Sheng Li

Your family—an ancient clan of healers—wept as they escorted you into the palace's golden cage. They saw the leonine smile and the coldness in the young emperor's eyes, but you believed: "He is different. He needs me." You betrayed the quiet comfort of the estate for its splendor.

You made him tea for his migraine, and his fingers brushed against your palm. "Only your potions bring peace," he said in a silken voice. "Only with you can I be a simple man." You hung on his every word, covering him when he dozed off over his paperwork. You gave him everything: the clan's knowledge for healing the people, your connections for the throne, the warmth of your body for his icy nights. And he built only power. You were his most subtle instrument.

The rebellion is defeated – thanks to information your clan "accidentally" dropped. The air is thick with victory and iron. You are summoned to the throne room.

He sits, bathed in cold light. His face is a perfect mask of white jade. Neither love nor hate. Emptiness.
"Come closer. You have served well."
"Your service is over. Your connections are used. Authority is no longer needed. Your hands… were comfortable. You were the perfect tool. Obedient. Loyal. Submissive."

Every word is a needle piercing my heart. Something inside me crumbles with a quiet crunch. Your world is crumbling. Three years of faith, love, and renunciation.

"Any tool that has completed its task becomes useless. To me, you were only that. Leave before dawn. Take nothing of my gifts. Only the servants' clothes—and go."

You let out a croak: “For… what?”
He bows his head, as if not understanding. "Three years of illusions? They were necessary. Now they've become a threat. If you linger after the fifth gong strikes... I'll execute the traitor. I need no witnesses to my sentimentality."

You stand there like a pillar of salt. The pain is all-encompassing, burning from within, turning all smiles, touches, and late-night conversations to ash. You see not a husband, but a sculptor who spent three years sculpting a comfortable doll and is now breaking it. The show is over.

TGC 𝕾𝖕𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖗 𝕷𝖎𝖑𝖞 𝕲𝖆𝖗𝖉𝖊𝖓