Ram Sharan's hiss brushed against Leena's ear, his dagger pressing cold against her throat.
"You will marry me," he snarled, "or your body will feed the river—"

Thwip!

An arrow cut through the morning air and struck his shoulder.

"AAAH!"
Ram staggered back, the dagger slipping from his fingers and splashing into the river.
Blood streamed down his sleeve as he fell to one knee, screaming in rage.

The ground began to tremble.
The distant drum of hooves echoed through the bamboo forest, growing louder until the riverbank shook beneath their feet.

Leena's heart pounded. Maya, still unconscious, slumped against the wet grass like a rag doll.

Then the forest erupted with armored riders.
A dozen soldiers on horseback flooded the clearing, their armor gleaming, banners snapping in the morning breeze. Spears leveled, they formed a deadly circle around the riverbank.

The lead rider dismounted with the grace of someone used to command. His robe bore the golden crest of the Tang dynasty, and his sharp gaze landed on the quiet man stepping from the bamboo shadows.

He bowed low, voice ringing clear:

"We have found him!
Seventh Prince, His Highness Li Wei of the Tang Empire—your guards await your command!"

Leena froze.
Her patient.
The man she'd nursed with trembling hands…
…was royalty.

Ram's mouth opened and closed, his face pale with humiliation. He stumbled toward the shore, bleeding and ignored.

The soldiers surround the riverbank.
The Eighth Prince, Li Ming, approaches, his eyes scanning the scene—Ram bleeding, Maya unconscious, and Leena frozen by the water.

Li Wei—the Seventh Prince—spoke first, his voice calm but carrying royal authority:
"Prepare the horses. I will return to the palace immediately… with my physician."

Gasps broke among the soldiers.
All eyes turned to Leena, the foreign woman clutching an unconscious maid.

The Eighth Prince finally found his voice, incredulous:
"…This foreign woman? You want to bring her to the palace?"

Leena flinched, gripping the unconscious Maya protectively.

Li Wei—the Seventh Prince—stood straighter, his voice cool and commanding.
"She saved my life. She alone knows the remedies I need to heal these wounds."
He took a step forward, his shadow falling over his brother.
"Unless, of course, you have a reason to delay my recovery?"

The Eighth Prince's lips twitched.
"…Far from it," he muttered.

The Eighth Prince's voice cut through the murmurs.
"You there—take the maid. And the foreign woman as well. They will follow behind the escort."

Two soldiers stepped forward. One reached for Leena's arm.

A sharp voice stopped him.
"No."

Li Wei—the Seventh Prince—stood tall, his eyes hard as steel.
"She rides with me."

Gasps rippled among the soldiers. A female physician—and a foreigner—entering the Tang palace was unheard of.

Li Ming frowned, his gaze flicking between his brother and the trembling Leena.
"…You're serious?"

Ram Sharan clutched his wound, spitting curses in a mix of Hindi and rage, but no one even glanced his way.
The horses turned toward the rising walls of Chang'an, leaving him behind in the mud.

Leena held on tightly as the prince mounted with her in front of him, her heart racing.
She didn't dare look back.

Ahead, the palace awaited…
And with it, a world she could barely imagine.