Three hours.
Three hours had passed since I lay down on my bed.
I couldn't sleep.
No—I didn't sleep.
"It's time!"
I shot up from the bed, my heart racing. I grabbed a dark silk cloth and pulled open my closet, reaching behind the pile of old clothes. My fingers wrapped around the long rope I had made—twisted together from dark bedsheets I'd stolen from the palace, one by one, every month.
"This is the day I'll be free," I whispered to myself, taking a deep breath.
With no hesitation, I opened the window. The night air brushed against my face.
I hooked the rope over the edge and climbed out.
When my feet finally touched the grass, I didn't stop to enjoy the moment—I ran.
I ran as fast as I could.
It wasn't hard. I was used to running. I had been made to run—delivering messages, carrying trays, always being scolded to "hurry up."
So I ran. The fences came into view. The gates. They were close now—so close. I just had to jump. That was it.
And then—
I froze.
Three figures stood by the gate. Laughing. Watching.
Guards.
They were just standing there. Waiting? Laughing? I didn't know why. But it didn't matter. They were too late. I was already here. So close.
I pushed forward, not stopping.
But then—
One guard vanished. Just disappeared.
My eyes widened. Then the second. Then the third.
Gone. Like smoke.
And then—
I crashed into something.
No—
Someone.
A hard body. I bounced off and stumbled backward, falling to the ground. I gasped, looking up.
"Heh heh… what are you doing, little girl? Are you out of your mind? Trying to escape from cultivators while being a mortal?"
"Brother, why are you even asking? She must be a real fool to try something like that."
"Hehe, let's—"
Then suddenly, all three of them froze. The air shifted. Cold.
"Go back to what you were doing."
A cold voice. Calm, but sharp as a blade.
"H-Head maid?!"
Their voices trembled. The woman standing behind them didn't yell. She didn't have to. The pressure she gave off was more than enough.
"I said… GO."
"Y-Yes!!"
The guards scattered like cats, and as they disappeared into the dark, Tan Yao let out a breath, then turned her gaze to me. A faint smile touched her lips.
"I didn't think you'd actually try something like this," she said in a low voice, almost amused.
But I wasn't listening. I was deep in thought.
Cultivators… me… mortal? The words swirled in my head like a storm. Tan Yao tilted her head, watching me curiously. Then she said something that shook me.
"You know… I could set you free."
Her tone was teasing, playful even. I flinched and snapped out of my daze. But before I could say anything, she continued.
"But the thing is… what do you think would happen if you really went outside, huh?"
"You saw the difference just now, didn't you? Between a cultivator and someone like you. I bet you didn't even know how different it was. Hehe…"
She chuckled lightly.
"Anyway, almost all the maids in this palace—except the personal ones—are mortals. And honestly? They're lucky. Warm food, warm beds, safety. Out there? No one cares if a mortal dies in the mud or becomes a slave for some entertainment."
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is a really good life. But I don't understand why you hate… being a servant."
"What can you even do?"
"There's nothing better you can do—except keep being a servant until you die."
She stepped closer.
"Now go back to your room and be a good girl… like the others."
Her voice was cold. Her words are sharp. Each one hit harder than a slap. I stood there frozen, unable to reply. Now I understood. What they were talking about. What I was.
How powerless I really was. Tears started to form in my eyes. I clenched my jaw, but they fell anyway.
"This feeling…" I thought.
"It's killing me. Just what do I even want? Why do I feel like something's missing inside me? Like a piece of my soul is gone? What's happening to me?"
The tears fell freely now—rage, sadness, confusion. I couldn't tell which.
"N-No…"
*********
It was lunchtime.
For the servants, that meant one long wooden table in the middle of a cold, echoing hall. The maids sat in groups, some chatting, others just eating in silence, too tired to bother. Nothing too fancy, but hot and filling enough to get through the day.
It had been four years.
Four whole years since someone had tried to escape outside. No one knew who it was, but some of the maids still joked about it now and then with each other.
Creak... creak…
The tall double doors opened with a long groan, and a familiar figure stepped inside. The entire room quieted just a little—not out of fear, just… awareness.
Ren Fei.
Some of the maids had started calling her the Fallen Maid. Her face had matured over the years. She was taller now, and her expression more distant, but no one could say she was growing. She was thin. Her body looked weak. Malnourished. Like someone who didn't eat enough, and hadn't for a long time.
But despite all that, there was something strange about her. Something they couldn't explain. An otherworldly aura.
She walked to the end of the table and sat down. Nobody greeted her, but nobody stopped her either. A few seconds later, conversations picked up again. There was gossip, after all—something about the First Mistress and a scandal. Though probably made up by some bored maid.
Just then, at the other end of the room, the head maid stood up.
She didn't say anything. Just walked slowly to the far end of the table, where Ren Fei sat, still staring at her untouched food like it might bite her.
Tan Yao watched her in silence. Her eyes scanned her figure—frail, pale skin, but still oddly... graceful. There was something to the shape of her hips, her chest, even in their underdeveloped state. Nothing dramatic. But enough to make other maids jealous, even like this.
'Even though she's barely eating… her body is still forming like this?'
Tan Yao tilted her head, thinking. 'Maybe… I should tell her abou—
No. Not yet.'
"Hey," she said suddenly, grinning. "Still thinking about that little escape of yours?"
It sounded like a tease. Mocking, even. But Ren Fei didn't even glance her way.
Tan Yao's grin widened. Still as stubborn as ever, huh?
"Alright, alright. Then tell me something, why don't you eat? You just sit there staring like the food's poison."
Ren Fei stared at her bowl. A pause.
Then, quietly,
"I… I don't know. I just feel disgusted."
Tan Yao blinked.
"…What?"
She'd expected an excuse, or maybe a plan, something calculated. Not… that.
Disgusted?
The food was simple, sure, but decent. Freshly made. Meant to keep them strong. She wasn't acting like someone who was picky; she looked like she hated the act of eating itself.
"You're seriously weird," Tan Yao muttered. "Well, whatever. Not my problem. Bye."
She turned and walked away, slipping out of the room without another word. She was the one who being weird!
Ren Fei didn't move. She just kept staring down at her food like it was some strange creature, ready to lunge at her.
Later that day, while the servants went back to work, someone familiar stepped into a room, the one at the center of the palace.
"What are you doing here, Yao?"
Ren Qiang's voice was calm, cold, and heavy with authority. His hands were still sorting through paperwork.
Tan Yao bowed slightly.
"My lord… I'd like to offer a recommendation."
He raised an eyebrow. "A recommendation?" That was rare. From her, even more so.
"There's one maid," she continued. "Sickly-looking, yes, but her beauty potential is... far above any other maid. Given proper education and training, she could become a perfect maid-wife for one of your sons. And her name is... Ren Fei."
Ren Qiang almost choked.
That name.
He hadn't heard it in years. Not since he'd practically written her off.
He was surprised, not because she was a cousin to his son, that was normal in the cultivation world. But because she was trash. Useless. A mortal.
"…Are you sure?" he asked slowly. "Even as a maid-wife, a mortal like her for one of my talented sons? Aren't you overestimating her beauty or something?"
"No, my lord," she said with confidence. "Trust me. I can shape her into something worthy. You won't regret it."
He leaned back, thoughtful.
"What do you want in return?"
She smiled, lips curling slyly.
"Hehe… just—"
The next morning.
The sun had barely risen when Ren Fei's door burst open.
She jolted up, still half-asleep—only to see a figure standing over her.
"Hehe… Look what I brought for you!"
Tan Yao. Her tone was cheerful. Eager. It felt wrong.
Before she could say anything, the head maid moved fast. Her mouth was forced open, and a small pill slipped inside
"MMhh?!—"