A polite cough sounded as the imperial physician entered, clutching a small box. "Your Highness, I have come to administer your morning tonic as Consort Ruolan instructed for your continuing recovery."

The prince waved Meili over as the physician mixed a draught with various foul-smelling herbs and powders from his box. Meili's nose wrinkled in distaste, her senses tingled slightly in warning, as if sensing danger.

Cheng gave the draught to Prince Zhiyuan with an elaborate bow before taking his leave. The prince downed it in one gulp, grimacing at the bitter taste.

Meili moved to help him from the cooling bath, but he grasped her wrist suddenly, catching her off guard. Her pulse leaped as she met his eyes.

"Must you continue looking so, or will you do as you're bid?" His tone was irritated, but his eyes gleamed with amusement and something more she could not name.

Heat rose in Meili's cheeks. She dropped her eyes, aware of his fingers still encircling her wrist, and the drops of water trailing down his bare chest. Her belly fluttered again in a most improper way. "F-forgive this servant, Your Highness. How may I attend you?"

He released her with a flick of his fingers. "You may give me your arm for support."

Meili obeyed, putting her arm around him to help him step out of the bath. His wet skin was hot against her side, and she caught the scent of sandalwood, jasmine oil, and something distinctly male. Her cheeks burned, and she dared not lift her eyes as she wrapped a drying cloth around his waist and helped him into a fresh tunic.

His breath stirred the hair by her ear, and he sighed. "It seems my strength still proves lacking today. I shall have to depend on your...support...until restored." His ironic tone suggested he mocked her discomfiture.

Meili swallowed hard, gathering the tatters of her dignity. She met his look directly this time, her eyes reflecting a cool composure she did not feel.

"It is my duty and honor to serve and help Your Highness in all things. Your recovery and strength will be my utmost concern."

His eyes gleamed at her verbal counterattack. "Indeed. We shall see, won't we...little guardian?" The look he gave her was disturbingly knowing as if he sensed the riot of feelings she fought to control.

Meili finished dressing him in silence, her emotions in turmoil. How could she concentrate on her duty to protect the prince when her traitorous senses insisted on noticing the broadness of his shoulders and taper of his waist, or the unnerving effect of his nearness? She sighed inwardly. Her task had only just become infinitely more complicated.

***

Prince Zhiyuan took his breakfast in his chambers, attended by Meili and Lin. Though he picked at the dishes without appetite, color seemed to be returning to his cheeks. Meili was glad to see signs of improving vigor, the tonic given by the physician probably affected him well.

A polite cough at the door heralded the arrival of Lady Xia, Prince Zhiyuan's childhood companion. Meili blinked, taken aback by the vision of loveliness gliding into the room. Lady Xia had even more charm than she heard of. Everything about Lady Xia spoke of refinement, from her gossamer silken robes to the flower pinned precisely in her elaborately dressed hair. Her beauty was undeniable, but her eyes gleamed with a keen intelligence as she smiled in delight at the prince.

"Your Highness, I heard you were feeling unwell and had to see for myself you were recovering." Lady Xia approached the table, waving off offers of breakfast with a graceful flutter of her hand. Her eyes swept over Prince Zhiyuan anxiously, soft with affection. "Your color seems much better today. I do hope this means your strength is returning?"

Prince Zhiyuan shrugged. "I am as well as can be expected. There is no need for you to worry yourself by calling on me daily like a nursemaid, Xia. I am fully capable of recovering on my own." His tone was brittle, hinting at annoyance.

Meili blinked in surprise at his abruptness. A flash of hurt crossed Lady Xia's face, but she hid it quickly behind another smile. "Of course, Your Highness. I merely wished to offer my best hopes for your health. I shall take my leave now to allow you space. Please call on me if I can provide any comfort."

Meili frowned as Lady Xia departed with a final graceful curtsy. The prince's rudeness was uncalled for, especially when Lady Xia's love and concern for him seemed genuine.

Prince Zhiyuan caught Meili's frown and glared. "Have you some complaint you wish to share, little guardian?"

Meili met his eyes calmly. "None, Your Highness. I merely wonder at your curt treatment of Lady Xia when she calls on you out of care and kindness."

His eyes narrowed. "How I choose to deal with Xia is no problem of yours. I do not need her worrying and preening over me as if I were an invalid."

"Yet you seem to have no objections to my attending you daily," Meili countered. At his threatening look, she bowed her head, chastened. "Forgive this servant for overstepping her bounds."

Prince Zhiyuan's expression softened slightly. "Your impertinence tries my patience terribly, little guardian. But you speak the truth, as is your job." He sighed. "Xia's doting has become rather suffocating. She sees me still as the boy I was, not the man I have become." His eyes got distant, hinting at darker thoughts. "Some affections are better left in the past, to keep from turning bitter with the passage of time."

Meili studied him in silence, seeing a glimpse of the lonely, brooding man beneath the arrogant appearance. Her heart softened, beginning to understand what drove him to keep even those who cared for him at a distance. Her mission to guide and protect him had only just become even more daunting.

"The affections of true friends weather all things, even the bitterness of time," she said gently. "Not all familiar bonds need turn to fetters if we open our hearts to them."

He gazed at her, his face unreadable. For a long moment, Meili thought he might reproach her for daring to lecture him again.

Then one corner of his mouth lifted in a wry half-smile. "You assume overmuch for a mere servant, little guardian. But...your words may hold some truth, loath as I am to admit it."

He waved a hand, signaling an end to their discussion. But Meili saw she had scored a minor victory. Her words seemed to have struck a chord in him, giving her hope the prince's heart had not closed irrevocably against the affections of those who wished only to stand by him. She need only continue gradually chipping away at the walls he had built, to let some light and warmth back in.

Meili smiled inwardly as she and Lin cleared away the remains of Prince Zhiyuan's breakfast. Her small breakthrough with him today gave her hope she could fulfill her mission if she proceeded with patience and care. The prince's health seemed to be improving, but his case still troubled her.

A melodious voice preceded the arrival of another guest to the prince's chambers. Consort Ruolan, swept in robed in shimmering silks. Her kind face held a quiet dignity and joy at seeing her son small recover.

"My son, I am glad to see color and vigor returning to your countenance at last." She approached Prince Zhiyuan, who resembled her greatly and clasped his hands in hers with a loving smile.

Prince Zhiyuan gave her a reluctant smile. "Mother, what brings you here so early? I hope I have given no one cause to think the emperor's least favorite son on his deathbed today." Bitterness tinged his wry tone at the reminder of his lowly position.

Consort Ruolan shook her head, accustomed to her son's resentful humor. "I came to speak with you about the upcoming summer fair. The preparations have begun, and your appearance at the opening ceremonies would do much to please your father if he sees you recovered enough to appear before the people."

The prince's smile faded. "Must we have this fight again each year? I have no wish to attend such frivolous celebrations merely to try and gain the emperor's notice when I stay as dust beneath his feet."

"Do not speak so," Consort Ruolan chided gently. "Your father holds you in love, simply...differently. Your appearance and allegiance at such events give him greater joy and peace of mind than you know."

Prince Zhiyuan snorted derisively. "Yes, he holds his least favorite son in such great love and high esteem, I need to appear at this absurd affair merely to gain favor in his eyes for a fleeting moment. I guess not."

Consort Ruolan sighed at his bitterness. "Must you continue in believing yourself so little regarded and make yourself so unhappy? Not all see you as unworthy or undeserving of trust. If you would but open your eyes, you would know you have my constant love and your father's in his way."

Prince Zhiyuan fell quiet, wrestling inwardly with resentment and a desire to please the kind-hearted woman who was the only source of unconditional love he had known. Finally, he sighed in capitulation.

"Oh, very well. If it will stop your pleading, I shall make a cursory appearance at this pointless revelry to satisfy the Emperor. But do not expect me to give effusive speeches or prolong the agony of trying endlessly to win favor where none is to be found."

Consort Ruolan hugged her son, overjoyed at his acquiescence. "You gladden this heart. A quick appearance is all I ask, and all your father needs to know is you are whole and still his loyal subject."

Meili bit back a smile as Consort Ruolan departed, satisfied for now. Prince Zhiyuan seemed unable to deny his gentle-hearted mother's appeals for his happiness, however much he claimed to resent them. Despite his bitter and cynical exterior, Meili saw glimpses of the lost and lonely young man within still craving affection and fighting to gain a scrap of regard from the father who treated him as little better than a servant.

Her mission to guide and protect the prince grew ever more daunting with each revelation of the wounds and scars left upon his spirit over time. But she did not despair. With patience, care, and vigilance against the hidden foes plotting his destruction, she held onto hope her light could pierce through the shadows keeping him trapped in an endless night. The prince's fate and happiness were worth fighting for until dawn finally broke over his horizon at last.