The air in the corridor still quivered with the weight of Bai Ronghua's words.
A spy.
Xueya bowed until her forehead nearly brushed the linens in her arms, ears drooping as though her soul itself had shrunk. When she straightened, Ronghua's back was already turned, fox tail swaying as she swept away with her retinue of whispers and suspicion.
The other maids didn't move until the head maid was gone.
Then, like jackals after a lion's departure, they closed in.
"Did you hear?" one hissed. "The fox thinks she's a spy!"
"A rabbit spy?" another snickered. "From which noble house? The House of Lettuce?"
Giggles broke out, sharp and cruel.
Mei Yun didn't laugh. She only smiled—wide, polished, dangerous—as she leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed under her chest.
"Well, well," she purred. "Our little rabbit is full of surprises. First she scrubs fifty linens without breaking a sweat, now she earns the fox's attention. Quite the résumé you're building, Xueya."
Xueya kept her head low, voice soft as a feather. "I—I'm only doing my tasks."
"Of course." Mei Yun's tail swished lazily. "And yet… you shine too brightly for someone who claims to be so plain. Perhaps Ronghua isn't wrong. Perhaps you really are… hiding something."
Shu Ling pushed forward from the crowd, tail stiff, ears back. "That's enough, Mei Yun! She's done nothing wrong."
"Oh?" The cat-maid tilted her head, golden eyes gleaming. "Defending her, are you? How sweet. But careful, puppy. Loyalty to the wrong rabbit might earn you a noose."
Shu Ling's cheeks puffed in anger. "At least I don't slink around making trouble just to feel important!"
Gasps rippled. A fight between maids was rare but not unheard of—and usually ended with both punished.
Mei Yun's smile sharpened. "How brave. Shall we test whether your rabbit friend is truly innocent, then?"
Her eyes slid back to Xueya, gleaming like a blade unsheathed. "Why don't you show us, little rabbit? Prove you're no spy. Let's see you handle a real task. Alone."
Xueya said nothing, only adjusted the stack of linens in her arms, hiding her clenched fingers in the folds of cloth.
She wants me to stumble. To give Ronghua proof, or at least the appearance of it. Clever cat. Dangerous cat.
"Name it," she said softly.
The room stilled. Even Shu Ling blinked.
Mei Yun's smile widened. "How bold. Fine then. Madam Xu is expecting her linens by midday, yes? Why don't you deliver them—properly. Not just dropping them at her door, but personally presenting them to her hand."
Whispers flared. "She can't—" "That's suicide!" "The Madam hates new servants—"
Shu Ling grabbed Xueya's sleeve. "Don't. She'll—she'll eat you alive."
Xueya's ears twitched, but she didn't waver. Madam Xu. The mistress of the mansion. If I falter, I die. If I succeed, I step higher.
She bowed slightly, letting her meek mask slip back into place. "As you wish."
---
The corridors to Madam Xu's wing were hushed and opulent, every wall hung with scrolls of calligraphy, every step sinking into silk rugs. Servants moved like shadows here, careful not to breathe too loud.
Xueya's steps echoed, soft but steady, as she carried the mountain of folded linens. Her heart beat against her ribs like a war drum, but her face remained blank, deferential.
Each turn of the corridor felt like a tightening noose.
Finally, she reached the lacquered double doors of Madam Xu's quarters. The guards outside—a pair of broad-shouldered wolf beastkin—crossed their spears at her approach.
"Who are you?" one barked.
Xueya bowed low, balancing the linens with perfect poise. "Lin Xueya, maid servant. I bear fresh linens for Madam Xu's chambers."
The wolves exchanged a glance. One sniffed the air, then growled low. "The Madam dislikes strangers."
"She dislikes lateness more," Xueya said quietly.
That earned a raised brow. The wolves glanced at each other again, then pulled their spears back with reluctant grunts.
"Enter. Speak carefully."
The doors creaked open.
---
Madam Xu's quarters were a kingdom of silk and jade. The air was thick with the fragrance of lotus incense, the walls draped with embroidered curtains that shimmered like water.
And at the heart of it all, reclining upon a couch of carved sandalwood, was Madam Xu.
Her hair spilled like a black waterfall, her robes a cascade of crimson silk, embroidered with golden phoenixes that seemed to glow in the lantern light. A pipe of jade rested between her fingers, smoke curling upward in delicate spirals.
Her gaze lifted lazily, sharp as a blade despite its languid tilt.
"And what," she drawled, voice rich as honeyed poison, "is this?"
Xueya lowered herself into a bow so deep her ears brushed the rug. "This lowly maid presents fresh linens, Madam."
"Mm." A flick of the jade pipe. "You're new."
"Yes, Madam."
"Stand."
Xueya rose, hands trembling faintly against the tower of cloth—only partly feigned. Madam Xu's gaze roamed over her, lingering on the rabbit ears, the meek posture, the pale hands gripping linen.
"Bai Ronghua sends you?"
"Yes, Madam."
A sharp smile curved the woman's lips. "The fox grows creative. Sending a trembling rabbit into my den. How amusing."
Her eyes narrowed. "Tell me, rabbit. Why are you here?"
The question was silk, but the air around it felt like iron.
Why am I here? To live. To rise. To claw free from misfortune. But she must not hear that.
Xueya bowed her head again. "To serve, Madam. Only to serve."
Madam Xu studied her long, smoke curling around her face like a veil. For a heartbeat, silence reigned.
Then she laughed softly, low and dangerous.
"Perhaps the fox was right to send you. You bow prettily enough." She waved her hand. "Set the linens there. And do not wrinkle them."
Xueya moved swiftly, gracefully, each step precise. She laid the stack upon the low table, aligning every fold as if it were ritual.
The system whispered in her mind.
> [Task Completed: Present Linens to Noble.]
[Reward: +3 Grace, +2 Composure.]
> [Hidden Task: Survive Direct Audience with Madam Xu.]
[Reward: +5 Willpower.]
A thrill shivered through her bones, hidden beneath bowed shoulders.
Madam Xu watched with half-lidded eyes, her smile lingering. "Interesting. Run along now, rabbit. I may call for you again."
Dismissal—but not disdain. Interest.
As Xueya backed out of the chamber, ears low, she caught Mei Yun's silhouette in the corridor, lurking like a shadow.
The cat's golden eyes glittered with disbelief and something darker.
Xueya lowered her head further, letting no expression slip. But inside, her thoughts whispered sharp and cold:
You wanted me to fail, Mei Yun. Instead, the Mistress noticed me. And once noticed… I will not be forgotten.
The doors shut behind her with a heavy thud.
And the game in the mansion changed forever.