stage.
Kabil.
He had to be the villain of this moment, but he also had to remain untouchable.
He walked toward his brother's residence without an entourage or any announcement. The guards stiffened when they saw him approach. They bowed low at once.
Kabil's chambers were alive in the careless way they always were. The exact same indulgent mess he had seen yesterday as Ruhan. Wine cups scattered across low tables, music drifting lazily from somewhere unseen. Women laughed softly as Lin Rui entered, their voice fading the moment they noticed who stood at the threshold.
When he noticed the room went silent, Kabil looked up from his bed, a cup of wine paused halfway to his lips. Seeing his brother standing on his door, something sharp flickered in his eyes.
Lin Rui knew it instantly. Panic.
But Kabil quickly hid it away, replaced by a lazy smile.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Kabil set the cup aside and raised slowly to his feet, "of my brother's visit?"
Lin Rui stepped inside. Under the mask, his expression was unreadable. But his rigid posture carried a presence enough to drain the color from the room. The servants and companions bowed low, suddenly very aware of how little they belonged there. They exchanged glances as if trying to decide whether to stay or to flee.
"I think you know why I'm here."
"You look displeased," Kabil flicked his hand to order his concubines to disperse, and they fled the room without hesitation. "Has something upset you?" He then sat on one of the wooden chairs and gestured to his brother to sit across him.
Lin Rui did not take the offer and remained standing.
"One of my attendants is dead," he said.
"Is that so?"
Kabil reached for a jar and poured himself a cup of drink, his movements slow and sloppy. Lin Rui could not tell if it was from the wine or from the nervousness that he would be caught with blood on his hand.
"Ruhan."
The name made Kabil flinch, just slightly, but Lin Rui caught it.
"Your servant? That is unfortunate." He tilted his head. "But hardly my concern."
Lin Rui took a step closer. "I am here because I wish to know if you had any involvement in it."
Kabil forced a laugh. "Are you accusing me, brother?"
"I am asking you."
Kabil spread his hands. "Then allow me to answer plainly. No. I had nothing to do with it." He gestured vaguely around the room. "As you can see, I have been occupied."
"You expect me to believe that?"
Before Kabil could reply, one of the guards stepped forward. He was one of Arkan's men, placed carefully, long before this moment. The executioner himself.
"Your Majesty," the guard said, bowing deeply. "We have confirmed the circumstances of the death."
Lin Rui turned to him slowly. "Speak."
"The eunuch Ruhan was attacked outside the palace walls at dawn," the guard continued. "We believed it was the work of bandits."
"Bandits? In daylight?" Kabil shook his head dramatically. "Truly unfortunate. It seems even your servants are not safe beyond the palace."
Lin Rui said nothing at first. He let the silence stretch, let doubt linger just long enough to feel real.
"You are certain?" he asked the guard.
"Yes, Your Majesty. We have witnesses who survived, and they confirmed this. Unfortunately, the attackers fled."
Kabil leaned back against the chair, folding his arms. "You see? A tragic accident." His lips curved faintly. "I was here all night. Surrounded by companions. I had no reason to involve myself with your servant."
Lin Rui's eyes locked onto his brother's.
"If I discover," he said calmly, "that you were behind this, you will not live to see another sunrise."
The threat was not loud, because it did not need to be.
Kabil's smile stiffened, just slightly. "You wound me, brother. To think you would suspect me so easily."
"I suspect everyone," Lin Rui replied. "Especially those who think themselves untouchable."
For a moment, the air between them felt tight enough to snap.
Then Lin Rui straightened.
"Very well," he said. "If this was the work of bandits, then that is where the matter ends."
Kabil inclined his head, smiling. "I am glad we understand each other."
Lin Rui turned and walked away without another word.
Behind him, Kabil watched until the doors closed. The sound of his laughter followed Lin Rui through the corridor.
"What a fool," he whispered to the empty hall. He wasn't sure if he meant Kabil, or himself.
The second stage was complete.
This was it, he told himself.
Next came the final arc. The last stretch of the narrative.
Everything was already in motion. Every thread had been pulled into place exactly as he had written it, only with a few necessary adjustments.
And most importantly, Princess Lian Zhi had stayed where she belonged.
The wedding would take place, and the revolt would follow.
Then Princess Lian Zhi would die.
But before that… Arkan.
The thought struck deeper than he expected. It was so physical, so real, that he had to stop and lean against the stone wall. He couldn't breathe.
They were the only two people in this world he had come to care for. Not as characters, but as real presences in this dream of his. Lian Zhi, with her stubborn love and quiet bravery. And Arkan, who had been loyal and followed him without ever demanding the truth.
A lover and a brother.
They would be sacrificed.
Because the story demanded it. Because this world was not built to keep them alive, and he was not here to save them.
Because with Arkan's death, the Chancellor's revolt would be easier to carry out.
Because with Lian Zhi's death, Shen Han would have a reason to attack.
The war would burn through the land exactly as it was always meant to be.
The story would end.
And then,
He would go home.