Liana sat amidst the clatter of the recovering kitchen, a small, satisfied smile playing on her lips. One less obstacle. Her thoughts turned to the others who had wronged her. Next… your favorite, the Sixth Concubine. The one you allowed to visit me in prison, to revel in my downfall, to step on my hands. That humiliation will be repaid tenfold. Your surprise is coming soon.
The image of Mei being dragged away by the guards and the captain flashed through her mind. As they made their way towards the dungeons, they encountered a woman whose beauty was as sharp as a honed blade, the Sixth Concubine. The guards and the captain immediately halted, bowing their heads respectfully. A brief, intense eye contact passed between the concubine and the captain, a silent communication that did not escape Liana's watchful gaze from the kitchen doorway.
Desperation etched on her face, Mei lunged towards the Sixth Concubine, grabbing onto the hem of her silk robes. "She's back!" Mei shrieked, her voice raw with terror. "The princess is back! She'll kill us all! You have to believe me!"
The Sixth Concubine recoiled with disdain, her perfectly manicured foot connecting sharply with Mei's face. "Filthy wretch," she hissed, her voice like ice. The guards, without a word, continued to drag the whimpering Mei away, leaving the captain standing before the concubine. He gave a final, curt bow before departing.
The Sixth Concubine watched them go, a calculating look in her eyes. "I thought she might be useful," she murmured to herself, her voice laced with annoyance. "Pulled her from the gutter. What a waste."
Her attention then shifted. Lord Wei, the unknown man who had dined with Kieran, emerged from the palace. The Sixth Concubine's gaze followed him, but there was a different quality to her look now, a flicker of something beyond mere respect, a spark of intense interest, perhaps even longing. This subtle shift in her demeanor was also keenly observed by Liana, hidden in the shadows of the kitchen entrance.
A dark idea began to form in Liana's mind, a cruel twist for her "surprise" for the Sixth Concubine. A chilling smile touched her lips. With a newfound sense of purpose, her thoughts racing with her developing scheme, Liana slipped away from the kitchen, her mind consumed by her burgeoning, malevolent plan.