A few weeks had passed since the hunt and Ningyi had gotten into the routine of getting Shangguan Daiyu ready in the morning and tending to her during the rest of the day. As it turns out, she was only Lady Daiyu’s second servant. According to the gossip from the other servants, she rejected almost all of the handmaids she had ever been given. All of them except for one called Yao Mei.

As she got her Lady ready, she couldn’t help but stare at the bracelet she had chosen for the day. It was a simple bracelet, nothing out of the ordinary, but it brought out a memory that struck her.

“Happy birthday, Jiejie!” Xiang exclaimed as she thrusted a small box into her sister’s hands. Daiyu laughed as she did so, even as her mother scolded her.

Daiyu’s eyes lit up as she opened the box. She took out a delicate bracelet and put it on. She admired it.

“Do you like it?” Xiang asked shyly, a hesitant smile on her face.

Daiyu looked towards her with a kind smile on her face, “I love it. I’ll keep it forever.”

“What?” Her Lady asked her, snapping her away from the past.

“Sorry, my Lady.” She apologizes, “I was just admiring your bracelet.”

A strange look appeared on Shangguan Daiyu’s face before she schooled her expression, “Well, stop.”

“Yes, my Lady.” She told her as she continued her work. After she finished, she was dismissed for the day.

Later that day, after the work day had finished, Yao Mei approached her.

“You’ve made Lady Daiyu upset.” She told her, “How dare you do such a thing!”

Ningyi was taken aback, she hadn’t realized that her comment had upset her so much,”I didn’t realize-”

“Just don’t do it again.” Yao Mei Interrupted, “Or I’ll inform Shangguan-Furen of your transgression.”

Ningyi bowed, “I understand. I hope you can forgive this one.”

Yao Mei just walked away, leaving her bowing for no one. Ningyi stood up straight with a shaky breath and headed for bed.

The next morning, she was extra careful with her Lady. She avoided eye-contact and didn’t allow herself to even look at her. She had been doing what she thought would make her mistake better. This is why she was confused as to why she was summoned by the Lady of the house at the end of the day.

“Shangguan-Furen,” She bowed to her Mistress.

“My son has requested that you become his servant rather than my daughters. You’ll report to him tomorrow morning instead of Daiyu.” She waved her hand, “You’re dismissed.”

Ningyi walked out in a daze. She couldn’t understand why she would be requested to serve Shangguan Lixin.

Was it because of what happened in those woods with that ghost? She couldn’t help, but think.

Fa Li must have noticed she was confused because as she got ready for bed, she spoke up.

“Are you alright, A-Yi?” She asked.

Ningyi shook her head, “I’m fine. It’s just…” She trailed off.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Just…?” Fa Li prompted.

“Master Shangguan Lixin requested me to be his servant.” She explained.

“What?” Fa Li responded, a little too loud. When she saw Ningyi wince, she quieted down, “Why?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because of the hunt those weeks ago?” She offered.

“What if-” Fa Li paused abruptly before continuing in a hushed tone, “I’ve heard that Master Shangguan uses maids as lovers.”

Ningyi blanched. The thought of her brother wanting her for a lover made her want to throw up her dinner. He wouldn’t do that…Would he?

“He wouldn’t.” She told her friend, “I’m sure those are just rumors.”

“But what if they aren’t?” She persisted, “What if he wants to-”

“A-Li!” Ningyi hissed, “I don’t want to talk about this, please.”

Fa Li sighed, “Alright. However, if he touches you-”

“You and A-Quon will kick his ass,” Ningyi gave a small smile, “I know.”

When she went to sleep that night, she prayed that her brother wasn’t like that. Even though she wanted to believe he wouldn’t do such things, it had been thirteen years. The gods know she wasn’t the same girl she used to be.

That night, she dreamed of a time long ago.

“Found you!” Her brother jumped out from behind the tree. Xiang let out a screaming laugh and jumped from her hiding spot. She ran and he chased her through the woods.

“I’m going to catch you!” Her older brother shouted, his tone filled with joy. He lunged towards her and they both tumbled to the ground. As their tumbling came to a stop, they laughed so hard their stomachs ached.

“What is going on here?” A familiar and icy voice cut through their playful moods.

They quickly hopped up and brushed their robes clean, or as clean as they could, of dirt. They stared wide eyed at their mother, their bodies tense and stiff.

“We were just playing-” Xiang tried to explain, but her mother would have none of it.

“I wasn’t asking you,” Her mother hissed, “Know your place.”

Xiang fell silent and Lixin spoke up, “We were playing hide and seek.”

“And who told you you could do this?” She demanded.

“A-die-” He didn’t get the chance to finish before their mother cut him off.

“Get inside right this instance!” She shouted at them as she lost her patience. She must have been in a bad mood that day.

They were quick to obey. They alway were.

The next morning, she hesitantly made her way to her brother’s quarters. She paused in front of the door before quietly knocking.

A quiet ‘come in’ could be heard and she entered. When she entered, she noticed that her brother was dressed in his dark blue robes and his hair put into a simple bun at the top of his head, the rest of his hair falling to his back. Her brother sent the other servants away. Her nerves intensified.

“So,” He began, “You call yourself Shen Ningyi?”

Ningyi swallowed, “Y-Yes, that is my name.”

Shangguan hummed and took a sip from his tea. She stood there, stiff with every nerve tingling. Then, he suddenly stood up from his seat.

“Spar with me.”

Ningyi blinked, “Pardon?”

“You fight well,” He began, “Far better than expected from a servant. I would like to know the extent of your skill and strength.”

He motioned to his desk and that’s when she noticed an elegant looking sword. He continued , “You seem to know your way around a whip. However, it wouldn’t be quite a fair fight, so this will have to do.”

“I could go get my whip-” She stammered out before he cut her off.

“That would take too long.” He said bluntly, “This is far faster and by far the simplest solution.”

Ningyi quickly nodded, “Yes, Master.”

His lips twisted downwards before his face went back to being stone-faced. He walked past her before pausing at the door, “Are you coming?”

He continued walking and she quickly grabbed the whip before rushing after him, “Yes, Master.”

No matter what she was thinking, she wasn’t expecting this.