The palace was alive with whispers.
Not the quiet kind that died in corners, but the kind that spread like spilled tea—sweet, scalding, impossible to contain.
Li Mei could feel it. Every corridor, every marble landing, every golden archway seemed to hum with the same question: Who was that maid?
"Did you see her?" one noblewoman whispered behind a painted fan, eyes flicking toward Li Mei's retreating form. "She spoke. At court."
"Under the Empress's nose," another breathed, torn between horror and envy.
"Bold," a chamberlain muttered as he passed. "Or stupid. Possibly both."
Li Mei's ears burned. She pressed herself against the polished wall, trying to melt into the marble's cold gleam. If she could've turned herself into a decorative vase, she would've. Instead, she shuffled sideways along the hall, sidestepping a group of giggling maids and barely avoiding a trip over her own hem.
New skill unlocked: Humiliation, Level 99.
She briefly considered retreating to the broom closet until the gossip wave passed—or until she died of shame, whichever came first.
But deep down, she knew the truth: there were no safe corners when Empress Celestia had her eye on you. Every shadow might hide an ear. Every echo could be a test.
Li Mei clutched at the edge of a tapestry like it was a lifeline and whispered, "System, you really know how to ruin a girl's life."
(Ding! Reminder: Life is ruined, but XP is gained.)
She groaned so loudly that a pageboy jumped, glancing at her with wide eyes. "Thanks," she muttered. "That's so comforting."
She wasn't even done sulking before her next test arrived.
A summons.
The morning inspection.
Which, she had learned, wasn't really about inspection—it was about judgment.
Empress Celestia moved through the corridors like a living storm. Her silver hair shimmered with the cold light of dawn, her robes whispering against marble with the sound of command. The air shifted as she passed; servants stiffened, chins lowered, breaths caught.
Li Mei straightened so hard she almost dislocated something.
Celestia stopped. And looked directly at her.
Li Mei's pulse crashed. Her palms went clammy. Her body screamed at her to faint now, die gracefully, become a tragic decorative footnote.
Instead, she stood there, a trembling, wide-eyed disaster in a maid's uniform.
"You survived court," the Empress said, her voice calm and cool as rippling water. "Without major incident. Remarkable."
Li Mei blinked. "I… thank Your Majesty? But it wasn't—um—intentional?"
Celestia's brow lifted a fraction. "Do not lie. I can see through pretenses."
Oh perfect, Li Mei thought. She can probably see through my soul too.
The Empress regarded her in silence for one long, suffocating moment. Then—a smile. Faint. Dangerous. Beautiful.
"Your methods intrigue me," Celestia murmured. "The Empire runs on order. You, little maid… thrive in chaos. Tell me—do you enjoy it?"
Li Mei froze. Enjoy chaos? How was she supposed to answer that without sounding like a lunatic?
(Hint: Flustered honesty may work in rare cases.)
"I… kind of like it?" she blurted, instantly regretting every life decision that had led to that sentence.
Celestia's laugh was soft—like wind chimes swaying before a storm. "Interesting answer. Keep it in mind."
Then she turned and glided down the corridor, every motion precise enough to cut glass. Li Mei exhaled only when the Empress disappeared around the corner.
Her knees nearly gave out. Her brain felt like pudding. Her heart was still galloping like a terrified rabbit trying to escape a cat made of diamonds.
"Okay," she whispered. "Okay, that wasn't too bad. She didn't kill me. Yet."
(Achievement Unlocked: Survived Direct Empress Attention. Reward: 10 XP. Penalty: Emotional trauma.)
Li Mei slumped against the wall, trying to steady her breath.
Around her, the palace shimmered with its strange, terrible beauty—sunlight glinting off marble, the faint scent of orchids from the gardens beyond, the hum of secrets moving through the air.
And somewhere deep down, Li Mei realized something cold and sharp.
This wasn't luck anymore.
She was being noticed.
And in the Imperial Palace, being noticed was the first step toward either greatness… or a very elegant death.
Somewhere above the eastern courtyard, a fan snapped shut with a hiss.
Lady Yun leaned against the balcony rail, her painted lips curling as she watched the little maid scurry after the Empress. Sunlight caught the jewels in her hair, glittering like sharpened glass.
"That one," she murmured, voice low enough to be mistaken for the hum of cicadas. "She's dangerous."
Her fingers tapped against the marble—slow, deliberate. "The Empress favors her. The Crown Prince notices her. If I don't act soon…" A small, elegant shrug. "…she'll ruin everything."
Below, Li Mei had no idea a noblewoman was already plotting her untimely demise. She was too busy trying not to hyperventilate.
She darted into the kitchens—the one place in the palace that smelled vaguely of safety. Warm bread. Butter. Sweet red bean paste. Life made sense here.
Kind of.
Li Mei sank into a corner beside the oven, clutching a still-warm pastry like it was divine intervention.
"Okay," she muttered between shallow breaths. "Step one: stay alive. Step two: don't get noticed. Step three—"
(Ding! New Objective: Step One failed.)
She glared upward. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
(Affirmative.)
She groaned, stuffing the pastry into her mouth before anyone could catch her emotional breakdown mid-snack. Crumbs sprinkled across her skirt like defeated dreams.
The kitchen door creaked.
"Practicing stealth and pastry theft, little maid?"
Her head snapped up.
Crown Prince Jianyu stood framed in the doorway, one shoulder propped lazily against the doorframe, dark hair falling just enough to shadow his eyes. The smile that curved his lips was half amusement, half danger.
Li Mei almost swallowed the pastry whole. "Y-Your Highness! I—uh—I was—"
Jianyu's laugh was quiet, the kind of sound that wrapped itself around the air like silk. "Relax. I'm not here to scold you."
He stepped closer. The light slid along the edges of his armor, catching in the faint gold threads of his robe. His gaze flicked to the pastry she held, then back to her face. "Though I must say, I admire your taste."
Li Mei's brain short-circuited. "I… I was testing the dough quality?"
(Side Quest Activated: Convince Crown Prince of Innocent Motives. Difficulty: Medium.)
He raised a brow. "Testing it?"
"For… science," she added weakly, wishing the earth would just open up and swallow her whole.
Jianyu leaned a little closer, close enough that she could see the faint scar tracing the line of his jaw. "Science that somehow influences politics. How… inventive."
"I don't mean to!" she squeaked.
"Of course not." His voice softened, the teasing sliding into something quieter. "And yet you do."
Her cheeks flared so hot she thought steam might actually rise.
(Warning: Emotional entanglement detected.)
(Hint: Avoid prolonged eye contact.)
Too late. His gaze held hers for one impossible heartbeat, and her stomach performed an acrobatic feat worthy of applause.
"I—I must go!" she blurted, clutching the remains of her pastry like a shield.
He didn't stop her. Just let her pass with that same infuriating, unreadable smirk. "Run carefully, little maid. The palace is filled with traps. And I enjoy watching how you navigate them."
The words followed her like perfume.
Li Mei practically fled into the storage wing, pulse hammering, face aflame. "He's impossible," she whispered. "Completely—impossibly—"
(Attractive.)
"—infuriating!" she hissed back.
Before the system could reply, chaos erupted nearby.
Lady Yun's voice sliced through the kitchen air. "Where is it? Who misplaced the supply reports?!"
Pans clattered. Someone screamed. Flour exploded in a white cloud, dusting everything—including Li Mei—like winter snow.
"Oh no," she breathed. "Not again."
(Ding! Chaos Instinct activated.)
A rolling pin spun across the floor, knocking into a basket. The basket toppled, redirecting a stream of servants just as Lady Yun lunged toward them. Pots aligned themselves by accident, tables rearranged mid-panic, and somehow—somehow—the kitchen began to function with perfect efficiency.
Li Mei stood frozen, coated in flour, blinking through the haze. "Did… did I just fix this by tripping?"
(Affirmative. Critical success via accident.)
She might've laughed if her lungs weren't still full of flour.
By the time the chaos settled, Lady Yun had stormed off, humiliated, and the kitchen looked shockingly spotless.
Li Mei leaned against a barrel, panting. "I swear, this place is going to kill me."
(Correction: This place is going to level you up.)
By the time the mess was scrubbed away and the smoke of overcooked rice cleared, word had already spread.
The Empress knows.
Li Mei didn't need the whisper to confirm it—the air itself changed when Celestia entered the kitchens. Every servant froze, breath vanishing like morning dew. Even the hearthfire seemed to bow.
Celestia moved with the unhurried grace of someone who had seen a thousand crises and orchestrated half of them herself. Her gaze swept the room once, assessing the scattered trays, the trembling maids, the faint streak of flour still clinging to Li Mei's cheek.
And then—nothing.
No anger. No visible disapproval. Only that slight tilt of her head that made the world hold its breath.
"Efficient recovery," the Empress said at last, voice calm, almost gentle. "Lady Yun's mistake could have wasted half the day. You handled it."
Li Mei blinked. "I—I did?"
(Ding! New Achievement: Survive Catastrophe by Accident.)
(+25 XP | +2 Reputation: Empress Celestia)
She almost choked on her own spit.
Celestia's eyes—silver and cool—met hers, and for a heartbeat Li Mei swore the woman saw everything. The panic, the doubt, the ridiculous system window hovering just out of sight.
"Accidents," the Empress murmured, "often reveal character."
Li Mei nodded too quickly. "Yes, Your Majesty. I—uh—reveal character all the time."
A flicker of something almost like amusement passed through Celestia's gaze. "So I've noticed."
Then, softer: "Be careful whom you let see it."
The words hung there, heavy as prophecy.
When the Empress swept out, the air rushed back into the room like a held breath released. The servants stumbled into motion, whispering, bowing, avoiding her eyes as if she were some cursed charm that had inexplicably turned lucky.
Li Mei sagged against a counter, the tension seeping out of her spine. "Okay," she whispered to no one. "I didn't die. That's… progress."
(Ding! Quest Complete: Don't Die.)
(Reward: Temporary Stability. Duration: Unknown.)
She let out a half-laugh, half-groan. "You have got to be kidding me."
The System, mercifully, stayed quiet.
Her hands trembled as she stared at the steaming pots, the rows of plates, the faint echo of Celestia's voice. Everything in this palace felt like it was built on thin ice—beautiful, perfect, and ready to crack.
She thought of Lady Yun's fury. Of Jianyu's smile that hid too much. Of Celestia's eyes, calm and all-seeing.
And then, beneath the exhaustion, the fear, and the absurdity of it all, something steadied.
Maybe she couldn't outfight or outthink them. But she could adapt.
She straightened, brushed the last of the flour from her sleeves, and faced the empty doorway where the Empress had stood.
"Fine," she whispered. "Let's play your game."
(New Main Quest Unlocked: Survive the Court. Optional Goal: Win.)
A single ember of resolve flared in her chest.
Li Mei smiled—small, tired, and just a little bit dangerous.
"This time," she murmured, "I'm not just wallpaper."