THE ENEMY

She tilted her head and stared at him with a glint of curiosity in her eyes.

"You said your life is boring right? That you needed a game of death to make it exciting? Well, what if I told you, you will meet a formidable enemy in time, who will indeed whet your appetite and bring you the excitement you crave. I cannot reveal you all, but it is to defeat this enemy that I came to you, and not for that worthless title of Empress. But that position is indeed required to move my plans forward. And I know that you're the only one who can meet that man on an even field." She was gambling, albeit a risky one; on his curiosity, on his boredom. Her enticement was weak and without evidence, but she couldn't fail at this juncture. One failure and her soul would be obliterated! How could she die without destroying that bastard as well!

"A formidable man you say, someone strong enough to stand against me!? Hahahaha! Interesting…interesting…! Let's say I do take your bait, what's in it for you my dear; what enmity could you possibly have for this mystery man. As far as I know, there is no one in this country who can come close to me. As for out of Minan, you could not have met anyone either considering your age; since you were brought up inside your father's home. The price for fooling me is way too high for you little girl. I will ask you one more time – Run, now when you still have the chance, otherwise you shall have to show me this enemy and I'll only give you a few months' time to prove your claim. If I find out, you misled me or that this man is worthless; it will be your end." A bloodthirsty smile graced his face, his phoenix eyes crinkling as his murderous intent almost became tangible around him.

"I will swear on my life what I said is true. If I have lied in any way you may cut me down where I stand with all impunity. You will understand my motivation in time to come as I cannot reveal it as of now, but it will not cause you any harm! But you must also agree to the conditions I stated before and compete for the throne. Only then will fate let you meet him" she promised him, her tone as firm as a thousand-year-old oak caught in a tempest.

"You are brave, I'll give you that at least little girl, and fate will let me meet him? What an amusing thing to say. Ha! Fine I'll play with you for now but just remember the penalty for this game is death. You will at least make an interesting plaything for now." Tones of amusement and something else which inspired dread, inter-played in his tone as his cloak flapped with his footsteps, as he turned around to leave. She felt as though as she had received temporary amnesty, a short reprieve before she needed to concoct further plans. Ning Xiao had definitely become a wild card, which just over-complicated the already tense situation. Huhhh, why was her life so hard!? She sighed deep in her heart.

When he was about to cross the threshold of the front door, he stopped and spoke without turning around, " Ah yes, do you wish to remove yourself to my courtyard. I don't mind giving you your status, at least in name alone."

"No, your highness. At least for now, this small courtyard suits my needs perfectly. I will tell you when I need to shift near your courtyard. Thank you for your consideration" she replied with a bowed head.

"Hmm… A woman who called me a bastard to my face need not fake subservience now. It's a bit too late" he quipped and left as suddenly as he arrived leaving her behind gaping at his teasing remark.

The moment he left, she felt that her clothes had been drenched with cold sweat and that her knees were trembling. How humiliating! Since when, did she get rattled by such a small situation; she had been in worse! She had definitely lost her touch. Prison could do that to a person; those two decades had ruined her, she though dismally. She shrugged off her momentary depression and walked in to change her clothes and refresh herself. The meeting with the prince had been obviously preponed, now she was just waiting for the sun to set, so that she could meet with the actual Xu Ranyan. As she was wondering how she was supposed to draw a bath, she heard a sweet and young feminine voice shouting for her from outside.

"Princess? Your highness, are you there? This is Xiao Ning, your maid. Please do let me know if I can enter, your highness?"

She sighed and walked out again, this time with her heavy outer garments removed. As she walked into her yard, she saw a young girl hardly thirteen years old, just three years younger than her current body, kneeling in obeisance. Her gaze softened for a second before it deadened again.

"You may rise Xiao Ning. We will disperse with these formalities in the future as I find them very tiring and time consuming. You need not bow before me in the future, at least when we are alone. Do you understand? My orders are absolute, and I will not tolerate any deviation from my words! If you cannot follow my words verbatim, you may leave immediately and send someone more obedient. Do you get it little girl!?"

The girl trembled in fear at her words; as a young and inexperienced maid recently sold into slavery, she had still not experienced the tyranny of the nobles and this terribly beautiful woman before her, who she was tasked to serve invoked terror in her heart but also admiration. Although she was young, she understood the consequences of her first master dismissing her. She swallowed, then spoke in a subservient tone, " Your highness, please give Ning'er a chance! I shall be your most obedient servant! You will never regret giving me a chance Mistress. Let me prove myself."

As her head was bowed while proclaimed her loyalty, she did not notice the slight smile that graced her highness's cold face, illuminating it as though the first ray of the sun driving away the darkness of the night.