Felix stepped out of the fitting room wearing the new robe.
It was simple, but elegant — deep black silk trimmed with silver embroidery that shimmered under the warm lantern light. The fabric wrapped around his tall frame perfectly, highlighting his sharp features and cold aura with an unsettling kind of grace.
Lu Zhuhai froze.
For a full second, her breath caught in her throat as her eyes swept over him.
Okay... why does he look like he just walked out of a painting?
She quickly shook her head and composed herself, pretending to dust off a box nearby.
Felix walked up to the counter, expression unreadable, and handed Ji Young a few gold coins — heavy, high-value ones.
Ji Young blinked in surprise. "Uh, I don't have change for this! Let me go next door and ask the lady in the tea shop. You can wait in Lu's workroom. I'll be right back!"
And with that, Ji Young rushed out the door once again.
Lu crossed her arms, muttering under her breath, "He's unbelievable."
She turned back to speak to Felix — only to find the space behind her completely empty.
"Huh?" she blinked, looking around. "Where—?"
Then she noticed something: her workroom door... wide open.
A long sigh escaped her lips. "You've got to be kidding".
Lu Zhuhai stood at the door, silently watching Felix.
He was staring at a robe she had been working on — one she hadn't even finished stitching. The fabric was soft lilac, detailed with delicate embroidery shaped like clouds and birds in flight. It wasn't anything too special in her eyes. But to him… it clearly meant something.
"It's not finished yet," she said gently, stepping into the room. "I'm still working on it."
Felix didn't look at her. His eyes were fixed on the robe, distant and trembling.
"I… It looks like my mother's," he said, his voice unsteady — a crack in the usually impenetrable armor he wore.
Lu blinked in surprise. There was something in his tone — raw and aching — that pulled at her chest.
"She used to love designing her own clothes," he continued softly. "Every dress she wore, she made with her own hands… and she looked beautiful in each one."
Then, before Lu could respond, a single tear slipped down his cheek.
It was quiet, small, but it held years of grief.
Lu Zhuhai looked up at him, unsure whether to speak. But the question left her lips before she could stop it. "Did something… happen to her?"
For a brief second, Felix didn't respond. Then he swiftly wiped the tear away with the back of his hand. His eyes grew sharp again, cold and unreadable — the vulnerability gone in an instant.
"That's none of your business," he said flatly. He turned toward the door. "Tell your boss he can keep the change."
And just like that, he was gone.
Lu stared after him, stunned. She looked at the unfinished robe once more. Her fingers traced the edge of the fabric as she let out a long sigh.
There's more to him than he lets anyone see... she thought.
---
Meanwhile, Felix returned to the palace, his steps silent as shadows. He passed Jay without a word, ignoring his questions and concerned glances.
He walked straight through the grand halls, down a narrow passageway that led to the palace gardens — then further into the quiet backyard, where the gravestones stood beneath a cherry blossom tree.
Two graves.
Modestly carved.
Yet sacred.
He sat down in front of them, his shoulders finally dropping as his façade melted away.
And for the first time in years…
Felix let the tears fall freely.