Silence lingered in the chamber.
Li Xuan stood beside the bed, his breathing steady, his gaze calm—but beneath that calm, his mind moved rapidly.
The poison was not fully gone.
His body was still weak.
And yet—
He was alive.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
A soft, cautious sound echoed from the door.
"Your Highness… may this servant enter?"
Li Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
Not his maid.
Different voice.
"Enter."
His tone was faint, deliberately weak.
The door creaked open.
A middle-aged servant stepped in, dressed neatly, his posture respectful. The moment he saw Li Xuan standing, a flicker of surprise crossed his face—
Quickly hidden.
"This servant greets Fourth Prince."
He bowed deeply.
Then raised his head with a concerned expression.
"Your Highness, I heard your condition worsened last night… how are you feeling now?"
Li Xuan said nothing at first.
He simply watched him.
Carefully.
Silently.
Then—
He coughed lightly.
His body swayed slightly, as if struggling to remain upright.
"…Still alive."
"That is good… very good. This servant was deeply worried."
His words were proper.
His tone respectful.
But—
His eyes.
Too sharp.
Too observant.
Not the gaze of someone worried.
The gaze of someone… confirming something.
Confirming whether he was dead.
Li Xuan's lips curved faintly.
Interesting.
"I drank the wine last night."
His voice was casual.
Almost careless.
The servant's body stiffened—just for a fraction of a second.
Too small for most people to notice.
But not him.
"Yes, Your Highness," the servant replied smoothly. "It was the wine prepared by the kitchen."
Li Xuan tilted his head slightly.
Then asked—
"Was there poison in it?"
Silence.
The servant blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then quickly shook his head.
"Your Highness jests. How could there be poison in the palace?"
Li Xuan took a step forward.
Slow.
Unsteady.
Yet each step carried an invisible pressure.
"Then why," he said quietly, "did I almost die?"
The servant's expression tightened.
Sweat began forming on his forehead.
"This… this servant does not know…"
Li Xuan stopped in front of him.
Close.
Too close.
Then—
His hand shot out.
Grabbing the servant by the throat.
"—!"
The servant's eyes widened in shock.
He hadn't even seen the movement.
"You don't know?"
Li Xuan's voice was soft.
Dangerously soft.
His grip tightened.
The servant struggled, his hands clawing at Li Xuan's wrist, his breathing turning ragged.
"Y-Your Highness—!"
"Let me ask again."
Li Xuan's gaze turned cold.
"Who told you to poison me?"
The servant's resistance faltered.
Fear flooded his eyes.
"I—I didn't—!"
Li Xuan increased the pressure.
Bones creaked.
The servant's face turned red.
Then pale.
"You have one chance."
"…I… I…"
The servant's voice trembled violently.
His will crumbled.
"I was told… I was told to deliver the wine…!"
Li Xuan's eyes sharpened.
"Who?"
"I don't know!" the servant cried. "I swear! I never saw their face!"
A lie.
Or half-truth.
Either way—
Useless.
Li Xuan stared at him for a long moment.
As if weighing his value.
Then—
He sighed.
"…Worthless."
The servant froze.
His pupils shrank in terror.
"Y-Your Highness, please—! Spare me! I will serve you! I will—!"
Crack.
The sound was crisp.
Final.
The servant's body went limp.
His eyes remained wide open.
Frozen in fear.
Li Xuan released his grip.
The corpse collapsed to the floor with a dull thud.
Silence returned.
He looked down at the body.
Expressionless.
"Begging for mercy…"
He muttered quietly.
"In a place like this?"
Foolish.
Before he could think further—
Footsteps.
Fast.
Heavy.
"Your Highness!"
The door burst open.
Several guards rushed in, weapons drawn.
Their eyes immediately fell on the corpse.
Then—
On Li Xuan.
The atmosphere froze.
Blood.
A dead servant.
And the Fourth Prince standing calmly beside him.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Li Xuan slowly lifted his gaze.
Meeting theirs.
His expression remained indifferent.
Cold.
Unfazed.
"He tried to assassinate me using poison."
A simple sentence.
Flat.
Absolute.
Silence deepened.
The guards exchanged glances.
Shock.
Confusion.
Fear.
Something had changed.
The Fourth Prince…
Was no longer the same.
Li Xuan turned away from them.
Walking back toward the bed as if nothing had happened.
"Clean it up."
His voice was calm.
Casual.
As if the death of a man…
Meant nothing at all.