Later that afternoon, Xiao Zhi was arranging the fresh flowers the gardeners had brought when she heard footsteps passing outside her courtyard. They weren't the heavy, disciplined steps of palace guards. These were uncertain, dragging, almost sulky.
She didn't think much of it until a figure lingered at the corridor corner.
"Prince Kabil?" her voice careful but carrying curiosity.
He stiffened immediately, as if caught in the act of trespassing. Slowly, reluctantly, he turned toward her. His eyes filled with the guilt of someone who had not intended to be seen, yet very much had been lurking there.
"Oh… Princess Lian Zhi." He tried to sound casual, but his voice trembled with wounded pride.
Xiao Zhi stepped forward, then halted. Something about his posture made her stomach tighten.
"Prince Kabil… your face," she said, and her words carried both concern and disbelief.
He lowered his head immediately, as if ashamed to have been caught like this. The right side of his cheek was swollen, red, and patterned almost unnaturally as though branded by the iron glove that had struck him. The sight made her gasp involuntarily.
"It's nothing," he muttered quickly, but the trembling of his lips betrayed him.
"What happened?" she asked, her brows knitting together. Worry prickled in her chest.
He sniffed softly, almost pitifully, not the kind of crying that demanded attention, but enough to stir sympathy.
"My brother… the Khan," he said, pausing as though even naming him could bring doom, "he…slapped me."
"What? Why would he…?" she asked in disbelief.
Kabil let out a heavy sigh, his jaw tightening as though trying to hold back the sting of both pain and humiliation. "He… wanted us to do a bride parade. But I found it humiliating, disgraceful for you. I… I refused." Kabil paused for dramatic effect, "So he… slapped me."
"A bride parade?" Xiao Zhi frowned, unfamiliar with the term. The idea felt abstract at first, almost like a piece of ancient ceremony she had read about in books.
"Yes," Kabil replied, his tone low, almost sad. "He thinks it's not enough that Hua sent you as my bride as a peace offering. He wants to show Tughril's dominance over this alliance. He wants you paraded around in servant clothes."
Xiao Zhi's eyes widened. "Like… a public display?"
He nodded miserably, pressing the side of his face with his fingers. "He says it's tradition. That you must show submission to Tughril. He doesn't care about your dignity at all. I tried… I really did, but I am powerless against him."
Silence stretched between them. Xiao Zhi's heart twisted painfully at the thought.
A parade? Public humiliation?
Only then did she understand how dangerous the Khan was. He was cold, ruthless, and impossible to defy. Not Kabil, not even the Dowager, could stand against him. His word was law, and disobedience never went unpunished.
Yet… her mind, ever practical, began to work in quiet logic. What did a parade really mean? Terrifying, yes, but also strangely simple. What was the worst that could happen? She would suffer anyway, bound by her tragic fate in this world.
Paraded as a servant, how much worse could it truly be? She didn't know anyone here, and eventually, she would leave this place. Or at least, she had been planning to.
And now that Prince Kabil is not what she imagined he would be, maybe parading as a servant was not so bad at all, compared to being tortured to death.
Xiao Zhi weighed the pros and cons in her mind, and then she made the decision.
She exhaled softly, letting the tension in her chest loosen slightly. "It's… okay," she said, her voice quieter than she intended but firm enough to hold Kabil's gaze.
Kabil looked up sharply, eyes wide with disbelief. "What?"
"I'll do it," she repeated, her voice trembling only slightly. "If this parade will help the people accept me, if it keeps the peace, then I will do it."
"You will?" Kabil's shock was almost comical, though he quickly masked it with concern. "Princess Lian Zhi, this is degrading. I cannot—"
Xiao Zhi offered a faint, calm smile, though her fingers twitched slightly around her sleeves. What was the worst that could happen? What harm could she endure that she hadn't already imagined in this palace?
"It's fine," she said softly, gently. Her gaze met his, steady despite the turmoil in her chest.
Kabil almost smiled, then stopped himself. The worry in his eyes didn't fade.
"Are you sure?" he asked quietly.
"I am." Xiao Zhi tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and met his gaze. "If this is what it takes to keep the peace, to calm the people… then I'll do it."
He blinked at her, astonishment and admiration mingling on his features. His wide eyes slowly softened into a smile, the kind that almost reached his entire face, though a faint shadow of guilt lingered still. "You… truly are remarkable, Princess Lian Zhi."
Xiao Zhi allowed herself a single, fleeting smile, though her stomach twisted. Remarkable… or reckless? The line blurred. She would endure this parade, just as she had endured everything else. She would step into the eyes of the people as a symbol, stripped of royal pretenses, and face whatever humiliation awaited.
Again, at least she won't be tortured to death. Right?
Kabil hesitated, then stepped a little closer.
"Then… I'll protect you as best I can," he said quietly, touching his still-tender cheek. "I promise I'll try to make sure none of it truly hurts you."
Xiao Zhi nodded. Her expression stayed calm, though unease stirred in her chest.
For a long moment, they stood like that, caught between relief and determination. And though she would parade through the streets in servant attire, she would do so with her head held high, a quiet defiance beneath her outward compliance. She would show them Tughril's people what she could endure, and perhaps, in doing so, claim a small measure of control over her fate.