Chapter 32 32

Chapter 32 32
Lu Chen walked through the quiet corridors of the estate, his boots making a dull thud against the wood. He moved with a heavy pace, his mind stuck on the interaction in the woods. The image of Ryuji kept flashing in his head. The guy had stood there in clothes that made no sense for this era, talking with a casual tone that didn't fit a peasant or a noble.

"Who the hell is he?" Lu Chen muttered under his breath.

He tried to pull up the system interface in his mind, searching for any mention of a character named Ryuji or a traveler from a foreign land. The screen stayed blank. No records. No warnings. No mission prompts. In a world where he usually had a cheat code for every person he met, this stranger was a complete blind spot. It unsettled him more than his father’s temper or the impending marriage.

As he turned the final corner toward his private quarters, he collided with someone.

Xiao Chen stumbled back, her hands flying out to steady herself against the wall. Her long black hair was loose, flowing over her shoulders in a way that showed she had recently been lying down. Her inner robe was slightly wrinkled, and her sash was tied loosely. She looked up, her eyes wide as she realized who she had bumped into.

"Young master," she said, quickly straightening her posture. "You're back. Are you coming from somewhere?"

Lu Chen looked her up and down. He didn't offer a hand to help her. "I went for a stroll. The room was stuffy."

Xiao Chen stepped closer to him, her eyes scanning his face. She reached out as if to touch his arm but stopped herself. "You should have called me. I am your personal maid. What if you needed something? What if your medicine wore off while you were out alone in the dark?"

"I can walk without a chaperone, Xiao Chen," Lu Chen replied flatly. He pushed past her and headed for his door.

"But the night is cold," she said, following closely behind him. She reached for the ties of her own robe, fixing the fabric properly as she moved. "Let me help you get settled. You look tired."

Lu Chen didn't answer. He pushed his door open and walked inside. The room was dark, save for a single candle that was burning low. He threw his cloak onto a chair and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his face.

Xiao Chen followed him in without being asked. She didn't stay by the door. She walked right up to him and reached for the black tonic he was still wearing.

"At least I can stay by your side," she said. Her voice was quiet, but there was a persistent edge to it. "I am your servant. I know your needs better than anyone else in this house. And I told you before, with time, I will become your woman. I should be the one looking after you."

Lu Chen didn't move. He let her pull the light fabric off . He was too tired to argue about her ambitions at three in the morning. He watched her as she moved around him

As she pulled the sleeve of his inner tunic, she stopped. She held his arm up to the light of the candle. A faint smear of dark dirt was visible on the white fabric a mark from when he had been hiding behind the stone wall watching ryujin and Lu Qing.

"Young master," she said, her voice changing. "Did you fall somewhere? There is dirt on your sleeve. And on your boots."

"No," Lu Chen replied coldly. He yanked his arm back from her grip. "It’s none of your business where I got a bit of dust from Just finish up."

Xiao Chen’s hands paused in mid-air. She looked at the dirt, then looked at his face. Her expression shifted. She began to fold his outer robe with slow, deliberate movements. Her mind was clearly working. She knew he hadn't just been walking the garden paths. The dirt was like the sand near the outer walls.

She thought of Su Yan. The daughter of the Su family was the only person she could imagine Lu Chen sneaking out to see.

"Was she there?" Xiao Chen asked, her voice tight. "At this hour? Did you go to see Lady Su Yan alone?"

The thought of them together in the dark clearly bothered her. Her chest tightened, and her breathing became a bit dlower .

Lu Chen noticed the silence and the way her jaw was set. He watched her too closely, his eyes narrowing. The jealousy was obvious, and it irritated him. He didn't have the patience to manage a maid’s romantic delusions even though that’s what his system demands while his sister was currently running for her life in the woods.

"Go and come back at dawn," he said. He lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"I can stay until morning," Xiao Chen suggested quickly, stepping toward the bed. "I can watch over you while you sleep. I won't make a sound."

Lu Chen sat up abruptly. The movement was sharp and aggressive. "Know your limit, Xiao Chen," he snapped. His voice was much louder now, cutting through the silence of the room. "I already made a promise to you about your future. Don't make me change my mind because you don't know how to follow a simple order."

The silence dropped instantly. Xiao Chen froze. Her face went pale, and she took a step back. She realized she had pushed too far.

"I'm sorry, young master," she said. She dropped into a deep bow, her forehead nearly touching her knees.

"Use the door," he commanded, pointing toward the exit.

Xiao Chen didn't look at him again. She turned and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her with a sharp click

Outside, Han Wei was standing guard near the pillar. He had been leaning back with his arms crossed trying to stalk him, but he straightened up when he saw her bolt out of the room. He saw the look on her face the mix of anger and the embarrassment of being yelled at.

"Is he alright?" Han Wei asked, looking toward the door. "I heard shouting."

Xiao Chen didn't even look at him. She didn't answer. She walked past him fast, her slippers slapping against the floor. She kept her head down, trying to hide the fact that her eyes were hurting.

Behind her, two of the night guards shifted their weight and shared a look. One of them let out a short, quiet laugh.

"She overstepped again," one whispered.

"Serves her right," the other replied, his voice full of mockery. "She thinks because he gave her a few smiles she owns the wing. The young master has no time for a maid’s sexual urge."

Han Wei frowned at them, silencing the guards with a glare. He looked back at Lu Chen’s door. The light inside went out.. Inside the room, Lu Chen lay in the dark, his hand resting on the spot where he had hidden his remaining gold. He wasn't thinking about Xiao Chen or the guards. He was counting the hours until his father realized Lu Qing was gone. “I can’t wait to see his expression”