Jia had been brought home by a carriage. When she stepped down, she bowed her head once at the Coachman in brief acknowledgement before heading straight for the door. The moment she slipped inside, she shut it firmly behind her, cutting off the outside world with a satisfying click.
It was quiet.
Blessedly quiet.
There were no ministers hovering, no watchful eyes measuring her every move - just her home. The faint scent of herbs and old old wood greeted her, familiar and grounding. For the first time since she left home today, she felt her shoulders loosen.
But first things first: a bath.
Her parents' house was small, plain and exactly where she'd left it. There was a worn table by the window, a shelf of jars that held more dust than medicine now, and a few essentials neatly arranged where they respectively belonged.
There was nothing fancy, but she had everything she needed.
Now that she was back home, there were a dozen things she needed to do, like tidy the shelves before her grandpa sees it when he returns tomorrow, but heavens, she felt too exhausted to do anything.
After a quick, lukewarm bath to wash off the daily sweat and fatigue, Jia dried her hair with a towel. She turned down the narrow corridor and went straight to her room. After putting on a nightdress, she didn't bother with the burning candles and simply fell face-first onto the bed.
Sleep claimed her the moment her head hit the pillow.
*********
Sunlight slipped through the curtains, stabbing at Jia's closed eyelids. She groaned and dragged the pillow over her head, muttering something unflattering about mornings. She wasn't ready to face another day just yet.
Despite her reluctance, she eventually rolled out of bed and shuffled to the living room. The smell of boiling herbs and tea greeted her, making her freeze.
Oof
Her grandpa was back.
Making her way to their small kitchen area, her gaze softened despite herself when she spotted her grandpa standing by the counter, sleeves rolled up, humming a soft, familiar tune as he arranged a few dried roots into separate jars.
"You're up," he said without turning. "I see the shelf's still standing. Must be because I cleaned it myself when I got back."
Jia lingered at the doorway, already aware that he would start the day by bringing up the shelf, but she chose to play along, blinking in sheer surprise.
"You did?"
He shrugged. "Someone had to do it. Didn't think it was gonna clean itself."
She crossed her arms. "You just got back from traveling, grandpa, and that's the first thing you do?"
"That shelf's been bothering me since the day I left," he said, his voice calm but teasing. "If you'd handled it earlier like you promised me you would, maybe I would have taken a nap when I got back."
Jia sighed, the kind that carried both guilt and amusement. Before he could add another word, she crossed the room and wrapped her arms around him in a daughterly manner.
Her grandpa, whose name was Ian, stiffened for a moment. He was clearly caught off-guard by the hug. But then he chuckled, raising his hand to pat her head with the same usual affection as always.
"Did my favorite granddaughter miss me that much?"
"I'm your only granddaughter."
Jia pulled back and hopped up on the counter, reaching for the extra cup of tea she was sure her grandpa had prepared for her. From the steaming pot on the stove, she knew he was already cooking up something for the both of them.
She clicked her tongue.
The type of energy he has, she'll never understand it.
"How was the trip?" She asked, sipping from her tea.
"Long," Grandpa Ian replied, though there was a hint of a smile in his voice. "But it was worth it. The patients were grateful, and I managed to gather a few rare herbs on the way. I've been searching for this one for months. Fevers are starting to spread fast in Eldora. If it keeps up, we'll need to gather more ingredients before winter. What do you think?"
Jia nodded absently, already running through a mental list of their remaining stock. Then, as if remembering something, her grandfather suddenly turned and disappeared round the corner.
He came back a moment later, carrying a small wooden box.
"Just something I picked up from the province," he said, placing it beside her on the counter. "Thought it might suit you."
Jia picked up the little box. "If it's another cinderleaf seed, I'm selling it so we can restock for more… feverroots."
Her grandfather chuckled, but Jia proceeded to flip the lid open anyway. She wasn't going to sell his gift. It didn't matter how impractical it was, he always brought back something, and it had quietly become their little tradition.
Inside, nestled in a bit of soft cloth, was a slender hairpin. Silver, simple, but with a delicate engraving running down its length.
Jia blinked at it, then glanced up.
"A hairpin?"
Her grandpa had already moved to the shelves to unload the rest of his purchases. "Isn't that what girls your age wear these days? I thought it'd be nice if you had one of your own, since you rarely wear one on that stubborn head of yours."
Jia turned the pin over, her fingers brushing over the engraved design.
She actually found it… pretty.
"I like it."
The words felt strange coming out of her mouth, but she meant them. The silver hairpin caught the light, and for a fleeting moment she wondered how much he must have spent on it.
After her parents' passing, her grandfather had been the one to raise her - working long past his strength just to keep their home and their small profession running. He even funded her school fees, helping her gain education which was a rare thing for children living in the village, most especially for girls. He was also the one who taught her most of the things she knew about medicines and poison.
Even now, when his hands looked rough, and his back probably ached from the long journey, he still managed to bring her little gifts as if she were still that small girl waiting for him by the door to return from one of his travels.
It warmed her heart to some extent.
Slipping off the counter, she disappeared into her small chamber and returned, holding a small leather pouch.
"Here," she said, placing it firmly into her grandpa's hands.
He frowned at the weight of the pouch, his brows creasing. "What's this?"
"Money," she replied. "You can add it to what you have left, and we can use it to restock the herbs and buy food. It should last us at least a whole month."
Grandpa Ian turned the pouch over, his confusion shifting to pure surprise as he took a peek inside the pouch.
"But where did you get this amount of money from?"
"Work."
His gaze sharpened. "What do you take your grandpa for? How many patients did you treat? Who did you treat, rather?"
Jia reached for her tea and took another sip. "The Crown Prince."
Grandpa Ian froze.
They had their breakfast that morning, and when they were done, Jia recounted everything that happened at the House of Balance the previous night - how she'd been called to tend to an unconscious man, how she'd realized it was the Crown Prince, and how the signs all pointed to poisoning. She even brought out her neatly written notes, showing her grandfather the list of symptoms and the remedies she'd used to treat him.
"They said I'd hear from them in two days," she finished, setting her spoon down with an uneasiness that did not go unnoticed. "And that's… the part I don't like."
Grandpa Ian's brows drew together. He was proud of her achievement, he couldn't deny that, but the thought of his precious granddaughter being entangled with the imperial household didn't sit well with him at all. He was familiar with the courtesans, Jia spoke about them a lot, but if he had known about their invite, he wouldn't have let her go to the House of Balance yesterday.
"You did well, Jia," he said. "But tell me honestly, do you even want to work for the Imperial palace?"
Jia shook her head. "Of course not, but it's not really up to me, is it? When the royals want something, saying 'no' isn't exactly an option. It's like signing yourself up to be registered in their bad books."
Grandpa Ian sighed, his rough hands folding on the table. "Whatever happens, I trust you'll be careful. If the palace gets involved, we can only play along until we find a way out. But if they do summon you, listen first. You have the right to make compromises if it doesn't satisfy you. You saved the heir. If they have any decency, they'll show some gratitude."
Jia could only nod, but doubt still lingered heavy in her mind. She rose from the table.
"I need to go get ready now, I promised Lian I'd come check on her."