"Need bath."
Those were the words Leena wrote carefully on the paper, the ink still wet when Li Wei returned from checking the mysterious noise. He had found nothing—just a loose shutter swinging in the wind, its latch broken. The normalcy of the explanation did little to calm her nerves.
He looked at the characters, then at her, his head tilting in confusion.
"Do you… want to take a bath? Now?"
His tone wasn't dismissive, merely surprised. After such an ordeal, rest seemed the more logical course.
Leena nodded emphatically, the motion sending a fresh throb through her bruised neck. She had wanted to ask more—
Where are we? Is this the quarantine estate?
—but a familiar, sinking cramp in her abdomen had hijacked all other thoughts. Her period. A fresh wave of panic, entirely different from the fear of bandits, fluttered in her chest. She needed to change. She needed to wash. She needed to do it before the prince noticed any tell-tale stains on the pristine white bed sheets. The sheer, mortifying horror of that possibility overrode every other ache.
"I'll ask the innkeeper about it," he said after a moment, standing up and leaving the room once more.
Finally, blessedly alone, Leena could breathe. Wait… innkeeper? Her eyes darted around the room, truly seeing it for the first time. The simple but comfortable furnishings, the lack of imperial opulence.
I'm in a guest inn… alone… with the prince…
The realization sent a flush of heat to her cheeks that had nothing to do with fever. She didn't have time for embarrassment. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she used all her strength to push herself up and check the sheets behind her. No blood. A wave of sheer, unadulterated relief washed over her so powerfully her knees felt weak.
Scanning the room, her eyes landed on a set of clean, simple inner robes, neatly folded on a low chest. Just as she took a shaky step towards them, the door slid open and Li Wei returned.
"Why are you standing up?" he asked, his voice calm but his gaze watchful, missing nothing. "You should be resting. Your body has been through too much."
Leena offered a faint, hopefully reassuring smile, using the gesture to silently convey that she was fine, that this was necessary. She grabbed a fresh piece of paper and wrote quickly, her brushstrokes hurried.
Bath?
"Oh, the bath, right!" he said, a flicker of understanding in his eyes. "There's a private hot spring facility at the back of the inn. The innkeeper says it's empty for now—you should go."
Leena smiled again, a little wider this time. Something about her behavior—the strange composure, the series of small, purposeful smiles—struck him as slightly odd. It was a different kind of urgency than before.
Strange… he thought, a faint frown touching his lips.
She started toward the door he indicated, Li Wei falling into step beside her as if it were his royal duty. As they moved from her room into the cooler air of the covered walkway, a pang of frustration hit her. The folded clothes! She had seen them in the room and had meant to take them, but his sudden return had ruined her chance.
Her eyes, adjusting to the dim evening light, scanned their surroundings desperately. And then she saw it—a new opportunity. Hanging on a nearby laundry line, forgotten in the twilight, were a pair of dark, simple cotton pants. A new plan, desperate and brilliant, formed in her mind.
She stopped walking abruptly. Her eyes widened in feigned shock, and she brought a hand to her mouth, pointing a trembling finger toward a dense clump of shadows near the edge of the forest.
Li Wei's focus shifted instantly from her to the perceived threat. His eyes darted toward the spot she indicated, his body tensing, his brows knitting together as he peered into the impenetrable darkness.
"What is it?" he asked, his voice low and alert. "What do you see?"
While his attention was completely diverted, his gaze piercing the shadows where she had pointed, Leena moved. It was a single, fluid motion born of pure desperation, her injuries forgotten in a surge of adrenaline. Her hand shot out, snatching the pants from the line. In a heartbeat, she had bundled the fabric and concealed it deep within the wide sleeve of her robe, the weight a secret against her arm.
She then gently tugged on the sleeve of his robe to recapture his attention. When he turned back to her, his expression still sharp with alertness, she simply offered a small, apologetic shrug. She waved a dismissive hand toward the bushes and shook her head, her eyes softening as if to say, False alarm. It was nothing. Without waiting for his analysis or questions, she turned and hurried down the path toward the bath, her pace quickening to discourage further conversation.
Li Wei froze for a moment, stunned by her sudden boldness and speed. He watched her disappear down the dimly lit hall, a slow, unconscious smile touching his lips. Her spirit, even now, was indomitable. The warmth of the inn suddenly felt more intimate, more exposed.
She paused at the wooden door to the bath, her heart hammering against her ribs. The door was slightly ajar, steam curling out to meet the cool night air, carrying the faint, mineral scent of the hot spring. The gentle, inviting sound of flowing water made her acutely aware of her own grimy, blood-stained state. And then there was him. She could feel Li Wei's presence behind her, his calm yet unreadable eyes following her every move.
He stepped closer, the space between them shrinking. He lowered his voice, the sound a quiet rumble in the quiet night. "I'll give you privacy…" he said, and the words felt like a caress. "But I'll be right here. Just outside. If anything happens."
Her cheeks burned. Relief mixed with a sharp, thrilling embarrassment, leaving her frozen for a moment.
Alone in a secluded inn with the prince. The thought was a thunderclap in her mind.
Finally, she slipped inside and into the blessedly hot, enveloping water. The warmth seeped into her bones, soothing her aching muscles, melting the tension from her traumatized body. Steam rose around her in a comforting cloud, and for a few precious minutes, she allowed herself to forget everything—the fear, the exhaustion, the piercing gaze of the prince just beyond the door.
When she finished, she stepped out, her skin pink and clean. She slipped into the thin, provided inner robe. The fine, damp fabric clung to her skin, becoming almost translucent in the soft lamplight. She hastily pulled the long pibo[1] shawl around her shoulders, but the silken material was slippery, constantly threatening to slide down her arms.
Just as she stepped out of the steamy chamber, her bare foot, damp from the bath, slipped on the polished wooden floor. With a small gasp, she lost her balance, pitching forward—and fell directly into Li Wei's waiting arms.
The world seemed to stop.
His hands caught her firmly, his grip warm and sure against her damp, thinly-clad arms. She could feel the solid, unyielding strength of his chest, the soft weight of his body bracing hers. Their eyes met, mere inches apart, and her cheeks flamed hotter than the spring water.
Li Wei's own heart slammed against his ribs as he looked down at her. Her wet hair was plastered to her neck, droplets glistening on her skin like tiny jewels in the lamplight. The thin robe left little to the imagination, clinging to every curve. The usual composure, the careful mask of a prince, melted away, leaving behind a raw, undisguised intensity in his gaze. He couldn't look away.
Leena's breath caught, her mind a swirl of embarrassment, relief, and something else—something warm, dangerous, and thrilling that she wasn't ready to name. She felt completely exposed, utterly vulnerable… and yet, held securely in his arms, strangely, undeniably safe.
For a long, silent moment, they simply stared at each other, the only sound their mingled, unsteady breathing.
Then, with the faintest inhale, the tension hung in the air between them like electricity, alive, potent, and utterly, completely undeniable.
⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆. What happens next… ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆
[1] A pibo (披帛) = long shawl/scarf often draped over the shoulders, sometimes sheer.