Zion gave a light shrug.
"The world feels sorry for the pitiful disabled princess," he said, a trace of irony in his voice. "But perhaps your life isn't any happier than mine."
Callista laughed.
It was a bright, clear laugh, completely at odds with the cold reputation surrounding the disabled princess of the Imperial Family. There was amusement in it, but also a sharpness that made it difficult to tell how much of her laughter was genuine and how much was another layer of her carefully maintained persona.
"So, my husband and I are the same kind of people," she said.
"If you were less shameless," Zion replied without hesitation, "perhaps we would have even more in common."
Callista's smile widened.
There was no hostility in Zion's expression this time. After their repeated encounters, she had gradually come to understand that the young man was far less dangerous than his reputation suggested. He could certainly be troublesome, and his tongue was sharper than most people could tolerate, but when he chose to be considerate, that consideration was genuine.
Her impression of him had changed without her quite realizing it.
Callista's expression also became slightly more serious.
She leaned closer, lowering her voice so that only Zion could hear.
"Arriving at the palace tonight with your true appearance is going to cause quite a stir. Be careful. Don't provoke His Majesty. The Emperor isn't someone who appreciates unexpected surprises."
The teasing had disappeared from her voice.
She was genuinely warning him.
Zion looked at her for a moment.
That small change caught him off guard. He had expected Callista to tease him all the way to the palace, yet she was actually concerned about what might happen once he revealed himself in front of the imperial court.
'She really does care whether I make it through the night.'
The thought came naturally, though Zion did not allow it to linger.
He understood the danger himself.
For months, the people of the Imperial City had known him as the sickly, blind waste of the General's Manor. Tonight, that image would disappear in front of the entire imperial court.
The difference between the two versions of him was simply too great.
If the Emperor suspected that he had deliberately deceived the imperial family, the consequences would not be something Zion could dismiss with a joke.
Yet none of that appeared on his face.
He remained relaxed, his posture easy as he looked at Callista.
"Thank you for the warning. But I've already decided to reveal myself. Whatever happens after that, I'll deal with it."
Callista studied him for a moment.
There was no hesitation in his eyes.
No fear.
No trace of regret.
Only the calm confidence of someone who had already accepted the consequences of his choice.
A faint gleam appeared in Callista's eyes.
"Good."
Her smile returned.
"This is the Zion I recognized."
The carriage continued toward the Imperial Palace.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
The rhythmic sound of hooves outside and the gentle creaking of the carriage filled the silence. Through the carriage window, the lights of the Imperial City gradually gave way to the grander streets surrounding the palace.
Zion rested against his seat and looked at Callista.
There was something about her that he still couldn't completely understand.
She always appeared relaxed, playful, and almost careless, yet the more time he spent around her, the more obvious it became that very little about her was accidental. Even now, sitting in a wheelchair with her cultivation suppressed, she gave him the impression that there was considerably more beneath the surface.
Zion had never been particularly good at accepting people at face value.
Callista was no exception.
Their eyes met.
Neither looked away.
For several breaths, they simply watched one another, each trying to understand the person sitting opposite them.
Then Callista suddenly leaned forward.
Zion barely had time to react.
She came close enough that her lips brushed his cheek.
He immediately pulled back, his hand tightening around the edge of the seat.
A faint flush touched his face, caused far more by irritation than embarrassment.
"You..."
Callista leaned back into her seat as though nothing unusual had happened.
Then she placed a hand over her chest and sighed with exaggerated innocence.
"My husband, you were staring at me so tenderly. I simply couldn't restrain myself."
Zion stared at her.
For a moment, the carriage fell completely silent.
Then Callista's lips curved upward.
There was amusement in her expression, but beneath it was something quieter. Something sincere that she quickly hid behind her usual shamelessness.
Zion chose not to acknowledge it.
"Shameless woman."
He turned his head toward the window, refusing to give her the satisfaction of seeing his expression.
The corner of his mouth, however, twitched faintly.
Outside the carriage, Alder had been walking alongside them.
He heard only Zion's irritated voice.
"Shameless woman!"
Alder nearly stumbled.
He turned toward the carriage with an expression of disbelief.
'What did the Young miss do this time?'
He rubbed his forehead.
No. That couldn't be right.
The Young miss was injured. Surely she wouldn't...
Alder immediately dismissed the thought.
'I'm imagining things.'
He decided it was safer not to ask.
Before long, the carriage reached the entrance to the Imperial Palace's Royal Garden.
Zion stepped down from the carriage.
The moment he entered the garden, a completely different atmosphere surrounded him.
Lanterns hung among the trees, casting warm pools of light over winding paths and carefully cultivated flower beds. Vines climbed the carved stone archways, while flowers bloomed beneath the moonlight in colors that seemed even more vivid against the darkness of the night.
But the garden's beauty was not what attracted the most attention.
The young aristocratic men gathered throughout the garden had dressed with equal care.
Tonight was not an ordinary imperial banquet.
The Crown Princess was of marriageable age.
And the imperial family had gathered the unmarried sons of influential officials and noble families so that Vanessa could choose her future Prince consort.
For many of those young men, this was an opportunity that could change the course of their entire lives.
The position of Crown Princess's husband came with influence, status, wealth, and proximity to the throne.
Every young man present understood exactly what was at stake.
Ambition was practically visible in their eyes.
Before Zion could observe more, a sharp voice rang across the garden.
"The Emperor is arriving!"
"The Empress is arriving!"
"The Crown Princess is arriving!"
The conversations immediately died down.
Everyone stood and turned toward the entrance.