His appearance clearly resembled that of a Chinese prince, his hair was relatively long, and his face was beautiful and sculpted. For some reason, being close to him started to make me uncomfortable, as if I didn't belong there. Ignoring how I felt, he slowly approached and sat down.

I wasn't sure what I should do in this situation. Truth be told, although I knew quite a lot about China, I wasn't familiar with its customs. Moreover, we were in ancient China.

"Please, don't worry about formalities. This is an informal meeting, and I believe etiquettes limit creativity. Feel free to speak and act as you prefer"

Listening to his words, a sense of déjà vu enveloped me, as if I had had a similar conversation in the past. However, deep down, who was I to question his words? At that moment, I was just an ordinary citizen who had excelled in a poetry tournament in front of the patriarch leader.

Anyway, I accepted his words as they came and made a brief bow, following the guidance of my guide who had brought me there. After that, I settled in front of the patriarch leader, waiting for him to start the conversation.

"Well, first and foremost, may I ask where you acquired your knowledge of poetry? I'm truly interested in knowing who could have been your mentor"

When he asked this question, I seriously hesitated about whether I should reveal the reason for my visit. With the guards at the door, the most likely scenario seemed to be that I would be expelled and treated as a lunatic.

"Please, leave us alone for a moment"

The patriarch leader interrupted the hesitation of the two guards with his calm voice. They exchanged uncertain glances, clearly debating between loyalty to their duty and trust in the patriarch.

"But, sir, it's our duty to protect you. If something happens, we need to be here"

One of the guards argued. I remained silent, understanding that there were no words I could say to ease the situation. They were just doing their duty, after all.

"Don't worry"

Said the patriarch leader, smiling.

"I've spent some time with him, and I'm certain he poses no threat to me. Now, please, leave us alone"

The guards exchanged glances once more but finally relented, leaving the room and closing the door behind them. Meanwhile, I was seriously curious about what the patriarch leader was referring to, and it seemed the guards shared the same doubt. They glanced at each other once more and, realizing they couldn't convince the patriarch leader, bowed and departed.

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"Well, now that we're alone, feel free to speak"

Said the patriarch leader, breaking the silence that hung in the room. Hearing his words, I let out a brief sigh, realizing this would be a long and complicated conversation.

"I... come from a very distant place"

I replied. Hearing my words, the patriarch leader pondered for a moment and then asked.

"Do you mean you come from some faraway city outside the empire?"

Shaking my head in disbelief at your assumption, I briefly glanced at the door through which the guards had exited before continuing.

"I... come from a land beyond the ocean, far away from here"

Hearing my words, clearly surprising, the patriarch seemed to enter a deep state of contemplation, his eyes closed as he thought deeply.

"I understand... Did you participate in the tournament with the intention of getting close to me and taking my life, or something of the sort?"

Upon hearing the question, I was initially taken aback, but I also understood that this thought would be common, especially after my previous words.

"In fact, it's the opposite... But, from your words, I can assume you were unaware of the existence of another continent beyond yours, weren't you?"

Hearing my words, he just shook his head negatively, confirming my assumption.

"Although I had my suspicions, there was no way to confirm them. If what you say is true, you must have faced the sea storm before arriving here, haven't you?"

I nodded, preparing to continue my story, but before I could speak, he interrupted.

"From your expression, it seems like you want to ask me something"

I realized he probably already had an idea of what I was going to ask, although he didn't know the reason. In the end, I sighed in defeat and began to share all the details with him. I recounted the events of the day I was stabbed and what I discovered in my subsequent investigations.

Of course, I omitted less relevant parts or those that could harm us in some way. Despite everything, I knew he couldn't fully believe me, but as soon as I showed him the stab wound I received, he seemed more inclined to believe my story.

"Well, I guess that's all, at least all I can remember"

I concluded my account, hoping he understood the gravity of the situation. After hearing everything I said, he entered a thoughtful state again, keeping his deep eyes fixed on me. At this point, I was almost certain this was one of his quirks.

"I think I know who caused all this"

He said after opening his eyes, his gaze still fixed directly on me.

"You've probably heard the rumors, right?"

Hearing his words, I just nodded, agreeing with his observation. This also made me sure that it wasn't the leader patriarch who sent those men to kill me. Although there's a possibility he might be lying, I highly doubt that's the case. Moreover, paying attention to our previous conversation, he clearly didn't seem to be aware of the murder case against me.

The conversation finally seemed to be reaching a positive point. The fact that he didn't call the guards when he found out I was from another continent made me believe he really wasn't the culprit. As we discussed, the door was abruptly opened by a woman wearing a Qipao. She seemed hurried and desperate, although I didn't know the reason.