Eunuch Song glanced back at the man following him, tilting his head slightly as he thought.
The boy has a lot going on. If he gets too close and all this falls on him… what if he's exactly what Meiylin said, and he gets close to the Emperor? Then the Empire will fall into the wrong hands. It's better to act recklessly now than regret later.
He smirked to himself.
"He may not be of much help now, but later, he might be of greater use," he murmured more to himself, then turned back toward the wooden gate.
"Let him in," he ordered.
Nim frowned. "Why did you let me in? Aren't you afraid I might harm the Emperor?"
Song smirked. "You're afraid of death, and besides, you're no match for him. Second floor, on your left."
Nim eyed the eunuch with suspicion. He had denied him entry at first, why the sudden change?
"What do you need in exchange?" Nim asked.
"You do you," Song replied casually as he walked away without looking back.
He had granted Nim entry despite knowing the Emperor despised him more than the devil himself. And nd he had even told him exactly where to go. Wasn't that the same as sending him to his death? Nim doubted the man's motives, but he was no longer the timid boy he once was. He knew what he wanted now, and he would not waver.
He stepped into the quiet inn. The air was thick and still, the place unnervingly clean like hell itself. Guards stood stationed at every corner, yet none stopped him as he made his way to the stairs. It felt strange, almost staged, but perhaps they knew that if he wasn't wanted here, he would never have passed the gate in the first place.
"Brother Jing! Open this door, please!"
The voice came from the empty hall. Nim turned toward the sound, it came from a locked door on the right. But he was told to go left. Still, he could clearly hear muffled sobs from behind that door. The guards eyed him suspiciously, hands resting on their swords, but made no move to stop him.
Nim walked to the door where he had heard pleas and unlocked it.
"You..!" Han Ying was the first to burst out, followed by Princess Yura, who stared at Nim in surprise.
"Are you the doctor? The one Yunxi was dying to meet?" Yura asked.
Nim looked at them both, he recognized their faces from when they had been with Yunxi. He bowed, and they returned the gesture.
"Why are you here?" Yura asked as he looked around then as if she remembered "Brother Yunxi.." she echoed, but she stopped herself and hurried down the hall, looking for him.
When she reached the guarded room, she flashed a gold badge in the guard's face.
"She is Princess Yurang of the Yan-Bei Kingdom. Let her in," Han Ying said firmly.
But the guards didn't move. Their expressions remained cold and unreadable.
One of them turned to Nim. "And you? Are you not going to introduce yourself?"
Nim hesitated, glancing around before answering. "I'm here to save a friend. I wish to have a word with the Emperor." He clasped his hands and bowed respectfully at the name he had just spoken of.
"And you are…?" the guard pressed.
Before Nim could answer, Yura snapped, "He's the doctor! One of the Emperor's people! Do the citizens now need your permission to see their Emperor?"
Her anger didn't move them.
"Never heard of him," one of the guards said coldly, then bowed slightly toward the princess. "As for Your Highness, the Emperor will not be seeing you now. I advise you to return to your room. Your acquaintance will be in trouble if they fail to make you obey the orders given to you."
His last words were directed pointedly at Han Ying.
"How dare you threaten her! I..." Han Ying began, but a deep voice interrupted her.
"Let them in."
The command silenced everyone.
The guards immediately opened the door, revealing the scene inside.
Yura's eyes widened, Yunxi was pinned to the floor by a soldier, one arm twisted painfully behind his back. She rushed in, stopping short when she saw the Emperor standing by the window, his back turned. He said nothing, but his presence was overpowering. The kind of aura that warned everyone not to act rashly.
Nim followed her inside and froze when he met Yura's tearful eyes. She wanted to speak, to plead, to change this man's mind, but what could she possibly say? Fear choked her words before they could leave her throat. Although she had thought she could do something, right now wasn't that time. She too knew how muchbof a monster the Emperor could become when provoked.
"So many followers," the Emperor murmured, his voice low and cold. "They all follow you like dogs."
He turned his head, gaze landing on Yunxi.
Yunxi lifted his face from the floor and glanced at his unexpected companions. He hadn't called for any of them… and yet, his eyes lit up when they fell on one face...Nim Si, the doctor.
It was as if he had seen his savior, the person he had been waiting for all this time. The person he had travelled miles for and failed to meet had brought himself at the time he needed him most. But needing him didn't mean he was supposed to be here.....infront of the man who despised him most, the Emperor. Was he tired of his life?
Han Ji let out a sound....a laugh, or perhaps something darker as his eyes flicked between Yunxi and Nim. Yunxi suddenly remembered that Han Ji had been staring at him all along. When he turned to look, he saw the Emperor's face twist with something shadowy and unreadable.
Han Ji began walking toward them, his boots thundering softly against the polished floor until he stood before the princess. His hand reached out, first tracing her cheek, then her jawline, and finally resting at her neck.
He smirked.
"Why are you here?" His tone was low, dangerous. "You should be preparing for your wedding."
The touch that had started as a caress became a grip, not enough to hurt, but enough to remind her of her place.
Yura stared at her so called fiancé's face. She knew how cruel he could be. Anyone who had spent time near Han Ji knew the kind of monster he truly was. She understood her limits and the boundaries she dared not cross.
God, she was terrified. He could strangle her in one go.
"You should be practicing how to please me," he said darkly. "Did you bring an instructor?"
"What?" she whispered, confused and humiliated.
He smiled coldly. "I received one when I was thirteen. Your father must have wanted me well-trained....for you. Her eyes looked at all the people around, then they landed on Yunxi who had locked his at the Emperor.
Angry.
He too was hearing this kind of conversation. She felt a sting anger in chest, but could she possibly do? We'll continue this conversation when i return to the capital. Now, leave my sight."
His words were as cruel as his nature.
Yura wanted to run, but her heart ached for Yunxi. She had come to rescue him, but she couldn't.
Before she reached the doorway, the Emperor's voice stopped her.
"Make sure you come to me before I do as soon as I reach the capital."
She turned back, shocked, but he didn't even glance at her.
Instead, his eyes landed on Han Ying, who was kneeling on the floor, trembling. "You!" he snapped, irritation lacing his tone.
Han Ying didn't respond until one of the guards kicked her legs, forcing her upright. Her face was streaked with tears. She didn't dare look up at the man who loomed over them, his expression was sharp, his words like blades.
"Find Eunuch Song and take her to the capital," he ordered coldly.
With that, he dismissed them.