I stood up as fast as I could.
The workstation looked just as I remembered, wide, spacious, the air heavy with smoke and dust. A few fireplaces stood along the far wall, their embers faintly glowing, casting dull orange light that barely reached the corners.
Before I could turn around, the door slammed shut behind me. The echo of boots faded away, leaving me in silence.
Then came a shrill voice.
"Are you the reason we were all taken here?! You're a spy, aren't you?"
I turned toward the sound, a woman, maybe in her late twenties, glaring daggers at me. Her voice cracked as she yelled again.
"No, I'm not a spy—" I started.
"Liar! Look at yourself! What do you think you're doing in our country?"
It would've been nice if they actually knew how I ended up here. I was more curious about who these people were.
My eyes scanned the room, seven, maybe eight others scattered around. Most wore the same faded grey and blue uniforms I'd seen on the maids and eunuchs back in the rear palace. But why were they here? Shouldn't the ones being targeted be from the outer court instead?
Something wasn't right.
"Oh for God's sake, Mingzhu!" someone shouted from the other side of the room. "This isn't even why we're locked up! That useless black maid is why we've been stuck here for months—"
"Well, look at him! He's the same thing!" Mingzhu snapped back, her voice dripping with disdain.
I froze.
Black maid? From my country?
"Wait," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, "black maid—as in from Bharat?"
"Yes! Same country you people came from! The woman spat, arms crossed. "I don't even know why I was taken here! I ain't never even seen her! And wasn't she banished? Why does it even matter?"
So they were talking about me.
Of course they were. The so-called "banished Bharat maid." That was me—so that's why they were locked up? Because of me?
Seems like Colonel Wei Lie's reach stretched further than I thought. He must've known exactly where to look.
"Hey! Aren't you gonna answer?" a voice called. "Are you a spy or not?"
I exhaled slowly. "No… no, I'm not."
"Really?" Mingzhu sneered. "And how do we make sure of that?"
Before I could respond, another voice cut through the air—calm, deep, tired.
"Enough, Mingzhu. If there was a spy, they wouldn't have been caught this easily. Look at him, does he look like someone trained to infiltrate?"
It was the same man who had mentioned the maid earlier. His tone was measured, controlled. I decided he might be worth talking to later.
But his words stirred another thought in my head.
They said they'd been here for months. And yet, when I came to Yixuan's workstation last time, there was no one here. Why hadn't I seen any of them?
The air in the room was thick, heavy with the stench of damp wood and something else I couldn't quite place—mildew, maybe.
The musty scent burned my nose. I felt pity for them despite everything. Locked away for months, forgotten. What purpose did it serve? Surely, ordinary servants couldn't be spies.
Or maybe… this wasn't about politics at all.
Human trafficking. The thought hit me like ice water. That would explain everything, the secrecy, the disappearances, the fake accusations.
Eventually, everyone scattered to their corners, muttering to themselves. No one cared enough to talk to me anymore, which was fine. I needed to find that calm-voiced man anyway.
I walked across the cold floor, sidestepping pieces of charred wood. One of the fireplaces still burned faintly, its flame struggling to stay alive.
"You're not the spy, right?" a voice came from behind.
I turned. It was him, the calm one. He approached with a cautious smile. "It'd be a shame if I defended you for nothing."
"No." I replied.
"My name's Ziyuan. What's yours? You must be high-ranking… those clothes aren't cheap."
"Yes," I said, straightening up a little. "My name's Aryan. I have a few questions, if you don't mind."
He shrugged. "Go ahead."
"How long has this been going on? And why hasn't anyone found you all?"
Ziyuan leaned against the wall, rubbing his hands together for warmth. "It's been at least half a year. No one's found us because no one's looking. We're just servants. Replaceable. Servants disappear, new ones come, it's the way of the palace."
I frowned. "But… why keep you here? I heard it was because of spies."
He laughed, a dry, bitter sound. "That's all bullshit. The real reason's simple—they're selling us."
My breath caught. "Selling you?"
He nodded grimly. "Yeah. Human trafficking. That spy story? It's just a cover. They've been doing this long before the whole Bharat-China tension started. The politics are just a convenient excuse."
My stomach twisted. I was right then... It was human trafficking.
"Then why take me?" I asked.
"I don't know for sure," he admitted, "but I assume that the people who took you here don't even know what's really happening. You saw that kid, what's his name?"
"Anle."
"Right. Him. There are more like him around here—kids who think they're guarding spies. They've been fed lies to keep them loyal. You can't tell them the truth; they wouldn't understand."
"So what happens to me now? Am I getting sold too?"
Ziyuan's gaze softened for a moment. "I hope not. You look like someone they'd find useful. They say that maid from Bharat's the reason we're all here. Dumb bastards believe anything they're told."
My thoughts spiraled again.
If what he said was true, and this was all part of a trafficking scheme, then I was trapped in something far worse than a misunderstanding.
And if they sold me… my secret would be exposed. They'd find out I wasn't a man. That thought alone sent a cold shiver down my spine.
"I'll find you. Don't worry."
His voice echoed in my head suddenly—Renshu's. Why was I thinking about him now? He had no way of knowing where I was. Even if he tried to find me, how long would it take?
Would I even still be alive by then?
I forced those thoughts down. I needed to stay calm. Think. There had to be a weak point somewhere, a way out, even a small one. But no matter where I looked, the walls stood solid, unyielding.
Ziyuan walked up to me again, holding something in his hand. "Hungry?" he asked. "They barely feed us, but you might as well get used to it."
He broke a small piece of stale bread and handed it over. I didn't hesitate. My stomach ached with hunger I hadn't even realized was there.
"Thanks," I muttered, biting into it. It was hard and dry, but right now, it was all I had.
Bao Qin's voice flashed in my memory. 'Don't go out.' I should've listened.
Ziyuan sat beside me on the cold floor, eating his own piece of bread. "So," he said after a moment, "find out anything before they brought you here?"
I nodded slowly. "Colonel Wei Lie. He's the one behind all this."
Ziyuan snorted. "A colonel? Makes sense. They make all that money and still end up doing filth like this. Kidnapping servants, selling them off… pathetic."
"Do they move you around?" I asked. "I came here before but didn't see anyone."
"Yeah," he replied. "They shift us to the storehouses before dawn. Keeps things quiet. At night, they move us here."
That made sense. No one ever entered those abandoned storehouses during the day.
I took a deep breath and stared at the fire, its faint light dancing against the stone walls. My chest felt heavy. How long would I be here this time? Weeks? Months?
Before I could think, voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Hey, black man! Come with me."