Dai Yichen was livid.
He held Luwen against the wall, paying no heed to the sound her lantern made when it slipped out of her hand. Rage contorted his handsome face. The muscles along his jaw clenched hard as his cold eyes blazed murderously at her.
At this moment, she knew what he was thinking of her—she wasn't supposed to be here.
Unless she had been prying around in secret.
Her unexpected appearance clearly rattled him. His hand squeezing her left shoulder painfully, his voice coming out all glacial and demanding. "How did you know about this place?" he demanded. "What were you planning to do to my brother when no one else is around?"
She swallowed nervously. "This isn't what it looks like, my lord. I came here bearing no ill intentions."
"Is that so?" he asked, his tone thick with suspicion. "Because it seems rather convenient that you wandered into here. Explain yourself."
Luwen clenched her fists tightly by her sides, feeling wrongly accused. Inhaling a deep breath, she stood tall and undaunted. "A maid, one whom I have never met before, told me you've requested my presence and brought me here," she revealed. "I wasn't aware this room belongs to your brother until I saw him earlier. I was just about to leave, but you came right in."
Dai Yichen blinked once. His expression remained impassive. "Did you meet anyone else who can be your witness?"
As she recalled the steps she took earlier, something dawned on her. "The guards at my gate. You can ask them about the maid," she answered quickly. "They will tell you everything."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "You're awfully calm."
Apprehension curled in her stomach. "This is the only truth I know of," she replied quietly. "However, the choice of believing or not remains with you, my lord."
They fell silent for a few moments. Dai Yichen released her shoulder, taking a step away from her. Not once did he lose that bitterly cold aura that emanated off him like an arctic breeze. "I hope you're right," he said. "I shall have someone escort you back to your room."
He gestured to her to leave with one of his men waiting outside and turned his back against her. Purposely putting distance between them as if her presence revolted him. His attention was fixated on his ill sibling in bed. The subtle slump in his shoulders conveyed the pain and helplessness he was feeling at the moment.
And Luwen, with her hand raised subconsciously, let it fall to her side.
She obeyed his order. As soon as she returned to her room, she let out a tremendous sigh of exhaustion and leaned against the wall. Knocking her forehead against the wood repeatedly.
How could she have let her guard down for a moment and not noticed the trap laid down for her? Who was the maid? Or was there another person who masterminded the entire plan?
As for the lord, he no longer trusted her.
Her body began to tremble and struggle against a maelstrom of emotions. Pained by the man's whose eyes were now filled with hatred for her misunderstood actions. All her efforts to earn his trust were destroyed in mere seconds.
Back at the tavern, he told her he would believe her, but clearly, he hadn't meant it wholeheartedly.
To him, she was still the enemy, and would forever be one.
A strange sensation throbbed in her chest. Something like pain and disappointment.
This might be what people had often called a moment of infatuation, she realized. Luwen was momentarily charmed by a man who changed her wound dressing for the past couple of days, something which nobody had done for her over the past ten years.
However, the infatuation was fleeting. It wouldn't last. Her infatuation was an illusion that temporarily blinded her to her surroundings and confused her feelings.
Soon, her emotions morphed into anger directed at herself. She glanced down at her hand, feeling slightly lost by the emptiness. She had dropped the lantern she made for him, but it didn't matter now. He could dispose of it for all he wanted. Burn it.
Nothing else mattered except for her own life. She ought to harden her heart and soul. She mustn't forget her goal to return to her real body.
Because once she had completed her mission, she would never see the lord again.
***
As soon as the sun rose in the morning, there was a knock on her door, followed by a familiar voice she found welcoming.
"Princess, it's me! Are you awake?"
Luwen, who spent all night tossing in bed restlessly, answered the call begrudgingly. Even though she was still wearing her old clothes from yesterday and had puffy eyes from the lack of sleep, her appearance was the least of her concern now.
She pulled the door ajar and peeked her head out. "Yerong?"
He gave her a quick look-over and frowned hard. "You look...ghastly."
"Thank you for the compliment," she said, feeling a little wary of the man while knowing he was the lord's close friend. "Are you here to deliver my sentence and monitor me?"
"No." He shook his head before considering again. "Well, maybe yes. They assigned me to watch you every day, but now I am free from that responsibility."
"Every day?" She frowned at his choice of words before letting out a small gasp of surprise. "Have you been watching me from the beginning?"
"Maybe," he affirmed with a wink. "About last night's events, I believe you. I've already given my statement to the lord earlier, so you do not have to worry about your life and safety. You could consider this a return of favor for aiding me during our last fight."
"Wait," she said. "Does this mean you saw the culprit—?"
But much to her annoyance, he cut her off purposely. "I'll let the lord explain everything to you," Yerong promised. "And I hope you'll forgive him for his behavior last night. He's sensitive when it concerns his older brother's welfare. After all, he admires the man and sees him as an exemplary figure. We all do. No one expected him to be hurt this badly. The situation has been challenging for all of us, as we are still searching for a cure. No one can enter his room unless we have exclusive permission."
Yerong spoke so earnestly that Luwen couldn't detect any sarcasm or lies. She knew Dai Yichen hadn't had a peaceful time transitioning from the role of an illegitimate child to a lord overnight. She knew he had been searching hard for a miracle to cure his brother's illness.
While she sympathized with his pain, she knew she was veering dangerously on the edge of the cliff once more. She needed to put on an act to show her loyalty, while ensuring she was detaching herself from him emotionally.
Because when it was time to kill him, she would be freed.
Yerong's enthusiastic voice jolted her from her scheming thoughts. "One more thing," he said cheerfully. "Here's a quick word of warning–the lord is arriving as we speak. I would suggest you change into a fresh set of clothes and not scare away him with your ghostly appearance. You look as if you've walked out from the soil of the earth."
Luwen had so many questions, but he was having his fun by teasing her and giving brief answers. "Yerong, you–hey!"
However, the man scurried away as quickly as he first arrived. Leaving her mind in a state of shambles. Time was running short, and she sprang into action.
In a few minutes, she scrambled to change out of her wrinkled clothes, washed her face and tidied her hair. Appearing presentable gave her a sense of confidence. She wouldn't want to look dispirited, as if she had already lost the battle last night.
Her life was at stake. This time, she needed to reformulate a new plan of gaining his trust once more.
All that matters is your mission, she told herself. Chanting repeatedly like a mantra in her head. Remember that.
And yet, when Dai Yichen burst into her room unannounced, she almost regretted her heinous thoughts.
An awkwardness stretched between them. Similarly, he seemed to be quite at a loss for expressing his thoughts. Rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. "I've completed my investigation last night," he said quietly. "You told the truth and we will take action against the maid. For this, I apologize for acting rashly on my emotions before."
Her voice returned cool and distant. "Don't be. You were just performing your duty as a lord and a brother. My appearance would have bothered anyone."
"You..." Eyes wide with surprise, Dai Yichen let out a sigh and took a step towards her, closing the distance between them. "Why are you so calm? You should get angrier and be honest with your feelings. I wrongly accused you."
She took a step back instead, which didn't go unnoticed by him. "It's resolved," she said calmly. "My feelings don't matter because it wouldn't make a difference. I haven't forgotten my place here."
They both knew she was referring to herself as a prisoner of the Dai clan. A trapped bird with clipped wings. She was expendable.
That was until the lord made a change of plans to her stay and everything Yerong had said earlier made sense.
"From today onwards, you're staying by my side," Dai Yichen decided. "I'll be watching you instead."
A/N: Give me a hi-five if you're excited about the next chapter! 🙌🏻