“Your highness?” Zheng Yawen knocked again.

“H-hang on a second! Just give me a minute to get ready!” Hou Jingshu called with a noticeable stutter in her voice. Then she turned to him. “You need to hide!”

“Where?” he asked.

“Anywhere! Under the bed! In the armoire! I don’t care! Just make yourself scarce! We can’t let her see you here!”

Well… she wasn’t wrong. No one knew who he was. To everyone else, he was just a powerful rogue cultivator that Hou Jingshu happened to join forces with. If they learned that the random man they picked up had slept with their princess, there’d be hell to pay.

Wu Jian and Hou Jingshu frantically rushed around the room, grabbing articles of clothing to put on. Once he was dressed in his training gi, he looked around for a place to hide. There weren’t many. The bed and armoire were literally the only places anyone could hide. He first looked under the bed, but it was way too small a fit. He went to the armoire. It was large enough for him to stand inside, so he pushed past the dresses and slipped in, until his back was pressed against the back wall.

Hou Jingshu closed the armoire door. Left in total darkness, Wu Jian’s sense of hearing increased. He heard the pitter patter of feet as Hou Jingshu walked over to the door and opened it.

“Yawen, g-good morning,” Hou Jingshu stuttered.

“… Good morning, is everything okay, Your Highness? You seem a tad flush.”

***

“I’m fine. Just fine,” Hou Jingshu tried to play off her embarrassment.

“Are you really, though?” asked an uncertain Zheng Yawen.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well… your face is really red.”

Hou Jingshu covered her cheeks with her hands. She could not see her face, but it was true that her cheeks were burning. It couldn’t be helped, though. The knowledge that someone else was peering inside the room where she and Wu Jian just had sex was embarrassing!

“I’m fine. Just a little flush is all,” Hou Jingshu lied.

“Okay. I won’t pry if you say you’re fine. Anyway, it doesn’t look like you’ve washed up yet, so let me help you.”

“Ah. Wait.”

“Problem?”

“… No.”

There was a problem. A big problem. But the biggest problem of all was that she couldn’t tell Zheng Yawen about it. What was she supposed to say? That she didn’t want her bodyguard coming in because she slept with a man last night? That would not go over well. And Zheng Yawen usually helped her wash off, so not letting her help would make the older woman suspicious.

“Hmmm?”

Zheng Yawen stopped after walking into the middle of the room. She looked at the bed. It was a complete mess—messier than usual even. C-could she tell what happened there last night just from glancing at it? There was no way!

“Is something wrong?” Hou Jingshu asked. She tried to sound casual, but it was so hard.

“Do you smell that? Something smells funny,” Zheng Yawen said, sniffing the air several times.

“I-I-I don’t smell anything! It must be your imagination!” Hou Jingshu squeaked.

Zheng Yawen narrowed her eyes at Hou Jingshu, but the Shang Kingdom Princess avoided her gaze and opened the window to let some fresh air in. She was glad her back was turned to her bodyguard. Her cheeks were no doubt redder than before. This was so mortifying! How was she supposed to even look this woman in the eye when she was this embarrassed?!

She needed to compose herself. She took a deep breath, held it in, then released it.

While Hou Jingshu was trying to keep her cool, Zheng Yawen prepared a bucket of water and a cloth. The water was filled with floral scent soap. She bade Hou Jingshu disrobe and sit down on a stool.

W-Wu Jian didn’t leave any marks on me, did he?

Her biggest worry right now was whether there was any visible evidence of her activities last night. The very last thing she needed was for someone to see hickeys and love bites on her body.

She sat down and squeezed her thighs tightly together. Hou Jingshu could not remember the last time she’d felt so nervous in the presence of another woman.

“Why are you so nervous? Just relax, Your Highness.”

“I’m sorry. I… had a strange dream last night, so I guess I am still jumpy.”

“A strange dream? Is that why you screamed earlier this morning?”

“P-probably.”

“Hmmm.”

Hmm? What was that hmmm for? Did Zheng Yawen not believe her? Hou Jingshu knew she wasn’t the best liar, but surely her lies weren’t so bad that someone could see through her that easily, right?

Hou Jingshu remained silent as she let Zheng Yawen wash her back, arms, and legs. It looked like Wu Jian didn’t leave any evidence of their activities. That was good.

“By the way, have you seen Jian Wu anywhere?” asked Zheng Yawen. “Wu Yong was looking for him, but he wasn’t in his room.”

“O-oh? Is he missing? I haven’t seen him.”

“Really? According to the night crew, they saw you dragging him into the hallway late last night.”

“I said I haven’t seen him, all right? We parted ways after I dragged him inside! It was cold, and I didn’t want to be outside any longer!”

“There’s no need to get defensive, Your Highness. I believe you.”

“Ugh… if you’re teasing me, I’m going to be very cross with you.”

“Perish the thought.”

Somehow or other, Hou Jingshu was able to get through her washing with little trouble after that. She breathed a silent sigh of relief that went unnoticed by Zheng Yawen. It wasn’t until she turned around that she realized why that was. The woman was heading toward the armoire.

“What are you doing?” asked Hou Jingshu, even though she knew the answer.

“Hmm? I’m getting you an outfit. What’s it look like I’m doing?”

Does she know Wu Jian is hiding in there? There’s no way! She couldn’t!

“I-I can get my own outfit, thank you very much!”

“There’s no need. I’m already right here.” Zheng Yawen paused, turned her head to look at Hou Jingshu, and smiled. “Unless you’re hiding something from me.”

She knows! This is the end! It’s over! It’s all over!

***

This is the end! She knows! How does she know?!

Wu Jian was in the middle of a crisis. He couldn’t see on the other side of this door, and the mass amount of outfits were in the way, but he knew Zheng Yawen was standing right in front of the armoire. He’d been listening to the conversation this whole time. She was preparing to open those doors.

“I-I’m not hiding anything,” Hou Jingshu mumbled. Could she be any more obvious?!

“Then you shouldn’t mind if I pick out your outfit for today like I usually do, right?” asked the smug Zheng Yawen.

“Nggggg.”

What do I do? What do I do? Think! Think!

Wu Jian’s brain felt like it was traveling faster than the speed of light. Time seemed to slow down. A low creaking alerted him to the doors opening. Light spilled in, though he could scarcely see it behind those clothes. His every sense was on alert.

“I wonder what you should wear today…”

Zheng Yawen muttered as she rifled through the various outfits. Wu Jian held his breath. He had never been this frightened before! He would take fighting against a Human Limit Realm magical beast over this any day of the week!

“Hmmm…”

A hand suddenly appeared through the clothes. Oh, no! She was going to touch him!

Wu Jian activated Nihility, and the hand passed through his body and landed on the other side. He still could not see Zheng Yawen’s face, which was a very good thing. His body might be out of phase with this space, but he was still visible. The hand moved around for a moment, feeling the back of the armoire, then retracted.

An outfit was removed from the rack seconds later and the door closed. Wu Jian continued holding his breath. He wasn’t out of the woods yet. Zheng Yawen was still in the room.

“I’ve picked your outfit for the day, Your Highness.”

“That’s… a dress.”

“It is. You’re very observant.”

“I don’t need your sarcasm right now. Why did you pick out a dress?”

“Because you’re not training today. There’s no need to wear your training gi. You should wear a dress every now and then, or you’ll lose your feminine beauty.”

“I highly doubt that would happen. Besides, there’s no need for me to wear a dress, is there? It’s not like I’m trying to—”

“Jian Wu would enjoy seeing you in a dress,” Zheng Yawen interrupted.

“…It’s not like I care what he wants… but I suppose it wouldn’t be a bad idea to wear a dress every so often,” Hou Jingshu said after a long pause.

Idiot! You practically gave away that you’re interested in me!

He loved Hou Jingshu with all his heart, but did she not realize she had just given away her feelings for him? Now Zheng Yawen knew something had happened between them.

Fortunately, the bodyguard decided to leave the matter alone for now. Wu Jian could not tell what was happening inside of his hiding space, but he figured she was helping Hou Jingshu get dressed.

“Oh, you look lovely. I was wondering if we’d need to put on some makeup, but I don’t think you need much. Come over here. I’m just going to add some eyeliner and eyeshadow. Your skin is so perfect that you really don’t need much else. I should also do your hair.”

Wu Jian closed his eyes and tried to meditate as he waited. He needed to reach a perfect state of serenity if he wanted to calm the pounding of his heart. The cool surface of the armor against his back helped him a little. He pressed his hands against the wood, feeling the smooth grains against his fingers.

…Just how long did it take a woman to have her hair done anyway? Maybe he was being impatient, but it felt like he’d been trapped in this stupid armoire for hours now. What the heck was Zheng Yawen doing with Hou Jingshu’s hair?

“You’re really going all out here,” Hou Jingshu said after a while.

“Of course. I rarely get to style your hair like this. You normally just prefer it with basic braids or a bun. I’m not going to let this opportunity slip by,” said Zheng Yawen.

“Could you please just hurry up?”

“All right. All right. Why are you so impatient today?”

“I just want to get out of here.”

“Is it because of the smell?”

“This place doesn’t smell like anything!”

Hou Jingshu really hasn’t changed. She has no idea Zheng Yawen is stringing her along. She’s like a fish caught in a fisherman’s line.

It was good to know some things hadn’t changed. He had almost been worried last night. Hou Jingshu had been like a different person entirely. Even now, he could remember the way she had marked him. Her mouth on his flesh had been like a branding iron.

Ugh. I need to calm down. Clear your mind, Wu Jian. Think of nothing. You are nothing.

“Okay. I’m finished. You look lovely. I’m sure Jian Wu will like it too.”

“I-I don’t care what he thinks! Anyway, let’s go. I’d like to get up and stretching my legs.”

“Very well. By the way…”

“What is it?”

“Why are you walking with such a pronounced limp?”

“…I strained my legs last night.”

“While you were sleeping?”

“I was tossing and turning, okay?! Get off my back!”

Wu Jian wanted to palm his face, but he didn’t want Zheng Yawen to hear him, so instead he listened to the door as it opened and closed. He waited several seconds. Then he waited another minute. Once he was certain no one would barge in, he exited the armoire to find an empty room. He sighed in relief.

But then he realized that there was another problem.

“I can’t just walk out through the door, can I? Someone might see me? So how am I supposed to get out of here?”

It was just one problem after another.