Darkness.
That was all there had been for months. An endless, suffocating void where time had no meaning.
The seventh prince, Ji Feng, had long since stopped screaming.
Trapped within his own body, he had been forced to listen—to the physicians declaring him hopeless, to his mother's quiet sighs and muffled tears, to his sister's stifled sniffs, to his brothers' false condolences. To the Empress's honeyed words and the Emperor's cold decree:
"Let him marry some noble daughter. At least she will be a companion for him in his final days."
A political tool. Even in death, he was to be used.
Then she arrived.
Her voice—clear, gentle, utterly unlike the simpering tones of the court—cut through the dark like a blade.
"I'm Ling Xiuying. Your… wife."
Wife.
The word should have infuriated him.
Another pawn, another spy planted by his enemies. He vaguely remembered the Ling family—a third-tier noble house with little influence. Marrying their daughter to a prince was a joke, a deliberate humiliation.
The Empress's design was clear: weaken any potential alliances he might have forged, strip him of dignity even in this state.
And yet…
Her hands were gentle as they adjusted his sheets. Her words held no pity, no false reverence—just quiet sincerity.
"I don't know if you can hear me, but I just wanted to let you know that I will be here with you. Even if we've only just met, you don't have to be alone."
Ji Feng had expected many things. Not this.
His mother had long since lost hope, visiting only to sigh over his still form. His siblings had moved on. The court had written him off.
But this woman—this stranger—spoke to him as if he were still a person.
This was the first person in 3 months, to talk to him...
Against all reason, something in his chest stirred.
[+15 Points.]
Xiuying blinked at the sudden notification.
"Huh. That's… weird."
The points had jumped sharply, tenfold more than before. Her gaze flicked to the unconscious prince.
Still as ever. Ridiculously handsome too—like he'd been carved from moonlight.
Life's so unfair. If I had cheekbones this sharp, I wouldn't need contour...
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
"Young Mistress?" Tao Tao's voice was hushed, laced with concern. "May this servant enter?"
Xiuying blinked, momentarily startled. "Tao Tao?"
Oh thank god. She hadn't seen her since the final bow of the wedding ceremony, when the poor girl had been whisked away by palace officials.
After the bridal procession, Tao Tao—her loyal, long-suffering maid—had been temporarily confiscated by the imperial bureaucracy. As a personal maid from the Ling household, she'd been forced to report to the manor's senior steward for 'registration'—a fancy term for 'let's interrogate the new servant in case she's a spy.'
Xiuying exhaled, relief flickering across her face as she stood. Finally, a familiar face. "Come in."
The door slid open, revealing Tao Tao with a face pale and hair pinned up in a painfully tight bun. She stepped in with the cautiousness of a startled rabbit, balancing a tray of tea and honeyed dates. Her gaze flicked briefly to the prince—lingering a beat too long—then snapped back to Xiuying. Her eyes widening at her mistress's newly radiant complexion.
"Young Mistress, your—your skin!"
Xiuying touched her cheek, feigning innocence. "Must be the bridal glow."
Tao Tao opened her mouth, then closed it. As a maid, she couldn't openly question her lady—but the disbelief in her eyes was unmistakable.
As expected, with such an obvious change, not even the fool of Tao Tao could be cheated.
"I brought tea," Tao Tao said softly, setting the tray down with careful hands. "Would you… would you like me to prepare your bed for the night, Young Mistress?"
Xiuying offered her a calm smile. "No need. I'll be staying here tonight." Prepare her bed? Ha! She's about to turn this sickroom into a points farming operation. Sleep is just unpaid labor time when there's a comatose prince to exploit.
Tao Tao stiffened. Her gaze darted toward the unmoving prince, then back to her mistress. "Here? In His Highness's chamber? ...On the wedding night?"
"Of course," Xiuying said nodded as she began smoothing the cushions by Ji Feng's bedside. "It's expected."
The words were spoken casually, but Tao Tao's brows pinched together, unease flickering across her features. "But… there's no one to supervise the bridal chamber rites. The Empress Dowager's attendants usually oversee the formalities. If word gets out you remained alone here all night—"
Xiuying looked her maid dead in the eyes. Time to lay on the tragic bride act. "He is my husband. Whether he can speak or not, whether he wakes or not, this is still our wedding night. I won't spend it pretending he's not real."
[+25 Points.]
WHAT?!
Xiuying's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
She wasn't even touching him! Is the system rewarding her acting skills now?
Tao Tao hesitated, clearly conflicted. "But the chamber rites… they'll think the marriage was consummated. Or worse—improper. You might be called indecent."
Indecent? Xiuying thought, casting a glance at the prince's motionless form. Unless His Highness has somehow gained the ability to levitate through sheer will, the most scandalous thing happening here will be using his royal shoulder as a pillow... For warmth! Purely for warmth!
"Let them think what they will. They already tossed me to a man who cannot move. If I must carry the shame, I will choose how I do it." Her smile didnt falter. She had survived trolls with anime profile pics - some ancient court ladies with their fan-based subtweeting didn't scare her.
Tao Tao flinched, lips parting in silent protest. But in the end, she only bowed low. "Then this servant shall bring you a quilt."
Make it two quilts. And some snacks. This martyr act is making me peckish.
As soon as the door shut, Xiuying whirled back to the prince, rubbing her hands together. Alright, Sleeping Beauty, time to farm those sweet, sweet points!
She grabbed a warm cloth and gently dabbed at his temple with the enthusiasm of a gambler rolling dice.
[+5 Points.]
Mmm... weak. Pathetic even. She frowned at the measly number. Before, this same move got her 15! What gives?
[+2 Points.]
She tried adjusting his covers with increasing desperation, flipping them up and down like she was making a bed for Goldilocks. Come on, system! Where's my 40-point jackpot?!
But nothing. Nada. Zilch.
This is outrageous! Where's the tutorial? The FAQ section? The customer support hotline?
Ugh, typical. Xiuying plopped onto the bedside chair, sulking. This is worse than that mobile game that kept 'balancing' her favorite characters.[1]
The system remained silent, its cold interface mocking her. No explanations. No tutorials. Just the cruel mathematics of diminishing returns.
Fine. She glared at Ji Feng's peaceful face. You win this round, pretty boy. But just wait until she tries the sponge bath strategy..
Somewhere in the depths of his consciousness, the Seventh Prince felt an inexplicable chill.
[1] Genshin Impact :(