Hua Yanrou's voice was calm, almost mocking. "And yet, your plans remain the same, don't they? Kill the emperor, expose the First Prince, and take the throne. Tell me, Lei Chen—do you think this kingdom will truly thrive under your rule?"
Lei Chen's smirk didn't waver, but there was a sharpness in his eyes. "Why wouldn't it? Unlike the fools who came before me, I have the will to do what must be done." He tilted his head slightly. "You disapprove?"
Lei Feng scoffed, crossing his arms. "She speaks as if she's the kingdom's savior. As if she's anything more than another piece in this game." His gaze flickered with disdain. "What are your plans, then? Enlighten us, sister-in-law."
Hua Yanrou met his stare unflinchingly. "My plans are none of your concern. But I can promise you this—they are for the kingdom, not for personal power."
Lei Chen's expression darkened, but his composure never faltered. "Noble words for a traitor. But tell me, Yanrou, if your intentions are so pure, why do you hide them? Why deceive me?"
A ghost of a smile crossed her lips. "Because I knew you wouldn't listen."
Lei Chen chuckled, though there was no amusement in it. "No, I suppose I wouldn't. You see, I don't waste my time with pretty lies and naive dreams." He tilted his head, "You'll tell me everything. Not today, perhaps, but you will. And when you do, you'll realize that this kingdom was never yours to save."
He turned to the shadow guards standing at attention. "Make them talk." His voice was smooth, but beneath it lay the promise of agony.
Hua Yanrou and Jia Xin exchanged a glance. They knew what came next—the cruel efficiency of the shadow guards, the slow unraveling of the body and mind.
But fear? That wasn't what coursed through them now.
"There's no need for that," Hua Yanrou said, her voice almost casual.
Lei Chen turned back to her, a brow arching in amusement. "Oh? You're surrendering already?" His lips curled into something cruel. "And here I thought you'd go down with a fight."
Lei Feng chuckled from his place near the table, arms crossed. "Maybe they've spent too long in the palace, grown too soft. Forgotten what true pain feels like."
A mistake.
Pain was not what they feared. Pain had been their companion long before they ever stepped foot in the palace. It had shaped them, hardened them, made them unbreakable. Torture would be nothing more than a delay.
Death was inevitable—but the way they died? That, at least, was still within their control.
Hua Yanrou's tongue moved, rolling against the roof of her mouth. The tiny pill was still there, exactly where it had always been. A safety net. A final choice.
She smirked, eyes gleaming with defiance. "Lei Chen," she murmured, tilting her head ever so slightly. "You still don't know me at all."
Something flickered across Lei Chen's sharp features. A split-second of recognition. His amusement vanished.
His voice was steel. "They have pois—"
Too late.
Hua Yanrou bit down. A bitter, metallic taste exploded across her tongue as the poison surged through her body. Fire bloomed in her veins, spreading like an unstoppable flood. Her limbs trembled, her pulse hammering erratically, but her smirk never faded.
Jia Xin hesitated for only a breath—long enough for realization to dawn in Lei Feng's eyes. He stepped forward as if to stop her, but she had already made her choice.
A soft click. The capsule cracked between her teeth.
A sharp gasp tore from her throat as the poison ignited every nerve in her body. Cold sweat slicked her skin, her fingers curling against the restraints as a violent tremor wracked her frame. The world tilted, darkening at the edges, but she forced herself to look at Lei Feng one last time.
No fear. No regret. Just quiet defiance.
Lei Chen's fists clenched as he watched them slip beyond his grasp. This wasn't how it was supposed to end. They were supposed to break. To beg. To lose.
Hua Yanrou's breath was shallow now, but her lips curled into a faint, mocking smile. "Looks like... you lose." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but the triumph in it was unmistakable.
Jia Xin exhaled one last, trembling breath before the darkness took her.
Silence.
Lei Feng exhaled sharply, not expecting it at all. A bitter taste filled his mouth, though he couldn't say why.
Lei Chen stood motionless, his jaw tight, his fury barely restrained beneath his calm façade. His mind reeled—not with anger, but something worse. Frustration. Begrudging respect.
He had underestimated her until the very end.
And now, they she slipped through his fingers forever.