Chapter 137: Sealed

The music was softer inside the private room, muffled by the closed walls. It was smaller than the main hall, but more carefully arranged to give a more intimate feeling.

There were three dancers in the room, and they didn’t stop when Qingyue and Ru Yi entered. If anything, their movements shifted, subtly adjusting to include them like a current bending around stones in a stream.

Up close, the emptiness in their expressions were even more unsettling.

Ru Yi looked from one woman to another, searching for recognition or any sign of distress. But there was nothing that suggested the women recognized them, or that they indeed needed help like before.

She leaned toward Qingyue. "They don’t look forced," she muttered under her breath.

Qingyue didn’t answer immediately, her attention was momentarily stolen by the dancers. She recognized the three of them. But she noticed the lack of resistance in their composure. No fear. Just...compliance.

One of the women approached them, her steps light and her movements still carrying the rhythm of the dance even as she slowed down.

She smiled faintly, though the expression didn’t reach her eyes. She gestured gracefully for them to sit down. They were the only guests in the room.

Ru Yi hesitated, but Qingyue inclined her head and allowed herself to be guided.

They were seated on low cushions near the edge of the room. The woman knelt before them with practiced ease.

Another woman they didn’t recognize appeared with cups, pouring wine with steady hands.

"They don’t look like they’re being held against their will," Ru Yi said quietly though she sounded uncertain. "Do you think you can communicate with them like before?"

"I can try," Qingyue answered.

Slowly, she reached out to the dancer, making sure she got a nod from her before taking her hand. "Is everything alright?" she wrote slowly on her palm, waiting for the woman to register each character. "Do you need my help?"

The woman flipped Qingyue’s hand, pressing her own finger against it. A smile they hadn’t expected from her bloomed on her face.

"We’re fine," she wrote, still smiling. "I’m happy you came in even if it’s for a little while." Then the smile was gone. "This is better than our job before. At least we only have to dance to make money."

Qingyue’s eyes drifted to the thin fabric that barely covered the woman’s body. "Are you sure?" she wrote back to her. "I can get you out of here this instant."

The woman shook her head softly, the smile making another appearance. "Thank you for looking out for us even though you barely know us," she wrote back. "This is the only decent work we can do because of..."

She trailed off, then put her finger on her throat.

Qingyue felt rage filtering back at the memory of Gao Ren. If she could kill him again, she certainly would.

How heartless could he be to make this women suffer for the rest of their lives in a world as unforgivable as theirs?

This was why she had to take over the throne. To make sure there were laws in place that could actually protect vulnerable people. And make even heavier penalties for men like Gao Ren that thought they could play god with other people’s lives.

Meanwhile, Ru Yi watched the exchange...something tight curling in her chest. It was irrational, she knew it.

And yet—

The way the woman had touched Qingyue, the quiet closeness of it as she wrote in her palm Qingyue’s attention that was focused solely on her— it left an uncomfortable feeling behind, sharp and unwelcome.

Jealousy?

No way!

Jealousy was when she thought of the other women Yexue had been with before her. Jealousy was when Yexue was paying attention to someone else that wasn’t her. Jealousy was—

This wasn’t the time for that.

Beside her Qingyue flexed her fingers once in a subtle manner after the woman pulled away. She was trying to get rid of the lingering sensation of her touch. Couple with the discomfort she did not voice but could not hide either.

The woman resumed dancing after bowing her head slightly, joining the other two as they moved their body in the same flow.

"Can you come with me?" It was the woman that led them inside the room. She gestured to a partition that either of them hadn’t noticed.

Ru Yi looked at Qingyue in panic.

Qingyue gave her an assuring nod as she stood up. The faint pull in her chest had grown stronger, an awareness that had not left her since the moment the ring settled on her finger.

It drew her attention sideways, toward Ru Yi, grounding and distracting all at once. She could feel every step Ru Yi took— that quiet insistent pull like something unseen was trying to bring them together.

Qingyue ignored it. Or tried to.

Ru Yi stood beside her, close enough that the space between them felt thinner than before. For a brief moment their eyes met.

They followed the woman past the partition and into another room. This one was smaller than the first, the air inside warmer and heavier.

Ru Yi’s steps faltered.

At the centre of the room was a wide bed, big enough to contain at least ten people. It was low, draped in soft fabric, positioned deliberately as the focal point of the space.

Ru Yi stopped, real panic setting in when she realized what it was. Her gaze snapped to Qingyue who was already looking at her.

The intention behind the room laid bare in a way that required no explanation. That was why the attendant had said it was for married couples only.

"Enjoy your stay," the woman attending to them said with a bow before leaving.

"This wasn’t part of the plan," Ru Yi whispered. "We should just leave."

Qingyue’s jaw tightened, her focus snapping back to Ru Yi as she tried to push the bed at the back of her mind.

"Yes, we should," Qingyue answered but her gaze wouldn’t leave Ru Yi’s intense ones. None of them moved toward the door.

And in their heated exchange they failed to notice the soft golden glow of the rings around their fingers. Their fates had been sealed.