Blades Of Destiny

The man's face was close to mine, just a small distance between us. His eyes lingered on my face for a brief moment, as if studying every detail. I held my breath, unsure of what to say or do.

Then his gaze dropped to my robes, and his previously stunned expression morphed into one of pure disgust. His facial features twisting. Without a word, he let go of me.

"Ah!" I yelped as I fell unceremoniously to the ground with a loud thud. "Oi! What's your problem? Ever heard of manners?!" I shot him an annoyed glare as I scrambled to my feet, brushing off the dirt. "I guess it's true that beautiful people lack basic etiquette!"

The man raised a single eyebrow, unimpressed. His eyes swept over me from head to toe with an air of indifference. "You ruined my robes!" I accused, pointing a finger at him.

He tilted his head slightly, then rolled his eyes as if I were the most annoying creature alive. "As if they weren't already ruined," he said dryly, his voice calm and detached.

"How dare you!" I fumed, clenching my fists. "For a moment, I thought you were a gentleman!"

"For a moment," he echoed nonchalantly, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

My anger flared even more. "You're clearly a servant here, so you owe me a new set of robes!" I demanded, stomping my foot for emphasis.

He blinked slowly at me, utterly unfazed. "A servant?" he repeated, his voice cool and amused.

"Yes, a servant!" I snapped, completely misreading his tone. "If you don't compensate me, I'll report you to the head steward. I'll have you scrubbing floors until your hands are raw!"

He crossed his arms, the corners of his mouth twitching upward ever so slightly as if he were holding back laughter, yet I could tell he was annoyed. "Interesting threat," he said, his voice still maddeningly calm. "And what makes you think the steward will accept your," He paused, "Request?"

"Don't you dare mock me!" I huffed. "I'm serious! Do you think I won't do it? Just you wait—I'll have you disciplined so thoroughly you'll forget what daylight looks like!"

He leaned slightly against the wall, one hand casually resting on his hip as he looked at me with a faint smirk. "Go ahead," he said lazily, gesturing with his hand. "I'd love to see how that turns out."

I opened my mouth to retort, but before I could, a sharp, familiar voice cut through the air.

"Li Xue!"

I froze mid-rant and turned slowly to see Mei Lian storming toward us, her expression thunderous. Oh shit-

"What are you doing here?" Mei Lian barked, her voice echoing in the hall.

"I, uh…" I faltered, my bravado fading under her glare.

Her eyes darted between me and the man, then to the small mess we'd caused in the room. She gasped, horrified. "Do you even know who you're speaking to?"

I blinked, glancing back at the man, who still looked as calm and unbothered as ever. "Isn't he a servant?" I said hesitantly.

Mei Lian's eyes widened in disbelief, and then she burst into laughter—sharp and mocking. "A servant? Oh, Li Xue, you've really outdone yourself this time."

"What?" I asked, my confusion deepening.

"This," Mei Lian gestured dramatically toward the man, "is the second young master, Chen Yi!"

My jaw dropped as I stared at him in shock. The second young master?!

"Have you been living under a fricking rock!?" Mei Lian yelled with anger, I could see the frustration in her eyes. 'Uh." I stammered, my mind went blank, I could not think of a response.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

The man—no, the second young master—raised an eyebrow at my expression, clearly unimpressed. "Still want me to buy you new robes?" he asked, his tone laced with amusement.

I felt my face burn with embarrassment. "Y-you could've said something!" I stammered, my voice rising in pitch.

"Why?" he replied smoothly. "You seemed so confident. I didn't want to interrupt." His expression unbreakable, that made me feel the urge to smack it.

Mei Lian sighed loudly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Li Xue, you are unbelievable. Apologize this instant!"

I hesitated, glancing between Mei Lian and the second young master. "But he—"

"Now!" Mei Lian snapped.

I swallowed my pride and bowed stiffly. "I… I'm sorry," I mumbled.

Chen Yi gave me a grin, his expression unreadable. "Apology accepted. For now."

Mei Lian turned to me, her gaze icy. "And you're coming with me. Now." Without waiting for a response, she grabbed my arm and practically dragged me out of the room, muttering under her breath about my endless ability to cause trouble.

"Wait!" Chen Yi's stern voice called from behind us as we exited. "Buy her a new set of robes." He paused, his tone flat and emotionless. "After all, I owe her."

I could almost taste the sarcasm in his voice, and my eyes twitched with irritation.

"I will!" Mei Lian responded quickly, not wasting a second. Without another word, she turned and marched off, dragging me along with her.

As we left the room, I couldn't shake the feeling of Chen Yi's intense gaze on me. His look lingered, sharp and heavy, making me regret every single word I'd said to him.

After a while, we reached a room. Mei Lian let go of my arm and tossed a bundle of robes at me. "Wear these," she ordered, her tone sharp. "And don't even think about getting near him." She breathed heavily, her words gritted out through clenched teeth. "Ever again."

"Someone's cranky," I muttered under my breath. "Don't worry, I have no intention of stealing your man."

Mei Lian's face flushed bright red with anger, her fists clenched at her sides. "That's not it!" she yelled, her voice filled with frustration.

I smirked, watching her try to calm down. After a moment, she took a deep breath, visibly controlling her temper, and moved closer to me. Inch by inch, she approached, her voice low as she whispered in my ear, "You're lucky I can't hit you here."

With one final glare, she turned and left the room, the door closing behind her with a soft thud.

"Without a goodbye?" I called after her, a teasing grin tugging at my lips as I watched her storm off.