A bell rang from somewhere deeper in the palace. It was low and slow and it rolled through the walls like thunder wrapped in silk. Zhu stood at once. “That bell means night court has closed. That means the Emperor will not call for you again tonight unless he cannot sleep. If he cannot sleep someone will come for you and you will go. If no one comes you rest. You eat. You drink water. You sleep in the inner room. Do not go back to the outer dorm no matter who asks. You belong here now. If anyone says otherwise you send them to me and I will handle it”

Mia nodded. “Yes Chef”

Zhu paused mid step and looked back at her with an unreadable expression. He shook his head once and muttered “Golden Hands. I still cannot believe this. I am going to regret this week. I can feel it in my bones”

He walked off to speak to another cook across the room

Lin stayed where she was on the floor next to Mia her head resting lightly against Mia’s leg like a cat claiming a spot. Her voice dropped to a more private tone “Listen. I know you are scared. You should be. But I want you to also understand this. You just lived through your first palace day. Most people do not”

Mia let out a slow shaky breath. She did not laugh. She did not cry. She just let the truth sit

Then very quietly she said “Lin”

“Hm”

“If Consort Lian comes here in person tomorrow what do I do first”

Lin did not answer right away. When she did her voice was calm and certain like this was a drill she had already run in her head a hundred times. “You bow. You lower your gaze. You make your face soft but not sweet. You say Head Chef Zhu will serve you with honor. You do not say I will serve you. You do not say I am honored. You let Chef be the shield. That is why we keep Chef alive”

Mia nodded slow “Okay”

“And” Lin added “if she smiles in a way that feels like a knife dressed in silk you smile back in a way that says I am harmless. I am loyal. I am small. Please overlook me. That is the smile of survival”

Mia leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. “Show me that smile”

Lin sat up straight lifted her chin just a little softened her gaze and tilted her mouth in a calm not too warm curve. It was not flirting. It was not fear. It was practiced submission that still kept a thread of dignity

Mia studied it. Then she copied it

Lin nodded “Good. You will live two more days at least with that face”

Two more days

It was meant to reassure her

In the palace it counted as a blessing

Mia breathed in slow and let it out. Her shoulders lowered. Her heartbeat finally stopped racing. The kitchen heat felt normal again instead of suffocating. The air tasted like citrus peel and steam. Voices rose and fell in the main line and pots clanged and knives clicked and in a strange way it felt like a city at night the city she had lost and the city she now had

She whispered more to herself than to Lin

“One step at a time”

Lin nodded “One step at a time”

Mia opened her eyes and looked forward

She did not feel safe

But she felt steady

And for now steady was enough