Ruhan had stopped avoiding her, just as she had demanded. Over the next few days, he appeared everywhere. Courtyards, corridors, and even lingering at the edge of the dining hall. The "coincidences" were becoming far too frequent to be accidental.
But Xiao Zhi didn't budge. He wanted boundaries? Fine. She would build a wall so high he couldn't even see over it. She wanted him to feel every single inch of the distance he had asked for.
The first encounter happened in the corridor. She was heading to the garden when she noticed him at the far end, bowing as she approached.
"Princess," he said, bowing as he spoke.
Xiao Zhi did not greet him back. She answered with a polite, shallow bow and nothing more. Her eyes flicked toward the empty corridor, deliberately ignoring his presence.
"I was hoping to speak with you," he said, stepping closer. There was a trace of hesitance in his tone.
Her gaze remained straight. "I am busy," she said lightly with a subtle dismissal in her voice.
"I only—" he tried again, but she cut him off.
"Excuse me." She continued down the corridor, posture perfectly composed.
He watched her walk away, lips pressed tight, frustration flickering across his eyes. She didn't look back. And he just stood there watching her disappear.
Later, he appeared at her chambers. She was sitting at her desk, reading a scroll she had no real interest in, when the door opened quietly. He stepped in, carrying a bundle of fresh clothes.
"Princess," he said softly. "I brought your clothes."
She didn't answer. Her eyes remained on the scroll.
He carefully laid the clothes down, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "How are you today? Did Prince Kabil still give you a hard time?"
Xiao Zhi lifted her head slowly, her sharp eyes meeting his. "Why do you concern yourself with my marriage, eunuch Ruhan? That is not your place."
The words hit him. She could see it in the slight slump of his shoulders.
"I—" he began, but she held up her hand, cutting him off.
"If you are done with your duty, you may leave."
"Princess, I am only—"
"I said, you may leave," she said coldly. Her hand gestured lightly toward the door. She did not raise her voice. She didn't need to. The authority in her posture alone was enough.
Ruhan sighed, bowed low, and closed the door quietly behind him. Xiao Zhi exhaled once, then returned to her scrolls. A small, satisfied part of her smiled at the way he had flinched under her control. That was exactly the point. Boundaries.
The next day, she met him in the inner courtyard. He was gathering fallen leaves along the path, and his head lifted when he saw her approaching.
"Princess," he said.
Xiao Zhi's gaze swept over him briefly, noting the way the morning sun caught his hair, the neatness of his tunic, the care in his movements. The way he looked—
She cut the thought off sharply, almost swearing under her breath.
She inclined her head once, formally, as if acknowledging a servant, not a man.
"You are busy," he said. "May I assist you in any way?"
"No," she replied. "You may continue with your duties."
He paused, looking slightly pained, then nodded and returned to raking leaves. She walked past him. He didn't follow. She didn't look back.
That afternoon, he appeared again. This time, carrying tea, offering it to her as she sat by the garden.
"Princess," he said, his tone gentle. Too gentle, almost broke Xiao Zhi's heart. "I thought you might like tea."
She accepted it with a nod, her hands cool and calm around the cup. "Thank you," she said, tone polite but distant. "It is unnecessary for you to concern yourself with my comforts."
"I only wished to serve," he replied softly.
"Then serve," she said, eyes sliding away from his.
He lowered his gaze, not meeting her eyes. She sipped her tea, letting the silence stretch between them. That was exactly as she intended.
Another afternoon, she was sitting beneath a large tree in the inner garden, poking at the ground with a stick.
The more she sat there, the more she began to understand. He was a servant in a rigid, cruel palace. To defy the rules usually meant death. Logically, his caution made sense.
But emotionally? What a coward.
Am I overreacting? she wondered. Is it really acceptable to be this petty? She rolled the stick between her fingers, feeling the rough bark of the tree beneath her palm.
"Princess."
She recognized the voice instantly. She didn't look up, only inclined her head slightly.
He stood a few feet away, uncertain, his hands held stiffly at his sides, fingers curling and uncurling as if he didn't know what to do with them.
"Are you still angry?"
"Should I not be?" she asked calmly, finally looking at him.
"I apologized."
"Yes."
"And I said I would not avoid you anymore."
"You haven't," she said, her eyes blank. "You're standing right there."
There was no warmth in her voice, no sharpness either. Only a cold statement of fact. His expression flickered, a mixture of guilt and frustration, as if she had struck him.
She rose, brushing the dust from her skirts. "If there is nothing else, I have matters to attend to."
She didn't, but he didn't need to know that.
"Lian Zhi," he said, tentative.
She paused, her back to him, then turned with a perfectly neutral expression. "You called me by my name. How dare a servant be so familiar?"
Ruhan flinched. "I know you're only acting like this because you're angry with me. I know I hurt you with what I said the other night. But—"
"You don't get to decide what hurts me, Ruhan," she interrupted, her voice cutting through his explanation. "And you don't get to pick and choose when you want to be close and when you want to be 'just a servant.' Pick a side and stay there."
She walked away without looking back. From then on, the distance stayed exactly where she wanted it.