The morning sun filtered through the stained-glass windows of the Uhi dining hall, casting jeweled patterns across the polished floor. The long table gleamed beneath the weight of untouched delicacies, but the real feast was not the food—it was the battle of words already simmering between two women seated at opposite ends.
Liu sat with her back straight, her jade-green gown hugging her curves like a whispered secret. Her hair was pinned in a loose twist, a few strands falling artfully around her face. She sipped her tea with the elegance of someone born to be watched.
Min Uhi, in contrast, was a storm in silk. Her crimson cheongsam clung to her like armor, her eyes sharp and glittering with disdain. She didn't eat. She didn't smile. She studied Liu like a hawk circling a rabbit.
> Min (coolly): "You're shorter than I expected. I thought the Lingin family bred taller girls."
Liu blinked once, then tilted her head.
> Liu (mildly): "Strange. I'm taller than you, and yet I still had to look down to notice you."
A maid at the corner stifled a cough. Min's eye twitched.
> Min: "You're not nearly as pretty as your sister. I suppose they sent you because they knew Xia wouldn't care what you looked like."
> Liu (smiling): "That's true. He probably prefers women who don't look like they were carved from a block of ice."
Min's lips curled into a sneer.
> Min: "You're like a stray dog they dressed up and sent to a palace. Still a dog."
Liu set her teacup down gently, her smile never wavering.
> Liu: "And yet, here I am, speaking in full sentences, using utensils, and not barking at shadows. Remarkable, isn't it?"
Min's fingers tightened around her chopsticks. Her voice dropped, venomous.
> Min: "Your mother must be so proud. Oh—wait. That's right. She's dead. Or was she just too ashamed to stay?"
The room went still.
Liu froze.
The air shifted.
Her smile vanished, and for the first time, her eyes shimmered—not with rage, but with something far more unsettling.
Tears.
Real, glistening tears welled in her eyes, catching the morning light like broken glass. She stared at Min, unblinking, her lips parted slightly as if the words had struck something raw.
Min faltered. Her expression flickered—triumph giving way to something uncertain. Regret? Guilt?
Then Liu laughed.
A soft, melodic sound that echoed through the hall like wind chimes in a storm.
> Liu (wiping her eye): "You thought that would hurt me?"
She leaned forward, her voice calm, almost pitying.
> Liu: "I never knew her. She died giving birth to me. So no, I don't cry over ghosts."
Min opened her mouth, but Liu cut her off—still smiling, still composed.
> Liu: "But I do wonder… why feel sympathy for someone you're trying to insult? Are you just so stupid and confused you can't pick a side?"
The maids froze. One dropped a tray. The clatter echoed like thunder.
Min's face flushed crimson. Her jaw clenched, but no words came.
Liu sat back, serene.
> Liu (softly): "You'll have to do better than that, Miss Min."
Before Min could sharpen her next insult, the heavy doors creaked open again.
In walked Don Uhi, the second son of the Uhi family.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in a navy-blue suit that screamed wealth but couldn't mask the arrogance in his gait. His hair was slicked back, his jaw clenched in a permanent smirk. Don was known for two things: his lack of tact and his blind loyalty to his elder brother, Xia.
Liu stood as he approached, offering a polite smile and a respectful bow.
> Liu: "Good morning, Lord Don."
He didn't respond.
Instead, he raised his hand—and slapped her.
The sound cracked through the hall like a whip. Liu's head snapped to the side, her cheek stinging, her breath caught in her throat.
The maids gasped. Even Min blinked.
> Don (sneering): "That's for laughing at your dead mother, you disrespectful little rat."
Liu slowly straightened, her eyes narrowing.
> Don (circling her): "Your father's a coward. Your family's a disgrace. And you—what are you? A failed doctor? Couldn't even get a license. All that studying for nothing. Or was it because Daddy dearest only had eyes for your perfect sister?"
Liu didn't flinch. She didn't cry. She didn't scream.
She simply reached for her cup of coffee.
And threw it in his face.
Don howled, stumbling back, clutching his cheek.
Before anyone could react, Liu grabbed the still-steaming coffee pot and poured its contents over his shoulder. The scalding liquid soaked through his designer suit, and he shrieked, stumbling into a chair.
> Liu (voice like ice): "Touch me again, and I'll make sure you never use that hand. I am the wife of your elder brother. You will address me with respect—or not at all."
Min rushed to Don's side, dabbing at his face with a napkin.
> Min (snarling): "You're finished. When Xia hears about this—"
> Don (through gritted teeth): "He'll throw you out like the trash you are."
Liu said nothing. She simply returned to her seat, picked up a dumpling, and bit into it with perfect calm.
---
The Devil Arrives
The doors opened again.
Xia Uhi entered, rolled in by his personal guard, Jin, a towering man with a scar across his brow and a gaze like a drawn blade.
Xia's expression was unreadable. His silver eyes swept the room, taking in the spilled coffee, Don's reddened face, Min's trembling hands, and Liu's serene posture.
> Xia (flatly): "What happened?"
Min was the first to speak.
> Min (voice trembling): "Brother, she attacked Don. For no reason. She threw hot coffee on him. Look at his face!"
> Don (groaning): "She's insane. She laughed about her dead mother, insulted us both, and then—then she burned me!"
Liu said nothing. She didn't even look at Xia. She simply sipped her tea, eyes lowered, waiting for the inevitable.
> "Of course he'll take their side," she thought. "Why wouldn't he?"
But then—
> Xia (sighing): "Jin."
> Jin: "Yes, my lord?"
> Xia: "Break his nose."
> Don: "Wait—what?!"
Before Don could move, Jin stepped forward and delivered a brutal punch to his face. Don crumpled to the floor, groaning, blood pouring from his nose.
> Xia (to Min): "Kneel."
> Min (shocked): "What?! Brother—"
> Xia (coldly): "Kneel. And apologize to my wife. Call her 'Big Sister.'"
Min's face turned white, then red. She looked at Don, who was still groaning on the floor, and then at Liu—who was watching with quiet disbelief.
Slowly, Min dropped to her knees.
> Min (through clenched teeth): "I'm sorry… Big Sister."
Liu blinked. She hadn't expected this. Not from him.
> "Why… why would he do this for me?"
---
Later That Night
The moon hung high over the Uhi estate, casting silver light across the lacquered floors. Liu stood outside Xia's door, her heart thudding in her chest.
She knocked—softly.
> Xia (from inside): "Come in."
She entered.
His room was vast. Dark wood, silk curtains, a bed large enough to swallow her old house whole. The scent of sandalwood lingered in the air. Xia sat by the window, shirtless, his chest wrapped in a brace, his muscles taut beneath pale skin.
> Liu (quietly): "I… wanted to thank you. For earlier. I didn't expect you to take my side."
He didn't look at her. He simply poured himself a glass of water.
> Xia: "You looked beautiful today."
Liu blinked.
> Liu: "What?"
> Xia (calmly): "I said you looked beautiful. And once I'm healed, I'll lift you. Carry you. Pin you."
Her eyes widened.
> Liu: "Healed? You're… undergoing treatment?"
> Xia (nodding): "Of course. I'm not dying, Liu. I'm just… delayed. A few billion yen in therapy, surgery, and tech. Nothing I can't afford."
> Liu (stammering): "A… a few billion?"
> Xia (smirking): "Pocket change."
He leaned back, eyes gleaming.
> Xia: "I wonder how loud you can scream my name. I wonder if you'll beg me to stop… or beg for more. Are you the yandere type, Liu?"
Her face turned crimson.
> Liu (flustered): "I—I don't—You're insane—!"
> Xia: "You're blushing."
> Liu: "I'm not!"
> Xia: "You are."
She turned away, covering her face with her hands.
> Liu (muttering): "You're impossible…"
Then, gathering her courage, she turned back to him.
> Liu: "Maybe… we should share a bed tonight. Just to test the waters."
Xia's smile faded.
> Xia (flatly): "No."
The word hit her like a slap.
She blinked, stunned. Her chest tightened.
> Liu (softly): "Oh."
She turned to leave, her steps slower than before.
> "Why does that hurt?"
---
As she reached the door, Xia's voice stopped her.
> Xia: "Liu."
She turned.
> Xia (quietly): "Don't ask me to test anything… unless you're ready to lose."
Her breath caught.
Fade to black.
>"Could he want it...?"
[END OF CHAPTER 3]