The Roof

Jingya woke up exactly at the time she usually did.

Though it was merely a guess due to the influence of her 'Eyes', she had an extraordinarily keen ability to sense time.

The sleeping quarters were comfortable.

Unlike the reception hall's maid quarters, there were no night shift workers coming and going, nor patrol guards making their rounds.

Moreover, the room was spacious and well-furnished.

Just by looking at the accommodations, one could tell how much Yuan Zhaoxian cared for those beneath him.

She did wake up once from a nightmare, but it wasn't anything serious.

She seemed to have felt that terrible sensation again, the same one she had experienced before fainting in the forest yesterday.

However, she figured she probably hadn't completely freed herself from the influence of what they called the barrier formation.

While pondering these thoughts, she kept her body moving.

Considering the First Young Master's meal portions from yesterday, it was better to move quickly.

==

There were several things she had figured out about this First Young Master and the Wang Pavilion in less than a full day.

First among them:

The First Young Master enjoyed breaking formalities with his eccentric behavior.

"Come on, let's make breakfast with a happy heart today too."

"F-First Young Master...?!"

Sure enough, today too, the First Young Master barged into the kitchen with vegetables he had harvested himself tucked under his arm.

Then he bustled about, saying he would help prepare breakfast.

Of course, he was surprisingly skilled in kitchen work, so he was more helpful than bothersome.

However, there was an immense difference in status between them.

When someone of such standing moved about beside her, it was inevitable that her nerves would feel frayed.

"...Will you be dining together today as well?"

The First Young Master looked at her as if to say, what kind of question is that?

"Not just 'today as well,' but continuously. Forever continuing."

"..."

"Come on now. Don't just stand there blankly, taste this braised dish. Though it's my handiwork, it turned out incredibly well."

Second:

The two-story main building where the First Young Master's chambers were located was dangerous.

"First Young Master, this is Jingya. I've brought tea and refreshments."

Before entering the main building, she announced herself loudly.

Soon, Yuan Zhaoxian's voice responded from inside.

"Ah. Leave it at the entrance there. I'll get it later."

"How could I dare to do that?"

Jingya shook her head and carefully opened the door to enter the main building.

"..."

And as soon as she entered the main building, she just turned around and left.

"...I'll leave it here at the entrance."

"Alright."

What she discovered upon entering were bamboo scrolls left scattered on the floor.

She had glimpsed their titles, and they were clearly martial arts manuals.

Martial arts manuals recorded on bamboo scrolls.

They were clearly incredibly ancient martial arts manuals, and thus must have held unimaginable value.

That wasn't all.

Besides those, there were famous martial arts secret manuals that she had heard of at least once while working in martial households, just lying around haphazardly on the floor.

If she were to even peek at their contents slightly, she would surely disappear without a trace that very day.

If lucky, it might end with just having her eyes gouged out and tongue cut off.

'Surely such dangerous books weren't lying around like this yesterday...'

It seemed martial arts was today's topic of interest for the First Young Master.

'Perhaps it would be better not to enter for a while.'

And third:

This third point was the most important issue for her.

The First Young Master showed absolutely no interest in her.

He truly showed not even the slightest bit of interest.

Neither in her personal affairs, nor her thoughts and opinions, not even basic sexual curiosity.

While the first two points could be overlooked, the lack of curiosity was extremely unexpected.

The Luoyang Sword Clan left all intimate entertainment strictly to thoroughly selected and verified outside services.

Perhaps because of this, the women of the reception hall, who were all incredibly beautiful, received almost excessive attention.

And among them was Jingya, whose beauty earned her the title of 'Flower.'

As far as she could remember, she had spent her entire life dealing with men's gazes, and was just as accustomed to ignoring them.

But this First Young Master barely even looked at her.

It wasn't just that she couldn't sense his gaze from blind spots due to him being an unusual person who couldn't be properly grasped by her 'Eyes.'

He was clearly, obviously uninterested in her.

If she hadn't seen erotic paintings and books scattered here and there while walking around the Wang Pavilion (though that sight was shocking too), she would have questioned his sexual preferences.

"This book is interesting."

Even now during lunch, he was giggling while reading an erotic book.

"...Yes, First Young Master."

Jingya deliberately ignored that sight and focused on the meal table.

'...This is really confusing.'

She swallowed a sigh inside.

While she was relieved that the First Young Master showed no interest in her body, that wasn't necessarily entirely good.

This wasn't about a maiden's heart that resists while still leaving room for possibility.

This was about her own survival.

Her original reason for trying to escape from the Second and Third Young Masters wasn't to protect some trivial chastity of a servant girl.

They were the type who were used to taking women into their hands out of mere interest, then discarding them when broken.

Whether this was due to their depraved sexual preferences, or because they were so absorbed in their positions that they viewed all women within their reach as less than objects, she couldn't tell.

But what was clear was that all the women they took interest in and got their hands on disappeared.

Others believed these women had simply moved on to better positions.

However, having heard the inside story through the Head Steward, she knew very well that this was absolutely not true.

She had come to the Wang Pavilion having steeled herself from the start.

If the First Young Master was as impressive as expected, seeking safety by giving herself to him would have been an excellent option.

However, it seemed that option didn't exist in the first place.

And if he showed no interest in her personally either...

Was she really right to be under the First Young Master's roof right now?

The answer to that question came all too quickly.

"Excuse me, First Young Master."

Before lunch could even finish in the Wang Pavilion's scenic pavilion, someone in guard attire appeared quietly.

It was one who had seemed to be a squad leader among the 'experts' Jingya had seen at the Wang Pavilion's entrance yesterday.

"The First Young Master is currently having his meal. What is the matter?"

Jingya stood up from her seat and asked.

"Ah, well, there's a visitor..."

He was clearly showing signs of annoyance.

Though she knew he was currently hiding his true identity, he was being rude even considering that.

Even though Jingya had just told him the First Young Master was eating, he didn't seem to care at all.

Though words of criticism rose to the tip of her throat, Jingya was still just a newcomer here.

She swallowed hard and held back, then asked.

"...Who has come to visit?"

The guard captain, sighing visibly, answered.

"What was it again? Said they were the Three Supreme Warriors from the main family, I think."

'The Three Supreme Warriors...!'

Jingya was shocked by that answer.

Though the Luoyang Sword Clan had many large and small military groups, only one group used the unit 'Supreme' to distinguish ranks.

'The Third Young Master's direct military force!'

Jingya swallowed dry saliva internally and opened her mouth.

"What business do the Three Supreme Warriors have with the First Young Master?"

"No, not with the First Young Master..."

The guard captain sighed and continued.

"Well, they said something about calling for the maid who arrived yesterday..."

It seemed the expected had come.

Jingya bit her lip.

She briefly observed Yuan Zhaoxian's reaction.

He was still reading the erotic book while eating.

Jingya organized the situation in her head.

First of all, regardless of the business, it would be best not to meet them.

Fortunately, since this was the Wang Pavilion where not just anyone could enter, there was plenty of room to use that.

"...I am that maid. But how dare the Three Supreme Warriors arbitrarily summon the First Young Master's maid?"

It was a fair point.

If being strictly precise, of course the Three Supreme Warriors were far more significant than a mere maid, but when that maid belonged to the First Young Master, things weren't so simple.

At her words, the guard captain heaved another deep sigh.

"No, I said the same thing. But they said they came on the Third Young Master's orders, so I couldn't just refuse them based on my own judgment..."

Jingya gritted her teeth at the words 'Third Young Master's orders.'

"Even so, I am the First Young Master's maid. Even if they came with the Third Young Master's orders, they cannot directly command me, can they?"

"Well, still..."

At that moment, Yuan Zhaoxian set down his chopsticks with a clack.

"Go see them."

Those words determined that she had not managed to enter under the First Young Master's roof.

"...First Young Master?"

Yuan Zhaoxian continued speaking while still keeping his gaze on the erotic book.

"It's noisy, so go hear what they want and come back."

Jingya almost lost strength in her legs for a moment, but she endured.

'Right. No matter how unreasonable the Third Young Master is, he can't just ignore all procedures and take me away immediately.'

And even if they followed those procedures, the Head Steward, who was on her side, would surely drag things out sufficiently.

"...First Young Master, then I shall go and return."

As she was descending from the pavilion, barely hiding her trembling legs, Yuan Zhaoxian's voice came from behind.

"Wait."

Jingya turned around with a glimmer of hope.

"Yes, First Young Master?"

But the First Young Master's gaze wasn't directed at her.

"You there, you."

He pointed at the guard captain with his chopsticks.

"Yes? Me?"

Yuan Zhaoxian asked in an indifferent tone.

"Who said you could enter here as you pleased?"

He responded with momentary confusion.

"Ah, that... I know we're not supposed to enter without permission, but."

Yuan Zhaoxian's gaze looking down at him from the pavilion was terribly indifferent.

"You knew you shouldn't enter without permission, but entered anyway?"

"Ah, no. That's not it, originally there was always a messenger servant near the main gate, but after yesterday's incident..."

Yuan Zhaoxian's eyeballs didn't move at all.

"So if no one's there, you can just enter as you please?"

"Ah, no, not at all!"

It was Yuan Zhaoxian's pressure that Jingya had felt yesterday as well.

He followed up with several more words.

It was a momentum that didn't allow for any methodical cornering or dissent.

Before they knew it, the guard captain was on his knees.

"I apologize, First Young Master! I will ensure this never happens again!"

The Three Supreme Warriors were certainly impressive.

But they were far inferior to this expert of unknown affiliation.

Yet Yuan Zhaoxian made such an expert grovel and apologize all too easily.

Seeing Yuan Zhaoxian like this, Jingya quietly clenched her fist.

"Oh? Then I'll forgive you just this once. Instead, you're now the main gate messenger. From now on, wait at the main gate indefinitely."

The guard captain, who had been pressing his head to the ground, was startled.

"What?!"