Mia did not remember walking back to the kitchen. She only remembered the door closing behind her and the sound of her own heartbeat in her ears like drum strikes. She remembered the Emperor’s words still echoing in her head You will help me breathe. She remembered the way he had said it not like a command not like an order from a throne but like a quiet truth he was not used to sharing with anyone. It stayed with her the whole walk back down the lantern lit hallway to the inner kitchen where the air felt thicker and hotter and louder than before

When she stepped through the door Lin ran straight to her grabbed her arm and pulled her into the corner between two shelves stacked with jars of dried spice. Lin’s eyes were huge. Her voice was a fast whisper “You are alive. You are not bleeding. You are standing. Your head is still on. Good. Now tell me everything. What did he say. Did he yell. Did you trip. Did you breathe wrong. Did you look at him too long with your challenge eyes. Did you say something that could end us all. Did you”

Mia blinked slow “Lin. I just walked through a door. Please let my heart slow down first”

Lin leaned closer “So you did look at him too long. I knew it. You have no survival instinct in your eyes”

Head Chef Zhu appeared behind Lin and popped her lightly on the back of the head with two fingers. “Stop interrogating her. She needs to sit. Sit” He pointed at a short stool by the prep table. His face looked tense and pale even under the warm kitchen light. The relief there was obvious but he was fighting to cover it with anger. “Well” he said to Mia in a low voice “Did you insult him. Did you lecture him. Did you invent a new dish in front of him without telling me. Did you attempt to negotiate your rank on your first day. Please tell me you did not negotiate your rank on your first day”

Mia sat. Her body finally realized she was allowed to relax and the exhaustion hit like a wave. Every muscle hummed. Her hands still smelled like ginger and broth. She took a breath and said quietly “He ate. He liked it. He talked. He told me I am to keep cooking for him”

Lin sucked in a gasp

Zhu closed his eyes and let out a very long slow breath like someone who had been gripping the edge of a cliff all afternoon and just now pulled back onto solid ground. “Good. That is good. That means we are safe for the moment”

“Safe for the moment” Mia repeated “That is not exactly a restful phrase”

“There is no restful phrase in the palace” Zhu said flat. “Now listen to me. Starting now your life is not normal. You are not a maid anymore. You are not just kitchen staff. You are the Emperor’s comfort provider. That sounds gentle. It is not. It is a target painted in gold”

Lin nodded fast “People kill for gold here. Sometimes with poison. Sometimes with words that act like poison. Sometimes with accidents near stairs”

Mia stared at her “Cool. Great. Love that. Thank you for the calming information”

Lin held up a finger “I am just helping you stay alive. That is friendship”

“I thought friendship was more like sharing snacks” Mia said

“In palace life it is warning you about stairs” Lin said with complete seriousness

Zhu cut in “Both of you. Listen. I will say this once. There is someone you must avoid starting now. If you see her you bow. You lower your gaze. You do not smile. You do not talk. You do not breathe too loudly. You certainly do not let her think you believe you are important. She is Consort Lian”

Mia frowned “Consort. So like. Wife”

Lin made a tiny choking noise “Do not use that word in the open kitchen. Do you want your tongue cut out. The Emperor has no wife. He has a main consort and high consorts and favored consorts and guest companions. They are not the same. If you mix the terms with the wrong person around you die and they make it sound like respect. Consort Lian is one of the highest. The most visible. The one people copy. She is one step under the main consort in rank and some people say she should have been main if not for timing and luck”

Zhu rubbed his jaw. “Consort Lian is clever. She is beautiful. She is practiced in court speech. She can make an insult sound like a blessing and everyone will agree with her. She has survived three winters without losing favor which almost never happens. She is not loud. She is not openly cruel. She is much more dangerous than cruel”

Mia listened quietly. Her stomach began to coil tight

Zhu continued. “If she smells anything that looks like threat she fixes it before it becomes a problem. You are a possible problem now. You understand”

Mia nodded slowly “Because I cooked for him. Because he told me to keep cooking for him”

“Yes” Zhu said “Because of that. And also because of rumor”

Lin leaned in again “People are already saying he asked to be alone with you. People are saying you were in his private chamber for a long time. People are saying he dismissed everyone else to talk to you. People are saying he untied his outer robe collar in front of you which he does not do around most of his court. People are saying you made him relax. People are saying you made him breathe. People are saying you made him feel soft”

Mia felt heat rush to her face “I did not make him feel soft”

Lin pointed at her “See. That is exactly what someone who made him feel soft would say”

Zhu groaned quietly into his hand “Please. I am begging you both. Stop describing the Emperor as soft in this kitchen where other people can hear it”

Mia dropped her face into her palms for a second. Her voice came out muffled “This is insane. This is all insane. Yesterday my biggest problem was whether my landlord was going to raise rent on a place with mold in the ceiling. Now my biggest problem is apparently not getting stabbed by a royal consort because I accidentally made soup that relaxed a stressed monarch”

Lin patted her shoulder in a comforting way “Welcome to palace life”

Mia lifted her head again. “Okay. So Consort Lian. She will hate me”

Zhu shook his head. “No. She will smile at you first. She will be kind. She will ask questions. She will speak softly. She will offer you small safety. She will do this to make sure you know you are below her so you never forget. She will not strike first unless you are stupid. Do not be stupid. If you are not stupid we might get through the week”

Mia swallowed. “Define stupid”

“Stupid” Lin said “is if she asks Did His Majesty enjoy your dish and you answer Yes very much. You cannot say that. Sounds like you are claiming you understand his private taste. That is her ground. You cannot stand on her ground. If she asks you that you say I hope so but I am only a kitchen girl. Then you lower your head. Then you shut your mouth”

Mia took that in. Repeated it silently. Felt how wrong it tasted but also how necessary it was. She had no interest in challenging anyone for favor. She did not come here for that. She only wanted to survive and breathe and maybe one day not feel scared all the time

Zhu pointed at her again. “And another rule. If any noble woman or their attendant asks you to make the rain comfort bowl for them you say no. You only answer The dish belongs to His Majesty. I cannot prepare it without his order. You repeat that line exactly. Word for word. Even if they threaten you. Especially if they threaten you. You understand”

“Yes” Mia said quietly “The dish belongs to His Majesty. I cannot prepare it without his order”

Lin nodded in approval “Good. You sound obedient and tragic. That helps people feel kind toward you instead of jealous of you. You want pity. Pity is safer than admiration. Admiration cuts”

Mia made a face “Where did you learn all this”

Lin shrugged one shoulder “By watching people get erased”

Mia let out a slow breath. “Okay. I will not be erased. I will not get you erased. I promise”

Lin smiled a little at that. Zhu did not smile. But some tension left his shoulders

A runner boy burst in through the side door then skidded to a stop his sandals sliding on the smooth stone floor. He bowed fast. “Head Chef Zhu. Call from the inner court. Consort Lian requests evening sweets for her table. Light and delicate. She says She is in need of calm tonight. Send three plates. Send your best hands”

All three of them froze

Lin mouthed oh no