The Witch in the Woods: The Transmigration of Hazel-Anne Davis
Chapter 48: And So The Game Begins

Chapter 48: And So The Game Begins

The Crown Prince’s study was as pristine as ever.

Not a scroll out of place, not a drop of ink smeared. Every paper was stacked by category, sealed in order of urgency, and tied with colored cords. The scent of tea leaves still lingered faintly in the air, though the pot on the brazier hadn’t been touched since it was steeped over an hour ago.

Zhu Mingyu sat behind his desk like a man carved from jade—expression unreadable, hands folded loosely before him, sleeves crisp and immaculate. He did not rise when Shi Yaozu entered. He didn’t need to.

"Close the door," came the soft command.

Shi Yaozu obeyed. The latch clicked shut behind him.

There was a pause.

The Crown Prince tapped his fingers against the wood once before speaking.

"You’ve been stationed at her side for two days now," he said calmly. Shi Yaozu nodded once. "Report," snapped Zhu Mingyu when Shi Yaozu didn’t say anything.

"She is efficient. Disciplined. Commands her servants well," announced the Captain of the Shadow Guard, his posture relaxed. However, Zhu Mingyu knew that was simply to put him at ease. After all, he had seen just how fast the assassin could move when the situation called for it.

"That much I know. I want more than what a steward could tell me." Zhu Mingyu’s gaze sharpened as his eyes narrowed on the other man. "What I want to know is: what are your impressions?"

Shi Yaozu stood straighter, his hands clasping behind his back. "She does not fear you," he announced.

Zhu Mingyu’s brow lifted. "And you find that noteworthy?" he scoffed. "Not many people fear me. I am the Poet Prince. I don’t instill fear in others."

Shi Yaozu shook his head. "She sees through everything and everyone," he announced at last. "It takes her less than a second to judge a person, and I have yet to see her be wrong. She is... curious... about you, but she doesn’t seem to care about your opinion or fear you."

It was the most Zhu Mingyu had ever heard Shi Yaozu speak, and that alone got his back up. Especially considering the topic he was going on about was his wife.

"At least she doesn’t act against me," the prince murmured. "Not yet."

"She acts," said Shi Yaozu, almost snorting back a laugh at the Crown Prince’s statement. "It’s just that normally, people don’t see it."

Zhu Mingyu tilted his head to the side. "Explain."

"She doesn’t posture or plead. She evaluates. Plans. Then strikes. And every time she strikes, it’s a killing blow," shrugged Shi Yaozu.

The Crown Prince fell silent for a moment, then stood and walked to the window. The gardens below were still swathed in early morning fog. A gardener was raking the stones of the central path, unaware that his movements were being watched.

"I underestimated her," he said finally. "Didn’t I?"

Shi Yaozu said nothing.

"She walks like a noble," Zhu Mingyu continued. "She speaks like one. Her curtsies are flawless. She observes protocol without flaw, and yet she lived in a bandit camp for over a decade. Curious."

"You plan to ask her?"

The prince let out a breath through his nose. "She’ll lie. Or worse—tell the truth in a way I won’t recognize."

He returned to his seat.

"What do you think she wants?" he asked.

"That isn’t for me to decide."

"But you have theories."

Shi Yaozu paused before he continued, "She has no interest in luxury. She sleeps lightly, eats simply, and spends most of her time auditing the estate ledgers. She does not waste energy on things she doesn’t deem useful."

"Which means?"

"She’s preparing for something."

Zhu Mingyu went quiet.

The breeze stirred faintly at the window.

"Was there anything else?" he asked, voice sharper now. "Anything you thought I should know?"

Shi Yaozu hesitated, just for a moment, but it was long enough to raise the prince’s warning bells. "Tell me," he demanded when the silence went on too long.

Nodding sharply, Shi Yaozu continued, "There was an assassination attempt last night."

The pause that followed could have split the air.

Zhu Mingyu didn’t so much as blink. "Explain."

"An intruder entered her chambers after the second bell. Armed. Silent. Intent to kill."

"And she is unharmed?"

"Uninjured. She dispatched him herself."

The Crown Prince stared at him, raising an eyebrow. "You let her fight?"

"She insisted."

Zhu Mingyu rose to his feet, expression hardening.

"You mean she gave you an order and you obeyed?"

Shi Yaozu didn’t flinch. "She is the one I was assigned to watch, not to protect unnecessarily. She wanted information."

"Did she get it?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"Lady Yuan."

The silence that followed was longer than any before it.

Zhu Mingyu slowly sat back down. "That isn’t possible," he said at last. "Lady Yuan is... sweet. Soft-spoken. She embroidered my winter robe by hand. She writes poetry and weeps when the koi die."

Shi Yaozu did not speak.

"She brought candied plums to the servants during last month’s rainstorm," Zhu Mingyu continued, more to himself now. "The steward calls her an angel."

Still, Shi Yaozu said nothing.

Then—a scream echoed through the palace like a blade drawn from its sheath.

Zhu Mingyu rose instantly.

A second scream followed, shrill and cracking. Then a third—from a maid this time. The direction was unmistakable.

The west wing.

Lady Yuan’s quarters.

Zhu Mingyu looked at Shi Yaozu, his voice harsh and demanding. "What did she do?"

Shi Yaozu met his eyes without blinking. "She left her a gift."

"What kind of gift?"

"The skull of the assassin."

Zhu Mingyu stared.

Shi Yaozu inclined his head. "Polished. Clean. Placed on the pillow beside her head. She should be finding it now."

The Crown Prince looked toward the closed window, where the shrieks still echoed faintly through the fog.

His voice, when he spoke again, was low and even.

"I see."

Shi Yaozu remained silent.

Zhu Mingyu slowly turned and reached for the teacup that had long gone cold. He took a measured sip, then set it aside.

"Have the steward restrict movement in and out of the west wing. No one leaves until I say so."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"And summon Lady Xinying. I need to have a talk with her."

"Understood."

Zhu Mingyu looked down at the flawless surface of his desk before turning his attention to the chessboard to his left. The white king was still upright. But the black queen had been removed.

"Dismissed," he said.

Shi Yaozu bowed, then disappeared without a sound.

Zhu Mingyu leaned back in his chair, eyes half-lidded, fingers tapping slowly against the edge of the board.

He didn’t move when another scream echoed through the stone.

He simply muttered to the silence:

"And so the game begins."