“Miss Mu Xi…” she lowered her head timidly, her voice barely audible like a mosquito’s buzz.
Mu Xi noticed the clothes she was wearing and frowned, “Where’s the dress I gave you?”
Little An nervously twisted her fingers and whispered, “The dress… I put it back, in your room. It’s your dress, Miss… I shouldn’t have worn it.”
Her voice grew softer and softer, filled with obvious inferiority and unease.
Mu Xi looked at her cautiously, feeling a pang of discomfort in her heart.
She wanted to say something comforting, but at this moment, any words felt pale and powerless.
Just then, Little An passed by Mu Xi carrying a wooden bucket and accidentally tripped on a raised stone slab.
With a loud “bang,” the bucket lost balance and fell heavily onto Mu Xi’s foot.
“Ugh—” A sharp pain instantly spread up her calf.
Mu Xi gasped for air, nearly crying out.
Her face went pale from the pain, beads of sweat forming on her forehead, but she gritted her teeth and held back the sound.
Frowning deeply, she endured it silently.
This kind of pain was more humiliating than physical.
A grown man… no, now a woman, actually hurting like this?
How embarrassing.
Little An panicked and immediately dropped to her knees, her voice breaking with sobs, “I’m sorry! Miss Mu Xi, I didn’t mean to, really I didn’t!”
Her whole body trembled, tears streaming down like she had committed a terrible crime, shivering in fear.
Mu Xi was in intense pain, but seeing Little An so scared calmed her down instead.
She took a deep breath, about to say “It’s alright,” when a female guard in a black uniform hurried over.
The guard’s face was stern, eyes sharp.
Seeing Little An kneeling on the ground, her brow immediately furrowed.
“What’s going on?” The guard’s voice was icy, carrying undeniable authority.
Little An was even more terrified, trembling like a leaf, barely able to speak, “I-I’m sorry.”
The guard ignored Little An’s apology and turned to Mu Xi, softening her tone slightly, “Miss Mu Xi, are you alright?”
Mu Xi shook her head, trying to appear nonchalant.
“I’m fine, I just bumped my foot accidentally.”
The guard’s eyes scanned Mu Xi’s tightly knit brows and pale face, clearly not believing her.
She looked back at Little An with a sudden sharp glare and then kicked her hard in the back.
“Ah!” Little An let out a short cry of pain, her body flying like a kite with a broken string and landing heavily on the ground, knocked unconscious.
Mu Xi was stunned; she hadn’t expected the guard to be so brutal.
Little An might be clumsy, but she didn’t deserve that.
The guard acted as if it was no big deal, not even glancing at the unconscious Little An, then turned to Mu Xi and said, “Miss Mu Xi, this place isn’t safe. I’ll take you to the Garden to rest.”
Without waiting for a reply, she roughly helped Mu Xi up and forcefully led her out of the dark, damp Dungeon.
Mu Xi was half-supported by the guard as they arrived in the sunlit Garden.
The Garden was filled with birdsong and floral fragrance, a completely different world from the Dungeon.
Several Maids immediately surrounded her, gasping at her bare feet, bustling to help her sit on the soft couch in the pavilion, then crouching down carefully to examine her foot.
“Oh no, Miss’s foot is all red!”
“It’s definitely swollen. Bring the medicine quickly!”
The Maids chirped busily, moving swiftly.
Soon, they brought warm water and ointment, gently cleaning Mu Xi’s wound and carefully applying the salve, softly massaging the area.
Mu Xi looked at the attentive Maids and listened to their concerned words, but felt nothing inside.
This care was just routine, a show demanded by Lady Ye Lan.
She couldn’t feel a shred of sincerity—only bitterness.
The pain in her foot dulled, but the insincere “concern” irritated her far more than any physical ache.
‘How utterly boring.’
Mu Xi silently sighed in her heart.
Once the Maids finished applying the medicine, they quietly withdrew, leaving Mu Xi alone on the soft couch in the pavilion.
She moved her still-sore ankle slightly, making sure there was no serious injury, then finally relaxed.
Her gaze fell on her bare foot.
The pale instep, delicate toes, the areas smeared with ointment shimmering faintly.
Mu Xi slightly curled her toes, then slowly stretched them out again, as if studying a piece of art unrelated to herself.
She truly didn’t understand—what was so special about these feet that made others fawn over them?
In her previous life as a man, she never thought women’s feet were anything extraordinary—rather, somewhat troublesome and requiring extra care.
Now, with these feet on her own body, aside from being smaller and fairer, they seemed no different.
“What a dull obsession,” Mu Xi muttered quietly, a faint trace of annoyance barely concealed in her tone.
She lifted her head, looking around.
The Garden remained exquisite and beautiful, sunlight gently filtering through, the air heavy with floral scent, the fountain’s water sounds pleasing to the ear.
Everything was as beautiful as a fairy tale, yet so hollow it made one suffocate.
This fake prosperity was like a magnificent cage, tightly trapping her inside.
The Maids’ servitude, the guard’s coldness—it all felt like a carefully orchestrated play, and she was the most pitiful clown in the show.
Mu Xi let out a soft sigh, her eyes dimming.
The thought of escape grew wildly in her heart like weeds, nearly consuming her.
Li Xin… that name surfaced in her mind.
The silent, sharp-eyed woman was her only hope for now.
She had to grasp this lifeline, no matter how slim the chance, she would fight desperately.
For freedom, to break free from this hellish existence, she was willing to try anything.
Even… using her body to seduce that woman.
Thinking of this, Mu Xi’s cheeks flushed slightly, a complicated wave of emotions rising inside her.
Shame, disgust, yet mixed with a secret hope.
This contradictory feeling made her even more restless.
She suddenly stood up, wanting to walk around, but the pain in her ankle forced her to stop immediately and sit back down on the soft couch.
“Useless,” Mu Xi laughed bitterly, the sound barely masking her hidden sorrow.
She raised her hand, gently caressing her delicate face.
This face was her tool for escape, and also her greatest sorrow.
When Ye Lan learned that Mu Xi was injured, she was outside the manor.
She immediately dropped what she was doing and hurried back at full speed.
Pushing open the pavilion door in the Garden, she saw Mu Xi sitting on the soft couch, her ankle faintly swollen.
The delicate face also showed a trace of weariness, and a surge of anger instantly rose in her heart.
“What happened?”
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