"Facechanging—it's a myth, a legend; but what if I told you, these half-Immortals walk the earth? Never will they die unless with a blade through the heart, and gradual are their bodily changes. It takes a man one year to age, but ten for Facechangers."

Facechanger—The Tome of Evil

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Broad orange lanterns lit up the Sky Hall. Guards in heavy armor were stationed at all doors, greeting the guests who trickled in at a slow pace. Their spears were rested against the walls, and the swords glinted in their scabbards.

Staring at the men wearing courtier hats of all shapes and sizes and sporting glinting jade pendants of various colors, anxiety gave me a kick in the stomach. Attending banquets with the Imperial Court was mandatory as the Crown Prince's escort, and Wulin had announced my arrival prior.

The Imperial Consort, Qara of the Tenth Province.

I had gotten so close to the crown prince. I couldn't afford to say something silly and jeopardize my chances of gaining his trust. Right now, he didn't seem convinced that I would give up my life for him, and I must sway him.

I took in a deep breath, inhaling the sweet night air, walked down the bridge and into the Sky Hall.

Almost at once, murmurs rippled across the hall full of nobles.

"Who's she?"

"How dare a woman come to this banquet?"

"She's beautiful."

I let their words and assumptions fall to deaf ears. My attention was fixated on the man at the head of the hall. Wulin was dressed in a dark robe as usual. This time, instead of silver cranes, red canaries twittered their way from the hem of his robes to the sleeves. I was starting to think dark colors represented him and his court.

He reached out for me with a big smile on his face. I shuddered. I hadn't seen him smile unless he was deeply amused or had something unfathomable on his mind.

"My beautiful escort," he greeted me. "I've been waiting for you."

I was right. Although there was a radiant smile on his face, his cold gray eyes said otherwise.

Play along. You and I are actors following a script.

"I've missed you, my prince." I did not have to pretend. My lips and my hands knew what to do. My lips found his cheek, and I threw an arm across his broad shoulders. My dress fluttered around him, and I closed my eyes, tilting my head back.

"That's a bit too much," Wulin whispered into my ear, visibly irritated. "Just sit next to me."

Well, Mr. Long did tell me I had to tendency to enter my character too much. Cheeks burning, I sat down beside him on a smaller cushion.

A middle-aged man with a mole on his cheek ambled up to our table.

"Your majesty." He bowed. "Forgive my harsh words, but I speak only for the best interest of the nation and for my crown prince. This is a meeting. Why did you bring a woman in here?"

"My dear friend," Wulin said. "I penned the invitation, and if I recall correctly, I wrote 'dinner', not 'meeting'. Are you doubting your crown prince?"

The man immediately turned purple. "N-no, your majesty. That was not my intention. I—"

"This lady is my escort," Wulin interrupted. "She is from the Tenth Province, one of House Olzii. How dare you insult a noble lady in front of me."

Never once had someone of a high status spoken up for me. Having Wulin defend me like that felt confusing. I lifted my cup and took a tiny sip from it, focusing on the dainty act to pretend I wasn't abashed.

"M-my prince," he continued to stammer. "What about Princess Shila of Zmerkï? The Emperor speaks so highly of your union with the Princess. I have served her for many years, and I have never seen this woman in my entire life. How am I supposed to trust her?"

"General Wang." Wulin said. "I'm starting to think you're tired of living, my friend. My father may cherish your loyalty and your years of servitude to the Empire, but I am not my father. He may tolerate your foolishness, but I will have none of it."

The lord fell to his knees, trembling like a leaf on a lake. "Forgive me, your majesty!"

"Return to your seat and not another word from you," Wulin snapped.

The man continued to cower. "Thank you for your mercy, my prince. I listen, and I obey."

The entire hall had fallen silent, listening to the conversation between Wulin and the general of the Erdenese army with great shock. It was one thing to reprimand a normal courtier, but to insult a General? It was harsh, even for the crown prince.

I wondered what Wulin's play was. Insulting a General would earn him no favors should he ascend the throne. In fact, it was detrimental to his ascension, for the Emperor prized the advice of his High General. It made no sense for him to jeopardize the throne.

Unless there were others in this room who supported Wulin more than they supported the current Emperor. By sacrificing the favor of one from the previous reign, Wulin could earn a few more by demonstrating his authority and prestige.

Smart. Very smart. As expected of the crown prince.

I remained as rigid as a statue, watching Wulin. It wasn't just a show of power. He was using his authority as the crown prince to silence his courtiers from asking about my background. For all they knew, I was from the Tenth Province, a faraway state which few had step foot onto, but was still under the protection of Erden. The Tenth Province was a small barbaric kingdom turned protectorate state when the great General Khan stormed through the desert and claimed their lands. The Tenth Province could only be reached by traveling on Sandsails across a stretch of the White Desert, all the while braving sandstorms and vicious beasts prowling about the dunes. As far as I knew, the King of the Tenth province had many wives, which resulted in many daughters. Unless the courtiers were brave enough to venture to the Tenth Province or send someone courageous enough, no one would suspect anything.

Wulin continued scanning the hall with his quiet stare, then signalled to a courtier nearest to him.

"Have you seen General Hua? He's supposed to be present today."

I almost choked on my saliva.

Stone-faced, Sarna. You were trained for this.

The courtier shook his head. "Forgive me, your Majesty. I have not. Many of us have not seen him for days. He may be on a secret expedition by the Emperor."

"Secret?" Wulin scoffed, but pried no further into it.

I couldn't help but smile. You'll never see the likes of him ever again. His body is rotting somewhere in the sewers, devoured by rats and maggots.

Wulin turned his gaze onto me.

"You seem to be in a very pleasant mood tonight."

I quickly lowered my gaze. "It's a lovely banquet, your Majesty. Of course, my mood is high."

He lifted my empty goblet. "Do you drink?"

Eighteen hells, I drank to forget. Once a week, bartenders all over Erden held drinking games, proclaiming whoever drank the most alcohol need not pay. These drinking games trained my alcohol tolerance, and I was confident I could out-drink the crown prince if he challenged me to a drinking duel.

However, I lied. "No."

Wulin cocked his head, the furrow of eyebrows betraying his disbelief. "Really? I thought your kind enjoyed cheap wine?"

My kind. Of course, we were just animals to him.

"I was too poor to afford wine," I said.

Wulin reached for an empty goblet, filled it to the brim with golden wine, and handed it to me.

"Drink," he ordered. "To refuse is to disobey your crown prince."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Imperial logic at its best. But I lifted the goblet to my lips and drank.

The wine sizzled in my mouth, leaving a delightful bubbly aftertaste.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

I nodded. I wanted a refill badly, but had to keep up my act, and I set the goblet down and rubbed my temple, pretending to be dizzy.

From my peripheral vision, I saw that all courtiers had eyes for me, except for Lord Hua. Their food remained untouched; their goblets still full of sparkling wine.

"Are they waiting for you to say something?" I whispered into the prince's ear.

"As a matter of fact, they are," Wulin replied. "But since you are here, they're refraining from discussing Imperial affairs. They think that a woman has no place in the Sky Hall."

And yet, a man could easily get a seat in the Sky Hall without having to earn it.

"Shouldn't they trust the crown prince's escort?"

"Trust is earned, not given." Wulin sat up even straighter. "I will initiate the discussion. You will observe and listen from the sidelines. You don't need my permission to voice your opinion. If you take matters into your own hands, you'll prove to the courtiers that you're indeed my escort and adviser."

Wulin cleared this throat and let his empty goblet sit on the table.

"My beloved advisers and generals. Thank you for attending. We have gathered here tonight to discuss the pressing issue of the Kuvesh in our northern province. I received the King of Rouran's letter last night. He is asking for our help. However, our military forces are currently congregated at the southern border where the Kuvesh's stronghold is. We need more troops, but we've exhausted our supply."

"It's simple." The man closest to Wulin's table groused. "Make more slaves, then send them to fight."

"Erden is overrun with vermin," another courtier said. "Let those vermin fight!"

"There's a village east of the Jade Palace. From the records, the village is vastly populated. We'll take their men and add them into the army," a general suggested.

Suddenly, I was eight years old again. The slavers had stormed my village with torches and swords, screeching their ever-calamitous battle-cries as they set house after house on fire, forcing its inhabitants to flee and leap right into their nets. The older folks were slaughtered on the spot, and those who put up a fight were beheaded.

I had choked on the smell of burning wood and bodies, rubbing ashes out of my eyes. Zhenjin had faced a slaver head with a sickle as his only weapon. He decapitated several slavers before he took a blow to the knee, falling forward into another slaver's blade.

I had screamed as the blade went clean through his chest, red at the tip.

The slavers heard me and turned.

My parents fell, one after the other like blocks of stone as the slaver slashed open their stomachs.

"Momma!" I had cried. "Papa!"

They stared back at me, their faces struck with fear, and their eyes wide and glassy.

Zhenjin's voice was soft in my head.

Do you know what your name means, Sarna? It means doe. They are free creatures. They roam the wild without a single worry in the world. During the day, they stay with their family and graze together. They have no care for the Emperor or humans. They are free. Mama wants you to be free, too.

I blinked the tears from my eyes, breaking away from the drowning memories. Wulin was looking at me quietly, seemly prompting me to say something.

"The northern province is a mountainous terrain," I said. "Instead of enslaving people, why not utilize the landscape and build your defenses?"

"A woman will never understand the art of warfare," the first noble with a graying beard said. "The crown prince may keep you by his side, but you know nothing about the affairs of the nation."

"And neither does a fat man who sits in his office while other men die for his decisions," I snapped.

The hall gasped in outrage. I smiled. It was a dangerous smile, one that held an invisible sword between my teeth. The euphoria of shattering these men's perspective and expectations of Palace norms was more than gratifying.

The beefy courtier I had insulted turned a nasty shade of red. His cheeks puffed, and his breathing came in shallow spurts. "Outrageous!" he spluttered. "Throw this woman out at once!"

"I think we should hear her out," Wulin said. "She has a point."

Fueled by spitting fury, I stood up. Bursting confidence and crippling doubt were two conflicting forces within me. In their eyes, I was a woman, someone who was incapable of forming ideas and handling the notion of warfare. However, traveling with Zichuan Theater had equipped me with vast knowledge of Erden. I'd traveled to almost every corner of the large nation of Erden. I'd bathed in the southern creeks and basked under the sun on the stone bridge of Wuern. I'd eaten the fried crickets of Shitu and danced with the gypsies of Wewui. Not even the threat of the Kuvesh barbarians was enough to stop Zichuan theater from settling down and performing at the southern border.

We were artists. Even barbarians knew our worth.

"The northern province consists of jagged peaks and deep forests. The only pathway in and out of the province is the thin, trickling gravel road. Anyone who climbs the peaks has a clear view of the pathway. Hence, it serves as the ideal spot to hide and ambush any enemies. Build barracks at the walls of the peaks and scatter your archers across the different peaks. Dig out boulders and tether them with ropes at the edge of the barracks. Once you've secured the high ground, not even the world's greatest army can pass through the mountains."

Stony silence greeted me, so much so, a pin could drop and the sound would ripple through the hall.

The general with the graying beard stood up.

"I've been foolish," the general said. "I'm sorry we've doubted you, my lady. It is known that those from the Tenth Province are well-versed in military tactics and are great navigators. Even the great map of Erden was documented and drawn by a man from the Tenth Province. I can promise you that none of these courtiers here have been to the eastern paths. What you described is true, but it never occurred to me to utilize the boulders on the mountains."

The general then turned to Wulin and bowed. "Your majesty. Please give me your permission to take three-hundred men and build the barracks at the eastern paths."

"You have my permission," Wulin spoke at last. "See that the eastern paths are secured immediately."

"Yes, my prince." The general clasped his hands together in a form of a salute and left the hall. Several other generals followed suit, all taking their leave.

"My prince." The nearest courtier bowed. "It is of great shame that a lady from the Tenth Province knows of our incompetence. I shall see that every man underneath me shall be sent on expeditions with the generals." He then turned to me and bowed, much to my surprise. "Those from the Tenth Province are wise indeed. Erden needs more like you."

"You flatter me," I said. "I merely speak what I've seen and observed."

The courtier would have showered more praises upon me, but Wulin waved him out of the hall. One by one, the courtiers departed.

"You surprise me," Wulin said. "I didn't know you knew so much of Erden."

"You know nothing about me," I replied.

Wulin sank back onto his seat. "I can learn."

I stared at him. He was looking at me with a most curious expression, even more so than the moment I stepped into his residential hall in my beautiful new dress. He was laxed, a goblet held loosely in his hand and leaning against the soft cushioned back of his throne. It could be a pretense to get my guard down, and I knew better than to trust an Imperial.

"What would you like to know?"

"Everything," he said. "As your prince, it is my responsibility to learn about you and protect you."

Such sweet words from an Imperial. I doubted he would protect me when I was no longer of use.

Did you really mean it, Wulin? Would you really risk your life for a slave?

"I appreciate your kindness and protection," I said.

You are turning soft, my inner voice whispered. You are supposed to kill him, remember? Give him your heart, and everyone you love and care for will die. Do you still remember Biyu? Do you still remember Mr. Long? Do you remember those peculiarly painted carriages, the thinly fried pastries Biyu and you used to bake underneath the stars?

Tears blossomed. I looked away, pretending to be choosing a cake.

Warm fingers closed on my shoulder, turning me around.

"There is no need for tears," Wulin said.

I shook my head, blinking the tears from my eyes.

"It's the perfumed smoke." I fanned the air around me. "I'm sensitive to this particular fragrance."

His eyes never left me. "If you were sensitive to the smell of jasmine, you would have itched the moment you came into this hall. Tell me, what's wrong?"

"I miss my home," I said in a small voice.

I was pretending to be small and weak, a woman easily swayed by the kind words of a man, but somehow, the sorrow didn't feel like a charade. It was very raw, and very real.

Wulin gently wiped away my tears with his hand. "Where is your home? Where is your family?"

My home was burned to the ground. My family is incarcerated and waiting for an inevitable death unless I give a eunuch your head.

"My parents are dead."

"Any siblings alive?"

"I had a brother," I said. "He died trying to save me from slavers."

The story rolled off my lips, as fresh as yesterday's roses in my room.

"I'm sorry," Wulin said. "I'm sorry that my father and my ancestors inflicted such pain upon you and your family. The slave trade has existed ever since the establishment of Erden, there is nothing I could do about it. However, if I become the Emperor, I can end this. I can abolish the slave trade and incarcerate all the slavers. This is why I need you. I need you to convince the people that you and I can bring them the peace and freedom they deserve."

It was all sweet music to my ears. As much I wanted it to be true, I couldn't tell whether he was trying to make me his accomplice or those were genuine words from the bottom of his heart. The Jade Palace was nothing but a glorious sarcophagus of deceit and lies.

"You don't trust me," Wulin said.

I didn't reply. I had detested the Imperials my entire life. I shouldn't be hesitating now.

But what if he really wanted to end slavery? No children would be torn from their families, no one would have to see their home burn to the ground or suffer at the hands of Bao as he paraded them mercilessly in front of his clients.

It was what I had wished my entire life and prayed to the High Immortals for.

"Qara?" Wulin's voice shook me from my thoughts. "I need you to promise me something."

"What is it?"

"No matter what my brother says to you, I need you to trust me," he said. "He wants the throne and so do I. However, if he wins the throne, the empire will be thrown into jeopardy and worse, into the hands of the foreigners. You have spent time with my brother, and you are very aware of what he is like."

The words appeared in my mind like an arrow from a bow: Lecherous, lewd, philanderer.

"I need you," Wulin said. "Erden needs you."

His gray eyes glistened like the crystals Biyu loved so much.

I stared into those dark eyes, as dark as a starless night.

Did Bowen really want the throne? If so, he never showed it explicitly. The entire nation knew he was a good-for-nothing prince who spent his days chasing girls and spending his money on luxuries. Erden did not need a philanderer as an Emperor.

"Promise me," Wulin repeated in a soft tone.

Forget Bowen. I must not be led astray. I learned Facechanging because I needed to kill Wulin and get out of the Jade Palace alive.

Promises could be renewed, but the lives of those I love couldn't be replaced.

"I promise."

Wulin smiled. "You did well today. Go back to your room and rest. You need to wake up fresh for your lessons tomorrow."

I rose, bowed, and retreated.

There was a war in my head.

If I killed Wulin, Erden would have no chance of emancipation. The slave trade would persevere, and thousands more would perish at the hands of the Imperials. However, if I killed Wulin, I could free the man who saved my life, as well as the others who offered me help and support when I needed it the most.

But Sarna, a smaller voice inside my head said. What are the lives of twenty people when thousands and thousands were at stake? You can end slavery, once and for all. Isn't that your lifelong goal, and Zhenjin's as well? Many have fought and died in vain, but for once, you have the tool of emancipation in your hands.

What would it be? The voice continued prompting. The freedom of thousands, or the lives of twenty?

I clenched my hands.

Mr. Long giving me a new cloak and my first ever performing fan.

Biyu smiling as he gave me his share of bread in the Pavilion.

Mila covering for me when I returned to the theater, too drunk to move.

Shao making wooden braces for me when I broke my arm after I fell from a horse.

If I had to sacrifice those thousands of lives to save those who mattered to me, so be it.

Selfish, the little voice echoed in my ears. Selfish. Selfish. Selfish.

Staring at the stars in the skies, I took in a deep breath.

I'd come this far, there was no going back.