That night Mia could not sleep

The inner quarters were quiet dim warm. Lin had already passed out face down on her blanket one arm flung over her head. The other girls in the inner room breathed in slow steady waves. Someone mumbled once in her sleep and then went silent again. Outside the thin window slit the palace was dark but not empty. She could hear distant footsteps soft and even. A patrol. The low hum of lanterns in the hall. Somewhere far away a night bell that sounded like the soft edge of thunder

But Mia lay awake eyes open staring at the stone above her

Her body was tired to the bone. Every part of her hurt. Her shoulders her wrists her legs her throat. Her finger ached under the bandage where the knife had caught her. Her head felt heavy. She wanted sleep so bad it almost made her shake

But her mind would not let go

Too much had happened in one day

Too much had changed in one day

In Los Angeles a bad day meant rude customers no tips a broken walk in fridge and some manager saying We all have to dig deep right now team while doing nothing. In this palace a bad day meant a royal consort smiling at you like a ribbon and meaning a blade. It meant a council advisor demanding your food like he already owned you. It meant guards watching your hands like they were gold. It meant the Emperor telling you You helped me breathe and you not knowing if that was safety or a death sentence

How do I sleep after that she thought

How am I supposed to sleep here like this is my life

Her heart felt heavy. Not panicked. Just heavy. Like it was carrying weight it had never carried before

She rolled to her side and looked at her wrist. The golden ribbon caught the low light and glowed a little. She hated it. She feared it. She was starting to understand she would not survive without it

It still did not feel real

Not any of it

Her brain kept circling back to the crosswalk. Red light. Rain on the street. The buzz of her phone. The scream of metal. The way the world had gone white

Was I supposed to die she thought

Did I die

Is this the after part

If this is the after part why does my back hurt and why do I still owe someone rent in my head and why am I scared of stairs

Her chest tightened at that thought because it brought her mind to her father

For most of the day she had been too busy moving to feel it. Too busy reacting. Too busy staying alive. But now in the quiet it hit her like a slow wave

Her father

He did not know where she was

He would never know where she was

He would wake up if he was still alive and she had to tell herself he was because not believing that right now felt like breaking in half. He would wake up and she would not be there. He would look at his phone and see her last message from hours before saying I am off late tonight. He would text Did you get home yet kid and the message would sit there unread forever. He would wait. He would assume she stayed at a friend’s place. He would maybe joke later You forgot about your old man huh and pretend he was not scared. Then the pretending would crack

Her throat closed. Her eyes burned

She pressed her forearm over her face to stop the sound from getting out. She did not want to wake anyone. Crying was private. Lin would say crying was also dangerous because tears looked like weakness and weakness drew attention

She did not make noise

But tears still found their way past her lashes and into her hairline and down into her ear in slow warm lines

She whispered into the crook of her arm

I want to go home

The words felt small in the air. Too small to change anything

Then something else moved through her

A second truth

A harder one

Even if she could go home could she walk away now

She did not know the Emperor. Not really. She did not understand his world. She did not even know his name people here did not speak it out loud. But she had seen his face without the crown of attention on it. She had seen the way his shoulders dropped for a breath when he tasted her food. She had heard the line then tonight you will help me breathe spoken like a person and not a throne

There was weight in that

She had felt it

And she had answered it

She had said Yes Your Majesty without thinking because in that moment it had felt not like duty but like care

Now lying there in the dim heat Mia felt that choice like a hook in her chest

If I leave him no one will feed him like that

If I leave him they will pull at him from every side

If I leave him he will break and when he breaks everyone in this palace will bleed

That thought scared her because it did not come from loyalty to a ruler it came from something human that she did not want to name

She wiped her face with the heel of her palm and stared at the ceiling again. Somewhere nearby Lin let out a short snore and mumbled something about oranges and survival and do not talk to consorts

Mia almost laughed

Then she heard it

Footsteps in the hall

Not patrol steps. Patrol steps were slow steady even weight. This was softer. Faster. Urgent

Her body went tense

She propped herself up on her elbows and listened

The steps stopped right outside their door

A hand knocked twice fast

Lin shot upright from sleep instantly awake like a cat hearing a glass fall. Her eyes were wide already. She pressed a finger to her lips. Wait

Another knock. Two short raps one pause then one more. Lin exhaled just a little and nodded. That pattern meant safe. That meant kitchen not court

She slid off her mat and padded to the door on silent feet. She cracked it open and whispered “What”

A whisper answered “Call for Golden Hands. Now. Head Chef says now. He said bring her. Fast”

Mia was already moving before Lin turned. Her heart kicked up. Her hands went cold. She tied her hair back with shaking fingers as she stood

Lin grabbed her wrist “Listen to me. You are not dreaming. I need you clear. You look at me. You hear me”

“I am listening” Mia whispered

“Rule. One. You do not speak unless spoken to. You do not offer anything. You do not ask questions. You do not look confused. You do not say sorry. Sorry sounds like guilt here. You let Chef talk for you unless His Majesty speaks to you directly. If His Majesty speaks to you directly you answer honest and simple. No extra”

Mia nodded

“Rule Two” Lin said “If it is not His Majesty and it is someone else and they try to act like they outrank Chef you still do not move unless Chef says move. Even if they threaten you. Even if they threaten me. Especially if they threaten me. That is a trick. They will try to pull you from Chef. You do not go”

Mia swallowed “Okay”

“Rule Three” Lin said “Do not faint”

Mia let out half a breath that was almost a laugh “I am not going to faint”

“Good” Lin said “because if you faint I have to drag you and I am small and that will look bad in front of everyone”

Despite fear the smallest smile pulled at the corner of Mia’s mouth “Understood”

Lin squeezed her wrist. “Stay alive”