CW: Physical abuse

Zhenghuan stepped back, putting a clear berth between himself and the distraught princess. If she weren't a woman, he would already have sent her flying with one good kick. Glancing down at the creases in his black robes from where she had clung on, he scowled. Now he would need to have a bath and a change of clothes before the royal banquet.

"Your Majesty," he said, his tone taking on a hard edge, "Please control yourself. You are soon to be officially crowned as queen of Hua, and your actions and words have direct impact on the diplomatic relations between our kingdoms. Have you forgotten why you're here in the first place?"

"I never wanted to come! I didn't ask to be used as a tool for these so-called diplomatic relations!" Queen Xuan shouted, her eyes reddening with anger and frustration. She lifted the sleeves of her silk robes, revealing a patchwork of ugly purplish bruises that lined both her arms. "Do you know what I've been through here? Situ Zhiren is a monster! Every time something doesn't go his way in court, he comes here and takes it out on me. I can't stay here anymore!"

Zhenghuan frowned at the sight of the princess's wounds. He had always known that Situ Zhiren had a cruel streak in him, but he had not expected that the new king of Hua would dare lay such a heavy hand upon a princess sent in a political marriage. Was he not the least bit concerned that word of this would reach their king's ears?

"Have you told anyone else about this?" he asked.

The young queen shook her head. She let her sleeves slide back down, before collapsing onto an empty chair. "Who could I possibly tell? Situ Zhiren monitors all communication between our kingdoms, so any letters that I write back home are scrutinised before they're allowed to leave the palace."

"You should speak with the crown prince. He might be able to help," Zhenghuan said.

This was a prickly situation. Princess Xuan was soon to be crowned queen, the highest honour that could be bestowed upon a woman from a foreign kingdom. If they were to raise this issue now, it could easily be misconstrued as an attempt to disrupt the coronation and lead to a worsening of ties between the two kingdoms. Zhenghuan did not care much for the kingdom of Hua nor Situ Zhiren, but he did care about the potential outbreak of war. If they gave Situ Zhiren an excuse to launch an attack upon their borders, then it would undoubtedly bring immense suffering upon thousands of ordinary civilians.

Maybe that's what he wants. An excuse for war.

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

This was the Hua palace, and it was only too easy for Situ Zhiren to conceal the truth behind the princess's suffering if he wanted to. This meeting was too coincidental for it not to be intentional.

"Ru-quan?" Xuan scoffed. "He won't help me. He won't risk offending Situ Zhiren and damaging diplomatic ties, because he has his own crown to think of." She turned to him with pleading eyes. "Zhenghuan, you are the only one who can save me."

"I'm sorry, but this is not a decision that I have the authority to make, but rest assured I will raise the matter with the crown prince and we shall discuss the best way forward, to ensure your safety." Zhenghuan turned and headed for the doors. There was no point in lingering further, now that he was clear what the objective of today's meeting was all about.

He stepped across the threshold, ignoring the persistent calls of the princess trailing after him.

Gods be damned. Can't you just let a man finish his mission peacefully and go home to be married?

#

Zhenghuan had been meaning to bring up the matter pertaining to Princess Xuan immediately, in case any new complications arose, but the crown prince seemed determined to evade him. First, the prince was asleep because he was tired and unwell from the long journey, then, it was time to get ready for the banquet and it would not do to have any distractions lest he was late and that would be a stain on the kingdom's reputation.

"If there are any important matters, we can discuss it after the welcome banquet," Ru-quan said, as they walked towards the grand hall where the banquet was to be held.

"But Your Highness, this is—"

Ru-quan stopped, turning to face him. "Zhenghuan, I've already said several times that we will speak about this after the banquet. Are you intending to go against my instructions?" he said curtly, a streak of displeasure appearing across his haggard mien. "Do not forget your place."

"I would not dare, Your Highness."

Seething silently, Zhenghuan followed behind the crown prince as they stepped into the grand hall. He could only pray that neither Ru-quan nor Princess Xuan would attempt anything foolish during this banquet that would end up stoking the flames of war, falling directly into Situ Zhiren's trap.

He carefully surveyed the bustling hall, as the hundreds of guests shuffled into their seats, engaging in casual conversation with one another. Besides themselves, there were other foreign dignitaries who had been invited—including familiar faces such as Ambassador Caron from the kingdom of Shon, who had earlier escorted Princess Sana to Duan. This time, Caron was in the company of a middle-aged man with streaks of grey threading through his long hair, with heavy bronze cuffs adorning his neck and wrists.

"Your Highness, it is a pleasure to be meeting you again," Ambassador Caron greeted Ru-quan with a polite bow. Gesturing to the man beside him, he added, "This is Lord Rohan, brother of His Majesty, the king of Shon."

"Lord Rohan," Ru-quan acknowledged.

"Crown Prince," the lord from Shon replied gruffly.

Lord Rohan... Lady Sana's father. And also the second-most powerful man in Shon.

Caron glanced past Ru-quan towards Zhenghuan. With a smile, he said, "Shadow Lord, I had not been expecting to see you here. I understand that congratulations are in order, for your impending wedding?"

"Thank you. Your sources are most well-informed," Zhenghuan answered. Not surprising, given he was probably one of the most hated characters across the three kingdoms.

"And who might the girl be? She couldn't possibly be any better than my Sana," Lord Rohan remarked, a hint of hostility in his tone.

"She is the best fit for me, and that is all that matters."

King Romir and Lord Rohan had intended for Sana to marry him, but his unexpected rejection had resulted in the princess having to marry King Shunde instead, a man who was almost as old as Lord Rohan himself. It was no wonder the lord was upset.

"Ah, Zi-ning is indeed quite an extraordinary young lady, Lord Rohan," a new voice joined the fray.

Zhenghuan scowled.

Situ Zhiren had entered the grand hall and was making his way over to them, a bright smile stretching across his face. He wore maroon robes with intricate gold embroidery, and a flamboyant red coat with a thick fox fur collar sat upon his shoulders. Compared to how he behaved when he was crown prince, the Situ Zhiren of today was even more outlandish and brimming with confidence. Behind him came Queen Xuan, who looked visibly frail in her heavy maroon robes.

"Your Majesty," everyone greeted in unison.

"At ease," Situ Zhiren instructed with an authoritative wave of his hand. Making his way past Zhenghuan, Ru-quan and the Shon dignitaries, he stepped up the dais and took his place at the front of the hall. "This is only a casual banquet thrown in honour of our distinguished guests, who have come all this way to witness my coronation, so there is no need for too many formalities." Sitting upon his throne, he turned his attentions back toward the Duan and Shon entourages—or more specifically, at Zhenghuan. "Shadow Lord, how is our Zi-ning? I must confess to be quite taken aback by news of your wedding. Surely you must have brought me an invitation?"

"Your Majesty, please be mindful of how you address my wife," Zhenghuan replied coldly. If not for the fact that Situ Zhiren was now king of a kingdom and he was here as a diplomatic emissary, he would already have punched that smirk off the man's face. "And there is unfortunately no invitation. The wedding ceremony will only be attended by family and close friends."

Situ Zhiren clucked his tongue in disappointment. "That is such a pity," he said. "I would have wanted to see how Zi-ning looks like in her wedding robes. I imagine she will look absolutely stunning."

Zhenghuan's fists clenched beneath the table. For Situ Zhiren to be speaking so brazenly about the girl he was to marry in front of so many other guests was a direct affront to him, yet he could do nothing about it. It was the first time in a long time he had felt so offended and repressed. He picked up the goblet of wine on his table and swallowed its contents in entirety.

"On behalf of my father, King Shunde, I would like to extend our congratulations on your upcoming coronation, Your Majesty," Ru-quan voiced out, raising his goblet in a toast. "We are also deeply honoured that a daughter of Duan will be queen of your kingdom."

Hearing her brother's words, Hong Xuan's hand trembled, knocking over the bowl of soup that her lady-in-waiting had just placed in front of her. Situ Zhiren glanced over, his eyes narrowing in a stern frown.

"I-I-I'm sorry." Xuan bowed her head in a meek apology.

Judging from the ashen expression on the faces of all the servants in the vicinity, and how swiftly the queen's lady-in-waiting stepped in to clean up the mess, Zhenghuan could tell that Situ Zhiren ruled the palace with an iron fist. It was perhaps not unthinkable to imagine that the soon-to-be crowned king would display violent tendencies towards his young, foreign queen.

"It's only a little spill," Prince Ru-quan said dismissively. "I'm sure the king will not mind."

"Of course," Situ Zhiren replied, placing a hand over Hong Xuan's. "As long as you did not scald yourself, my dear."

Zhenghuan noticed the brief flinch across the queen's face when Situ Zhiren's hand came in contact with her own. She remained still, but her eyes shifted towards Zhenghuan with the same pleading expression she had displayed before. A look of desperation.

When Situ Zhiren removed his hand from hers, Hong Xuan suddenly stood up from her seat. "Your Majesty, please excuse me. I-I-I'm not feeling so well," she said softly.

"Xuan-er, what's the matter? Have you caught a cold?" Prince Ru-quan interjected, putting on his best show of brotherly concern.

The queen shook her head. "I did not sleep well last night, so I have a slight headache," she replied. "I'll be fine after some rest."

"In that case, you'd best return to your quarters. If you're still feeling unwell later on, then send for the imperial physician," Situ Zhiren said. Zhenghuan watched as the king stood up, supporting Hong Xuan by the arm and helping her towards the stairs of the dais, as if he were truly a dutiful and doting husband.

Then, when he let go to hand her over to her lady-in-waiting, the unexpected happened.

Hong Xuan's knees buckled, sending her lurching forward. She tumbled down the dais with a shriek, knocking over her lady-in-waiting in the process. The two women landed on the floor in a messy heap, but in the ruckus, the queen's sleeves slid all the way up to her elbows, revealing the scars and bruises lining her fair skin.

An audible gasp went around the hall.

Ru-quan shot up from his seat, pointing one shaky finger at his sister. "What is going on? Why does Xuan-er have so many injuries on her arms!"