A week.
It had been a whole week since Jia had been officially named the Second Prince's "temporary physician."
And yet, she hadn't so much as caught a glimpse of the man's shadow.
She had written to her grandfather right after receiving the appointment, informing him she'd be staying at the palace for six months to care for the second prince. His reply had been short but full of disbelief – something along the lines of "are you sure they didn't mean someone else?"
Honestly, she'd wondered the same.
Everyone in Eldora Province knew the Second Prince was rumored to be delicate, the kind of man who preferred books to being in the battlefields, and quiet gardens to council rooms.
Honestly, she'd also choose that kind of easy life if she were born in a royal household too.
During the meet-up with the Emperor, there were so many eyes watching her that she couldn't dare to sneak a glance at the royal family on that day. She had seen the crown prince when he was ill, but from the way he spoke during the meetup, she was glad to know he was healing really quickly.
Considering the second prince, well, he hadn't sounded thrilled about the Emperor's orders. Then again, neither had she. If the man wasn't feeling well, wouldn't it make more sense to summon one of the palace renowned physicians instead of a mere villager like her? It was silly to think the Imperial household had always been this desperate for one.
Now, she was standing outside the tall, polished doors of the second prince's residence, her reflection glinting faintly on the lacquered surface. His personal attendant, who bowed with the stiffness of someone who'd rather be anywhere else but here, said, "His Highness is unavailable today."
"Again?"
But the man didn't answer. He only straightened and stepped aside, as if even lingering near her might be contagious.
Great.
Unavailable. Every day. For a week.
It was only a week and Jia was starting to get tired of this. She was really starting to think the Second Prince might actually be a spirit haunting his own wing.
Or maybe he'd turned into mist and floated off somewhere more peaceful. That would explain a lot, really.
She sighed as she left the corridor for the seventh morning in a row.
"Why appoint a physician for someone who doesn't even want to be in the same room as me? It's not like I begged to be here."
The wind brushed against her dark braids, making them sway lazily over her shoulder while she crossed the narrow red bridge in the courtyard. The koi in the pond darted away at her shadow, and she frowned at them.
Well what do you know? Even the fish here are unfriendly, she thought.
The air in the palace always smelled too clean – like polished marbles and expensive perfumes. She wrinkled her nose. Back home, the air had personality: it smelled like crushed herbs and smoke, sometimes damp soil after a good rain. But here, everything smelled sterile, like someone had scrubbed the life out of it.
Not to mention the silence.
She rarely saw anyone aside from the servants scurrying about like ghosts trying to avoid eye contact or any form of interaction. She tried greeting one once, and the poor servant nearly dropped her tray and fled. In her defense, she was new to the palace and needed to ask for directions.
Once or twice, Jia would catch a glimpse of a courtesan gliding down the hall in the inner court, all dressed in silks that looked worth more than her entire village. They said words traveled faster than wind in the imperial palace, and she was starting to believe it. Somehow, she already knew who the Emperor's second favorite was, after the Empress, of course.
No one told her outright, the whispers simply floated to her from every corner.
There was absolutely no such thing as privacy here. You could sneeze in a corridor, and by evening, someone in an entirely different wing would already be talking about what sort of sneezing it was, if it was the delicate, a noble sneeze, or something else their bored brains can cook up just to start unnecessary rumors.
Even the little she knew about the second prince came from such gossip. According to the servants, he was 'effortlessly enchanting' - a word they said in hushed, dreamy tones as though he'd cast a spell on them. Beautiful, they said, so beautiful that even the male attendants risked a glance when he passed.
Jia wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean. Beautiful how? Like a painting? Like a flower?
They also said he rarely interacted with anyone in the imperial palace, and was hardly ever seen – even by his own attendants. For someone who just stepped out into the public after ten years, and yet only a handful of people saw him during the provincial tour, should she really… still be that surprised?
But then where does he go all the time?
Just as she turned to leave the second prince's residence, someone came striding through the entrance. Jia didn't see him until they collided, her forehead meeting something solid and unyielding.
"Ow!–"
She stumbled back, rubbing her brow before realizing what she'd just bumped into. The person she was busy body-checking wore dark robes embroidered in silver. Even without seeing his face, the fabric already screamed Imperial.
Oh no.
Oh absolutely not.
She'd just rammed into royalty!
Jia bowed so fast she nearly smacked her forehead against her knees. "My apologies, Your Importantness - Highness."
The title tumbled out in a mix of horror and panic before she could stop it. And she winced inwardly at her choice of words.
However, the man said nothing. There was a pause. His gaze felt heavy on her that she could practically feel it pressing against the top of her head, unreadable too.
Jia wanted to make her quick escape.
"Well…! I'll take my leave now."
"Wait."
The single word sliced through the air like a blade, commanding enough to still even the wind. Jia halted mid-step, nearly tripping over her own feet as her heart skipped once.
Slowly, she turned around.
Prince Lysander stood a few paces away. The gentility she'd seen in the court earlier - the calm, poised air of a royal who seemed almost too refined to breathe the same air as her, was gone. In its place stood someone colder, more distant and severe. The faint glint of sunlight from the courtyard caught the silver embroidery in his robes, and the air around him seemed to freeze from nothingness.
But what was this feeling? Jia frowned slightly. A shiver crawled down her spine, and she took an unconscious step back, though she wasn't sure if she had done that out of awe or irritation.
"Aren't you the same healer from Eldora?" he asked, his voice smooth, but there was nothing welcoming about it.
Jia blinked, unsure if she needed to respond, or if this was one of those rhetorical questions that didn't need an answer. "Uh… yes, I think so?" she said, then as if realizing how ridiculous that sounded, she straightened her shoulders quickly. "I mean yes, Your Highness."
But Lysander didn't seem to care for clarification. He was already turning away, saying simply, "Come with me."
Jia raised her head to follow, but something else caught her attention- the length of his hair. It was long. Far longer than any man she'd ever seen outside of temple portraits. The glossy strands flowed down his back, dark and sleek enough to gleam like polished obsidian.
She frowned at it.
How utterly unfair. Her own hair barely managed to reach her waist before it started rebelling, frizzling and tangling just to spite her. Meanwhile, his hair looked like something a spirit maiden would comb under moonlight.
She was so caught up in the injustice of it that she didn't notice he'd moved ahead until the distance between them grew awkwardly wide. She picked up her pace, hoping he wouldn't notice.
The attendant standing by the door straightened and bowed low as he approached, but Lysander didn't even slow down. He passed through the opened doorway without a word, his expression maintaining that perfect stoicism.
Jia hesitated at the threshold, peering after Lysander's retreating form. Realizing the attendant was waiting for her to enter as well so he could close the door, her legs finally moved.
The door shut behind her with a soft click that sounded far louder than it should have. The silence that followed was heavy, the kind that presses against your ears.
Prince Lysander didn't turn around immediately. He stood with his back to her, his hands clasped loosely behind him, posture perfectly composed. For a moment, she wondered if he'd forgotten she was still here. Or maybe this was some royal test? A whole week had gone by, and the next thing he said to her after avoiding her for a whole week was to follow him?
What was his game here?
She was about to clear her throat when he finally spoke, his voice smooth and even.
"How much?" he asked.
Jia blinked, unsure if she heard him right. "Your Highness?"
"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. I already made it clear I do not need a physician," he said, his voice calm, too calm in a way that felt wrong. "Especially not a peasant. So what if you saved my brother. Now, I need you to be honest with me, how much to make you leave this palace and never come back?"