To her annoyance, the prince was as handsome as he was haughty. His fine-boned features seemed carved from alabaster by a master sculptor, but his mouth tilted upward at the corners as if in a constant sneer. Only his eyes held a glint of sharp intellect.

Meili bristled under the prince's scrutiny as if she were some ornament to be studied and either kept or discarded at his will. Her sympathy for him was fast fading, replaced by anger at his arrogant and entitled behavior. She fought the urge to hurl insults at him, reminding herself of the need to curb her tongue if she wanted to continue in this post.

After a long examination, the prince finally spoke again. "You do not seem entirely incapable. Pour me a cup of tea." He waved an indolent hand towards the tea set on a carved table by the bed.

Meili bowed stiffly to hide her frown before moving to make his tea. Her hands shook with anger as she heated the water and measured out fragrant tea leaves for the pot. By the time she gave the steaming cup of tea to the prince on bended knee, her resentment towards him had blossomed into full dislike.

The prince accepted the cup without a word and took a slow sip. Meili held her breath, feeling as if her fate hung in the balance of his opinion on the brew. To her dismay, the prince's arrogant look did not change. Her heart sank, already anticipating his casual command for her to remove herself from his presence and his service.

"Hmm." The prince made a scornful sound in his throat as if doubting her ability.

Meili had to bite her tongue to prevent blurting a tart reply. Your Highness certainly knows how to inspire your workers' loyalty and devotion! How she wanted to put this pompous fool in his place with a display of her powerful qi. But she must continue concealing her true identity while thinking about a way to improve his health or at least gather information about his illness and its possible causes.

Aloud, she said in a neutral tone, "I will do my utmost to please Your Highness. If I may be so bold, what are your immediate needs?"

The prince waved a languid hand. "Prepare my bath. Not too hot, and don't forget the jasmine oil. We shall have to do something about your rough hands; they are quite unsuitable. And do brush up on your etiquette; your manners need much refining."

As the prince rattled off a litany of her perceived faults and the impossible standards she had to meet, Meili's frustration mounted. She was no common helper, but a member of a noble clan with power this fool prince could only imagine! Did he truly expect her to turn into the picture of an ideal lady-in-waiting overnight? Her hands were callused from years of hard training and pressure, not from a life of rest. And her manners were unpracticed rather than rural.

Nonetheless, Meili set about drawing a bath of lukewarm water scented with precious jasmine oil, as directed. She must figure out a way to handle the prince's temper and exacting nature if she wants to gain his trust. Her main way of advancing through her mission was to gain the prince's trust without gaining attention from others, but it seemed like a distant dream compared with the realities of her irksome position.

When the bath was ready, Meili returned to the bedchambers and bowed stiffly before the prince. "Your bath is prepared according to your wishes, Your Highness. Shall I escort you to the bathing chambers?"

The prince set down his teacup and rose from the bed, leaning slightly on her arm as they went to the adjoining chambers. Meili braced herself for another barrage of complaints from his petulant lips while resisting the desire to give him a sharp jolt of qi to curb his attitude. But she must continue biding her time for now. The day was only just starting.

Meili helped Prince Zhiyuan undress, keeping her eyes away even as her hands brushed accidentally against his cool skin. Her heart raced at their closeness, even as she chided herself for such foolishness. He was her duty, not her lover, and she must stay focused on her sacred job.

When the Yun clan elders sent Meili to the imperial palace, she knew her task was of grave importance. As the clan's most talented young disciple, she was entrusted with guiding the prince, who could save the kingdom from eternal darkness. Meili steeled herself to face any task, even if it meant tending to the irascible prince and weathering his barbs and criticism.

Though Prince Zhiyuan displayed a weak constitution, Meili was determined to help him unlock his hidden potential and ascend to the throne before the 'demon star' rose.

The prince settled quickly into his bath with an expression of mild contentment, waving off Meili's efforts to assist him. "Leave me and return in an hour; you are pestering me, and I don't want to see your face again."

Meili bowed stiffly and withdrew, glad to escape his irksome presence for a while. She made her way to the servants' quarters, lost in thought over her unfortunate situation. How long will she be able to bear the insufferable prince?

In her small chamber, Meili sat down at the plain wooden dresser and gazed at her image. Her face was free from powder or rouge, and her hair was simply twisted and coiled atop her head. She looked every inch the imperial servant, a mere shadow of the noblewoman she was born to be.

Sighing, Meili leaned her elbows on the desk and rested her chin in her hands. She thought with disdain of Prince Zhiyuan soaking in his jasmine-scented bath, happily unaware of his dormant power or her true identity. If she wished, she could just strike him down where he lay and be done with him.

An hour passed swiftly as Meili pondered over her trials. At the appointed time, she made her way back to the prince's bedchambers, preparing herself to attend to his needs once more. The ornate doors opened before she could announce herself, and there stood the prince in a silk robe, regarding her with a haughty look.

"Must I wait all day for your sluggish assistance?" he said coldly.

Meili bit back a sharp retort and bowed, following the prince into his dressing rooms. She helped the prince into a royal over-robe of gold tissue and crimson satin. After scrutinizing their image once more, the prince gave a curt nod of approval. "That will suffice. I want to take a walk around my gardens."

With no choice but to obey, Meili followed in the prince's wake as he swept out of his rooms in a swirl of silk, making his way to his garden.

However, they had barely walked a few paces outdoors when the prince suddenly swayed, clinging onto Meili for support. His face had gone unnervingly pale. "I feel unwell," he mumbled faintly. "We must return to my chambers at once."

With the prince leaning heavily on her arm, Meili half-carried him back to his bedchambers as quickly as she could. She settled him onto the bed, her anger waning in the face of his visible distress. For once, the prince seemed in no state to complain or make demands.

Meili gazed down at the pale, unconscious prince with a frown, her mind running. His sudden fall seemed too abrupt to be due to his usual frail constitution alone. As she placed her palm gently on his forehead to check for fever, she felt flickers of strange energy emanating from within him.

It was not the normal flow of qi in a body, but something more sinister that left an almost bitter aftertaste. Meili's frown worsened. This foreign energy did not fit; it was weakening the prince from the inside out like a poison slowly consuming its host.

Her eyes sharpened at the realization. This was no natural illness but something that had been deliberately inflicted upon the prince over time. But who would hold the means and motive to poison a prince of the blood?

Meili thought back to Consort Ruolan's report of the prince's declining health over the years. He was not born sickly but was once a robust and talented child, surpassing even the eldest of his brothers. Yet after his twelfth year, his health started deteriorating for no apparent reason. The imperial physicians could not determine a reason and deemed it due to a weakness of qi and spirit.

But what if that was untrue? What if there were more sinister forces at play that remained unseen and unnoticed all these years?

Meili chewed on her bottom lip nervously. As gifted as the imperial physicians were, their understanding remained limited. They lacked the Yun clan's mystical arts to identify malicious energies or spiritual disturbances. If only she could examine the prince with her true skills without fear of discovery. She may be able to unravel this puzzle that has eluded others.

Meili put her palms on the prince's chest, closing her eyes to better focus her senses. She willed her awareness to expand beyond the physical, probing deep within him for traces of the foreign energy. She sensed it again: the bitter and corrosive presence of dark qi wrapped around his core like parasitic vines. It slithered and writhed slowly, draining the prince of energy and strength each day.

Her eyes flew open, cold dread gripping her heart. This was no natural illness but the result of evil sorcery intended to weaken the prince and cut his life short. But who would dare use dark magic against a prince of the blood?

The answer emerged swiftly: who would gain most from the prince's premature demise other than those vying for the throne? Meili exhaled quickly. Was one of the rival princes so consumed with a desire that they turned to sinister means to eliminate competitors? Or was there another force at work, shaping events from the shadows?

Meili gazed down at Prince Zhiyuan's wan face, her eyes softening with sorrow. For years, he suffered and faded in solitude, not knowing the sinister truth behind his ill state. Her heart burned with the desire to undo this evil magic and help the prince reclaim his stolen vitality. She must find a way to use her healing gifts to purge the darkness that is corrupting his body before it consumes him fully.

But she could not act rashly without alerting others to her powers or the sinister truth behind the prince's illness. She must continue to keep her true nature and purpose hidden while watching and waiting for a chance to help break the evil enchantment upon him without rousing suspicion. The future of the empire relied on the prophesied savior hidden within this frail, fading shell of a prince.

Meili sighed, lifting her eyes to look out at the verdant garden through the open window. Somewhere, some wished the prince dead before his time, oblivious to the doom they would bring upon the empire if their sinister plan succeeded. But as long as Meili drew breath, she would not rest until the evil encroaching upon Prince Zhiyuan's light was vanquished for good. She was sent by her clan to guide the prophesied one meant to save them all, and she would fulfill her sacred duty against impossible odds.

The prince's fate and the future of the empire now rested in her hands alone.