Once alone with Kyra, the air around Lin Xuelan changed completely. There were no signs of the regal authority she used to intimidate Scipio just mere moments before. In its place, was a warm aura of tenderness and care.

  She gently caressed the girl’s cheek, trying to assess the damage caused by the hit.

  The swelling was getting worse with every moment, and her normally rosy freckled face turned red.

  "Where’s your room?" Xuelan asked unexpectedly.

  Kyra was taken aback by such a question being asked so suddenly. If someone else was to ask her this so brazenly, she would start suspecting that they have some nefarious or indecent intentions. Since it was the Dragon Princess who asked however, she was at loss as to why she wanted to know. In the end, she decided to answer truthfully.

  "Shun Ming, please bring my healing jade from my room to where Kyra just said. We’ll be waiting for you there," Xuelan instructed.

  The maid, who Kyra didn’t even notice until Xuelan mentioned her, nodded and silently went to fulfill her task, leaving both of them truly alone this time.

  She was ready to steal a few last glances at the Dragon Princess before going back to work, when a realization struck her.

  Wait. 'We’ll be waiting for you there.' WE?!

  "Let’s go. We don’t want Shun Ming to get there before us," Xuelan said, almost as if hearing her thoughts. She took her hand and tugged it, giving her a sign that it’s time to go.

  Kyra’s mind went blank, but fortunately, finding her way around the Palace was her second nature at that point, so her body obediently started walking towards their destination.

  Through the splendid corridors, twisting and turning. Through narrow stairs going up and down. Lin Xuelan didn’t let go of her hand, even for a bit. She held it with a careful firmness, almost as if she was afraid that the moment she let go, the maid would suddenly disappear around the next turn.

  Such a simple and familiar gesture turned into something enticing and unique, simply because it was Lin Xuelan.

  Love really makes you a fool, Kyra thought.

  The room that belonged to Kyra was of a much higher standard than the average maid. Compared to people like Oriana or Lin Xuelan, however, it might as well have been a broom closet. The magnificence of the Palace didn’t find its way there. It was futile to look for gilded chandeliers, or expensive decorations, or even silk bedsheets.

  An ordinary room, for an ordinary person.

  That’s how Kyra always felt, but that’s not to say that she wasn’t grateful for it. She loved the little room that she had, and always liked spending her free time crocheting or embroidering.

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  Nevertheless, when it was time to let Lin Xuelan see that small ordinary room, she couldn’t help but feel ashamed.

  At the end of the day, someone like the Dragon Princess must have been used to the spaciousness, and luxury, and all of the splendor of riches. Looking at her small, cramped "den" would probably be uncomfortable to say the least.

  "Maybe we should just wait here. Shun Ming might have trouble finding us," Kyra said, her hand hovering over the knob, as panic started overwhelming her.

  "She’s very good at finding her way, don’t worry. Besides…" Xuelan continued happily, "I want to see your room."

  Seeing the flickering sparkles of excitement in the Dragon Princess’ eyes, Kyra felt defeated. She couldn’t bring herself to deny her that joy, even if she was about to be very disappointed.

  She turned the key and opened the door, letting her guest in.

  When she was little, Lin Xuelan once heard one of the maids in the Imperial Palace say that you could get a glimpse of someone’s soul by looking at their room. At the time, she had a hard time imagining how something so mundane could reflect something as sacred as a soul and so, she laughed at the idea and forgot about it for a long time.

  Walking inside Kyra’s bedroom, she finally began to understand the meaning of the old maid’s words.

  The place could not compare to any of the chambers of the Imperial Palace. Even the cabin on the ship she took was bigger than that.

  And yet, none of the places she was before ever felt more comforting and pleasant than the little bedroom she was currently visiting.

  The crudeness of the original decor was swept under the charming handicraft spread all over the place.

  Every surface and every furnishing, otherwise plain and unassuming, was transformed into a cozy corner, tastefully decorated with hand-made cushions, blankets, puppets and skillful needlework.

  Seeing all of that, Lin Xuelan couldn’t hide her astonishment.

  "Did you make all of this?" she asked with sparkling eyes.

  Kyra nodded silently. She felt too shy to answer properly.

  "You are incredible! Whenever I tried to make anything during my classes, my teacher had this pitiful look on her face when she saw it," Xuelan laughed cheerfully and picked up one of the hand-made puppets. "I think you are amazing to be able to do this."

  The already flustered Kyra felt a new wave of emotions surging through her body. The yearning in her heart became even stronger than ever.

  Xuelan noticed that her host hadn’t spoken for a while, and looked at her worried.

  Their eyes met and a moment of silence ensued.

  No words had been spoken, and yet it felt like more than a thousand passed between them.

  Please, don’t make me fall for you even more.

  Why are you running away?

  I’m afraid of being hurt.

  It doesn’t have to be like this.

  This can never happen. It’s just a wishful dream.

  Trust me.

  A knocking at the door interrupted the exchange.

  Lin Xuelan came back to her senses faster than Kyra, so she opened for Shun Ming.

  She took a package the maid passed to her, and gave her another task in a hushed voice.

  Once the servant girl was gone again, she came back inside and approached Kyra with a smooth green stone in her hand, and placed it on her swollen cheek.

  A pleasant cold radiated from the gem, bringing relief to the injured spot.

  "Hmm… It’s the same color as your eyes," Xuelan said with the same cheerful voice.

  Kyra, on the other hand, felt like she was slowly losing her mind from the strange exchange, and from the Dragon Princess standing way too close than necessary.

  "Thank you. I can hold it myself, Your Highness. You have already done enough for me," she said, reaching her hand to take over.

  When her fingertips touched Xuelan’s skin, they were caught in an unnatural, piercing cold. It immediately started spreading to the rest of her palm with a tingling sensation. Before it could reach any further, the Dragon Princess used her free hand to pull Kyra’s arm away.

  "No. This is a special magical stone. It will work only if I hold it," Xuelan explained.

  "If it’s magical, shouldn’t it work with anyone?" Kyra asked.

  "Shush," Lin Xuelan narrowed her eyes in an attempt to look intimidating.

  She failed.

  Nevertheless, Kyra didn’t argue any further. She assumed her knowledge about magic wasn’t nearly enough to assume that Xuelan was lying.