"The medicine is finished. I hope you are well, brother. Thank you, Your Highness."
The still-wet ink on the plain paper was carefully folded and placed in an envelope. Xin Jiuwei held the short letter in her hand, her fingertips able to feel the fine texture of the paper. She stepped out of the study; the afternoon sun was somewhat dazzling, carrying the crisp chill unique to late autumn. Jingyuan was still heavily guarded, but the suffocating, oppressive feeling of awaiting death seemed to have been somewhat dispelled by the sunlight.
She didn't call Youye, but instead took the letter and walked towards the gate of Jingyuan. When the guards saw her, they immediately bowed and saluted, their eyes showing a hint of respect that was barely perceptible—their desperate counterattack at the palace banquet and their tenacity in running around for their brother had given these tough guards a bit more genuine approval of this "future princess".
"Please pass this letter on to His Highness the Sixth Prince." Xin Jiuwei handed the envelope to the guard captain, her voice calm and composed.
"Yes, Miss Xin!" The captain of the guards accepted the document with both hands and solemnly replied.
Xin Jiuwei stood at the doorway, watching the guard captain's retreating figure, her eyes slightly narrowed. Sunlight fell on her pale face, outlining her thin yet exceptionally resilient features. Her brother had survived; the heaviest weight on her heart had been temporarily lifted. But the road ahead remained fraught with thorns. Qi Huaiyu's shadow clung to her like a leech, Xiao Zhuo's underhanded attacks never ceased, and between her and Xiao Xun… that cold contract seemed to have quietly cracked with an indescribable fissure due to this life-or-death ordeal.
She didn't return to her study, but instead strolled slowly along the corridor of the quiet garden. Her steps were still a little unsteady, but each step was firm. She was organizing her thoughts and gathering her strength. Surviving this ordeal was not the end, but the beginning of a new battle.
The Prince's Study.
Xiao Xun unfolded the plain paper, his gaze falling on the seven simple characters: "The medicine is finished. Brother, I am well. Thank you, Your Highness." The handwriting was elegant, yet it carried a calm strength that came after weathering a storm.
He held the letter, his fingertips lingering on the words "Brother's well-being" for a moment. The detailed military report from the Northern Frontier, delivered by You Ye, was already on his desk; he knew Xin Yunzhou was out of danger even earlier than Xin Jiuwei. But looking at this "Brother's well-being" written by her own hand, his feelings were completely different. Between the lines, he seemed to glimpse her torment and despair of the past few days, and now, the weariness of the dust settling and… a faint trace of relief?
"Thank you, Your Highness," Xiao Xun repeated the three words in a low voice. There was no fear, no flattery, not even deliberate aloofness. Calm, concise, as if stating a fact. This gratitude seemed to carry more weight than any flowery words.
He put down the letter, his deep, unfathomable eyes gazing out the window. Images flashed uncontrollably through his mind: You Ye's description of her collapsing and weeping upon receiving the devastating news; her frantic efforts these past few days, selling her possessions to gather medicinal herbs; and even the possible expression on her face as she wrote "Brother's well wishes" at this moment.
A strange, subtle ripple spread through the depths of his frozen heart. It wasn't satisfaction after calculating gains and losses, nor praise for the chess pieces' decent performance. It was something... more complex, almost... a stirring?
He abruptly stood up and walked to the display cabinet against the wall. The cabinet was mostly filled with military books and frontier maps, but in one inconspicuous corner sat the jade earring with emerald butterfly wings that had once belonged to Xin Jiuwei. He picked up the earring; the cool jade felt delicate to the touch. His fingertips traced the exquisite butterfly wings, his gaze deep and unreadable.
“Youye,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion.
"Your humble servant is here." You Ye immediately appeared at the door.
"Prepare the car. Let's go to Jingyuan."
When Xiao Xun's carriage stopped at the entrance of Jingyuan Garden, Xin Jiuwei had just finished a bowl of calming soup served by Xin Kui. Hearing the announcement, she was slightly taken aback. He's here? So soon? Is he here to confirm news of his brother? Or...?
She suppressed the turmoil in her heart, tidied her hair, and got up to go out to greet them.
Xiao Xun had already stepped into the courtyard. He was still dressed in his usual black casual clothes, his posture upright and his face stern. The sunlight fell on him, but it seemed unable to dispel the innate coldness and hardness emanating from him. His gaze swept across the courtyard and landed directly on Xin Jiuwei at the entrance of the main hall.
Their eyes met.
Xin Jiuwei clearly saw that something seemed to have settled in his unfathomable eyes, no longer carrying the sharp, scrutinizing edge of before, but instead showing a hint of... calm inquiry?
"Your Highness." Xin Jiuwei curtsied respectfully, her posture humble and her voice steady. Having endured the ordeal of life and death, her heart seemed to have been tempered to be even harder. When facing him, beneath the "submissive" facade stemming from the contract lay a more restrained calmness and a hint of barely perceptible aloofness.
Xiao Xun nodded slightly in response. He stepped into the main hall and sat down in the head seat. Xin Jiuwei followed behind him and sat down in a chair to the side, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
A brief silence fell over the hall. Only the occasional chirping of birds could be heard from outside the window.
Xiao Xun's gaze fell on Xin Jiuwei's still somewhat pale face, but her spirits had returned, and finally settled on her hands folded on her knees—where the faint red marks from the previous burns had almost disappeared.
"Is your injury healed?" he asked, breaking the silence in a deep, steady voice.
"Thanks to Your Highness's medicine, I am now fine," Xin Jiuwei replied.
Another silence fell. The air seemed to freeze.
Xiao Xun's fingers unconsciously tapped lightly on the armrest of his chair. He looked at Xin Jiuwei's lowered eyelashes and her calm, expressionless face. He had so many questions he wanted to ask. How did she get through those days? Did she hesitate when she sold her jewelry? Did she despair when she saw the "Nine Deaths Resurrection Grass"? Even... he wanted to ask what she felt when she wrote "Brother's Greetings"?
But these words were blocked by an invisible barrier; not a single one could be uttered. He was used to commands, control, and exchanges of benefits, but never to…care? Or rather, to express care?
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