The chamber gradually returned to silence.
The faint metallic scent of blood still lingered in the air, though most traces of the earlier incident had already been cleaned away. Palace guards moved efficiently through the room, removing the corpse, wiping the polished floor, and restoring everything to perfect order with practiced precision.
Within the imperial palace, death was treated no differently than dust.
It appeared.
Then disappeared.
As though it had never existed at all.
Li Xuan stood quietly near the open window while the servants worked behind him.
Morning light filtered through the carved wooden lattice, casting long shadows across the chamber floor. Outside, the palace grounds had already begun waking to life. Servants moved through distant corridors carrying trays and scrolls while faint bells echoed somewhere deeper within the imperial compound.
A cool breeze entered through the window, causing the silk curtains to sway lightly.
Li Xuan's expression remained calm.
The cold indifference from earlier had already vanished completely.
His posture now appeared slightly weakened again, his breathing slower, his demeanor gentle and restrained—the exact image the original Fourth Prince had always shown others.
Kind.
Harmless.
Easy to overlook.
A guard stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Your Highness, the matter has been handled."
Li Xuan slowly turned away from the window.
The sunlight softened his already pale complexion, making him appear more exhausted than before. Even the slight instability in his posture seemed natural enough to convince anyone watching.
"We will report this matter to the palace authorities and continue the investigation," the guard continued carefully.
Li Xuan gave a faint nod.
"…Thank you for your efforts."
His voice sounded calm and polite, carrying none of the terrifying pressure from earlier.
The guards exchanged subtle glances.
That strange feeling from before still lingered in their minds.
The Fourth Prince had seemed completely different while killing the servant.
Cold.
Decisive.
Like someone entirely unfamiliar.
Yet now, standing before them again, he looked exactly as they remembered.
Gentle and composed.
Perhaps they had imagined it.
None of them dared question further.
"As you command, Your Highness."
The guards bowed one final time before withdrawing from the chamber.
The heavy doors closed softly behind them.
Silence returned once more.
Then suddenly—
"Your Highness!"
A familiar voice echoed urgently from outside.
The doors opened hurriedly, and a young woman rushed into the chamber, her breathing uneven from running.
Li Xuan immediately recognized her from the inherited memories.
Xiao Lan.
The Fourth Prince's personal maid.
She wore simple palace robes in pale blue, elegant without appearing extravagant. Her dark hair was neatly tied behind her head with a silver ornament, and a few loose strands framed her delicate features from rushing here too quickly.
She was not the kind of beauty capable of stunning an entire kingdom.
But among ordinary palace maids, she stood noticeably above average.
More importantly—
her eyes were clear.
Honest-looking.
The kind that naturally made others lower their guard.
"Your Highness, I heard there was trouble here—"
Her words stopped midway as she looked around the room.
Everything appeared orderly.
The floor was spotless.
The furnishings untouched.
Yet the atmosphere still felt slightly wrong.
The faint scent of blood had not fully faded.
Xiao Lan's gaze quickly returned to Li Xuan.
The moment she saw him standing safely near the window, relief visibly appeared on her face.
"You're safe…"
Li Xuan looked at her calmly.
His expression softened slightly.
"I'm fine."
Xiao Lan stepped closer, still unable to completely hide the worry in her eyes.
"But I heard there was an assassination attempt…"
"It's already been handled," Li Xuan replied gently.
His tone sounded reassuring.
Warm.
Exactly how the original Fourth Prince would have spoken.
Yet for some reason—
Xiao Lan still felt a faint sense of unfamiliarity.
Very slight.
Almost impossible to explain.
It wasn't his appearance.
Nor his voice.
Everything looked normal.
But something about the way he observed people now felt different.
More distant.
More careful.
Xiao Lan lowered her head quickly.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Then her brows slowly furrowed.
Only now did she notice how pale his complexion looked.
"You don't look well…"
Li Xuan remained silent for a moment.
Xiao Lan's expression immediately changed.
"…Poison?"
The possibility struck her almost instantly.
Without waiting for confirmation, she turned toward the door.
"I'll summon the royal physician immediately!"
Her footsteps quickly disappeared down the corridor.
Li Xuan watched silently until she vanished from sight.
The warmth in his gaze faded almost immediately afterward.
"…Too quick to react."
Was her concern genuine?
Or simply trained behavior developed after years of serving the Fourth Prince?
He did not know.
Which meant he could not trust it.
Inside the imperial palace, trust itself was dangerous.
Li Xuan slowly closed his eyes for a moment.
In his previous life, suspicion had kept him alive.
And in this palace—
it would likely do the same.
Time passed quietly.
The sunlight outside gradually brightened while servants moved through distant courtyards beyond the residence walls.
Not long afterward, hurried footsteps approached once again.
The doors opened carefully this time.
An elderly man entered alongside Xiao Lan.
The royal physician.
"This old servant greets Your Highness."
The old man bowed respectfully, his white robes swaying lightly as he lowered himself.
"No need for formalities," Li Xuan replied calmly.
He slowly sat down beside the bed, maintaining the appearance of slight weakness.
The physician approached carefully and began his examination.
His aged fingers rested lightly against Li Xuan's wrist while traces of spiritual energy flowed quietly through his body.
Pulse.
Breathing.
Qi circulation.
The old physician's expression gradually changed.
"Indeed… there are traces of poison."
Xiao Lan's face instantly paled.
"Physician, is His Highness in danger?"
The old man shook his head slowly, though surprise still remained visible in his eyes.
"The poison was extremely potent. Under normal circumstances, even a Cave Manor cultivator would have struggled to survive."
His gaze shifted toward Li Xuan.
"However… the poison has already been forcefully suppressed."
There was genuine astonishment in his voice now.
"Your Highness circulated Qi through the meridians to resist the poison before it reached the heart. Such control and resilience are quite rare."
Xiao Lan looked at Li Xuan in disbelief.
"You managed to suppress it yourself?"
Li Xuan gave a faint smile.
A modest one.
"I simply didn't want to die."
The physician nodded slowly in approval.
"Even so, traces of the toxin still remain within your body. This old servant will begin treatment immediately."
Medicinal herbs were soon prepared.
The chamber gradually filled with a bitter scent as the physician guided spiritual energy into Li Xuan's meridians, helping stabilize the remaining poison.
After some time, the old man finally stepped back with a relieved expression.
"The danger has passed for now. Your Highness only requires rest and recovery."
Then his expression turned slightly serious.
"Do not force your cultivation for the next several days."
Li Xuan inclined his head slightly.
"Understood."
After giving several additional instructions to Xiao Lan regarding medicine and recovery, the physician finally departed.
The chamber became quiet once again.
Xiao Lan remained behind.
She carefully prepared the medicine while standing beside the table, her movements practiced and gentle. Steam slowly rose from the bowl in her hands as she approached him quietly.
"Your Highness, please drink this while it's still warm."
Li Xuan accepted the bowl.
But instead of drinking immediately, he studied her silently.
Every movement.
Every expression.
Every unconscious reaction.
Inside this palace, even loyalty could be fabricated.
No one could be trusted completely.
Not servants.
Not guards.
Not even someone who had served the Fourth Prince personally for years.
Including Xiao Lan.
"You should rest after this as well," Li Xuan said calmly.
His tone remained gentle.
Yet there was an invisible distance within it.
Xiao Lan paused slightly.
"…Yes, Your Highness."
She lowered her head obediently, but her fingers tightened subtly against her sleeves.
Something felt wrong.
The Fourth Prince had always treated her warmly.
Patiently.
Kindly.
But now—
it felt as though an invisible wall existed between them.
As though he was observing her instead of trusting her.
'…Did I do something wrong?'
The thought surfaced quietly within her mind.
Yet she did not dare ask.
She simply stepped back silently.
Meanwhile—
deep within the imperial palace, inside a grand hall lined with golden pillars and dragon carvings, another conversation was taking place.
The Emperor sat upon his throne in silence.
The atmosphere within the chamber felt heavy enough to suffocate ordinary people.
Below him, a guard knelt respectfully with his head lowered.
"The Fourth Prince was poisoned, Your Majesty."
The Emperor's expression did not change.
"Poisoned?"
His voice remained calm.
But the pressure within the hall immediately deepened.
"Yes, Your Majesty. The perpetrator was executed on the spot."
Silence followed.
The Emperor slowly tapped his fingers against the armrest of the throne while considering the report.
The palace was never peaceful.
Especially among princes.
After several moments, he finally spoke.
"…Investigate the matter thoroughly."
The guard lowered his head further.
"As you command, Your Majesty."
Far above them, the Emperor's gaze remained unreadable.
But deep within the imperial palace—
the calm surface had already begun to crack.