No debt between them

Being in the presence of the Crown Prince was nerve-racking and all Bai Yue wanted to do was to go as far as possible from him. Nothing good had ever come from being close to a member of the imperial family. However, since he was offering his own pristine handkerchief to clean her face, she certainly wasn't going to refuse. Walking around with a scarf covering her face made her look like a bandit. Not the best disguise after killing someone violently.

She wetted the handkerchief with her saliva and proceeded to rub her face, grimacing at the feeling of dried blood coming off her skin. The once white fabric turned a rusty red color.

No servant girl would dare to walk away with something that belonged to a lord. Even if the said thing was a simple and now very dirty piece of silk. Since she was dressed like a maid, Bai Yue obviously planned to act like one. Or at least, try to act like one.

Lifting an eyebrow, clearly daring the Crown Prince of Zhou to soil his hands, she made a gesture to give the handkerchief back. To her surprise, the man who so far in his life had probably never had to dirty his hands didn't even blink and simply reach for it, going as far as to put it back in the depth of his large sleeve. Then, without asking for permission, he took hold of the wrist that was bruised and frowned.

"My lord, what are you doing?!" Bai Yue panicked.

"Did that man do that to you?"

She tried to shake him off and accidentally exposed her other hand - the one that was wounded. Because she stabbed herself with a hairpin, the wound was deep and still bleeding. The veil wrapped around her hand was now wet with blood.

Ji Mo Yuan clenched his jaw and carefully grabbed her second hand. As his fingers touched her skin, she flinched and held her breath. His movements as he removed the makeshift bandage were light and slow. Even though, an agonizing pain caused her to wince when the veil was pulled off.

He paused. According to the angle of the wound and its position, it was easy for Ji Mo Yuan to guess that she was the one who did it. Moreover, it looked serious. From experience, he knew even the best ointment would leave a scar with a wound like that. Most likely, it would never heal completely, plaguing her with ache when she used her hand too much in the future or when the harsh cold of the winter came. A good thing it wasn't the hand she wrote with.

"You are a girl. Aren't you supposed to cherish your body?" he scolded her in a somewhat light tone that barely hid his heartache. "Look at this, why are you not even complaining?"

Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes in a poor attempt to forget about the shooting pain, she said, "My lord, do you mean I should complain to you?"

If so, she would just act as if he didn't say anything. Only someone crazy would dare to cry their grievances to the Crown Prince. Especially when his behavior was out of character.

"Is there someone else here?" Ah, forget it, forget it, that girl had always been too stubborn, never revealing her secrets to anyone but the people she cherished. "What happened? I clearly remember ordering him to serve you well."

"You did," she said laconically, not even daring to nod. Her body was standing completely still. "He just believed we were trying to scam him."

Ji Mo Yuan tore his eyes off her wounded hand and looked up, complicated feelings rising inside him. Why would he ever try to scam the owner of a mere pawnshop? Saying this like that, she obviously meant something else. "So... Is it my fault?" "

The response to the question was evident and Bai Yue imagined herself patting his head for understanding the situation so quickly. Outwardly though, she simply gave him a fake and slightly shaky smile, then said in a obsequious tone, "Of course not. My lord, how could it be your fault? A lord like you cannot be compared with us poor people. Even if you were to kill someone, it would be their own fault for existing and not yours."

"It's really my fault, then," he sighed regretfully. His good intentions had gone to waste. They backfired on Bai Yue, forcing her to kill a man with her own hands and hurt herself. "It seems like I am the one who owes you."

"What are you saying, my lord? I already said it wasn't your fault. You have nothing to do with what happened."

His help was so deadly. She didn't want to be involved with him ever again.

Ji Mo Yuan bent down and his gaze searched hers. His lips tugged down when he realized she was trying to distance herself from him. He wasn't surprised. After all, they weren't close or anything, and she didn't know he was like her. Besides, with her past, it wasn't strange for her to act like this. However, he couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed.

"I don't believe you." His voice came out as a whisper, the low voice strangely seductive. "I think you simply don't want me to owe you something. Unfortunately for you, I am a gentleman who always pays his debt."

Bai Yue pressed her lips together in a thin, pale line and shuddered when his breath brushed against her skin. Unconsciously taking a step back, she winced in pain, and suppressed the desire to tear off his face and reveal the cold monster that was hidden underneath his handsome features. What game was he playing? And why with her? Although she attended banquets in the palace in her youth, she didn't believe he remembered her. Especially when she was looking like a famished servant girl. Even with beautiful clothes, there was very little chance that he could recognize her.

"Debt always involves at least two parties. My lord, there is no need to speak of debt since I don't want anything from you."

"What if I want something from you?"

"... What?"

Ji Mo Yuan didn't respond and lifted his sleeve to reveal the white of his undershirt. Bringing the fabric to his teeth, he tore off a strip and then forcefully grabbed Bai Yue's hand again. A hiss of pain escaped from her mouth and he started rewrapping the wound.

"Don't worry," he told her, "I will take care of that man. Whatever happened will forever stay between you and him."