It took them about an hour to arrive at the town and at least twenty minutes more to arrive at the estate. The estate was fairly large, looking like it might belong to a noble family or a particularly wealthy merchant. Their entourage certainly looked like that of a fairly wealthy merchant.

The townspeople were curious, certainly, but they kept their distance. Commoners tended to, around here. The demarcation between commoners and nobles became clearer the closer you got to the capital.

Thanks to that, the ride to the estate was quite peaceful. She took a carriage of course. The Emperor had ordered them to ready a horse. But she'd dragged him into the carriage without giving anyone a chance to respond.

"You have just recovered from a poisoning. You are not riding back on a horse."

"So have you, beloved concubine."

She had wanted to punch that amused smile-not-smile out of his face.

"That's why I'm riding a carriage." She had huffed and sent him a sharp glare. "And besides, I was not the one who had a poison that could potentially destroy my qi core."

"My, what a scary expression you have on, Ya'er." He had shaken his head with an imitation of a sad sigh. "This is not how you treat your husband who has just recovered from a poisoning."

"Oh, so now you know that you have been poisoned."

The man had seemed to be in a particularly teasing mood. Their back and forth banter continued until they devolved into soft chuckles and scoffs which then settled into a comfortable silence, which lasted the entire way back to the estate. It was the kind of comfort that she had not experienced in a long, long time. For some reason, she felt … safe. For the first time in a long time, she felt no need to be on guard, to constantly survey her surroundings, to tick the escape routes in her mind. She still did it on instinct, of course. But … it was more out of habit than the urgent need to secure her own safety. It had … been a long time since she felt anything like this.

Perhaps, not even with him.

She closed her eyes as she leaned back in her bath, closing her eyes. The reminder of her lover did not come with the heart-twisting pain it used to accompany. It still hurt, but it was more of a melancholy than the soul-deep hollowness she used to feel once.

A knock on the door brought her out of her reverie.

"My lady," a voice called from outside. "I have brought your clothes."

"Enter."

The door opened to admit a plump middle-aged woman. Her face radiated kindness as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her. This estate had a handful of servants taking care of it. This woman was one of them. Not many of them knew that this estate belonged to the Imperial Family. This woman just thought of them as just merchants, just like the majority of the servants. But she was diligent and clearly knew the mansion, the servants, and all the work to be done like the back of her hand.

"Do you need help with the bath, my lady?"

She shook her head. "No, aunty Luo. I will need some more time, however."

The woman called Aunty Luo sighed, a touch of concern on her face. "Are you sure you do not need help, my lady? We have quite capable maids. They may not compare to yours at the main estate, but they can certainly do their jobs well."

"I'm sure, aunty," Samaya replied with a reassuring smile. "I just wish to be alone."

The elderly woman gave a small nod and bowed. "Then I shall wait outside until you need me, my lady."

She looked back at the woman and smiled. "Thank you, aunty."

The woman bowed with a smile and stepped out, leaving Samaya alone with her thoughts. Her mind went back to last night. Just the memory of the man's chest pressing against her bare back made heat crawl across her skin, tingles travelling all across her back. It was getting harder and harder to hold herself back.

Curbing her sexual appetite had not been hard. She had not felt attracted to anyone, and her libido usually depended on her attraction. She could count her sexual partners on one hand and still have a couple of fingers left.

But ever since she met the man, she could feel her control slipping, her desires surging. She'd been aware of her attraction to him, acutely since her conversation with Fu Caiyi. But it had been easy to ignore, with one problem after another coming her way and keeping her from even thinking about it, regardless of their frequent meet-ups. Manu was a powerful deterrent. Whenever she found herself a bit too uncomfortable, Manu had miraculously appeared to break the tension. But now there was no Manu, and she could feel the heat, the restless urges squirming just beneath her skin.

She sighed softly. This was going to be a long night.

She resisted the urge to touch herself. It felt unsavory to do so after just coming out of the jaws of death, especially with an elderly woman waiting right outside.

It did not take her long to finish up. Once she was done, Samya stepped out of the bath and wrapped the bathrobe around her body, and used a towel to tie up her hair.

"I am done, aunty."

Samaya was glad she did not give in to her stupid urges, because it did not take the woman more than two seconds to open the door and step inside.

"You could have called me earlier, my lady. We are here to take care of you."

Samaya smiled at her thankfully. "I can do this much myself. I'd feel utterly useless if I had anyone help me put on a simple bathrobe."

The woman stared at her for a long moment, making Samaya wonder if she had something on her face.

She tilted her head. "What?"

Aunty Luo seemed to realise that she had been staring. She quickly averted her eyes and shook her head. "It is nothing, my lady. Come, my lady, let us get you dressed."

The woman was clearly uncomfortable with speaking her thoughts. Samaya didn't pry. As much as she liked the woman, she was not as close with her as she was with her maids. She was not about to order the poor woman about.

She followed the woman out of the bath chamber. Two more maids were standing beside the folding screen. She had once found the extravagant dresses bothersome, since they required at least another person to help her wear them. It was almost a mindless routine now. She chose a somewhat mauvy shade of hanfu, with almost an icy pink inner robe, and then let her mind wander as they put the clothes on her.

Soon enough, she was led to the dressing table. The routine was almost relaxing now. It made the fire inside of her simmer down at least, the heat from the incensed smoke that was drying her hair made her sleepy. The scent itself was refreshing.

"How do you want your hair, my lady?"

"Just detangle it," she instructed. "I'll put it in a loose braid."

That same look of concern from before crossed the woman's face. "Are you quite sure, my lady? It would be so very … plain."

Ah. The woman was probably worried about her "status", since elaborate hairdos with expensive ornaments were a status symbol for women of this era. She sent another smile the woman's way through the mirror and nodded.

"Yes."

The woman, true to her position as a capable servant, did not insist further and worked on gently detangling her hair. She almost began to doze off by the time they were done. She stretched slightly to shake off the sluggishness of her body and then brought her hair to the side, beginning to braid it. It had been a while since she did her own hair, and she'd almost forgotten how therapeutic weaving braids could be.

On Aunty Luo's insistence, she put a small but intricate hair clip at the base of her braid. She allowed the maids to help her into her clothes before she looked at the woman.

"Where is Hi… my husband?" She asked her. Aunty Luo and the maids probably did not know their true identities and it was better to keep it that way.

"He is in the study," the woman replied.

"Great. Can you lead me there?"

The woman seemed to hesitate.

Samaya tilted her head. "What?"

"Um… the Lord… is having a meeting with his friend."

Samaya blinked. She could tell that the woman was implying that they might disturb him. Honestly, despite living day and night in this ancient era, how she acted had not changed much, and, except for a few obstacles, no one had dared to take it up with her. Successfully, at least. So, it was easy to forget how women were treated in this era. Lesser, smaller, to be seen and not heard.

Well, too bad.

"Don't worry," She said softly, the reassuring smile back on her face. "Just take me there. It will be alright."

The woman paused before she sighed softly and nodded. "Right this way, my lady." The woman then mumbled under her breath, "If this servant had known that the lady would be meeting the lord, I would have done your hair properly."

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Samaya heard it loud and clear and chuckled softly. "Worry not. My husband couldn't care less about such things."

And, for some reason, she knew it to be true.

As she stepped out, a cool breeze washed over her. She took a deep breath and looked up to find clouds gathering overhead.

"Smells like rain," she mumbled softly.

She stood still for a moment, enjoying the breeze for a moment before she gave the elderly woman a small nod.

"Lead the way."

The woman bowed and led her through the gardens and corridors toward the centre of the estate. The feeling of déjà vu was strong. Once they reached the study, they stopped in front of the guards.

"The lady would like to meet the Lord."

The guards, instead of announcing her to the Emperor like they usually would, simply opened the door. Aunty Luo blinked in surprise. Samaya mirrored her expression.

"We were told to expect the lady to come. The lady does not require permission to enter."

That … she did not know how to feel about that. A mixture of glee and panic began to churn in her stomach. She did not dare examine the reason. Pushing down any errant thought, she nodded at them.

"You can go back, Aunty Luo. I can find my way back," she told the elderly woman.

She shook her head. "It is my duty to attend to you."

Samaya wanted to protest, but the woman just shook her head again. She sighed. "Alright, I'll probably be a while. Will you be alright?"

The woman gave a small but firm nod. Samaya did not push further and then stepped inside. The room was not as large as the Imperial Study, which could probably fit at leat two and a half of this room. But it was larger than the small hut she had once lived in, and it was clearly filled with signs of status and wealth, from the expensive rosewood furniture to the embroidered folding screens to the gold and gem-encrusted show pieces.

The Emperor was poring over something on the table, and Han Qin was right beside him. They were speaking in hushed tones.

She did not bother to announce her presence. She was not stupid enough to think that either of the men was unaware of her presence. She stepped up beside the Emperor, opposite to Han Qin.

"What are you talking about?"

"Potential escape routes."

Her eyes roamed over the map and the places marked on it. "Of the assassins?"

If they were surprised by her conclusion, they did not show it. Han Qin nodded. "Yes, it will be hard to find them now, but we might find some clues that might lead us to them."

She tilted her head. "What about the qi poison?" She asked as she looked up at them. "I assume that qi poison is not something you can buy off the street market? We should be able to get something if we pursue that avenue."

The Emperor nodded. "We are trying. The problem is that this is something you can buy if you have strong connections to the underworld. It would take us some time to trace it."

That made sense. The underworld was one place where the Emperor's hand could not reach so easily. She gave a small nod before turning her attention to the map itself.

"And what about the people behind the attack? Those were professional killers. They had to have been hired."

"We have a strong suspect."

Samaya glanced to find the emperor looking back at her, with an expression on his face that told her that he expected her to know exactly what he was talking about.

She raised an eyebrow. "The Kangs?"

The Emperor sent a satisfied smirk her way, which basically confirmed her words.

She had to admit, she was surprised. She knew that the Kangs were incorrigible criminals, but she had not thought that they would be reckless enough to launch an attack on the Emperor. Unless…

"Did you find something already?"

"Yes." He straightened. "They were knee deep in mud. Iron, weapons, salt… they were dealing in everything. They kept rigid accounts to keep track of things. They were all quite well hidden. If I had not sent those Shadow Guards, we would not have found them."

She did not feel whether to feel relief, happiness or anger. That family was dealing with some of the most restricted and forbidden products of this time. This was enough to bring that family down and ensure they would never be a danger to her or her family or anyone she cared about. But those fuckers… had already become a danger. They had sent people after her man and her son. They were getting desperate, and desperate criminals were far more dangerous than regular ones.

"What are you planning to do?"

"It would take a while to assimilate all the evidence. And then… trial. Public execution. Exile for a few."

"Good." She nodded. It was no less than they deserved.

"Was this what you came here for?" The man asked.

She tapped her fingers on the table before grabbing the brush and marking a few more potential routes. She did not know this place as well as these people, but she was looking through the eyes of an assassin. On a mission, she'd extensively research these routes before going in. But that wasn't her job. She just wanted to point out some potential directions.

"Partly," she replied before looking up at the man. "I wanted to check up on you."

That seemed to surprise the man. It was evident in the slight widening of his eyes. Samaya could see his lips parting slightly. It was the closest he would ever look to being flustered.

Samaya chuckled softly. "Is it so hard to believe that your beloved concubine would come to see if you are alright?"

"If someone had asked Us this a few months earlier, We would have called them a fool."

She averted her gaze, 'inspecting' the map. "Well, things change."

Before the man could respond, she changed the topic. "I imagine you have people searching these routes."

The Emperor, thankfully, did not pursue the previous topic. "Yes. We will send some more along the routes you marked."

She nodded. "When are we going back?"

She was anxious to get back to her son. She knew Ah-Liu would take care of him; he always had. This was not the first time they had been apart for so long. She'd had to leave him in Ah-Liu and the tavern owner's care for days on end when she was doing missions for Siwang. But now… perhaps it was the fact they had not been apart the past several months, or perhaps it was the way they parted, her hands were literally itching to hold him and run her hands through his hair and tell him that he was safe.

"Tomorrow. We will leave a shi or so after breakfast. We should be at the Imperial Palace by afternoon."

She nodded, sighing in relief, before she settled her mind back on the issue at hand. This concerned an assassination attempt on her child. She would be damned if she was left out.

Quite a few hours later, Samaya found herself sitting at the small pond that was about a ten-minute walk behind the small courtyard assigned to her, flicking her bare feet in the water, watching as it splashed and wet the hem of her clothes. She didn't quite mind. She felt… almost content. When was the last time she'd felt so … relaxed? She could not remember. Probably when she was little, before she had to worry about training and, later, missions. Her mind - usually a chaotic minefield of her training, making her assess every single fraction of her surroundings and strategizing the ways to achieve her goals - was strangely quiet. Perhaps it was because of the fact that the thorn at her side was soon to meet its downfall. She felt a rare satisfaction at the thought.

Her meeting with the men went on for hours, where they absent-mindedly ate their lunch while talking. They had a pretty good idea of how to go from here. Even if they did not find the assassins, they had enough evidence to put the Kangs down for good. But until they could actually get to them, things must be kept under wraps. They needed time to ensure there was no weak spot, no loophole, through which they could wiggle out. She'd left after the conversation about the Kangs, when it was clear that the Emperor was about to move on to other confidential business with Han Qin. Imperial stuff. None of her business.

The cool breeze from the morning had transformed into cold, almost biting winds. With it, the smell of rain intensified. The clouds rumbled softly overhead, making her look up. Thunder rolled behind the dark clouds, and they cracked open as if thousands of needles popped them like a balloon.

One, two, three… raindrops plopped onto her face. It strung a bit. In a good way.

She closed her eyes.

She'd always liked the rain.

She remembered always running out of the house she lived in with her mentor as a child whenever it rained, jumping and playing in whatever puddles she could find. Though later on, rain either became a helping tool or an inconvenience, depending on the situation. Maybe a helpful background noise on peaceful days. She had almost forgotten the feeling of just … enjoying the rain, even when sitting inside.

The rain began pouring down within seconds, and she was soaked completely through. She did not mind. Her feet didn't stop playing with the water, but her upper body was still as a statue. Her clothes and her hair felt heavier and heavier. The multiple layers of clothes and the ornaments on her weren't helping. She groaned softly and pulled her braid open, pulling the ornament off it. She then took off the rings and necklace she was wearing, carelessly putting them to the side. She then lifted her head again, enjoying the feeling of rain hitting her face.

It wasn't long, however, before she was brought out of her trance when the rain suddenly stopped falling on her. But she could clearly hear the roaring sound of rain around her.

"It's okay, Aunty Luo," she said softly without opening her eyes. "I'm just enjoying the rain. You should go. You'll catch a cold."

"We did not know you enjoyed rain."

That was certainly not Aunty Luo.

She opened her eyes, only to find herself staring into golden eyes.

The man was standing behind her, looking down, the umbrella held over his head and, thus, hers.

"Your Majesty?" She asked.

"We were wondering where you were when We did not find you in your courtyard," he started. "Who knew We'd find you playing in the rain? You almost looked like a concubine."

She scowled. "I wasn't playing."

He tilted his head, golden eyes gleaming with quiet amusement. "Oh?" he asked, the umbrella shifting slightly as he knelt down beside her. "Then what would you call sitting in the pouring rain, drenched head to toe, eyes closed as if you are daydreaming like a lovelorn poet?"

"A moment of peace," she replied coolly, glancing sideways at him. "I feel like I have earned it with everything that happened."

"Hm," he murmured, voice lower now, threaded with something harder to name. "Then We shall not interrupt it."

He didn't speak again. Simply sat beside her, shoulder brushing hers beneath the too-small umbrella. The closeness was necessary - technically. But there was a deliberateness to the way he leaned in, the way his body angled slightly toward hers as though pulled by something he wasn't ready to name. She could feel the heat of him despite the rain, despite the chill that clung to her skin. Silence fell between them, but it was no longer serene. It pulsed - quietly, insistently - like something alive. It made her… restless.

"Done with your meeting with Han Qin?" She asked stiffly.

"Yes," the man replied, equally as stiff. "It was fruitful."

"Good."

Another moment of silence. Awkward. Heated. It made her want to sink into it.

"You've let down your hair," he said, his gaze resting on the damp hair falling over her shoulder.

Samaya gave a soft laugh, not quite looking at him. "The rain was making it feel heavy."

She ruffled her hair unconsciously, unaware of how the action made the heat in the man's gaze intensify.

"You look like something wild the rain forgot to tame." He said after a moment, almost too quietly.

That caught her off guard. She turned slightly, brows lifted, and found him watching her - not with teasing, not with the usual unreadable indifference he embodied, but something slower, steadier… electrifying. Like the weight of a tide she hadn't realized was rising.

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

A raindrop slid down his cheek. He didn't seem to notice. His hand lifted instead, slow and uncertain, brushing a wet strand of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. The touch was gentle. Careful. Hesitant. His fingers lingered longer than they should have, his knuckles grazing the curve of her jaw, then falling away - as if the contact had startled even him.

She inhaled, but the air felt too thin. It felt like she could not breathe.

"You always look like fire," he whispered. "But tonight, you look like rain just learned to burn."

She almost laughed, almost said something sharp or clever. That would've been safer. Expected. But the words snagged inside her, caught in the strange tightness that had gripped her chest. He wasn't teasing her. He wasn't performing.

He was just… looking. Like he didn't quite understand what he was seeing.

And she couldn't look away.

The umbrella tipped slightly, rain redampening the edges of her sleeve. Neither of them moved. Her pulse had gone quiet in her ears, replaced by something slower, like the hush before a storm breaks. The world seemed to fade away, and the only sound in her ear was the man's breath that seemed to ghost over her face.

His gaze flicked to her mouth. Then back up.

She didn't say anything.

Neither did he.

And then, with no warning at all, they closed the distance.

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