Linfei's mind drifted back from the endless dark, his chest rising faintly against the silken sheets. The ceiling above him was unfamiliar, carved with patterns that spoke of wealth and refinement he had never known. The air was clean, touched by the fragrance of herbs.
A voice broke the silence, calm but lined with the edge of tension.
"You're awake, sir."
Turning his head, his gaze found her — a young maid standing at his bedside. Her uniform was precise, every crease in place, her dark hair tied neatly without a strand out of order. Yet her composure couldn't hide the strain beneath. Her hands tightened around the folded cloth she carried, and her eyes lingered on his face, vigilant, as though she feared his consciousness might vanish again.
"You mustn't move too suddenly," she continued, tone measured and deliberate. She stepped closer and checked the bowl of water and cloth placed nearby. Every motion was careful, trained, but quick enough to betray her unease. "You have been unconscious for nearly three days. The household was… concerned."
Her words were chosen well, formal yet edged with urgency. She placed the cloth gently on his forehead, testing his temperature without looking away from him. For a moment, Linfei caught the faint press of her brows, the unspoken worry behind the mask of discipline.
He tried to speak, but his voice faltered. Still, she listened attentively.
"Where… is this place?"
"You are in the manor of my lord," she answered promptly, bowing her head slightly with practiced decorum. "Your condition was grave when we found you. I was instructed to attend to you until recovery. Please, conserve your strength — the master will wish to see you when he hears of your awakening."
Linfei studied her quietly. Everything about her demeanour proclaimed duty, not intimacy. And yet… even in the rigid lines of her posture, he could see the effort she made to remain calm, the trace of relief that softened her eyes now that he was no longer silent and still.
For the first time since death claimed him, Linfei felt the ground beneath his new life: uncertain, strange, yet grounded in the ordered care of someone bound by responsibility.