Chapter 18: Quiet Calculations and Gloved Hands

The court did not rejoice.

There were whispers, of course—some so faint they never left silk sleeves, others passed with exaggerated subtlety across fans at evening court. Sera's engagement to Prince Zhaoren was official now, and that meant her status was no longer just novelty or curiosity—it was power, soon to be legitimized by marriage and alliance.

Not everyone approved.

"She's foreign," Lady Biran muttered behind a veiled smile. "The prince might marry her, but he'll never accept her blood."

"That's precisely why she was chosen," replied Dowager Concubine Rui with a tilt of her head. "To temper him. Or expose him."

The court, after all, played both sides of the board.

But Sera moved quietly through the palace, dressed now in pale rose robes trimmed with gold—the colors of a bride-in-waiting. Her back straightened with practice, her tongue sheathed like a blade tucked under silk. She had learned to bow at the right moments and hold her gaze when necessary. She was becoming a figure, not a girl.

Meanwhile, deeper in the inner court, Meiqi stood at the Emperor's side again.

It was her third visit this week—summoned without reason, dismissed without explanation. She had grown used to the shadows behind the throne room, to the way the Emperor's fingers rested lightly on the carved arms of his seat as he listened to ministers with half his attention.

But today, he looked at her longer than usual.

"You've learned to walk like you belong here," he said quietly.

Meiqi bowed. "I am learning, Your Majesty."

"Good." His gaze turned toward the latticework window, where spring sunlight filtered in, casting golden lattices across the floor. "This palace has no room for those who wait too long to claim their place."

She felt his words settle like weight across her collarbones. Not affection—but approval. Not invitation—but recognition.

Later, as she passed through the side corridor, she heard her name spoken behind folded paper.

"Have you heard?" murmured one court lady. "The Emperor refused to give her to the Crown Prince. Said she was 'better placed by his side.'"

"She's not even noble-born."

"No. She's something more dangerous—useful."

Meiqi didn't pause. Let them whisper. Let them wonder.

She had never asked to be chosen. She had only learned how to stay.