The streets of Chang'an rippled with color and sound as the royal procession thundered through.
Red lanterns swayed above crowded markets. The air was thick with the perfume of incense, roasted chestnuts, and freshly dyed silk.

Children darted to the edge of the road, pointing at the glittering horses and armored riders.
Then they saw her.

A foreign woman, veiled in white, seated before the Seventh Prince like some untouchable jewel.
Murmurs spread through the crowd like wind through bamboo.

"Who is she?"
"A concubine? A witch? A hostage?"

Every clang of a horse's hoof, every whisper, made Leena feel smaller.
Beside her, Li Wei sat perfectly composed. His sharp gaze did not leave the road ahead—but from the corner of his eye, he studied her every movement.

Her wide-eyed wonder at the gates.
The way she flinched when the crowd shouted.
The way she shielded her maid before herself.

Courage… or clever calculation? he wondered silently.
Was it fate that brought her to my side… or a well-designed plan?

The imperial courtyard gleamed—polished stone, lotus ponds, and silk banners fluttering in the summer wind. Musicians in jade-green robes plucked soft notes on the guzheng, welcoming the princes home.

Leena's breath caught. Never in her life—not even in the wealthiest estates of India—had she felt so utterly out of place.

The palace guards and eunuchs rushed forward to greet the princes. But the moment their eyes fell on Leena, whispers erupted.

"A foreign woman?"
"In the inner court?"
"He's bringing disaster to our gates…"

Then a voice, cold and cutting, sliced through the murmurs.
An elderly physician stepped from the line, his hands clasped behind his back, his white beard trembling with indignation.

Li Wei dismounted and spoke first, his tone smooth but carrying authority.

"Ah. A good thing you're here.
Meet **Leena—my new physician."

Gasps rippled through the servants.

The physician's face darkened.

"Your Highness… I must object!
You cannot entrust your life to—this foreign woman. And a woman, at that!"

Leena froze, heat rushing to her cheeks.

The Seventh Prince's eyes cut to the old man like a blade.
His voice was low, calm, and dangerous.

"She saved my life when no one else was there.
From this day forward, she will attend to my injuries.
No one will question her again."

Silence fell over the courtyard.

That night, Leena and Maya were shown to a small chamber near the prince's quarters, close enough to reach him within moments. Maya fell asleep almost instantly, exhaustion pulling her under.

Leena sat by the narrow window, staring at the moonlit courtyard.
From somewhere beyond the walls came footsteps… the soft jingle of armor.

She leaned closer.

In the shadows of the lantern-lit corridor, she saw Li Wei—
The man she'd saved. The prince she barely knew—
…slipping into the night with his closest guard.

A shiver ran through her.
He hadn't told her everything.

And now, she realized…
She was not just his physician.

She was his witness.

Deep in the night, Leena wondered:

Had she stepped into a palace… or a cage made of gold?