Later that afternoon, Xiao Zhi was arranging the fresh flowers the gardeners had brought when she heard footsteps passing outside her courtyard. They weren't the heavy, disciplined steps of palace guards. These were uncertain, dragging, almost sulky.
She didn't think much of it until a figure lingered at the corridor corner.
"Prince Kabil?"
He stiffened immediately, as if caught in the act of trespassing. Slowly, reluctantly, he turned toward her. His eyes filled with the guilt of someone who had not intended to be seen, yet very much had been lurking there.
"Oh… Princess Lian Zhi." Kabil tried to sound casual, but the wounded pride in his voice gave him away.
Xiao Zhi stepped forward, then stopped. Something about his posture made her stomach tighten. Then she saw his face.
"Prince Kabil… your face." The words slipped out before she could stop them, a mix of concern and disbelief flickering in her eyes.
He lowered his head immediately, as if ashamed to have been caught like this. The right side of his cheek was swollen, red, and patterned by the cold ridges of the iron gauntlet that had struck him. The sight made her gasp involuntarily.
"It's nothing," he muttered quickly, but the trembling of his lips betrayed him.
"What happened?" Her brows knit together as worry prickled in her chest.
He sniffed softly, almost pitifully, not the kind of crying that demanded attention, but enough to stir sympathy.
"My brother… the Khan," He hesitated, as though even naming him could bring doom, "he… slapped me."
"What? Why would he…?" she asked in disbelief.
Kabil let out a heavy sigh, his jaw tightening as though trying to hold back the sting of both pain and humiliation. "He… wanted us to do a bride parade. But I found it humiliating, disgraceful for you. I… I refused." Kabil paused for a dramatic effect. "So he… slapped me."
"A bride parade?" Xiao Zhi frowned, unfamiliar with the term. The idea felt abstract at first, almost like a piece of ancient ceremony she had read about in books.
"Yes," Kabil replied. "He thinks it's not enough that Hua sent you as my bride as a peace offering. He wants to show Tughril's dominance over this alliance. He wants you paraded around in servant clothes."
Xiao Zhi's eyes widened. "Like… a public display?"
He nodded miserably, pressing the side of his swollen face with his fingers. "He says it's tradition. That you must show submission to Tughril. He doesn't care about your dignity at all. I tried… I really did, but I am powerless against him."
Xiao Zhi's heart twisted painfully at the thought.
A parade? Public humiliation?
Only then did she understand how dangerous the Khan was. He was cold, ruthless, and impossible to defy. Not Kabil, not even the Dowager, could stand against him. His word was law, and disobedience never went unpunished.
Yet… her mind, ever practical, began to work in quiet logic.
What did a parade really mean? Public humiliation, yes, but nothing compared to what the story had promised her.
She had prepared herself for torture, for betrayal, for death. Compared to that, walking the streets in servant clothes felt almost… manageable.
And now that Prince Kabil is not what she imagined he would be, what's the worst that could happen?
Xiao Zhi weighed the pros and cons in her mind, and then she made the decision.
She exhaled softly, letting the tension in her chest loosen slightly. "It's… okay. I'll do it." Her voice was quieter than she intended, but firm enough to hold Kabil's gaze.
Kabil looked up sharply, eyes wide with disbelief. "What?"
"I'll do it," she repeated. "If this parade will help the people accept me, if it keeps the peace, then I will do it."
"You will?" Kabil's shock was almost comical, though he quickly masked it with concern. "Princess Lian Zhi, this is degrading. I cannot—"
Xiao Zhi offered a faint, calm smile, though her fingers twitched slightly around her sleeves.
"It's fine," she said softly, despite the turmoil in her chest.
She had seen the Khan's ruthlessness with her own eyes. The mark still blooming on Kabil's cheek was proof enough. If a prince could be struck down so easily, what mercy would be shown to a foreign bride who dared to refuse? If she said no, the parade would not disappear. It would simply be replaced by something far worse.
At least this way, she chose the lesser pain.
"Are you sure?" Kabil almost smiled, then stopped himself. The worry in his eyes didn't fade.
"I am." Xiao Zhi tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and met his gaze. "If this is what it takes to keep the peace, to calm the people… then I'll do it."
He blinked at her, astonishment and admiration mingling on his features. His wide eyes slowly softened into a smile, the kind that almost reached his entire face, though a faint shadow of guilt lingered still. "You… truly are remarkable, Princess Lian Zhi."
Xiao Zhi allowed herself a single, fleeting smile, though her stomach twisted. Remarkable… or reckless? The line blurred. She would endure this parade, just as she had endured everything else. She would step into the eyes of the people as a symbol, stripped of royal pretences, and face whatever humiliation awaited.
Again, at least she won't be tortured to death. Right?
Kabil hesitated, then stepped a little closer. "Then… I'll protect you as best I can," he said quietly, touching his still-tender cheek. "I promise I'll try to make sure none of it truly hurts you."
Xiao Zhi nodded and smiled again. Her expression stayed calm, though unease stirred in her chest.
For a long moment, they stood like that, caught between relief and determination. And though she would parade through the streets in servant attire, she would do so with her head held high. She would show them Tughril's people what she could endure, and perhaps, in doing so, claim a small measure of control over her fate.