C2 Gentle Maidservant

As the pressure on his cheek increased, Wu Xiaoming ignored the searing pain and rasped, "Your Highness, please, go ahead."

Gone was his earlier arrogance and smugness.

"Firstly, I want you to bring me my late mother's belongings, especially her favorite earring," commanded the prince.

"Understood!" Wu Xiaoming nodded hastily.

"Secondly, there's a maid who served me closely, Xiao Pei. I'm aware that she was sent to the Palace after that day. Retrieve her; I intend to take her with me to Persia."

While Wu Xiaoming verbally complied, a bitter and vengeful thought brewed within him: So you enjoyed teaching me a lesson, huh? Well, you can forget about seeing Xiao Pei again! I'll kill her and simply claim she died long ago. Let's see what you can do to me then!

Internally gloating about how he would torment Xiao Pei to release his pent-up fury from the encounter with Chu Yan, Wu Xiaoming's thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the prince's voice closing in.

"Eunuch Wu, should Xiao Pei return with even a single hair missing, the third task will be to have you executed by dismemberment."

Wu Xiaoming gasped, feeling as if his heart might leap right out of his body. Chu Yan had pierced through his intentions in a heartbeat!

In that instant, Wu Xiaoming was wracked with a sudden, intense pain in his chest. With a thunderous crash, he was hurled against the wall like a cannonball, and upon hitting the ground, his body curled into a fetal position from the excruciating pain, as tears and snot streamed down his face.

Through his haze of pain, Wu Xiaoming heard Chu Yan's retreating voice.

"And one more thing, Eunuch Wu, I'd prefer not to see you again. Your presence is, quite frankly, repulsive."

"Chu Yan!" Wu Xiaoming's fists clenched in fury, his teeth grinding with hatred so deep that not all the waters of the world could cleanse it.

But after some time, his grip slowly relaxed, and he exhaled a defeated breath.

Wu Xiaoming had come to the grim realization that avenging himself was likely beyond his reach. In the presence of Chu Yan, he felt no more significant than an ant, despite Chu Yan having been confined for a full year in the deepest, most dreaded part of the Demon Prison.

Chu Yan's choice not to kill him wasn't out of fear, but sheer indifference.

Wu Xiaoming once believed he had ascended to great heights, but to others, he remained as insignificant as an ant. This thought alone brought a sense of humiliation to Wu Xiaoming that words could not capture.

Clad in a black cloak, Chu Yan emerged from the dark maw of the Abyss Demon Prison, stepping back into the sunlight. With a single breath, the air transformed from dank and musty to crisp and clean.

"The peace marriage with the Persian Kingdom was Ursa Lama's idea, wasn't it? I razed your capital, so why save me? Or is it that you expect me to be indebted to you?" Chu Yan mused.

After a brief reflection, he shook his head and began his descent down the mountain.

His carriage had been waiting for quite some time.

The moon was high, signaling the dead of night.

Though Chu Yan's status as a prince had been reinstated, the Eastern Palace was now under the rule of a new crown prince. Given his sensitive status and the impending dawn that would see him en route to Persia, it was deemed inappropriate for him to select a new residence. Consequently, he was accommodated in a long-abandoned mansion outside the imperial city.

From his departure from the Abyss Demon Prison to his arrival at the mansion, his only interaction had been with a minor official overseeing his travel arrangements.

A year prior, Chu Yan's presence commanded processions and audiences with high officials, a grandeur that perhaps only the reigning emperor of the entire Southern Yuan Kingdom could rival.

Now, as summer gave way to autumn, the night air carried a hint of coolness. The chill was more pronounced within the deserted, pitch-black mansion, penetrating to the bone and stirring discomfort.

In the bedroom, Chu Yan lay submerged in the steaming water of a wooden tub, his arms resting on its edges, lost in thought. The door creaked open, and shortly after, a gentle face peeked in, her voice tentative as she addressed him, "Your Highness."

A faint smile played across Chu Yan's face, warmer and more genuine than the half-hearted grins he reserved for Wu Xiaoming.

"Come in, the water's almost cold."

"Ah!" Startled, the girl hurriedly opened the door, carrying a bucket of hot water inside.

Seeing the steam rising from Chu Yan's tub, she couldn't help but pout and glare at him. "Your Highness has lied again; the water is clearly still hot."

Through the steam, Chu Yan observed the flushed cheeks of the young girl, Xiao Pei. She had grown slimmer and more delicate since he last saw her a year ago, yet she had also grown taller, her frame filling out. Clad in a green skirt, her demeanor was a mix of annoyance and joy, shyness and timidity. The budding grace that could captivate hearts was beginning to show, stirring emotions in those who beheld her.

He had never expected that the scrawny girl he had saved from the rebel's blade during the northwest uprising at the age of eleven would blossom into such an elegant figure.

"It's truly cold, try it if you don't believe me," Chu Yan suddenly stood from the tub.

"Ah!" Xiao Pei's cheeks flushed deeper, and she reached out to shield her eyes, but with the bucket in her hands, she was all in a dither.

Chu Yan paid her no mind, scooping her up by the waist and into his arms, and together they slipped into the hot water.

Xiao Pei squirmed briefly in Chu Yan's hold, then abruptly clung to his neck, her body shaking as tears streamed down her face. "Your Highness is back, Xiao Pei is so happy. I feared I'd never see you again. There were times I thought if I didn't hear from you, I wouldn't want to go on."

As he felt the chill leave her body and heard her soft whispers, Chu Yan gently held her shoulder, remaining silent. She was likely the only one left who still wanted to be by his side.

In the coolness of the autumn leaves, within the vast emptiness of the old mansion, in that small room, an atmosphere of mutual comfort and solace was quietly taking shape.

After a considerable pause, Xiao Pei let out a soft gasp and sat up from Chu Yan's arms, her words tumbling out nervously: "Your, Your Highness, please hold on a moment. The item you requested earlier has been brought. I'll fetch it for you right away."

Her soaked dress clung to her form, accentuating her delicate silhouette. Feeling Chu Yan's steady gaze, Xiao Pei's cheeks flushed a fiery red.

"Go ahead, dry off so you don't catch a cold," Chu Yan said with a chuckle, his gaze unwavering.

Hmm, he reminisced, she was just nine years old when he rescued her, a scrawny little thing. And now, she had grown into a young lady of fourteen.